Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 30

Nothing quite beats a vacation with a historical twist!

History is what makes places what they are today – so why not explore one that still oozes with that same historical feel as it may have had centuries before.

Looking at a historic castle, exploring an important but empty building or looking around a museum is sometimes the closest we get to the past – we have to imagine the rest for ourselves.

But you don’t need to imagine anything if you find yourself wandering through a frantic bazaar to the smell of frankinscence or watching exquisite rug makers entwining bright silk fabrics into traditional designs.

Welcome to the Silk Road!

photo credit: schmuela

The Silk Road was often thought to be just one well-used path through the mountains and deserts of central Asia – however, it is more interesting than that.

Both northern and southern routes from China to Europe exist along this huge area – with a myriad of other smaller or seasonally used routes, tracks and paths through many countries in the region. All of them were linking up historic cities along the way like Kashgar, Turpan, Damascus and Samarkland – places much in demand even today.

And it wasn’t only Silk which was transported either – satin , spices, medicine, gems, furs, slaves and porcelain were all carried along these routes for over 2000 years!

It was a hugely important and very well organised trade route and could carry virtually anything – unfortunately one of those things was the bubonic plague!

How come I know so much about it? I asked the experts.

Use Local Knowledge:
Rather than try to research everything myself from scratch, I just opened up a great website full of resources, facts and stories all about these routes.

They have experts who are from the region of Uzbekistan, and know the place inside out. They know the buildings, the culture, the history and the language – and so can offer some of the best tours and vacations in the area.

All this information is presented simply on their very informative website, filled with facts, great images and great vacations too.

Whether you want a quick whistle-stop tour of historic sites, or want a slower-paced adventure around the historic, religious and cultural sites – it’s all here!

Central Asia travel just got a whole lot easier!

photo credit: xoque

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 9

You might be dying to climb a mountain – but you don’t actually want to die!

Altitude sickness can be avoided by a number of simple steps – but sometimes the desire to take part in a high-altitude event or to achieve certain goals can make us overlook the dangers of trekking or climbing in high altitudes.

Anything over 10,000ft can be considered ‘high’ and so trekking in the Andes, Himalaya and certain African peaks could cause potential problems.

So make sure that you are aware of what to look out for when trekking or climbing for fun or in competitions, to make sure that you stay healthy and actually enjoy your vacation.

Signs Of Mild Mountain Sickness:
The most obvous things to look out for in yourself and colleagues is a headache and loss of appetite.

These can also be signs of dehydration or other abdominal illnesses – but it is always worth assuming that it is the altitude as you are at a great height. By all means treat for the other symptoms (more water/simpler food) but stop climbing for a while, slow your rate of ascent to your slowest walker, or descend at least 500m and break for the day to be sure.

If you ignore these signs and continue walking, keep an eye on that person and look out for nausea, vomiting, chest discomfort and a general slowing down of their walking. If they get any of these and still have the headache – STOP, and ideally descend as far a you can and don’t ascend anymore until the headache has gone completely.

If you have missed all these symptoms in yourself or a colleague – then you are about to enter the really dangerous part. At least 1 in 10 mountain climbers die every year through mountain sickness – so this is no joke. And hiding your symptoms from your friends may have got you this far – but it is now up to your friends to save your life.

Do you trust them?

Signs Of Serious Mountain Sickness:
Sometimes you may have overlooked or not even got any of the above symptoms – but the signs listed now are unmistakeable and cannot be anything else.

Action must be taken immediately if you recognise one or more of these symptoms in yourself or a climbing friend – and the only action that can save you is to get to lower altitudes – and fast!

First thing will be that headache again – it will be really bad and just won’t shift! It won’t go away as it is the pain of your brain swelling up inside your skull. And the swelling won’t stop until you are lower.

The effect of lower oxygen levels affects the internal workings of your body no matter how fit or young you are – and the fitter you are, the faster you may ascend and so are more likely to suffer from these symptoms!

These bodily changes could also cause fluid to build up in your lungs which can lead to breathlessness, coughing and frothing up blood – and you could drown from this build-up.

Other less specific symptoms will result in a change in character of the person and include mood changes, decreasing speed or ‘fitness’, increased nausea and vomiting, disorientation or ‘drunk’ behaviour, drowsiness and even hallucinations.

But these symptoms can cause the victim to think that they are ‘fine’ and they may tell you to stop worrying about them, they may even get quite angry that you are fussing over them – but you must persist in getting them to a lower altitude if you want them to survive.

And this means as soon as possible. So if it is dark and/or dangerous to do so yourself – then call for help, don’t wait until morning as this could be too late.

Altitude sickness only goes away if you get lower down the mountain – so get down the mountain!

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 4

If you are travelling to a high-altitude location – you should read up on its possible effects.

There are different atmostpheric conditions the higher up you are from sea level – and sometimes your body just decides that it can’t cope with the extra pressures put on it but the thinner along with your extreme physical activities.

Some people show no symptoms at all, others get really ill and some may even die – so it is essential that you can spot the varying and not always obvious symptoms – or know how to avoid then in the first place.

There are many guidelines for climbers or people travelling to the world’s mountain ranges for vacations – so if you ignore them – you really should expect trouble.

And annoyingly – you may be fine at altitude for one trip – but get very ill on the next!

photo credit: Lee Coursey

How To Avoid Mountain Sickness:
Firstly read up about what causes it – then you can put all the advice into perspective.

It’s ok to think that ascending too fast can cause it – but if you don’t know what the recommended ‘fast’ is, you won’t know whether you are still ok. And sometimes, the weather conditions can make you think that you need to ‘keep going’ to reach a suitable camping location rather than thinking of the possible effects on your body.

When you add this to the fact that altitude sickness can cause a change in character and confusion – you can see why avoiding it in the first place is essential – otherwise you will over-rule all common sense and walk to your death!

So, aiming not to climb to fast or too high in one day is essential; aiming to settle for a shorter distance or a less-than-perfect campsite rather than just keeping going in times of trouble is advised; and never trekking above 10,000ft alone would really make sense too.

And be ready to change your plans at a moments notice to descend as far as you can before the symptoms get worse. Always plan for emergencies – reaching your destination in ‘record time’ isn’t worth a friends life.

1 in 10 mountain climbers die each year from altitude sickness.

The Height Barrier:
You need to be over 10,000ft (3000m) really for any signs of altitude sickness to kick in – and you need to be active. So if you arrive at anywhere near these altitudes by anything other than walking you need to take it really easy for at least the first 24 hours.

So if you are travelling by train or plane to anywhere over 10,000ft – like Cuzco, La Paz, Mt Kenya, Kilamanjaro and anywhere in the Himalayas you should be thinking of the potential problems. Even flying into Denver at just over 5000ft can make people unwell – so plan ahead.

Add an extra day into you trip for this acclimatization period – maybe 2 to be sure. There is no point starting out if you aren’t going to be able to complete your trek or climb. If you take a ‘sick’ person with you, it could mean that the trip is ruined for everyone – not just them.

So read all the literature – no matter whether you have been to another mountain range before. Refresh yourself of the problems and symptoms and make sure your climbing friends know them too – as you might need them to save your life!

posted by Travel Cat on May 30

Why wait with everyone else at the airport – when you can choose your own plane!

If you fly a lot as part of your job or you just love travelling to new places – then why not consider buying into private jets?

Now this doesn’t mean that you have to buy a ‘share’ of one plane, or fork out for specific plane that you can only use for a few hours a year.

I mean join a Jet Charter scheme where you can pick and choose the private jet that suits your needs at the time.

They Are All Different:
There are many such schemes available for the frequent flyer – so make sure that you look out for the things that are most important to you.

I bet that safety is one of those things – so your first check should be to see that their entire fleet meet the high flight safety specifications of FAA Part 135 for example. Well, you don’t want to have to worry about any of the planes that you fly in – you want guaranteed assurances that they all meet strict safety regulations as part of the service!

Secondly, check things that relate to your own comfort and plans; like how quickly could you book flight at short notice?

Do they have a huge choice of different jets for larger groups or for just you and a colleague? Do they know about your dietery requirements in advance or do you have to keep telling them for every flight!

Do they expect huge deposits to ‘join’ and then fly – and are there certain time and cost limitations.

The Little Things:
And so what if you have a latest jet ready just 10 hours after ordering – what if they don’t have the drink you like?

What if everytime you called to arrange a flight you had to speak to a different person and go through all your details again time after time?

And what if your flight time was shifted at peak times to suit the airport instead of you?

You may as well check all of these things are covered with your jet company – otherwise you could be paying for a less-than-perfect service. Watch these Private Jet videos to get a taster of quality you should expect…..

There are plenty of companies out there that want your custom – so why not be a little bit fussy?

Only choose the company that offers you everything you would expect – plus a little bit more.

If you are going to be on the jet for 5 hours with an important client – that last thing you want is for them to be allergic – and you can’t give them any of the onboard food!

Expect More and make sure you get it – and it could be for a better price too!

posted by Travel Cat on Apr 27

There is nothing more worrying than finding an injured person – and you can’t help!

Would you know what to do if you came across an unconscious person? Or if one of your party suffered a serious injury? What if a colleague started having an asthma attack – what would you do?

If you see someone close by on the ground unconscious, is it best to go and call the emergency services straight away? Don’t know the answer or said ‘yes’ – then you could have just made the situation worse!

Being the outdoor type – and the adventurous person who likes meeting others and taking part in organised activities – why haven’t you taken a first aid course yet? Wouldn’t you like to know what to do?

photo credit: North West Air Ambulance

First Aid At Work:
Most people wait to be told to take one for work or as part of a new job or volunteering opportunity – but why wait until then?

Do you not want to be able to help your friends and family in an emergency? Do you only want to know how to save the lives of other members of staff or complete strangers who pop into your shop for 5 seconds?

Why don’t we take a first aid course because we know it will save lives rather than because someone else has offered to arrange it all or it is free!

Your Choice:
You can take a first aid course when you are still at school these days – so why are you now in your 20′s, 30′s, 40′s or 50′s and have no idea what to do?

And even if you did learn something at school – it might not apply anymore. Medical advances and the success of current techniques can change how we should react to emergency situations – so it is a great idea to take a refresher at least every 6 months to make sure your knowledge is best applied.

Anyone can join a first aid course – but make sure that it is run by an accreddited body like the Red Cross or St Johns Ambulance. They may cost more – but you know that you will be learning the correct techniques rather than someone just running their own course from personal experience.

I mean, tipping the head back for nosebleeds, laying on your back with feet raised for fainting and putting creams on burns are all out of date techniques and are not recommended anymore.

Things are always changing for the better – so make sure that you are up-to-date with your skills – as 1 thing will never change:

Emergency First Aid Saves Lives!