Budget Travel Archives - Page 2 of 8

December 1, 2017 by Jeremy

7 Tips for Your First Long-Distance Motorcycle Trip

Perhaps you’re young, confident and maybe a little bit rash, and you’ve been dying to take your bike out for a long excursion. So you’ve decided to take an impulsive trip and are looking for some last minute tips. And that’s fine. There’s freedom in picking up your bag and heading out for an adventure just because you feel the call of the road.

Or maybe you’re the responsible type. You’ve been planning this road trip for months, even years. Finally, after waiting for all the pieces to come together, the time to go is finally near. You’ve got your destinations lined up, your hotel rooms reserved, and you’re researching advice online to make sure you haven’t overlooked anything.

Whatever the case, whether you’re planning to travel with your motorcycle stateside or in another country, you’ve come to the right place. The first thing you should know is to expect the unexpected, especially if this is your first time doing a solo motorcycle road trip. There are some things you can only learn the hard way, by facing obstacles head on and overcoming them. That being said, these 10 tips will help you mentally prepare yourself for the challenges ahead.

Your Endurance Will Be Tested

If you’re not accustomed to riding for more than just a few hours, then you may want to make some practice runs lasting a few hours before embarking on your trip. The road will test your focus, your endurance, and literally be a pain in the rear. The more experience you have riding for longer periods of time, the more pleasant your road trip will turn out.

Windshields Are a Godsend

Right now you may be thinking that windshields are unstylish and only fit for middle-aged men riding overly outfitted touring bikes, but you’ll change your mind fast once you’re on the freeway for a few hours. Riding against the wind at 65 to 80 miles per hour gets exhausting fast. If you don’t have a windshield already, do yourself a favor and invest in a proper windshield.

Posture Is Key

Unless you’ve had a lot of experience riding long distances, you may not realize how essential posture is to comfortable riding. Getting your seating and riding position right makes the difference between smooth sailing and killing your back and legs. If you want to ride without turning your body into a pretzel, seriously consider getting a backrest and some highway pegs. Also adjust your handlebars for optimal comfort before you hit the road.

Prepare for Some Unpredictable Weather

Riders in the know often joke that on a long road trip you’ll end up hot, cold and wet. Expect to encounter all kinds of weather conditions, whether it be hot sun or cold rain—and prepare yourself accordingly. Pack a few change of clothes and wear well-ventilated, waterproof equipment. However, no matter how many preparations you make, you should steel yourself for at least a little discomfort. After all, you’ll be on a motorcycle, completely exposed to the elements.

Earplugs Are Incredible

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), noise levels of 100 decibels become damaging to the ear after just 15 minutes of exposure. At a speed of about 74 mph (which is common for freeway riding), wind noise exceeds 100 decibels. The conclusion? Wear earplugs while riding, no matter how uncool it is. You know what’s not cool? Losing your hearing. Also, contrary to popular belief, earplugs don’t block out sound, they help your ears distinguish sounds better. In other words, you’ll be more aware of your surroundings with earplugs, not less. And as any good rider will tell you, awareness is key to safe riding.

Embrace Technology

There’s something romantic to the notion of riding with only the road and your thoughts on your mind for hours on end—and it’s an experience any rider should have at least once. However, you may want to consider using technology for your first trip since it will make your ride a lot more comfortable. A helmet with Bluetooth capabilities, for instance, can facilitate navigation and rider-to-rider communications. If your bike has cruise control, make use of it. It’ll help you maintain a constant speed for long periods of time and consequently discourage cars from dangerously passing you.

Get Plenty of Rest

Riding long distances is a physically and mentally draining experience, and you’ll have to listen to your body if you want to make it through your trip unscathed. Feel thirsty? Pull over and drink some water. Hungry? Pull over and get a snack. Your muscles feeling tight? Pull over and stretch. The last thing you want to do is overdo it, lose concentration and put yourself at risk of a bad motorcycle crash. Remember, every car is a potential killing machine, and you need to be awake, alert and focused on your ride from point A to B to C and so on.

One last and final tip: enjoy yourself. As long as you practice smart and safe riding strategies along with the tips above, you will have the time of your life, guaranteed. Now get out there and create some unforgettable memories! The road awaits.

November 21, 2017 by Jeremy

Are tours the safest way to travel?

We all want to travel and see the world, and some of the places we want to go might not be the safest, especially if we are not careful and don’t know what we are doing. Many countries you go to are wonderful and have wonderful people that love that you are visiting their homeland, but even they will tell you there are places you should not go. Tourists can get kidnapped or disappear, it happens. There is even kidnapping insurance for travelers, usually for executives, but the point being that if you are in the wrong place, people just see you as money, or as a victim. So sometimes the best way to stay safe if you are not sure is to take a tour. You have a tour guide to keep you safe and a lot of other tourists to be with so you are not caught alone.

Touropp.com is a good good place to find good, safe, discounted tours. They are a group of experienced tour operators that came together to try and make a great site with steep discounts for tours around the world. They all have a love for travel and tours and are happy to help you with where you want to travel and advise you on keeping safe. Some simple steps to stay safe are as follows.

1) Stay with the tour group

Stay with the tour group and don’t go wandering off places that you don’t know, especially not down any side streets, and especially if you are a woman traveler. People forget that some locations where some attractions are might not be in the best neighborhood and tourists are preferred prey for many of the lower element. Stay with the group, or in visual of the group, and use common sense.

2) Don’t be enticed away

Don’t be enticed away from the tour. Similar to rule one, but this is if you meet some nice seeming helpful stranger. Often people will try and get you to go somewhere away from the tour, while most people are safe and friendly, it is just not worth the risk. There are many scams around the world. The tea house scam in China is extremely common one for example. Basically, you meet a couple of nice girls that are Chinese students and want to practice their English. They suggest a place you can have tea nearby. If you go with them, you will find that you have to pay the bill later for an astronomical amount, and if you don’t you are in trouble. So, don’t assume anything, and stay with your group.

3) Don’t look like a victim

It’s a bit hard not to look like a tourist, but you can tone it down a bit. Don’t wear that Rolex watch or gold jewelry while you are traveling around with the group, and especially not without the group. You might not think that bit of jewelry is that much of anything, but some locals might see that as a year’s wages and try and take it from you. People are pretty brazen as well; snatch and grabs are quite common. Should someone grab something of yours and makes a run, you shouldn’t chase them as they probably have friends that will take everything else you have when you go after them.

4) Make sure that your family back home has all your information and itinerary

If the tour is a long one, make sure the tour operators also have your emergency contact information. Just in case there are any problems, you can at least know that you have people that can track you down and know where you should be. They can call the authorities or embassy if need be, so you are not stuck out there on your own.

Traveling the world is a fine adventure, and should never be avoided for fear of safety. Use common sense, and take a tour, whether it is a week’s travel tour or just a day’s tour, the guides are locals and know more about what to avoid than you do. Listen to them and enjoy your life. Tours are a great way to visit new places when you travel. They allow you to experience and see more things that you might on your own. A well experienced tour guide can tell you history, culture, and anecdotes of the places while making sure you are safe. Stay safe and travel.

April 7, 2017 by Jeremy

Why Vacation Rentals Are Better Than Hotels

I have traveled a lot throughout my life and I always believed that hotels were the best option when it came to accommodation. Many of my friends and regularly extolled the wonders of vacation rentals and I was just never really up for it. The idea of staying somewhere without the service, cleanliness and all-inclusive nature of a hotel just never really seemed like my cup of tea.

A few years ago I toured France vacation rentals hopping and only staying in the odd hotel, much to my displeasure upon being told the news before we went. I hadn’t book the journey, my friend had and I wouldn’t say I was fearful of the rentals, nothing as strong as that, I just couldn’t say that I was honestly looking forward to it, how wrong I was. Since that trip I have only stayed in hotels on occasion and instead I always opt to use a vacation rental when it is time to take a trip away. If you are anything like I was and unsure as to whether this kind of accommodation is for you then here are some reasons why I believe a vacation rental is far better than a hotel.

Home Touches

Invariably, the person who is renting out the vacation home has bought the place for themselves to pass some of their vacations and for this reason it is decorated in a nice way. Hotels are nice, clean and functional but they can often be very much the same from one to another, with a vacation rental you will find that each and every one has their own character and style and will make you feel far more comfortable in your new setting than a hotel will.

Perfect For Groups

I regularly travel in groups, be it with the family or with friends and when we stay in hotels we must book separate rooms and our time together is also spent with other inhabitants of the hotel. If you find a vacation rental which is big enough for your group then you will have the chance to spend far more time together. You will of course still have your own space when required but from a socializing aspect, this is far more easily done with a rental. The price also comes down when you are renting somewhere as you will not be paying for individual rooms. If you are traveling as part of a group then there really is no alternative in my book.

Perfect Level of Privacy

That level of privacy that is offered by a rental is the same if you are traveling as a small family or a couple. I know that when you stay in a hotel you can close your room door and have all the privacy that you need but when it is time to eat in the restaurant or go to the pool, you will be surrounded by strangers. A vacation rental gives you the best of both worlds, if you wish to mingle then you can head out to a local bar or restaurant and if you want to be alone then you can relax in your rental property and enjoy each other’s company.

Much Cheaper

In terms of what you get for each dollar that you spend, a rental property gives you far better value than a hotel. Not only is the cost of the stay cheaper but you can also save money on restaurants by cooking or making your own meals once or twice during your stay. Away from this, there are no additional charges for things which you may find at a hotel and there is also no need to tip anyone but your waiter in the restaurant.

A Far Wider Range

Even when you throw boutique hotels into the mix, going down the rental route will give you a far greater range of options regarding what kinds of properties you can stay in. As I mentioned before, hotels are very practical and functional and as such, they can often become much the same as one another. You will never get this with a vacation rental property and you can find whatever it is that you are looking for with ease. Perhaps you want a private pool, a terrace, a central location or something arty and a little more hidden away, you will be able to find all of the above far easier when using a vacation rental than if you were searching for the same requirements as a hotel.

I have stayed in some beautiful places since I began using rental properties over hotels and I have met some wonderful and helpful hosts along the way too, some of which I have gone back to more than once. I cannot recommend this way of traveling any more and if you want to experience a more exciting type of accommodation, then a vacation rental is where you should be heading.

March 22, 2017 by Jeremy

Leave the Office Behind When You Vacation

Are you one of those individuals who can never quite seem to leave the workload behind when you go on vacation?

If that sounds like you, you are unfortunately one of many millions of people who can’t separate work and taking some time to relax.

Along with the mental wear and tear that such actions can have on your body, there is of course the physical punishment you can take as a result.

With that being the case, what should you be doing in order to get away from it all for a period of time, allowing you to truly get some deserved R&R?

Preparation and Using the Right Resources

Like many other things in life, getting your work done before you hit the beaches, golf courses, mountains, or wherever your vacation takes you is key.

For instance, unless you are just going to throw a few things in your vehicle and get out of town for the weekend, you will need to prepare for where you are going.

Among the things to look at:

Where are you going?
What mode of transportation will you use to get there?
How long will you be gone?
Approximately what will the trip cost you?

Those (and other things) are all important in terms of leaving you with less stress and more enjoyment when all is said and done.

Whether you are thinking about hitting multiple states across the U.S., jetting off to the Far East, touring South America, or taking in as much of Europe as possible, take your preparation planning time seriously.

For starters, use the Internet to look for savings on adventures in Europe, Ecuador travel packages, group tours of Australia and much more. In doing so, you can get your trip planning done faster, leaving you enough time to get your real work out of the way.

Secondly, doing your trip planning (at least a sizable portion of it) on the Internet during work breaks gives you that vacation to look forward to, making you even more motivated to finish your work before you pack your bags and head out.

Bags Packed and Time to Relax

Once your trip is planned and everything is in place, the time has come to put thoughts of work behind you for however long you will be away.

As an example, are you someone who always has that laptop and/or mobile device by your side when you are supposed to be enjoying time away from the office? If so, there are both mental and physical effects that can become troubling.

On the mental side, the possibilities of burnout become very real, especially if you are either running your own business or are responsible for more than your fair share of work in the office.

As for the physical impact, thinking about work too much while vacationing can lead to fatigue, bad eating habits, lack of exercise and more.

Use these tips before you head out on vacation:

Work done in advance – Get as much of your necessary work done in advance, thereby leaving you with little or nothing to worry about while away.
Seek help from others – If you run your own business with employees, ask them to pick up some of the slack for you while you are gone. One of the great things in working with others is pitching in and helping each other when one is out for a period of time.
Alert others of your plans – In the event you are a one-person show, alert clients far enough in advance that you will be away for vacation. This allows them to reschedule and/or plan out in advance if they need you.

By making sure your deserved vacation runs as smoothly as possible, leave the office behind when you go on a personal trip.

Not only will you have memories of a lifetime, but you will come back to work more relaxed and recharged.

As an employee (for someone else or yourself), how do you leave work behind when you go on a vacation?

January 17, 2017 by Jeremy

What to Do when you’re Locked Out of the Car while Travelling

Being Locked Out of the Car while Travelling is just the worst...

Photo by CC user Unsplash on Pixabay

It is one of those things that no one wishes to happen, yet it usually does at some time or another, and when you end up locked out of your vehicle, it always happens when you are in a hurry. The first thing to remember is to stay calm and avoid the temptation to try and break into the car, as this is likely to result in damage. The fact that there are mobile locksmiths that specialise in retrieving keys from inside vehicles is a testament to how often it happens, and if you are unfortunate enough to lock yourself out of your car, here are some tips.

Contact a Locksmith

This is one number you should keep in your phone memory, and if you happen to be in Western Australia, and are looking for a Perth Locksmith, visit www.silverfernlocksmithsperth.com.au/ for more information on the range of services they provide. Some locksmiths have round the clock emergency service, so whether you have lost your keys or they are locked in the vehicle, they can gain access to any vehicle and create a new key if need be.

Transponder Keys

This is the latest anti-theft system and it involves inserting a microchip into the key, without which, the car will not start. If, for example, someone copied your car key with the intention of stealing the vehicle, the car would not start as the key does not contain the vital chip that is necessary to activate the ignition. Most modern vehicles use transponder keys, but this isn’t a problem as a qualified locksmith can cut a new key and program the chip via a port on the vehicle’s dashboard, and you will be up and running within an hour of the locksmith arriving on the scene.

Spare Keys

One could always have a spare key which is kept at home, and in the event you lose your master set, simply call your partner and have them bring the key to you on the road. Of course, this is only practical if you are within a reasonable distance from your home, and failing that, you can call out a mobile locksmith service.

Relax and Take a Break

Once you have called out the mobile locksmith, they will be with you very shortly, and you can find a nearby café and have a coffee while the technician gains access to the vehicle, and you will be on your way within a short time. It is a good idea to anticipate such an event and already have the contact details of a mobile emergency locksmith, as they can also help if you ever get locked out of your home. Should the worst ever happen and you do not have a contact number, you might be in for a long wait, so be prepared and keep the number in your smartphone memory.

Losing your keys is not something you can effectively prevent, so the best solution is to have the contact details of an emergency locksmith service, just in case the worst happens. This way, your travels can go back to running smoothly in no time flat.