Internet http://www.trifter.com/tags/Internet New posts about Internet The Seven Best Travel Sites on the Net http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Tips/The-Seven-Best-Travel-Sites-on-the-Net.135587
  • Lonely Planet

    • The premier travel companion for any traveller or holiday maker in book form; the website with the same name provides valuable information about anywhere and almost anything travel. The site is extremely easy to navigate and provides information from every country on where to stay, what to do, how to get there, and what its going to cost you. The site also provides areas for writing your own travel blogs, reviews and advice.

  • Airtreks

    • Probably one of the best travel sites on the net today and yet surprisingly relatively unknown. Airtreks is an online travel agency specializing in round the world trips and fares. The site lets you visually plan your route and provides you with a price estimate of your planned trip. They will also provide you with an alternate route adding in cities or replacing cities they think would be more financially viable for you. Trips can be planned all by air or alternatively, you can add in destinations that suit you for travelling overland. This site is great in the fact that you don't have to move from your computer to have a whole round the world trip planned, paid for and your tickets sent.

  • Hostelworld

    • The only place you need for finding and booking all hostels and budget hotels around the world. With over 17,000 listed, you are sure to find a place that suits your needs. The site reviews and rates each hostel and hotel according to real travellers advice and provide a forum for all users. Most hostels will require a deposit using a credit card for the booking but you only pay in full once at your accommodation. They also offer the alternative of paying using PayPal which is great.

  • Travelocity

    • A great site for finding affordable flights, hotels, cruises and tours. They have fantastic package deals on offer also and provide destination reviews and guides which are okay, but nothing compared to Lonely Planet's advice. Essentially whatever you are looking for, Travelocity will find you the best price for most services on the days you are looking for. Quick and easy.

  • Expedia

    • Very similar site to the above mentioned Travelocity. Provides all of the same services but is worth comparing with Travelocity's prices as sometimes one or the other can give you a better deal for the same service. Also gives handy travel alerts and advice.

  • World Expeditions

    • These guys give travellers the opportunity to try something a little different offering off-the-beaten-track tours and adventures. From Himalayan treks and hikes to a trip to one of the Polar Regions, whatever crazy trip you are looking for, World Expeditions is sure to have it. The down side to this site is that they don't provide transport to the trip starting point or from the trip end point.

  • World Nomads

    • The best site for independent travel insurance and advice. World Nomads provides a range of insurance options for whatever type of trip you are planning. Their packages are very affordable and coverage is for pretty much every possible insurance claim situation. They offer, like most travel sites, a forum area for travellers wanting to share experiences and also provide an online travel equipment site.

    ]]>     Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:20:43 PST     I Like to Travel Light Even my Wallet Isn't Heavy http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/I-Like-to-Travel-Light-Even-my-Wallet-Isnt-Heavy.112703 Go forth and see the world! You won't know what you've been missing--stock in smog-city central--till you feel the fine sand under your kitten-heel slippers, see the Mon Lisa up close, or discover the delicate flavor of freshly grilled sawa.
    If all that stands between you and a stamp on your passport is the slimness of your purse, don't assume travelling is for the rich and parentally funded. You can have the world on a (shoe) string budget.

    Go Surfing

    The Internet is the great place to fish for budget travel ideas and resources. Avoid commercial site advertising "cheap rates," and dig out personal sites from fellow travel-lovers who often post photos and journal entries. Cost-cutting tips are also just an e-mail away. Most people re more than willing to share their tried-and-tested insider tips on the best days to book a flight or where to get a decent home-cooked meal in the middle of small-town holiday hideaway.

    Get Set and Go

    When adventure calls, be ready. Keep a list of travel essentials: what clothes, toiletries, and CDs to bring to grab-and-pack emergencies. You can fly for cheap on filler seats for certain airlines, or tag along with friends on spur-of-the-moment road trips. A well-planned tourist trip to Milan has its perks, but the rush of an anything-goes adventure takes the expression "cheap thrills" to a life-changing level!

    Buddy Up

    Travelling with friend can enrich your experience (and your bank account). Splitting basic expenses like food and lodging means more pocket money for both of you. Bring the whole friends, and take advantage of group rates and promos from airlines and resorts. Plus, you'll always have someone to take your picture.

    Work It

    If you really love to travel, why not make a career out of it? What could be better than seeing the world on someone else's budget--and being paid to do it? Plot your course now: learn ne languages, study different cultures, and find out what jobs offer overseas opportunities and what skills they require.

    ]]>     Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:56:02 PST     Fly Away! The Ultimate Guide to Budget Airlines Travel http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Budget-Travel/Fly-Away-The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Budget-Airlines-Travel.109353 In the past, traveling by air was often considered a luxury because of the fact that airplane tickets cost such a substantial amount of money. Now, almost everyone can allow themselves to fly to their desired destination with the lowest airfares available. Using these great tips and links, airfare packages have never been easier to find cheaply

    The concept of low cost airfares is not surprising, and it has become a new trend and phenomenon in the world of traveling. This concept has been well received by low and medium income families who can now also fly to their desired destinations. The foremost aim of the low cost airfare concept is to enable even more people to travel a great deal more often.

    How Can Airlines Offer Such Low Cost Airfares?

    The low-cost airline's main mission is to offer a more inexpensive, convenient and simpler form of transportation to its travelers. To achieve this mission, the airlines have to cut their costs to a minimum by eliminating some unnecessary expenditure.

    The main feature of low cost carriers is that their airfares are extremely lower than other big-scale airline companies. In Europe, for example, their airfares are half or less than that the larger airline company's airfares. Many of these airfares are often lower than train tickets. Despite lower airfares, the profits of these airlines are often higher than larger airlines, with their sales profits going as high as 20 to 30%.

    Low cost carriers do not use the major airports, instead they fly to and from secondary airports that are not necessarily the busiest. These secondary airports usually have lower operating costs than bigger major airports. Furthermore, the secondary airports are less congested and their “turnaround times” are shorter for the flights. Many European cities have more than one airport and for many small cities that are adjacent to the major cities, they often have their own airports. Because Europe's railways and highways use a very developed network, the passengers do not usually feel any inconvenience if the airports are located a little farther away from the major cities.

    Low-cost carriers maintain lower labor costs because they mainly engage in short-distance business trips, and the pilots and crews do not stay overnight. Their wages are much lower than larger airline companies, and yet the average flying time is much longer. As the routes are allocated for only 2 to 3 hours for the short-haul flights, passengers are not usually provided with free meals. All foods and drinks sold are an addition.

    No seats are reserved or allocated for passengers and so they will have to take any seats available, but luggage is allowed to be checked-in and taken on board.

    The seating space in the plane is usually narrowed to allow more space for accommodating more passengers on board the flight. In this manner, their revenue can help in boosting their profits by at least 10%. Because flights are generally shorter, the passengers can easily accept the narrow distance between the seats.

    These low cost airlines usually sell their air tickets via travel agents, travel-based search engines, and the internet, and do not need to rent a huge office space which may incur higher costs. By booking flights via internet or through an airline's call center, you do not have to pay a travel agent any commission, which would otherwise increase the airfares. You will end up saving even more money by not using travel agents to book a reservation.

    Most low cost carriers cut their costs because no arrangements are made with any airline companies on flight transfers or connecting flights which would otherwise be reflected in the airfares. They employ pilots, flight attendants, operations personnel and mechanics who are specialized in a single type of aircraft, which saves the expenditure of re-training the staff, instead of maintaining a stock with parts for different types of aircraft. These are some of the reasons why the pricing is more affordable, economic and extremely low.

    7 Essential Tips To Getting Low Cost Airfares



    1. The low cost airline companies will catch your attention with extremely low airfares banners or advertisements that require you to book the tickets 6 or 9 months ahead of the traveling date. You have to grab these opportunities by making a reservation from their respective websites. These airfares get sold very fast.
    2. Once the tickets are sold out, the low-cost seats will not be available anymore and you will have to pay more if you purchase the ticket later. You have to book the ticket immediately as it will last only 24 hours. In other words, you have to plan your trip earlier and book the ticket in advance. By doing this, you may be able to get the best deal that is worth every penny.
    3. Now, you need to get a list of low cost airlines. You may use the suggested list attached in this article to choose your desired traveling destinations. E-mail the airlines to obtain some details on when their companies offer a promotional trip package, when the low cost airfares are on sale, and when to look for seasonal or discounted airfares. Once you get a list from them, you can familiarize yourself with the low cost airlines that fly from your local or nearby airport to your desired destination. This information may also be included on your local airports website.
    4. With these e-mail lists at hand you will be one step closer to getting to know which new destinations are launched that can generally offer discounted or low airfares as an added promotion to attract tourists to visit those places. They also offer numerous packages which can include car rentals and hotels. This way, you can save money instead of paying for each particular aspect of the flight individually.
    5. Browse through the dates on low airfare searches in order to find out how much you can save. You will be surprised to find out that the rates for weekdays, weekends, school holidays, public holidays and seasonal holidays all have different rates. You should try to travel during the off-peak seasons in order to get the discounted or low cost airfare packages.
    6. Because flights are usually not fully occupied during the off season, you will receive better discounts. The airfare in general, is also less for morning flights than for evening flights because the airlines want to make sure the flight will be fully occupied before the plane takes off.
    7. In some cases, you will have to be patient while you wait for the release of cheap airfares. Some big airlines buy tickets in bulk and resell them at lower rates through the internet. This is because they want to sell as many tickets as they can to make sure that their flights are fully occupied.

    It is important to do some research trying various sources while looking for cheap airfares. The information is usually available at sites set up by airlines, travel agencies, or travel-based search engine sites. Internet is by far the best option to let you to search through as many sources in the fastest and most most effective way to let you obtain all the information you want. Search engines like Kayak, Expedia, Travelocity or Mobissimo enable you to search travel sites for the cheapest fares by simply entering the date of travel and the destination. After you hit the Search button, all related flights information will be displayed on the screen. If you are happy with the airfare, you can book your ticket immediately.

    Remember, do not make a quick decision. You should always check on multiple search engines like Kayak, Cheapflights, Iwantthatflight, Attitudetravel, Qixo, Whichbudge, Cheapair, SKYSCANNER, Wikipedia or Bookingbuddy to compare the airfares. The travel agencies can have prices much higher or much lower than another. Make sure that you check with the airlines about whether the airfare includes routes (direct flights, stopovers or connecting flights), refunds or extra charges, and if their rules for cancellations before buying the tickets suits you.

    A hotel plus air package is often worth buying because the prices are offered at a rate lower than the airfare without the hotel accommodations. Lastminute.com has been found to have some of the the best deals in this field. The Travelocity who owns Lastminute is one of the best options for you to book your last minute travel reservations while still helping you save money.

    Always make sure that you keep abreast of the different airfares offered by various airlines companies. The prices fluctuate like the stock market and the airlines may update their domestic fares up to two or three times a day. If you are serious about saving your money, you should really check them out regularly.

    Try to combine two separate fares rather than buying an individual airfare which will probably cost you more. Travelocity or another travel-based search engine may provide you with even more information regarding combining fares.

    Where to Get an Affordable, Economic and Low Cost Airfare?

    The links below offer some of the lowest operating costs for airlines in Africa, Asia, Europe, America, Middle East and Oceania regions and were compiled from various resources.

    AFRICA REGION

    Morocco

    Nigeria

    South Africa

    AMERICA REGION

    Argentina

    Brazil

    Columbia

    Canada

    Mexico

    United States

    Uruguay

    ASIA REGION

    Bangladesh

    China

    Indonesia

    Japan

    South Korea

    Malaysia

    Pakistan

    Philippines

    Singapore

    Sri Lanka

    Thailand

    Vietnam

    EUROPE REGION

    Austria

    Belgium

    Bulgaria

    Czech Republic

    Denmark

    Germany

    Greece

    Hungary

    Iceland

    Italy

    Latvia

    Netherlands

    Norway

    Poland

    Romania

    Russia

    Slovakia

    Spain

    Sweden

    Switzerland

    Turkey

    United Kingdom

    MIDDLE EAST REGION

    Kuwait

    Saudi Arabia

    United Arab Emirates

    OCEANIA REGION

    Australia

    New Zealand

    I hope this article will be useful and helpful for those who wish to find the cheapest airfare available. Bon Voyage!

    ]]>     Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:13:55 PST     Five Reasons to Move To Sweden http://www.trifter.com/Europe/Five-Reasons-to-Move-Sweden.91738 I was born in Turkey and I've lived in Turkey all my life.As usual,I always liked my country and did not think to live in another country. However,one of my friends changed my mind when he told me about Sweden. He had never thought to live in Sweden until he was accepted by a Swedish University for master degree. I contacted him by phone and Internet and gathered information about Sweden. He biased me to move Sweden.

    I have searched and surveyed about moving to Sweden so far.I've asked Swedish people about Sweden,life in Sweden and life conditions in Sweden.These are the results of my quick survey:

    1. There is no war or possibility of war in Sweden.All Swedish people live in peace in their land.
    2. There is a big opportunity for taking good education especially in engineering and natural sciences. Uppsala University,Lund University and Chalmers University of Technology are popular universities in Sweden and Europe.They all give good education.



    3. There is a big opportunity for finding good job.Technology and Science is developed in Sweden.Sweden needs youth population.Rate of youth population in Sweden is very low.


    4. There are very beautiful places to see in Sweden like Stan Island,famous war ship Vasa,Royal Palace,Theatre Building,Kunqsrad Park,Fjallgatan Hill,Residance Museum,Masthugget Church,Amelienborg Palace,Statue of Little Mermaid,Statue of Poseidon,Karl Johans Street and National Theatre Building.


    5. Beautiful blonde girls of Sweden with blue eyes.


    ]]>     Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:07:42 PST     Tourist Attraction: Mount Cameroon http://www.trifter.com/Africa/Tourist-Attraction-Mount-Cameroon.59599 Cameroon also known as "Africa in Miniature" and described by its government as the "melting pot of Africa" is found in the West African sub-region.

    It is a country that has been blessed with many tourist attractions, its ministry of tourism was created in the 1970's to encourage investment in this sector. Tourist attractions include amongst others; wildlife parks, highlands, lakes, Mankon Fondom (kingdom) and museums.

    Despite government's efforts over the past decade to boost the sector, its growth has been hampered by poor infrastructure and mis-administration. However, this has not deterred foreigners from visiting the country's attractions.

    Tourists Climbing Mount Cameroon

    One of the main sites that attracts many foreigners and nationals alike is "Mount Cameroon" also known as "Mount Fako". It is situated in Buea, in the Fako division of the South West province of the country.

    It measures 4100 kilometres, the highest point in Central Africa and the second highest point in Africa after Mount Kilamanjaro in Kenya. The mountain rises from the coast through tropical rainforest to a bare summit which is cold, windy and occasionally brushed with snow.

    The Mount Cameroon forests are under threat from uncontrolled forest exploitation and encroachment for agricultural production. A population of approximately 350,000 people live within its immediate vicinity, around half of this population live in the urban settlements of Limbe and Buea.

    The Bakweri, Bomboko and Balundu people traditionally live on and around the mountain, together with the coastal Bimbia clans; the livelihoods of these people are directly or indirectly supplemented through the harvesting of the forests resources such as timber and non-timber products such as removing bark for medicines, gathering wild vegetables, collecting rattans for making furniture and hunting.

    The mountain has erupted six times in the previous century, the latest recorded eruption was in March/ April 1999. During the eruption, the lava flow destroyed farmlands in localities found on the slope of the mountain such as Bakingili, Batoke and Upper farms.

    In local folklore the God of the mountain is known as Efasah Moto, it's believed to be composed of two halves, i.e. man and stone; it is also believed that it takes care of people by providing them with water, shelter and food during their journey up and down the mountain. Visitors are allowed to harvest what they can consume while on the mountain but are not allowed to take away anything provided by Efasah Moto. Belief in the God provides an interesting cultural link to ecotourism and sustainable use of resources.

    Apart from individuals or groups who go for excursions on the mountain, there is an annual international race that is organised by the Government known as the "Mount Cameroon Race of Hope". The initiative was started in 1995 by the company that brews Guinness.

    The race usually brings together hundreds of athletes with scores of them coming from abroad. The starting point of the race is the Molyko Omnisport stadium and participants pass through upper farms, huts 1,2 & 3 before reaching the summit and returning back to the starting point. Participants are divided into male and female categories, they are then further sub-divided into professionals, youths, and amateurs.

    The first winner of the male category usually takes just over four hours to complete the race while that for the female category usually takes around 4 hours and 30 minutes. Prize money is in the region of two thousand pounds.

    ]]>     Sun, 18 Nov 2007 10:37:47 PST     To Use a Travel Agent or Go On-line http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Tips/To-Use-a-Travel-Agent-or-Go-On-line.59179 A travel agent may still be useful although people are doing a lot of their travel on line. But if they want to combine a hotel stay with the flight, they are going to have difficulty unless of course the site gives alternative solutions regarding where to stay. Since shopping is personal for many, a lot of people like the feel of making their own choices that are not found within the cover of a travel brochure.

    If they are not savvy about how to combine travel tips, speaking to the agent may be useful. One example maybe taking a trip to South America but by combining different means of transport, something that would not be apparent on an on-line system. An air-trip to Brazil can be combined with a rail trip to Mexico and the stops on the way might be worked out with a travel agent who is familiar with what kinds of rail travel there is.

    If you wanted to change your mind from rail to bus she could advise you about where to go to get a ticket or book a ticket for you in advance. In short, having an agent will be a great convenience compared to hunting websites looking for travel deals that aren't there.

    Travel agents are competing with on-line travel services and it is likely that people will be making more travel plans through the internet. In Quebec, internet shopping is predicted to go up to nine from six percent and is predicted to go up even further.

    This may affect how many people actually visit a travel agent but as I have said, going to one allows you to get your tickets in advance and make sure that any questions about travel places are answered, something that is not guaranteed by on-line travel sites. One gets a sense of a company's reputability when you visit a physical establishment where you can see how an agent works out a travel plan. So the travel agent will still be around in years to come.

    ]]>     Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:28:22 PST     New Zealand Factoids http://www.trifter.com/Asia-&-Pacific/New-Zealand/New-Zealand-Factoids.40132
    1. Per capita, New Zealand contains more bookshops and more golf-courses than any other country in the world. The image of New Zealand as ‘just a sporting nation’ is actually false. New Zealanders are intelligent too.
    2. Per capita New Zealand has more sheep than any other country in the world. (The Japanese tourists go crazy over them.) In recent years the highest number of sheep the country had was some 70 million in 1981. The sheep population, however, has dwindled since then, so that by 1999 there were only around 45 million. That’s still around 11 sheep per man, woman and child.
    3. New Zealand is the first country to see the sunrise, and consequently was the first country to see in the new Millennium. That’s officially correct only because the first place in the world to see the sunrise each day, the Chatham Islands, belongs to New Zealand. The three islands making up New Zealand itself are some 45 minutes behind the Chathams.
    4. New Zealand has the most southerly railway station, vineyard and pub in the world. These are all in the South Island. The most southerly capital city in the world, Wellington, is in the North Island.
    5. This same capital city, Wellington, has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the world - including New York. Either Wellingtonians are a hungry lot and eat out frequently, or else there are plenty of restaurants that don’t do very well.
    6. Auckland, which some New Zealanders (mostly Aucklanders) consider should be the capital city, has more boats per capita than any other city in the world. Auckland has several fine harbours, and of course, the Americas Cup was hosted there with great success in the past.
    7. Per capita, New Zealanders have more access to the Internet than any other country in the world. This is not to say that every New Zealander has broadband, or even good access to the Net. Some enterprising New Zealanders have found their own way to get access, with more or less success. And Wellington gets in on the act once more: it’s the most wired city in the world - per capita.
    8. Per capita, New Zealanders have the second highest rate of car ownership in the world. Fortunately, New Zealanders are spread over the land fairly thinly, so there are still plenty of places where you can drive for miles without seeing another car.
    9. New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote, to adopt the eight-hour working day, to operate a tourist board and to introduce the retirement pension. Unfortunately, these great gains have been eroded somewhat over the last few decades. Women, of course, still have the vote - in fact, New Zealand has had two female Prime Ministers - but many people work longer hours for less money now. With the advent of retail weekends, where shops are expected to be open at all hours, many people in retail have lost their right to any sort of proper weekend. And the retirement pension, which used to be set at 60, is now up to 65 - and may climb higher. For better or worse, people in New Zealand are just living longer.
    10. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed entirely in New Zealand, in spite of concerns from the American producers, in spite of the fact that the director, Peter Jackson, had never directed one film of that scale before, let alone three, and in spite of the fact that they all said it couldn’t be done. ‘They’ were wrong as usual. New Zealanders aren’t the sort of people who give in easily.

    ]]>     Wed, 15 Aug 2007 10:30:19 PST