Category Archives: Travelling

Traveling In Italy – Be Train Smart

Think about traveling in Italy and the mind immediately begins to reach for the airline timetables. Think again. Traveling to and around Italy by train is kinder to your bank account and kinder to the environment. The journey time from London Kings Cross on Eurostar takes just over two hours and costs around forty quid. When you take into account the time spent lolling around the airport, suddenly the train doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Considering, also, the train has one tenth the impact on your carbon footprint compared to flying, everybody wins.

Once on the continent, there are three options for reaching your destination in Italy by train. The Artesia TGV arrives in Milan or Turin from Paris by late evening; the cost is GBP 30.30.

If you have a little extra time to spare and want to treat yourself to some stunning scenery at stunning speeds, the Lyria TGV will transport you to Zurich at 198 mph. The letters ‘TGV’ stand for ‘Trains a Grande Vitesse’, meaning, somewhat less grandly, ‘high speed train.’ The EuroCity pendolino train takes you in the morning through the Swiss Alps to Milan and from there make a connection to Florence, Venice, Naples or Rome. Alternatively, the Artesia sleeper train will carry you direct to Rome, Florence or Venice.

Want to see more of Italy? Milan to Turin or Genoa are short journeys. You can train from Venice or Verona to Siena or Pisa via Bologna. Further down the coast, zip across the country to Rome from Pescara or Naples. Curl around the west coast from Naples right down to the tip of the toe of Italy’s boot and cross the straits to Sicily on the boat train.

Hopping across the Straits of Messina to Sicily is an experience in itself. All trains get shunted onto the ferry for the half-hour crossing.

Sleeper trains have a range of carriages at a price to suit everyone. The couchettes are the cheapest, albeit less private. First Class couchettes have four berths and Second Class, six. They are mixed gender, although women traveling unaccompanied are allowed to book spaces in female-only accommodation. One does not undress at bedtime, but remains in regular clothing. There is one attendant for each pair of cars to convert the coach into it’s bedtime shape, provide pillows, sheets and blankets and to serve drinks and continental breakfast in the morning.

The more comfortable compartments in T25 and Standard Sleeper cars are carpeted and convert to a private sitting room for early evening and morning use. Each room has a washbasin and a bed fully made up. There is one attendant per car. Some of the longer routes, for instance from Milan to Naples, have luxury ‘Excelsior’ cars with one and two-bed compartments with en suite toilet and shower.

There are, of course, highways in Italy if that’s what you prefer. The minimum age for driving a car is 18, insurance is mandatory and traffic fines are on the spot and fierce. You may also be required to convince the authorities that you have written permission to drive the car if you cannot prove that you own it outright.

Rimowa Luggage Making Traveling A Breeze!

When packing for a travel abroad, the first thing that comes to any travelers mind is-Is the luggage lightweight enough? Most avid travelers love to backpack around the world and they would essentially require very lightweight luggage. This makes the trip a breeze through and very enjoyable. Durability and robustness also score several brownie points for the tourist.

This is where Rimowa luggage comes into play. In the market since the early 1950s, this luggage maker has proved to be a favorite with all the kinds of travelers. The most important and likeable characteristic of Rimowa luggage is the fact that it is extremely lightweight, but has a huge area for storing everything.

Now a days most of the people traveling by flight have to be accosted by the heavy airline fee. It is severely harassing when the airline authorities charge an obscene amount of money for a few extra pounds. It is a very taxing routine and most of the travelers whether at the beginning or the end of their journey want to steer clear of it. Rimowa luggage makers have come up with interesting innovations that make the luggage incredibly lightweight and also look stylish and chic.

Rimowa luggage is famous for its aluminum finish bags and baggage. These provide a sturdy storage for all kinds of important documents as well as for other travel requirements. They have a wide assortment of luggage styles to choose from. The Salsa collection is made up of 100 percent polycarbonate which is one of the toughest and quite elastic materials known to men.

When given a lot of pressure, the luggage made of this material becomes distorted. However, once the pressure is released it returns to its original position. This makes it very popular among travelers visiting rough terrains.

Rimowa luggage makers are also fairly renowned for their infallible security system and locking. Most of them come with keys that are almost impossible to imitate. They are also available in a wide variety of locking systems like the TSA lock or the combination locks.

Another very important factor about this particular luggage store is that they are very pocket friendly and affordable. They can be afforded by almost everyone and hence are preferred over other companies.

A very vital characteristic of Rimowa luggage is its portability. These are fitted with 360 degree turning wheels which are manufactured with ball bearing wheels. These have a smooth trajectory and are virtually indestructible. They can also be run on any kind of terrain. This makes Rimowa luggage more desirable.

Travel Photography One of the Creative Means to Earn

Every year lot of people goes on holiday and clicks hundreds of pictures. Most of the photos people click, lost in their computer hard drives only. Taking pictures is very creative work, individuals who have this hobby, love to roam here and there in search of their subject. Moving here and there in search of different subjects is called travel photography. Every photo speaks a very different story. So when you are going on travel shoot, think about the picture first. What is this photo is going to tell to the viewer. A perfectly clicked picture and object tell the whole story without word.

These days travel shooting is a very demanding work and considered as a quite distinctive hobby. It includes every style of location shooting that you could think or imagine. Travel shooting requires excellent cinematography skills. Professional travel cinematographers love to wander around the corners of world, in search of many exotic locations. However it is an expensive hobby, many traveling agencies offer photography holiday packages on reasonable rates. Travel shooting includes a wide range of classic photographic themes like travelling, landscapes, architectural pictures, portraits, still life etc. Before, you are going out for a travel shoot keep these valuable points in mind.

Research: Before you book your package for the tour, it recommended making good research about the different packages offered by the travel agencies.

Prepare Agenda: Many travel guides are available almost everywhere. Look into those and then plan your tour you can also make a list of different criteria.

Camera: Never forget to carry your camera. It is also recommended not to carry new camera on the trip without clicking at least couple of days as a test. Even with old camera, ensure first, it is in proper condition.

Money: When going out of country for trip, ensure you have small bills of the currency of that particular country, you are travelling. It will be helpful in paying tip to the taxi drivers and service staff.

Travel photography is one of the hobbies that can yield you good earning. Here are few ways how you can earn good from your hobby.

You can write hotel reviews for the travel agents. There are lot of travel websites that offers photography holiday packages pay good amount for the reviews and the hotel pictures.

You can also earn good by putting ads on your photography blog.

Many websites always look for amazing pictures of tour and travel. By selling your pictures to them, you can earn good. If they like your pictures, you would surely be awarded.

You can also earn good by participating in photographic competitions. If you are skilled and competent, you can win many exciting monetary rewards.

Navigation Tips For New Drivers

Now that independent driving is part of the practical driving test, gaining good navigation skills while learning to drive is important. The advantage of learning how to navigate early in your driving experience is that you will quickly become a more confident, practical driver.

Plan ahead

It may seem obvious, but planning ahead is key to successful navigation. Before starting your journey, study the route on a map. If your drive covers a long distance, identify service stations and places you can stop for a break, integrating these points into your route. As a good starting point, there are plenty of journey planner apps available online and for mobile phones, many will generate multiple routes to choose from.

If youre travelling to a venue, restaurant or business, check for directions and a map on the company website. If possible, its worth phoning ahead to your destination in advance of your journey to check that it is easy to locate and to enquire about parking.

Look out for road signs, road markings and landmarks

Road signs will usually start to provide directions before you need them, so make sure you observe all signs and road markings as you drive. When going on a long journey, be aware of towns and cities along your route as a way of mapping out the benchmarks of your journey. This way, before sign posts appear for your destination you can confidently navigate through other locations along the route.

Keep a map to hand in your car

Even if you have a satnav, keeping a map in your car is advisable, its always a good idea to have a physical back-up in case your satnav breaks! If you find you are lost and need to look at a map, find a safe place to pull in to re-navigate. Never compromise driving safety by checking details on a map or programming your satnav while driving.

Its worth always keeping a map book of your local region in your car, to cover areas you are likely to drive to. When driving to a new destination, for example going on holiday, its worth taking a map of the places youll be travelling to. If nothing else, maps can be vitally useful for determining location in a breakdown situation.

Satnav

A satnav system can be useful when driving, especially if you find yourself in an area you dont recognise, but be wary of trusting the directions you are given verbatim. Always sense-check directions provided by a satnav, remember to primarily use road signs and markings for guidance and never blindly follow instructions. While satellite navigation can be effective, a satnav map in need of an update, or with programming discrepancies could lead you into a dangerous situation, so always use common sense while driving!

Lost? Dont panic!

If you find you are lost, dont panic. Find a safe place to pull over, such as a car park or layby and check your location on a map. In this instance, a satnav system or a mobile phone with GPS can be extremely useful for determining your location. Finding somewhere to safely stop and re-navigate as soon as you lose your bearings will enable you to resume your journey with confidence.

If you are lost near to your location, stopping to ask for directions is a good idea, people at local businesses, petrol stations and service stations are likely to be able to provide directions to nearby destinations. To help remember a set of instructions and ensure your full understanding, repeat directions back to the person advising you. If you have a complicated set of instructions to follow, it might be worth writing them down if possible. When resuming your journey, take your time, staying calm and focussed.

Travelling From Delhi To Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is the largest and the fast growing city situated in the state of Gujarat in the western side of India. Ahmedabad is popularly called the Manchester of the East as this city is famous for its textile industry. Ahmedabad, located on the banks of Sabarmati River, is associated with our father of the nation and the Indian Independence Movement. This city houses the Sabarmati Ashram which was established in 1915. This thriving industrial city is home to some famous destinations for tourists like Akshardham Temple, Gandhi Ashram, ISCKON Temple and Teen Darwaza among others. Ahmedabad is also called by Amdabad by locals. Ahmedabad dwells various mosques and other religious places. Kite festival during the month of January is a spectacular event.

Ahmedabad was modernized during the British rule. The monuments in Ahmedabad showcase the Islamic craftsmanship. Here we can see around 76 parks and 96 traffic islands in Ahmedabad. The perfect time to visit Ahmedabad is during the winter season which is from November to January. Ahmedabad celebrates the famous Gujarati festivals like Garba and Navratras.

Delhi, the capital of India, has a rich culture and an old hiistory. Situated on the banks of River Yamuna, Delhi was designed by a British architect, Edwin Lutyens. Rashtrapati Bhawan in the Raisina Hill and other buildings show the architectural caliber of Lutyens. This cosmopolitan city accepts all people from every side of the country. Delhi is a perfect combination of culture, tradition, power and politics. Delhi, the capital of India, houses many central government offices and ministries. Metro is the main attraction for the tourists for travelling besides buses and local trains. Akshardham Temple is a new temple dedicated to Swaminarayan in Delhi. Delhis monuments and other famous buildings showcase the great work of Mughals who ruled the area for a long time.

Several economy flights like SpiceJet, Indigo, Go Air and Jet airways fly from Delhi to Ahmedabad.

A lot of trains depart from the four main stations in Delhi to Ahmedabad and it takes around 17 hours to reach there.

Bus is also an option to travel from Delhi to Ahmedabad. There are frequent AC and non AC sleeper and seater buses which cost you around Rs. 280/- to Rs. 500/- for a trip.

Taxis charge Rs. 17,600/- to reach Delhi to Ahmedabad. This cab is for four people. For seven people it costs Rs. 27,800/- for round trip.

If you have your own vehicle it takes approximately 12 hours 30 minutes to cover the distance of 915 km depending upon the vehicle.

There are a lot of accommodation facilities available for the guests in Ahmedabad. Here we can find 139 hotels which include luxury hotels, resorts, hostels, medium luxury hotels and budget hotels.