Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 20

Ultimate Accessories - Girls Travel Club

Recently, a new company caught my attention as they offer something special for all those female travellers who want to travel - but with style.

Why should ladies have to settle for everything ‘practical’ in either a dull green or a navy blue? Why not have feminine, stylish products and useful but attractive accessories, that are both practical and environmentally friendly?

I Want That!!
The founder of Girls Travel Club, Becci Coombes-Burr thought just this - having extensively traveled the globe and used all sorts of outdoor and travel related products - for better or worse. She decided that we shouldn’t have to settle for boring, environmentally damaging products that didn’t always work as planned.

So she managed to find all her essential travel-related products that were all eco-friendly and chemical-free, and were perfect for travelling light and designed for style, then created her on-line store offering these products to everyone. She didn’t stop there either - in those instances where there was no suitable product available - she had her own one made!

I contacted Becci, and asked her a few questions about her site and her motivation:

Q: What inspired you to create your own products?
A: Well, I’ve been backpacking all over the place, and being a girl weight can be a real issue when packing your rucksack, so I tried to cut down on unnecessary kit as much as possible.

When I set up my own business one of the first things I looked for were products that were multi-tasking, (like an all-in-one shower gel/shampoo/shave gel), and when I couldn’t find them I decided to have them made specially. They’re also biodegradable, packed full of lovely oils and no nasty chemicals.

Q: If you could recommend 5 essential travel remedies for any holiday from your range, what would they be?
A: Ooh. Tricky one. The luxury eye-mask, definitely, then you can sleep practically anywhere at any time of day, and beat the jet-lag or that dreadful airplane lighting! Ours are shaped so they are incredibly comfortable and won’t smudge your eye makeup!

Lavender oil is amazing and I don’t go anywhere without it. Use it on bites and stings and sunburn; a few drops in the bath and on the pillow will help you sleep and get over jet-lag. Get a friend to mix a few drops in some vegetable oil and massage your aching rucksacky shoulders, while it is also an antiseptic and great on cuts and grazes.

A good quality kikoy or sarong is a real boon as well. If you get a good quality one (ours are fair-trade Kenyan cotton ones) it will last you for years, and has SO many uses; picnic cloth, table cloth, baby carrier, sunshade, towel, pashmina…..

I also find good quality earplugs really helpful if you are on a plane or sleeping in a noisy hostel. Ours are specially attenuated and designed to cut out all kinds of background noise, and they come in a very cute little zip up pouch (basically I am drawn to anything that comes in a cute little pouch or drawstring bag…)

Lastly I never go anywhere without a good travel journal and a Pritt stick, because invariably although you try and keep all those tickets and leaflets and postcards and bits and pieces safe for your scrapbook, you’ll have lost most of them before you get home! 

Q: What 1 piece of travel advice do you think is most important for female travellers?
A: Act with confidence and a smile. (And pretend you know what you’re doing and where you’re going even if you don’t!). I never got into any trouble in all the time I was travelling, mostly by sailing through everywhere with a mindless grin and a purposeful stride,  whereas other girls who seemed more nervous attracted all sorts of hooha. 

Q:  How did you become involved with funding schools in Guatemala?
A: After returning from travelling round south-east Asia I decided to sponsor a child in the Philippines, and it is through the same charity that I heard about the schools project.

Over To You:
If you want to make travelling easier and more stylish for yourself - take a look at www.girlstravelclub.co.uk right now, and see which products you like the look of for your own travel kit - take some advice from the many pages offered and have a look at the courses on offer while you are there too.

You’ll find that ‘going green’ and helping preserve the environment and the people you are going to visit really is quite simple when you know where to look……

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posted by Travel Cat on Jun 17

Want To Learn A New Language?

Just a quick note here to say that Rosetta Stone have recently been advertising a great deal on their language courses.

If you are like me, you want to learn a new language as you travel a lot, and you really want to be able to communicate with the locals. Maybe this is for you.

I’ve Tried Before…… 
We’ve all tried learning a language in dribs and drabs from various short courses from the library, and always find yourself starting of at the beginning again after you gave up the last time. So there you go again with saying ‘where you are from’ and ‘how to order a cheese and ham sandwich’ for the 5th time!!

Not so anymore. The internationally recognised Rosetta Stone language school is offering you a money-back guarantee with their teaching packs - basically if you haven’t grasped your chosen language within 6 months - they will give you a full refund!

Full refund - after 6 months. Now there’s a deal worth investigating, and there are some reasons to learn a foreign language other than to get a drink.

What Levels Are There? 
With 3 different levels for each language offered you can start at the beginning only (around $250/£125), or set yourself up for the whole deal with a package for all 3 levels ($610/£305) - with over 50 hours tuition with each level, 1:1 feedback throughout the courses and easy to use software - you may finally be able to have a conversation with that Russian chess player you always wanted to get some tips from or ask that Argentinian cowboy what it feels like to gallops across the plains of Patagonia.

With over 30 different languages to choose from including both Spanish (for Spain) and Spanish (for Latin America) Brazilian Portuguese and American English, you don’t even need to worry about the known variations and pronunciations of these common languages to get by.

Go online to www.rosettastone.co.uk/mac03  to get more details and take advantage of this offer. I don’t know when the offer ends - so this link won’t last forever…..

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posted by Travel Cat on Jun 15

Want to avoid the nasty side of your vacation spot? 

Wherever you travel to there are going to be local illness that your body is not used to. Some are temporary with mild symptoms, others have terrible symptoms but not long lasting, but unfortunately some are permanent, crippling or fatal! Many of these are transmitted by animals including mosquitoes, so it doesn’t matter if you are used to them or not, you can still succumb to them unless you are protected and travel sensibly.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, and there are many precautions you can take before arriving at your destination (including vaccinations and prophylaxis) and when actually there to help lower your chances of contracting these, and to reduce the symptoms if you get them.

I have just covered some basic facts here about 4 of the most common health complaints of the traveller, although there are many many more you need to be aware of if you are travelling to more remote areas or where you may come into close contact with local people or local wildlife.

There are no vaccines for any of the following infections or diseases, and prevention is the only way to limit your chances of being affected.

Diarrhea
I know you can get this without travelling, but if it is accompanied by a fever, bloody stools or mucus, it could be a bacterial or parasitic infection. Whatever the cause, re-hydration is essential.

Dysentery is characterised by the fact that it doesn’t go away until treated, and giardiasis needs treating too as the stomach cramps, watery foul-smelling stools and frequent gas will come and go over several weeks.

Cholera is the worst of the watery diarrhea’s, and can cause serious dehydration if not treated in a hospital. An outbreak of the latter illness is usually widely reported so you can avoid it or identify it depending on when you hear the report!!

Bilharzia
Also known as schistosomiasis, this disease is gotten from minute worms that live in fresh water. They burrow their way into the skin and travel to the intestines or bladder where they latch on.

Symptoms can include fever, abdominal pain and blood in the urine, but there may be no such signs early on. It could be several months or even years down the line that you get the symptoms, but by then any damage to the internal organs is irreversible.

Check known locations of this ‘worm’ before travelling to endemic countries as it can be avoided, or your risk greatly reduced with basic precautions like drying yourself thoroughly immediately after leaving rivers and streams.

Dengue Fever
This mosquito-borne virus is only found in South America and the Aedes mosquitoes that transmit this usually bite during the day - not the normal dusk till dawn critters!

Infection results in flu-like symptoms along with the usual aches and pains, fever and vomiting - but you may also find a rash appears. The terrible body aches that can come with this usually pass within a few days but do not require medical assistance in nearly all cases.

Most cases just require normal medications and analgesics - but you must remember to rehydrate and stay hydrated as the few cases of this that end up in the hospital are usually due to the effects of dehydration.

See below for tips to reduce mosquito bites in general.

Malaria
Every-one’s nightmare disease when travelling. Whenever people plan to book a vacation, the first thing they normally check is whether it’s malarial - and because of this disease many people just won’t book the trip at all.

Yes, there is always a risk, and many people do contract malaria every year and many more die of it, but more people worldwide die each year from diarrhea alone than all the other diseases in this article put together so don’t panic yourself into a frenzy. But, most travellers still fear this one the most - many even fear the side-effects of the malaria tablets used to help prevent the symptoms (malarial prophylaxis do not stop you getting malaria, they just prevent the body reacting to seriously to the infection)

Take the following examples - would you take the medication?

• Difficulty in breathing, skin rash, swollen facial features…
• Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, peptic ulcer, bleeding in the stomach…..
• Changes in skin colour, tremors, palpitations, or even gout….

Well, these are just some of the side effects you can get from Anadin!  Bet you don’t think twice about taking that though?? 

Mosquito Bite Avoidance
This disease and Dengue fever can only be transmitted by mosquito bites from an infected insect, and as they strike anything at any time, you must take all available precautions when travelling in endemic areas, even if taking preventative medication. You are always advised to wear light coloured clothing, preferrebly long-sleeved and long-legged and avoid shallow water and overgrown areas in the morning and evenings.

Use a DEET containing repellent at all times on exposed skin and avoid highly scented toiletries which tend to attract insects. Always use a well maintained mosquito net while you sleep, preferably impregnated in permethrin, and make sure you take your own net if you want to be really safe. In addition - don’t forget that the net only stops the whole mosquito so never let your skin rest against the net as mosquitoes will stick their faces through one of the holes and feed on you as though it wasn’t there.

Don’t Worry….. 
You can still enjoy your vacations if you travel prepared and research health issue before you leave for the country you are visiting. WHO’s website will give health updates as will plenty of government run online information sites (www.cdc.gov in the US and www.fco.gov in the UK) and travel sites such as The Lonely Planet will have links to these sites as well as their own current information on health and travel diseases.

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posted by Travel Cat on Jun 12

Operating only 2 smaller vessels for their guests, Azamara Cruises make sure that you get that special service you require, and can visit more sites than conventional giant cruise ships - meaning more of the destination to yourself - including Morocco, Thailand and even through to the Pacific.

Rather than crowd onto a larger ship with thousands of other people, hop on board either the Azamara Journey or Azamara Quest and travel in 5 star accommodation (including a butler service for every cabin) - along with excellent entertainment and dishes inspired by the world’s most renowned chefs - and you will be only one of a few hundred other guests being pampered.

Unforgettable Itineraries:
See some of the choices below for a taste of adventure…

Panama Canal- Cruise through the Caribbean on your way to the amazing Panama Canal from Florida through to California - all in luxury.  Stop in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico to be surrounded by dolphins and whales who use the natural harbour all year round, or make land in Costa Rica for a taste of the rain-forest.

Mediterranean Cruises - Start your journey of Europe in the picturesque city of Venice, where the Azamara Journey can navigate the waterways surrounding this ‘floating’ wonder, before blazing across the azure waters towards Athens or Barcelona, to witness years of our history trapped within their architecture and people.  Still on the Journey, you could leave Spain for one of several transatlantic cruises, including a 14 night voyage to Miami. 

Amazing Asia- Choose from busy Hong Kong, expanding China or sassy Singapore to board the Azamara Quest for your tropical journey into the mysterious East.  You find yourself amongst some of the most sought after views from the seas - great pinnacles of limestone fill your view, local fishermen hauling in their catches - or stare at the bright lights as you approach Japan in the evening.

Isolated Antarctica - Visit this little known continent in luxury as part of a longer cruise around South America, witnessing culture and people you will not be able to forget.

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posted by Travel Cat on Jun 10

10 Most Searched for Destinations from the UK

With summer holidays just around the corner, a top travel and vacation website announced that the top 10 worldwide destinations being searched for by people in the UK this past month included the following:

The Maldives
Las Vegas
Dubai
Orlando
Turkey
New York
Egypt
Cuba
Paris
London

I have already been to 7 of those and my mum has been to 8!!! Neither of us have fancied Dubai, but you can do a stopover there on the way to the Maldives if you like, and I would certainly recommend the Maldives for the tropical island idyll (I’ve been back 3 times).

However, you can use this guide in one of 2 ways:

A) Choose on of these destinations for your next holiday as they are where the buzz is!
B) Choose somewhere not on this list and get away from the hordes!!

Your choice.