Browsing CategoryPre-Travel Tips

Packing for the desert:  tips for your first time in a hot country

Whether it is a city break to an exciting destination such as Dubai, a relaxing holiday in a luxury resort, or a more adventurous trek across the desert terrain, packing for that very first trip to a hot country can be a nightmare. Picking up heatstroke, sunstroke or sunburn, or becoming dehydrated, are all surefire ways of ruining a holiday and, unfortunately, there are still far too many US tourists visiting scorching, desert destinations without taking any of the extreme conditions into consideration.  A big mistake!  Even for those about to take a holiday in the most cosmopolitan of resorts,…

Be body confident this summer

The arrival of summer ought to be a time of joy, but for many people, the thought of wearing skimpy summer clothing or going on the beach fills them with dread.  With magazines screaming that it’s time to prepare that perfect bikini body, it’s difficult for those who are unlikely to achieve that shape to feel confident at all.  But why shouldn’t they?  Why do only a few select people have the right to feel good about themselves?  There’s much more to beauty than being a size 6, and in the end, nothing is more appealing than confidence itself. Why…

How to make your ‘on the budget’ holiday the best holiday?

Trying to organise the perfect holiday can be a little testing sometimes! It’s not easy to make a decision that combines both your leisure needs and your financial capacity. Unfortunately, pursuing your dream vacation can rack up some additional costs. But what if you could  still take your loved ones in the getaway of your dreams and not go without once you get back home? You know how story goes where the tortoise won the race leaving the speedy hare behind? You want to know how he does it? By playing it smartly and planning accordingly. First things first, make…

Preparing for a gap year: the essentials

Sign in Bluff, New Zealand. By Will Ellis (Creative Commons)

Preparing for a gap year can be a daunting task, with a seemingly endless list of things to think about when planning a lengthy trip abroad. One way to tackle it is to break your preparation up into more manageable segments, focusing on a single task at a time and making sure that you have all the essentials covered. To help you with this, below is a list of some of the most important things you need to think about before going away on your gap year. Budgeting The first thing to do is to figure out how much you…

An Airport Layover Survival Guide

“I love airport layovers!” said no person, ever. Airport layovers rank pretty high on the list of major travel bummers, right up there with travelers’ illness and being stuck on an overcrowded bus next to a guy with a snake in a pillowcase. (I sadly have been the victim of all aforementioned plights and can say honestly the snake was the best of the worst.) I’ve also seen almost every length of airport layover imaginable, from a five minute dash from one terminal to another, to a 36 hour stint in JFK one unfortunate December. And from long to short,…