Celebrate Homecoming Scotland 2009 with the country’s biggest golf giveaway - Drive it Home! VisitScotland is giving golf fans free rounds across a selection of the country’s 550 golf clubs. From championship courses like Royal Troon to classic links such as The Glen in East Lothian, visitors can claim their free foursome by logging on to Drive it Home’s website. The giveaway officially launches on January 21, 2009. Registrants will also be offered money-saving deals like a $100 voucher redeemable on Scotland golf packages.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
In theaters this month, the heartfelt romance Last Chance Harvey stars Oscar® winners Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman. The film shows off the city’s mix of history and modern edge while introducing movie-goers to new locales. We give you the scoop on London’s hidden gems like Maida Vale, a neighborhood with Venice-like canals and Belsize Park, an elegant area where you’ll see the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin out for a stroll. Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Is there any good news about the economy? Every time you turn around you hear about another segment of the economy that has been affected. Will the current economic problems effect your travel arrangements? It might.
Most travel suppliers are small businesses; the very ones who are being squeezed by the credit crunch. This increases your risk of a travel supplier default. How can you minimize your financial risk? Here are several steps that you can take:
1. Always use a credit card for the payment of your ticket or trip. In the event of a default you might be able to dispute your charge and have the credit card company remove it from your billing. This is fine if it happens prior to your trip but doesn’t help much if you are traveling at the time of the default. If that happens, other airlines might offer you an alternative flight on a standby basis but it can still result in delays and additional expenses that would be covered by many travel insurance policies.
2. Buy travel insurance from an independent source rather than from the travel provider. Travel Insurance policies offered by tour operators, cruise lines, or airlines either don’t cover their own financial default or they exclude the financial default of the company from whom you purchase your coverage.
3. Check the insurance plan to see if they have a list of airlines or travel companies that they either will or will not cover. Two companies, Access America and Elvia, provide a list of companies they will cover while two other companies, AIG Travel Guard and Travelex, provide a list of companies they will not cover.
4. Buy travel insurance very soon after they make a deposit. Most plans that offer default protection if you purchase your travel insurance within 10 to 21 days of your initial deposit. The time period varies with each company and plan so our advice is to do it within 10 days to ensure that you have the maximum flexibility.
5. Review the coverage carefully. Some plans will have a “waiting period” after the coverage is purchased before the default coverage goes into effect. In some cases this is 14 days after you buy the insurance. Another reason to buy coverage early.
6. Buy your trip or airline ticket through a travel agent. Some insurance plans exclude coverage if you have purchase your trip directly with the travel company. Most travel insurance plans will not, however, to have the maximum flexibility you should purchase your trip through a travel agent, whether locally or online, rather than buying direct.
You can never eliminate all risks but you can take prudent measures to minimize them before you travel.
Source: QuoteWright.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
From April 11-18 and April 18-25, 2009, a select group of ten skiers on each tour will explore the pristine Bugaboos range of the Canadian Rockies the way Canadian Mountain Holidays founder Hans Gmoser did almost a half century ago. With two guides per trip, guests on the Ski Touring expedition will head out by helicopter to remote spots in the Bugaboos range, where they’ll be dropped off for a thrilling downhill run on fresh tracks — but instead of hopping back in the chopper for a ride back up, skiers will strap on their skins, release their heels, take off a layer and start the rhythmic ascent towards another great run.
“Ski touring allows us to experience the mountains in a way that’s very different from Heli-Skiing,” says Rob Rohn, CMH Director of Mountain Operations. “Your body gets into an almost Zen-like rhythm as you patiently climb towards a new vista at every corner. The quiet is deafening.”
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
With Reduced Capacity and Extra Fees, Follow These Tips to Travel in Comfort
SeatGuru announced today its top ten tips for air travel during the holidays. Founder and air travel expert Matt Daimler, who logs more than 100,000 miles in the air each year, says, “With these tips, you’ll be able to stretch out your string bean legs, ensure your knees aren’t mashed like potatoes, and avoid overstuffing the luggage bin.”
1. Board early to avoid checked baggage fees. Boarding order may be just as important as your seat. Boarding early is crucial for passengers who need extra time to get settled, as well as for those in need of overhead bin space. Most domestic carriers have instituted checked-baggage fees, so passengers are carrying on more bags, making the overhead bin a hot commodity. Many airlines board back to front, so try reserving a seat toward the back. See: http://www.seatguru.com/articles/boarding_procedures.php.
2. Request a bulkhead if you have children. Bulkhead seats are often set aside for passengers traveling with infants and children. If you’re flying with the family, call the airline and request a bulkhead for some extra room. Read more: http://www.seatguru.com/articles/bulkheads.php.
3. Select seats at your time of booking. Especially if you’re traveling with family and you want the group seated together, select your seats as early as possible. Be aware that some airlines charge a fee for seat selection. Read more: http://www.seatguru.com/articles/booking_airline_seats.php.
4. Confirm your seat assignment the week of your flight. Airlines sometimes switch the aircraft close to the departure date due to load factors and maintenance. When this happens, pre-reserved seats are reassigned, so you could lose the seat you so carefully selected. Check back often!
5. Check in online. Many airlines only allow exit rows and bulkhead seats to be booked on the day of the flight. Check in as close to 24 hours before departure as possible in order to be one of the first passengers to select from these prime seats.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".