Travel and Vacation Tips
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How To Steal Contents From Luggage
0Almost certainly this isn’t the case, but of course being aware of the methods used by criminals to obtain access to people’s luggage will help you to protect yourself against such risks. Knowing how they achieve their tricks will allow you to put into place methods that will prevent them from all but the most determined theft.
Should you wish to steal luggage, the easiest way of doing this of course is to identify bags or cases left either unattended or whose owner is paying little or no attention, more distracted perhaps by their children’s activities, the departure board or an argument with their loved one. Make sure in this case you are quick, casual, deliberate and draw little or no attention to yourself. It is remarkable how successful this simple technique can be.
Should you find an interesting looking carryon bag left tucked under chair whilst its owner sits on the chair, it is a simple task to sit on the chair behind the owner. Then, carefully pull the bag through the rear legs of the chair and then either walk off with it, or have a casual look through its contents and remove anything interesting. Some owners have become wise to this method and either keep hold of the shoulder strap or loop it through another case’s handle or part of the chair. In such a situation, simply pull out the pair of scissors or small knife that you keep with you, and cut through the strap. In most cases, this is quickly and easily done, particularly with the cheaper bags.
Should you find that the owner has taken care against even this method by purchasing a bag with a strap built to resist cutting, then you may be forced to look at alternative ways of accessing its contents. Find any bag which is not being watched carefully, such as those over the shoulders of passengers looking at departure boards in crowded area, and identify a zipped pocket which looks likely to contain interesting items. Zips are easily opened with very little trouble, however, should the owner have had the foresight to lock the zip closed, simply start at the opposite end to the lock and pull the teeth of the zip apart. Cheap zips will pop open very easily and allow you to remove the items from within.
In rare cases, the owner may have even purchased a bag with zips that resist forced opening in this way. In which case, you will have to resort to the quick and easy method of taking a Stanley knife or other similar knife and quickly cutting a slash somewhere near the bottom of the bag. This will allow the contents to drop out, and for you to pick up the most interesting of items and disappear quickly into the crowd.
One final piece of advice: should you find that the owner of the bag has purchased one with a metal mesh lining built into the case itself to prevent the cutting open of the bag, it is worth giving up and finding a far easier target, since there will be many more of these throughout the airport.
It is, of course, a tongue in cheek way of looking at the situation, and I am in no way encouraging the theft from bags in airports. However, bear in mind the range of methods that criminals do use, and some of the ways you can help guard against any reason for them to target you. Remember the golden rule, that the most likely target is to be a bag whose owner is paying little or no attention to it, and that you should at all times make sure that you give no criminal any reason to think that you would make such a target.
Your Luggage And Your Insurance Policy
03 days
There are very few people who go on holiday these days who decide to leave home without any kind of holiday insurance policy in place. It would be foolish today, indeed, to attempt to do such a thing. Holiday insurance is often included automatically as part of the package price if booking the holiday through an agent. If doing it yourself then it is certainly worth including since the price of such insurance is usually only a very small fraction of the overall price of the holiday.
One of the things to bear in mind as far as a holiday insurance policy is concerned is how it relates to your luggage, if indeed it relates to your luggage at all. There are a few things worth considering. Obviously if you are handing over your luggage to an airline it is possible that the airline will cover you for any loss or damage that can be proven to be their responsibility. Although it is easy to assume that this is a common situation, in truth there is a significant amount of small print hidden in the policy documents provided by the airline to waive their responsibility for your luggage.
This might seem unfair, but when you think about it, it would be quite impossible for the airline to ascertain the condition of the case or bag, the state in which it has been packed and the method used to seal it. Whilst some cases will be of good quality, packed soundly and sealed effectively, there will of course be many others which are tired, old and past their best, bursting full of heavy and ill-packed items, and zipped up to within a fraction of its life. It would be unfair for the airline to take equal responsibility for these bags, or indeed to spend the time it would take to assess the survival rate of each bag that it is responsible for transporting.
But at the same time, your own holiday insurance policy will face similar restrictions, and may also prove worthless in certain cases of damage or loss, either of items within the luggage or the luggage itself. It is certainly possible to obtain policies that do cover you fully for your luggage and their contents. This will increase the cost of the policy itself, but can help to provide peace of mind, especially if you are travelling with items that are necessary but expensive, such as for example, photographic equipment.
Having said that, if you are taking items of value on holiday, such as video or camera equipment, it may well be that your home insurance policy will cover you for any loss or damage to these items whilst on holiday. This is not usually the case by default, but nearly always an option on standard home insurance policies, and is well worth considering as it may well be worth insuring your items this way as it may be cheaper than it would be on a holiday insurance policy. Whichever way you do insure your items, always make sure, of course, that you take care to read the small print.
Benidorm apartments are a smart alternative
03 days
by admin
in Hotels and Apartment
If you plan to visit Benidorm, Spain, next summer, why not consider renting an apartment?
Renting an apartment for your stay has many advantages. If traveling with children, you can cook in the apartment, saving much money. You will also have a convenient place for them to take a nap and rest for a day of sightseeing.
If you are traveling with children can enjoy the privacy of an apartment. It’s much more personal than a hotel, and you will feel more relaxed.
You may be surprised to find that renting an apartment can actually be cheaper to make a hotel room, especially if you plan an extended stay.
With more than 200,000 apartments in Benidorm, you should have no trouble finding a rental for your vacation. However, you should start hunting for a start in the planning process. Plan on renting for at least six months before their arrival in the summer.
It’s easy to find vacation rentals in Benidorm. Use your favorite search engine to type “apartments in Benidorm” and find lots of ads, including travel Web sites and the Spanish real estate. Just look through them to get an idea of what is available. Another way to find ads is to ask a travel agent or a Spanish property. Also look at travel magazines that many owners of their list of private property to avoid paying commissions. These inscriptions are private rental price are low as well. (more…)
Irish give Spring Break Trade A Bounce
03 days
by admin
in Uncategorized
Directors of European travel agents, airlines and holiday resorts are facing an anxious 2008, as property rises fall and the economy faces a downturn and some of their customers decide that now is the time to save rather than take one or more holidays.
The travel industry has seen a rise in the number of tourists in recent years, and many companies have programmes based on 2007 customer bases, and any drop will result in a corresponding drop in profits and perhaps even job losses, as well as a drop in their share values.
So it was welcome news that the Irish took a record number of holidays over Easter.
Initial reports suggest that some 280,000 tourists travelled through Dublin Airport over the Easter weekend – an impressive seven per cent rise over 2007, and one that the hotels and holidays industry would love to see sustained throughout 2008, and mirrored in the UK too.
And it was at the crossroads of the ski holiday season turning to the early sun holidays that attracted the tourists – the big favourite for the skiers was Innsbruck in Austria.
Innsbruck is one of the best known European ski resorts, with first class facilities for both experienced and novice skiiers alike. Innsbruck is located in the federal state of Tyrol, located in the Inn Valley between high mountains, it is ideally suited to winter activities and skiing in particular. The name Innsbruck means “the bridge over the Inn”.
Tenerife is a perennial favourite for both the Irish and British, and with temperatures in the 70′s farenheit the island was a top Easter destination for the Irish taking sunshine holidays.
Tenerife is known for its beautiful climate, which attracts nearly three and a half millions tourists a year to its scenic 2,034 square kilometers.
Tenerife’s Costa Adeje, the area that includes Las Americas and Los Cristianos, offers visitors opportunities for recreation and sightseeing. Outstanding shopping, 9 beautiful golf courses, fine dining, water parks, zoos, and a magnificent theater that often features great musicals and of course the natural beauty of sun and sand on Tenerife’s gorgeous beaches are all attractions tourists love.
Tenerife’s northern section contains the tourist hub of Puerto de la Cruz. The town maintains its old harbour roots, while offering a distinct flavour of modernity. It is charming as well as cosmopolitan. Large and beautiful hotels dot its skyline.
The island is abundant with breathtaking natural beauty and opportunities for hiking and sightseeing. In fact, Tenerife boasts the tallest mountain in Spain, Mt. Teide, which is home to an extraordinary 48 km. crater left behind by an inactive volcano. Tourists who want to make a day of it can hike the crater – those with less time or desire to hike can catch a cable car to the summit where a magnificent view of this sublime paradise awaits.
Another of Tenerife’s natural tourist attractions are the Cliffs of the Giants. These astounding rock walls drop from heights of 500-800 feet almost straight down into the sea. Tourists can soak in the sights from one of the restaurants and other viewpoints located across the small bay in the resort town of Los Gigantes. They may opt for an up-close and personal look at the massive rock faces by taking a tour boat across the bay.
With Innsbruck for winter sports holidays and Tenerife for the sunshine, perhaps it should come as no surprise that the Irish travelled in high numbers over the Easter holidays!
Useful Phrases When Driving in French Speaking Countries
0Sometimes one wants to ask people how to get to somewhere, or where is this or that, and without knowing how to say it, life can be a little difficult. Here are a series of likely phrases which may help in typical situations.
Excuse me, but can you tell me where I can find a petrol station? ( Excusez moi, mais pouvez vous me dire ou je peux trouver une station service?) Your car may need some attention and you wish to ask: I need a mechanic to look at the car ( J’ai besoin d’un mechanici en a regarder ma voiture)
It may be a Sunday and you want to ask: Is there a garage open on a Sunday here? (Y at-il un garage ouvert le dimanche ici?)
If you have a flat battery you may need to ask: I have a flat battery have you a charger? ( La batterie est a plat avez-vous un chargeur?)
You are on your way to Paris and you want to know how far it is: How long does it take to Paris from here? ( Combien de temps faut-il pour Paris d’ici?)
You may want to be sure they take a credit card: Can we pay by credit card, we have not enough cash?( Pouvons nous vous payer par la carte de credit nous n’avons pas assez d’argent?)
You are looking for a toilet and say: Excuse me are there any toilets near here? (Excusez moi,y at-il des toilettes pres d’ici?)
You see a policeman (un agent de police) and you want to ask him: Is this the right way for the motorway?( C’est bien la direction pour l’autoroute?) Or you may ask him: Is there a motel nearby? ( Y at-it un motel pres d’ici?}.
You have arrived late at the hotel and you want to say: There were a lot of delays on the road ( Il y avait trops de bouchons sur la route) . You may wish to add :
On top of that the car stalled several times (En plus, la voiture a cale plusieurs fois.
The car may be dirty so you are looking for somewhere to have it washed and you ask: Is there a place to wash the car: Y at-il une place pour laver la voiture?
If you see a sign that says: Impasse then it means a No Through Road. You may wish to know that (faire demi tour) means to turn back. Just in case you get a parking ticket, it is called (la contravention) and the traffic warden is called ( le contractuel).
The fog (le brouillard) can be a nuisance and the flood (l’inondation) is another hazard. You may want to know that mud is called (la boue).
When people tell you to keep going straight on, they say (Tout droit).When they tell you to turn left: ( Tournez a gauche, when they say turn right: (Tournez a droite) and when they say turn right at the next lights: (Tournez a droite au prochains feux).
You may need to find a bank and ask, is there a bank here? (Y at-il une banque ici?)
You may need to know the exchange rate (Le cours du change).
Sometimes, one wants to confirm one is on the right road for Paris let us say: Is this the right road to Paris: (C’est bien la route pour Paris?) If you want to say: I am sorry to trouble you: (Je suis desole de vous deranger).
In case you want to know what the rush hour is in French, it is (les heures d’affluence).
You will not need your medical insurance (une assurance maladie) if having the flu (avoir la grippe), but you may, if you have a heart attack ( une crise cardiaque ).
In case you need to find a local pub, you will have to ask for (le bistro du coin).
Paul Dubsky is director of Foreign Currency Exchange & Transfers Ltd. The company is focused on being able to offer really friendly currency exchange rates and international money transfers. We believe we are the only Foreign Currency Exchange company which offers special rates to Senior Citizens.