Tours And Travel – Beachchannel.net

If you are planning to go on a group tour, there are lots of things you can do to make the trip fun and enjoyable for yourself and for your fellow travelers. Here is a great checklist to get you started.

1. Pack a small bag to carry along on the bus.
While your main luggage will go in the designated area of the bus, you should pack a small carry on the bus. This will be handy for snacks, books to read, and other accessories you may want easy and quick access to.

2. Don’t’ forget your camera. And once you have packed your camera, don’t forget to take pictures! I know that sounds obvious, but I always get so caught up with the sights and sounds that I actually forget to take pictures! (Duh!)

3. Get a collection of great jokes, riddles, and experiences to share with the group! And it only takes one joke to get the rest of the group going! We had a great time sharing riddles, and jokes and laughing all the way to the next rest area.

4. Take along some great movies. Many tour busses have DVD players. At least ours did. Find out in advance and if it does, rent some great movies for “en route” entertainment” . Be sure to pick a variety of movies, such as cartoons if you have kids in your group, action movies to keep the teenagers engaged, and perhaps documentaries or family drama’s for the adult crowd.
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1. Make some new friends. People from all over the world are commuting though the same point as you; why not strike up a conversation?

2. If it’s your first time at the new airport, whip out your digital camera and take a video clip. This is the world biggest airport, and as we all know it’s taken the longest to build, so take advantage.

3. Using the moving sidewalk like a treadmill. Why bother paying for a pricey fitness center?

4. Don’t forget to call your honey before taking off.

5. If you have some time to kill, pickup a box of playing cards. Since gambling is illegal, we advise playing without money up front.

6. Network-ether on the airport bartender. A beer is B50 but the entertainments are free.

7. Plan your future. There’s no time like present.

8. First with the beautiful-and helpful-Suvarnabhumi “ambassadors.”

9. If you are a film buff, don’t miss out on the airport’s cinema.

10. Pray for good luck in the air and on the ground.- Peemsinee Khaothong.

HOW TO: have a successful day of shopping in bangkok.

1. Make a list with to categories: “Thing you need” and “Thing you want.” Research the approximate price of the desired items to make sure you are getting a good deal, and also locate the stores where these items are being sold.

2. Where comfortable shoes and sensible and versatile clothing to ensure a pleasant experience. Ladies, this is not the time to wear those cute new six-inch stiletto heels
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1) Have a family meeting to decide where you will go. Try to pick a destination which offers something for everyone from Dad who only wants to lie in a hammock and drink something alcoholic while listening to the games of his favorite sports team; to the teenagers who want to be any where except where their parents are; to the toddlers who are more interested in the ground level attractions like insects and discarded chewing gum, than they are in any sort of scenery.

2) When you realize no such destination exists, draw straws. Shortest straw gets to spin the family globe while blindfolded and point to a destination. If it’s in the middle of an ocean, the nearest land mass will do.

3) No matter how unlikely the selected destination is, come together in a family spirit of “making the best of it.” Being a family, after all, means growing together as a family and a bit of planning will help overcome whatever challenges lie ahead.

4) If your fated destination decrees that you will be vacationing near relatives, insist on a visit to let the kids know where they came from. If the relatives happen to be considerably older, with a home full of treasured mementos from years gone by, even better. The toddlers will have plenty with which to entertain themselves, and the teens will have plenty to ask their elders about!
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Dreaming of taking a Big Trip in 2007? Finances a bit tight? Well, take a look at the following destinations.

Magic, thrills and adventure, yes. But for the budget-conscious globe-trotter, what’s equally important is that these are places where your dollars will stretch a long, long way. As a travel writer, I’m lucky enough to have experienced all 10–but I’d love to revisit every single one as a vacationer.

Vietnam

Vietnam packs a lot into its borders. Highlights include misty Halong Bay with its fairytale seascapes of limestone outcrops and islands; the Mekong delta with its floating markets; the old Vietcong tunnels at Cu-Chi near Saigon–now officially known as Ho Chi Minh City. (Don’t worry about getting stuck: one tunnel has been specially widened for westerners.) Backpacker beds are exceptionally cheap, but decent hotels often cost less than $40. A filling bowl of pho bo beef noodle soup or six seafood spring rolls is less than a dollar. In local hangouts, Saigon Export beer costs 40 cents a bottle.

For the ultimate traffic tale to tell the folks back home, head for Hanoi’s old quarter. Any attempt to cross the road turns into a heart-racing adventure. Not only are you contending with psycho-cyclos (rickshaw bicycles), there are thousands of motorbikes and scooters whose riders regard a red traffic signal as a suggestion rather than an instruction. Best place to experience the utter chaos is from within a cyclo rickshaw.

Lithuania, Eastern Europe

The southernmost of the Baltic States, visitors usually couple Lithuania together with Latvia and Estonia. However, you can easily spend a week in Lithuania alone. Quirky cities like Vilnius and Kaunas are steeped in art, music and historical curiosities…mushroom-scented woods and farmers riding on haycarts…mysterious sites steeped in pagan traditions…the windswept sands of the Curonian Spit where you can beach-comb for amber.

Mid-June would be a great time to go. A national holiday in Lithuania, the old pagan festival of Rasos marks the summer solstice. It’s an all-night affair with singing, dancing, bonfire-leaping, hunting for “magic” ferns, and floating garlands down rivers. Despite some serious alcoholic partying, most people manage to stay awake to greet the sunrise. As for prices, how about $2.54 for three potato pancakes with smoked salmon and sour cream and $1 for a glass of Svyturnys beer?

Granada, Nicaragua

From the laid-back colonial city of Granada, you can do a lot in a week in Nicaragua: tackle volcanoes…take Spanish lessons…visit Masaya craft market and also the villages where rocking chairs, hammocks, and pottery are made…explore the Selva Negra’s cloud forests and coffee plantations…chat with expats in the beach surfing town of San Juan del Sur…go to colonial Leon, where you might get to meet indigenous Indians.
Settling into a rocking chair with a cold Victoria beer is a pleasure that generally costs under $1 and spending more than $7 on a meal is difficult. The Alhambra Hotel on Granada’s main square costs a mere $30 a night.

Goa, Southern India

India is beyond fascinating, beyond anything you’ll ever experience elsewhere. The easiest introduction to this teeming country is the seaside state of Goa. Baking below a tropical canopy of banana, coconut and mango trees, this drowsy world of Arabian Sea beaches, backwaters, and spice-laden breezes is stamped with more than a few reminders of Old Portugal. You’ll find sunrise yoga on the beach, full massages for $8, dolphin trips for about $6, and colorful hippie markets.
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