Posts by : Izy Berry

Thankfully we live in a world of modern conveniences, which impact all areas of travel from sourcing cheap flights online, right through to the ease of buying online phone cards. I can’t imagine the days of having to go into stores to buy phone cards, only to spend a small fortune on calling home for a few minutes. No emails, instead mail would take weeks or months to reach the destination. That’s one of the benefits to traveling now – it’s SO much easier to stay in touch, which is particularly useful if you’re traveling alone. So what are the best ways to keep in touch overseas? Here are my favourite ways to keep in touch.

Photo Credit: yago1 on Flickr

Photo Credit: April San Pedro on Flickr

Snail Mail:
This is the slowest way to keep in touch, but often the most thoughtful. When I was traveling I would occasionally send postcards or gifts home for holidays or special occasions like birthdays. This can be relatively expensive, but is very personal and thoughtful. If you’re in Belgium enjoying the divine chocolates, why not send a bunch home for your parents to enjoy? Likewise, a beautiful painting from Cambodia would be relatively inexpensive and very thoughtful.

There’s no right or wrong way to keep in touch, but these are my personal favouites. I tend to alternative between a few of these ways depending on who I want to keep in touch with and the time of year. Bare in mind if you want to send packages home for Christmas, it is best to get these sent off as easy as possible. One of the hardest things about travel is missing people, but with these tips for keeping in touch you can minimise that as much as possible.

Holidays don’t have to be hideously expensive in order to be special, memorable and relaxing. In fact, budget holidays can offer you some impressive deals, that will allow you to enjoy places at prices you never thought possible. As a backpacker who’s been traveling for a few years, I am very well practiced at hunting out budget holidays. There were lots of things I learned along the way to keep costs down while ensuring a great trip and I want to share them with you. Here are some easy-to-implement tips that could save you hundreds or thousands off your next trip:

1) Look Into Package Deals
There are a number of companies that offer high value package deals, such as Holiday Gems. Now, often more experienced travellers tend to stay away from package deals as they feel they can do better themselves. Truth be told, these companies have access to high-volume deals that a single traveler would not be able to access, resulting in very reasonably priced packages, often far less than you could find yourself. When you’re planning your next holiday, you should see what package deals are on offer.

2) Travel in the “Off Season”
If you can, take some time off during the off season as it will lower prices across the board: hotels, flights and even sometimes activities, will be cheaper. The other bonus? There will be less other tourists, so you’ll get a bit more time to soak in the attractions yourself.

Photo Credit: eGuide Travel on Flickr

3) Be Flexible With Your Flights
One of the biggest costs in any holiday, especially if you’re venturing far away, is the flight costs. If you scan many of the flight routes and their relative prices, you’ll see that prices are generally more expensive on weekends, Mondays and Fridays. During the week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday tend to be the cheapest prices. The same proves true with hotel prices as well! If you can be flexible with your flights and the dates of your holiday, you can skim quite a lot of the price of your flights.

4) Book in Advance or Really Last Minute
There are a bunch of last minute deals that offer exceptional value – they are simply packages which haven’t reached their quota and need to be filled. This is true with cruises, package deals, hotels and flights. There are also advantages to booking in advance, both in terms of price and being able to ensure you can plan your holiday exactly as you want it. There are benefits to booking either way, so make sure you decide which works for you and get onto it. Last minute bookings are great if you have a bit of room for spontaneity in your plans.

There’s nothing worse than turning up to a flight, especially one on a low cost carrier, and having excess baggage. Often excess baggage costs can add up to more than you paid for your flight, which is a nasty surprise and a sure way to ruin a good holiday. If you’re like me then you probably like to collect gifts and little things from your travels, which can really weigh you down. There are a few ways you can deal with excess baggage – some you might have not yet considered, here are some suggestions:

Use World Baggage:
Instead of paying the crazy fees to check in oversized or large luggage with your airline carrier, why not use World Baggage? You can check on their site how much things will approximately cost, so there are no hidden charges. You can choose the method of carriage, which will affect both the speed and the cost. If you’re not in a rush, you can choose a longer method and save some serious coin. If you’re short on time and need your stuff with you as soon as possible, you can try the door to door method. I spent way too much on carting a giant suitcase around the world with me when I moved to the Czech Republic… it’s not something I would do again.

Photo Credit: Bradley Gordon

Wear All Your Clothes:
This is not a practical suggestion for long trips or if you’re planning to move a part of your house across the globe, but if you’ve just come from a weekend trip away and your bag is too heavy you can simply wear all your clothes. It might be ridiculously, slightly uncomfortable and a bit cheeky – but almost anything’s game in a bid to save money. I think it’s a bit odd that airlines charge more for luggage and not for people’s varying weight. But I guess it was cause a bit of an uproar if airlines started charging by a passenger’s weight.

Ask Someone Else to Carry It:
To be honest, this might not go down too well. It reminds me of a time that the host mother I was staying with in the Czech Republic forgot she had a pocket knife in her handbag. It was an expensive one and she’d already checked in her bag so she asked some random people to check it into their luggage. No one was keen. So she asked the flight attendants if any of them would carry it and were met with the same answer. Obviously this was an unplanned accident, but my guess is unless you know someone personally. they’re probably not going to be interested in carrying your stuff for you, especially with airport security being how it is. If you’re traveling in a big group and your baggage is over, you should ask one of the people in your group if they have spare space as it could save you quite a lot.

Transporting luggage around the world doesn’t have to be a nightmare with a little forward planning.

There are few things better in the world than a little mystery. Why not combine this with an activity that most people thoroughly enjoy: travel. Mystery Trips are a wonderful way to explore somewhere you might not otherwise visit, all while enjoying a bunch of other benefits. Here are my top 5 reasons to consider a mystery trip for your next holiday away.

1) They Are Romantic
When you book a mystery trip, the only thing you know about it is who you’ll be going with. More often than not, the person or people you travel with make the trip. By taking the focus out of the destination, you can focus on your partner instead. This is perfect for anniversaries or just a special escape.

Photo Credit: Jamie Frith on Flickr

2) You Don’t Have to do Much
If you choose to go on a Mystery Package, your flights and accommodation will be taken care of. This means, you’ll barely have to do any planning for the holiday yourself. Some people find holiday planning extremely stressful, managing the location, hotels and flights. With a Mystery Package this is all taken care of and you can just focus on being relaxed.

3) They Make a Great Gift
If you’re trying to buy a present for friends or family, why not consider a Mystery Package? Everyone loves a good holiday and adding in the element of surprise takes the pressure off you. This is a really thoughtful gift for someone you know who might need a break away from the daily grind.

Photo Credit: Jamie Frith on Flickr

4) You Can Decide How Mysterious Your Trip is
Three days before you fly out, your itinerary is emailed to you, but you don’t have to check it! You could print it out (without looking), seal it in an envelope and take it to the airport with you. You could leave the surprise until you get into the check in out counter, if you want the ultimate in a mystery trip. If you’re a little less patient like me, you can check when you get the email and start planning what activities you’ll do.

5) You’ll Save Money
Because mystery trips are organised by a company, they tend to have deals available with companies, hotels and so on to ensure you get a great value holiday. This ensures your holiday doesn’t blow the budget, while still being a fun surprise.

Mystery trips are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to travel for those of us who crave a little more excitement in our lives.

Once you’ve decided where to stay in Birmingham you’ll want to fill up your time wisely. Here are my suggestions for the top 4 things to din Birmingham, England:

VISIT CADBURY WORLD

In 1824, Birmingham merchant John Cadbury began selling tea, coffee and drinking chocolate in the centre of the city, and nearly two-hundred years later Cadbury is the second biggest manufacturer of confectionary in the world. In 1990, the company opened this self-guided tour at it’s Bournville manufacturing plant that explores not only the Cadbury story, but the history of chocolate and confectionary around the world. It’s one of the city’s largest tourist attractions, and offers visitors a glimpse inside the manufacturing process as well as a chance to create their own sweet treats.

Photo Credit: Elliott Brown

EAT MORE THAN SWEETS

In 2011, the BBC’s food magazine Olive crowned the city as king of the UK’s culinary scene. Plenty of London foodies were up in arms at the decision, but who can argue with Birmingham’s diverse range of Michelin-starred restaurants as well as the plethora of fresh food on show at the iconic Birmingham Wholesale Markets – the largest in the UK. The city also played a key role in the development of Balti cuisine, a style of Indian cooking now popular across much of the UK as well as Canada and Australia. Purists claim that nowhere in the world makes it quite like the West Midlands.

EXPLORE THE CITY’S DIVERSE MUSIC SCENE

Birmingham was the birthplace of heavy metal, thanks to hometown hero Ozzy Osborne and the other members of the iconic band Black Sabbath. It was also the home of members of Judas Priest and Led Zeppelin. Its diverse multicultural population made up of many Indian and Jamaican immigrants also saw the city play an important role in the development of styles like Bhangra and Ska. Birmingham was the home of other iconic acts including Duran Duran, UB40, Ocean Colour Scene and The Streets. Today, the city is home to a new generation of musicians, and several bands from the Digbeth-based “B-Town” scene have been championed by UK style-bible The NME as superstars of the future.

Photo Credit: Brian Clift

SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP

Although most stylish visitors to the UK still have their sights firmly set on the nation’s capital and its plethora of stylish boutiques, Birmingham is making a name for itself as one of the country’s coolest commercial destinations thanks to the ultra-modern Bullring shopping centre located at the site of the city’s historic market district. Officially opened in 2003, it’s home to some of the world’s biggest brands, including Topshop, Apple and Zara – and boasts a space-age Selfridges store designed by award-winning architecture firm Future Systems.

From the idyllic white sand beaches of Mauritius to the always-popular beach resorts of the Sinai Peninsula, there’s no arguing that Africa contains some of the best beach locations in the world. Africa offers something to suit every taste whether you are looking for pristine deserted beaches or a beach resort with a party atmosphere.

Africa’s idyllic islands

Africa offers some of the most desirable island beach locations in the world and they don’t come much better than the Seychelles. The Seychelles is a group of islands off mainland Africa and most of the 115 islands are lined with pure white sands lapped by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. It’s no surprise that islands such as Mahe, St Anne and Cerf have been named as some of the best beach destinations in the world. Island hopping here is a joy and it’s easy to find your very own Robinson Crusoe deserted beach far from the many luxury hotels.

Party on the beach

If you are looking for a more vibrant beach atmosphere then Sharm el Sheikh holidays should suit your taste. Located at the southern point of the Sinai Peninsula along the Red Sea coastline this is Egypt’s beach resort capital. Sharm el-Sheik boasts the best Red Sea diving spots, camel rides into the Sharm Desert and of course stunning beaches such as those found at Naama Bay and Sharks Bay. The white sand beaches that gently shelve into the warm lagoon waters are the place to relax after experiencing some of Egypt’s best nightlife options.

Cabo Verde beaches

Cabo Verde is an archipelago of 10 islands and this destination is the place to come for year-round sunshine and some magnificent deserted beaches. The beaches here are truly stunning and examples include the 55Km long powder soft, white sands at Boa Vista or the four-mile long stretch of white sand paradise at Santa Maria beach on the island of Sal. Tourism is on the rise in Cabo Verde as witnessed by the increasing number of hotels and resorts on the islands. However, with the size of the beaches in Cabo Verde there is no problem finding your own deserted stretch of pristine beach to relax on for weeks on end.

The Gambia coastline

Gambia may be a small country but its coastline is mainly all beach and if you are looking for an African destination with miles of untouched white sand and warm sea waters then Gambia will be ideal. Beaches such as Cape Point in northern Kombo offer soft white sands, swaying palm trees and activities such as diving, jet-skiing and sailing. For some spectacular African sunsets head to the beaches of Fajara and pick a spot on the red rock cliffs, just don’t forget your camera. Make your way to Bakau beach if you are looking for a fun, colourful beach where locals work their fishing boats and you can eat the catch of the day at the many beach smokehouses.

Writer Piers Constable enjoys travelling around Africa whenever his job allows it

Images by plityp and Rambler99 used under creative commons licence