Travelogger

Aug|03|2007

Guided Island Tours in Maine

Posted by Zahir as Around The World, United States

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Tourists will always look for something different. Sure there will always be the usual sight-seeing, swimming and beaches but checking out nearby islands and what lies within them is another adventure waiting to be discovered. Such regions as that of Maine use the nearby islands as a part of preaching their rich tradition of promoting tourism and providing people with something worth their while.

The usual transport towards them would be through the boat rides. While people can expect another type of experience in these island settings, it would be best to get the necessary information so that they can more or less have an idea of what makes island …

May|03|2007

Lurrvly Luxe Guides

Posted by Zahir as Travelogger

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First off, let me admit that I LOVE Luxe guides. After a bad experience in Hoi An, Vietnam last year, where we were wrongly lured by the Lonely Planet to expect a charming, un-ruined-by-tourists town and were instead faced with throngs of tourists each clutching LP (lets just say a ratio of 20 westerners to locals, most of whom were bad tailors), I vowed that I’d never buy a bloody guide book again.

So when I discovered the joys of Luxe through my father-in-law’s decorator Sahran (of Amazing Race Asia fame), I was in heaven. Its design, in my opinion, is not just attractive (no cheesy postcard pics to be had), but small enough …

Apr|28|2007

Toxic Hotel Rooms

Posted by Zahir as Eco-Friendly, Trends, United States, Hotels

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Caring about the environment is something we should all do, but there are those who have taken it one step further, not just in their homes but on holiday as well. Given that many of these people make the toxic-less choice because of allergies and the like (even sending their own special sheets to the hotel ahead of time), others simply believe in true “green living”.

Kudos to them I say, but speaking for myself, I would be too lazy to bother if my hotel sheets were washed with some eco-friendly detergent. Ignorance is bliss, at least on holiday at a 5 star-hotel.

But back to what I was saying, those who do want …

Apr|24|2007

Watch Out For Ebay Travel Scams

Posted by Zahir as Warnings, Website, Australia NZ, News, Tips

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Much as I am a self-confessed Ebay junkie, I’ve always been suspicious of “untangiable” goods offered on the site like travel deals. Some years ago I bought a cheap ticket to Australia (the person had won it in a raffle) through the auction, and although I was able to indeed use the ticket, the whole process wasnt the easiest to arrange. At the end I would have paid the extra cash to just get it from my travel agent, hassle free.

But anyway, coincidently also in Australia, a travel scam took place, which should serve as a warning for us all:

A TASMANIAN woman faces jail after pulling off a travel scam on popular internet auction site …

Apr|10|2007

Planning With Online Review Sites

Posted by Zahir as Around The World, Website, Reviews, Family

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I’m the type of person who enjoys research before action. So when theres a holiday on the horizon, whether I have a destination planned or not, I head straight to my computer for some serious online research.

Although I’ve heard unsavoury rumours like some (or even most) of the posts are actually paid on these sites - whether for negative or positive, there are few places online where you can (hope to) get “real” reviews from the travellers themselves, and its worth the time surfing - depending on what you’re looking for.

Trip Advisor is my favourite for hotels, and indeed, one can even start the booking process through them, though I havent done this myself. …

Mar|26|2007

A Vacation Holiday on Ice

Posted by Zahir as Events, United States, Festivals, Around The World, Carribbean, Education, Tips, Adventure, Europe, Getaways, Americas, Africa, Oceania, Family

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Not to be taken literally, usual tourist vacation spots would immediately inherit a notion of warm weather, beaches and exploring the beauty of local treasures and sceneries of different countries and regions. But in places like Quebec, there are some spots that provide a chilling adventure that puts all these things into one enjoyable experience.

The Quebec Winter Carnival is an ice palace built in Place Loto Quebec every year. What makes it amazing is that each season, a different concept and design is made to make sure that people who visit them will be treated to various sculptures and themes.

The experience is truly something worth remembering. The best part of …

Mar|24|2007

Travel Agencies and Online Bookings

Posted by Zahir as Air Travel, Website, People, Transport, Trends, Carribbean, Around The World, United States, Australia NZ, Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Tips, Oceania, Arts & Culture

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On the go travelers would always want to keep things as smooth as possible and leave all the paper work and reservations to third party groups such as travel agencies. For some people, they would use the Internet to search for these destination spots which would have online booking and reservations, something that most people resort to today.

Such has been the gift of innovation for people who love to travel. Through search engines like Yahoo, online bookings are enumerated for people to see and check out. Among the usual online bookings include that of Expedia, Travelocity and Priceline.com. Each would have their own set of packages that would give reasonable pricings for potential …

Mar|22|2007

The Elephant Safaris of Nepal

Posted by Zahir as Transport, Trends, Events, Around The World, Nature, Historical, Arts & Culture, Asia, Africa, Adventure, Getaways

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Any person would know that riding a horse is only typical. But to ride on an elephant, a large mammal where people can probably connect them to eating peanuts and being squashed by their large feet, is another thing that will surely stir some sort of excitement. Not all people of the world would have the luxury of actually riding on elephants on any given day but at Nepal, a safari adventure in their National Park is an experience that would surely be worth the trip.

It is like striking two stones. One is you get to ride on these large creatures on a rare opportunity and second is you are …

Mar|20|2007

Car Rental Insurance: Requirement or Scam?

Posted by Zahir as United States, People, Transport, Trends, Shopping, Asia, Getaways, Europe, Americas, Hotels

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When people find themselves in other countries, the usual recourse of looking for available cars for rent is one of the immediate things that they would settle before going to their accommodation place. One thing that car rental employees would ask from their clients is that of insurance deposits in case something unwanted would happen to the vehicle being rented.

Many see this as a scam to allow car rental agencies to add to their income. While people may choose to be safe and sound drivers, unforeseen events such as minor accidents to the car may occur without notice. Availing of insurance helps take away the worries, although some clients would …

Mar|18|2007

Budgeting Airfares to the Point of Destination

Posted by Zahir as Trends, Television, Around The World, Transport, Air Travel, Backpacking & Budget, Americas, Adventure, Getaways

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The various rates that people have to deal with include that of needing to allocate the proper amount of budget for them to be able to get to their place of destination. The going rate for such is truly something that is not easy on the pockets thus the need to survey all airlines on the most feasible rate that can be applicable towards getting from one place to another.

In usual cases, travel agencies play an important role in assisting people on their travel concerns. They do all the processing and are responsible for attractive and reasonable packages to ensure that people get the true value for their money. Some …