Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Oct 26

Travel With Kids Series - Vaccination Records & Anti-Malarials

Some borders are very particular about disease transmission from certain countries - such a Yellow Fever in Africa and South America. Passport Control will check for certified proof of vaccination if necessary before allowing visitors into the country.

Vaccination Cards:
It is best to have everyone’s vaccination records kept in the standard ‘booklet’ offered by most doctors surgeries or travel clinics. This standard format allows you to keep a record of not only the vaccines that you and your children have had, but will also show how long you are protected for, and the date when the boosters needs to occur. A great help when organising trips for more than one person.

So even if you do not need proof of vaccination while traveling, you will have a permanent record of everything for everyone. The number of times I had to ring my clinic up after booking a vacation and check if everything was in order!

Some vaccinations need several weeks before offering full protection to you, so these will need to be planned in advance with a family - up to 2 months in advance to make sure all goes to plan. Some vaccines are part of a course over several weeks, so dates are very important. Also after the jabs, kids may feel a bit poorly or have sore arms - neither is ideal for traveling!

Also, making an appointment for a larger group of people or an appointment during school time can be quite a challenge. It’s worth knowing that vaccinations may not be given if children are ill and of course there could be a lower age limit on some treatments - so make sure you look into these well in advance to make sure everything runs smoothly and all precautions are taken.

If you find that you are exempt from taking a vaccine due to pregnancy, or the age of your children prohibits the use of certain medication, make sure you find out what documentation is accepted in your destination country to make sure that you are not refused entry at the border. And also take time to find out the risks involved in not being fully protected, and make other arrangements as necessary.

Anti-Malarials:
Not essential for all travel, but never-the-less of great importance in many destinations.

Malarial treatments - or prophylaxis - are specific to each destination. Treatment used in Central America may well not be suitable for travel to India or in Africa. You need to check each destination before selecting your specific pill. There are normally 2 types suggested for each destination with the best choice offered first and the second one only being offered if you have a reaction to the first one.

For this reason, you need to start taking your anti-malarial tablets up the 2/3 weeks before departure. Not only will this help to build up your protection levels, but if you get unpleasant side effects - such as nausea or dizziness, you still have time to start taking the alternative treatment before you arrive.

Make sure you purchase enough for everyone while you are away, taking into account dropped tablets or those spat back out by your children! Alternatively, you may make a note of the generic name (not the brand name) of your tablets so you can buy more while traveling, if necessary.

Speak to your pharmacist or doctor regarding treatment for malaria if you are pregnant or have very young children - and discuss any health issues before you buy anything. You usually need to continue taking these tablets even after you return, so make sure you have a supply waiting at home for when you return home.

In Addition:
Obviously - you can still get bitten by mosquitoes and other bugs while traveling - and they carry other illness and diseases as well. To reduce the incidence of any bites, make sure that you buy enough insect-repellent to protect everyone, and actually use it.

It can be a pain - as it smells and can strip the ink off of bottles and other goods smearing colour over arms and clothes - but there is little other way to protect you family when outside at dusk or dawn. You can reduce the risk of evening bites by wearing long-sleeved tops and long trousers if possible. And avoid open shoes or flip-flops if dining on the beach or near water.

Depending on the standard of the accommodation you are using and the area of the world you are traveling to, it might be worth taking your own mosquito bed nets (impregnated with permethrin) for you and your children while you sleep to prevent further bites.

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posted by Travel Cat on Oct 19

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Iceland

Everyone is talking about Iceland at the moment, so I thought I’d throw some interesting facts about the country into the mix.

Top 10 Amazing Facts:

1) This country sits on the very active Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean, and is growing around 1cm wider each year as the ocean-bed spreads apart.

2) The people of Iceland can trace their ancestry all the way back to the invading Vikings who colonised the island in around 800bc

3) Every 4-5 years, this country has a significant volcanic explosion. However they are usually under the thick ice sheets, but you could get to see fresh flowing lava.

4) In the peak of summer you can get almost 24 hours of daylight in the very north of the island - (almost) the land of the midnight sun!

5) Due to the atmospheric conditions and the clearness of the skies, if the conditions are right you can see the Northern Lights here. These amazing patterns of red and green ‘lights’ can be seen across the skies throughout the winter months.

6) Icelandic people still use a system of naming their children that means that every member of the same family could have different surnames. Basically, the child get their first name as usual, but their surname is created by their fathers name plus whether they are a ’son’ or ‘dottir’. So if Halldors parents where Eider Gudjohnson and Vigdis Olafson, his full name would be Halldor Eiderson.

7) Because of this naming system, people are listed in the phone book by their first names to make it easier to find them!

8. You can see over 6 types of whale here on boat trips - including the humpback and the blue whale if you are very lucky. You can also spot orca, dolphins and porpoises around the capital in particular. There are also 5 types of seal commonly seen here and there is always the possibility of seeing a walrus!

9) There are no train lines in Iceland, and only one main road which circles the whole country.

10) If its rainy or cold on one side of the island, it will always be sunny and dry on the other!

There are of course many more amazing things about Iceland - but you can find them out for yourself when you get there……

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posted by Travel Cat on Oct 14

Travel to the south African country of Namibia and save up to 2/3s off the cost of a similar holiday to Botswana.

Namibia has plenty to offer, and sits right next-door to Botswana and shares part of the Okavango Delta - the latter countries ‘big draw’. North of South Africa and running up the coast of the southern Atlantic Ocean, this county has plenty to offer and 4 of the ‘big 5′ plus seals, ostriches and miles and miles of sand dunes…..

I have chosen 3 of the best locations in the country, not only for wildlife but for just amazing views and miles of endless scenery.

Etosha National Park:
In the north of the country, close to the border with Angola, sits the amazing national park. 25% of it’s surface is covered with a huge clay pan, shimmering white in the sunshine. This region is regularly flooded and the shallow lake becomes a haven for thousands of flamingos and other waterbirds.

Etosha is one of the Worlds greatest known conservation areas, and with a list including lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant, giraffe, jackal, hyena, warthog, rhino zebra and wildebeest, it no wonder. At 186 miles wide and just 68 miles north-south it is remarkably easy to see game here - and with 114 mammal species within it’s boundaries - you will not be disappointed on your safari.

You need an entry permit to visit (usually included with most organised tours) but you are not allowed to visit the west of the park without a guide as the animals are not so used to humans and so will be greatly affected by your presence.

The Namib-Naukluft Park:
Running up the coast in central Namibia is this large almost un-inhabited region, divided into 3 distinct zones.

1) Sandwich Harbour:
To the north of the region you will find this isolated wetland along the Atlantic coast, where thousands of waders and other seabirds spend their days on the mudflats, including terns, flamingos and pelicans.

You cannot visit this region without a permit and there are strict guidelines about when and where you can drive. Only a 4×4 will do, and it is a 2 hour walk from the ‘car park’ to the lagoon. There is no overnight camping allowed, so you had better start out early for this ornithological day trip.

2) The Namib Desert:
Famous for it’s endless reddish dunes, this region seems devoid of life. However, you will find springbok, gemsbok, mountain zebra, bat-eared foxes and ostrich all doing well here.

There are basic campsites here and you need a permit for some areas. There are gravel paths for sturdy vehicles - for the best; follow the Welwitschia Drive for the longest and most scenic tour of the region.

3) Naukluft Mountains:
This area of rugged cliffs and steep escarpments is on the edge of the Namib and has some dramatic landscapes.

Home to a small amount of large mammals including zebra and leopards, you can hike through this region using the many campsites and you will certainly need the largest memory card you can get your hands on. The scenery is just perfectly photogenic, and the different light throughout the day makes even the same place seen totally different.

Fish River Canyon:
Legendary as the largest area of canyons anywhere near here, these geological beauties will certainly leave you speechless.

This complex of steep sided gorges in a lovely rusty stone are surely Namibia’s most spectacular natural feature and are easily reached from nearby Keetmanshoop. Created over millions of years when the land rose in height causing the river to rage it’s way down to sea level - eating away at the cliffs as it tore it’s way down to the ocean.

There are many viewpoints along the way, and some very popular hiking trails and many basic campsites. The best trail is the 85km back-packing trail starting near Hobas and ending in the delightful Ai-Ais hot springs. Just what you’ll need after several hard days hiking!

What Else:
Well, of course, the country has plenty more to offer, including the Skeleton Coast filled with shipwrecks, the local Himba tribes and German colonial towns filled with great architecture and history including the capital Windhoek. Then there is Sossusvlei - where you can watch the sun rise over the flame red dunes wearing out your camera shutter and the wildlife-crammed Bwabwata National Park, just north of the great Okavango delta.

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posted by Travel Cat on Oct 10

There was a fantastic post submitted for this months Traveling With Kids Blog Carnival, that I thought it should get a post of it’s own.

TheLifeLessTraveled presents Family Downsizes Life to a Camper, the Open Road and Adventures Rich in Simple Pleasures posted at The Life Less Traveled.

The family and their dog - naming themselves the Smudge Family (a winner for me) decided that enough was enough - and they were going to enjoy their lives together away from the ‘daily grind’.

No more 9-5 ruining their precious time together as a family.  Find out more on their journey as they continue to add more posts…..

Enjoy. 

posted by Travel Cat on Oct 1

Just a quick note to everyone in the UK to explain why the vacations this summer have been a bit pricey!

I was visiting my travel agent every week waiting for something to come up for around the £600 or less mark for a long-haul 2 week vacation - but nothing came. She thought they were holding off due to the bad weather this year - so she said come back after the August Bank Holiday. I did, but the prices were still higher than I wanted, and there weren’t many of them to chose from either.

I now know why.

Travel ‘giants’ Thomas Cook and TUI recently announced that they have been taking advantage of other travel companies going bust, by keeping their prices artificially high. They were using their well earned stability in the market to pick up all the travellers who still wanted that summer vacation, and were prepared to pay a little more than usual.

Apparently this has been very successful, what with less flights (Thomas Cook have nearly 25% less holidays on sale this season) and less companies offering them in the first place (with XL and Zoom going bust). Also, holiday selling prices have increased a staggering 18% in the past 7 weeks - according to the London Lite (29/09/08). No wonder I couldn’t find anything worth paying for.

So, it may be that cheap package holidays are becoming a thing of the past - for now.

However, I think that over the next year when things are predicted to get even tighter - for example my electricity bill has gone up another 30% this month - people will stop paying those prices. How many people even now really want to pay more that £600 each for 2 weeks in the sun?

The only people with that sort of money are all the London bankers - oh, hang on a minute - aren’t they all out of a job now!

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