Home Articles Posted by Izy Berry (Page 116)
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How to pay for your flights
Flights are expensive; depending on how far from home you venture, they will often be the most expensive part of your holiday. If you are creative with how you pay for your flights you can save a bit of money or at least earn some rewards for other things!
With your credit card:
Paying for flights with your credit card is one of the easiest ways to pay for flights. Almost everyone over the age of 18 these days has a credit card for online shopping, so there’s nothing extra to set up. Booking flights on your credit card can be really great because many credit card companies offer free travel insurance for flights booked with their cards. Other credit card companies offer specific rewards for dollars spend on credit cards that you can then redeem for gifts, travel vouchers or shopping vouchers. If you’re planning to spend a substantial amount of money on flights it can be a good idea to call into your bank and see what benefits they can offer you.
Pay for your flights with airpoints:
Airpoints are accumulated when you fly with certain airlines. You have to be a member of the airpoints system in order to collect the airports, which often costs a registration fee. If you fly regularly with the same airline career or are planning a long haul journey it can be a good idea to look into airpoints. Round the world flights often accumulate enough airpoints for a domestic flight or a flight within Europe. Free flights are the best flights so make sure you look into whether joining a frequent flyer program will offer you any long term benefits.
Pay for your flights with a loyalty program:
There are numerous loyalty programs that offer rewards for spending money. Simply swipe the card and collect points which you can them redeem for numerous travel related things such as flights, accommodation, car hire, Eurostar and so on. Different countries have different loyalty programs. One of the most popular is Avios, which allows you to easily spend points earned on almost anything travel related! Turn your everyday purchases into travel with Avios, allowing you to free up money to spend on more trips or other essentials.
What is your favourite way to pay for your flights? Do you have any tips for keeping the costs of flights down?
I’ve written a guide to finding cheap flights that you might find helpful!
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The Travel Comedown
No one really talks about it – that weird feeling of trying to readjust back into normal day-to-day life after a few weeks, months or years on the road.
The friend I traveled with on my last trip to Asia, asked me promptly after returning home “how do you do it? How do you readjust back into everyday life after an adventure like that?”
I replied: “I didn’t” – at that point the last 2.5 years had been a constant movement; changing one from city to another, from one country to another. I relished being surrounded by new faces, walking out onto a street and feeling like there were so many new pockets and corners to discover. I was in love with the movement of travel.
I’m home for a bit now, while I travel a bit more of New Zealand and saving for my next adventure.
So how is best to deal with the travel comedown? The gloom that exists because you’re no longer exploring new shores?
Explore your own country
If you intentionally explore your own city or country with the same level of enthusiasm and curiosity reserved for overseas, you can find yourself feeling the same buzz that you get from traveling overseas. I’m very lucky to come from New Zealand which is a great country for exploring and certainly one of the most beautiful.
Host Couchsurfers
I started on Couchsurfing around 7 years ago, and hosted a number of Couchsurfers. While in Mexico, San Diego and Spain I Couchsurfed with locals and gained a really unique perspective to the culture and city. Just this week my flatmates and I hosted a friend we had met in Cambodia for a few days and it was really awesome getting to show him around my city. One of the best part of traveling is all the cool, open minded people you meet along the way and hosting on Couchsurfing is a great way to ensure you’re still meeting them despite staying put.
Plan your next adventure
I could literally spend weeks on Wikitravel, Lonelyplanet and Tripadvisor planning a lifetime worth of adventures. Planning where you want to visit next is a great way to keep the travel dream alive while inspiring you to save more for your next trip.
What do you do to help beat the no-travel blues? Is there anything you do to keep the travel dream alive when you’re at home in between adventures?
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Things to see in Las Vegas
If you plan on going to Las Vegas then there are many things that you should keep in mind, it may seem like an easy trip to plan out however with so many different attractions in the city you could easily get overwhelmed unless you planned what you wanted to see. So here is a top ten list to help you make those plans.
The Spa
In many of the Las Vegas hotels such as the Bellagio there are luxury spa for you to visit and relax in after a long day games or seeing the sights.
The New York – New York roller coaster
What better way to see New York than to take a roller coaster through it, at the New York – New York hotel this is exactly what you can do.
The Clubs
Spread all along the strip are many clubs that would make anyone’s night out, so going to a few different ones such as the LAX at the Luxor might make the best night out ever.
Breakfast buffet at the Wynn
This breakfast may be the best you ever have and since it’s a buffet you can eat more than you really should and you won’t regret a thing.
Guy Savoy
With some of the most creative and best French food in America the Guy Savoy restaurant is somewhere that you have to eat if you have the cash.
The Eiffel Tower
Just like being able to go around New York in Vegas there is also an Eiffel Tower too that you can go to the top of and look out over the whole city.
The Venetian
Why not take a gondola ride around a fake version of the Italian city of Venice? Well in Vegas you can do just that at the Venetian.
Cirque du Soleil
This is one of the greatest shows on earth filled with the best gymnasts from around the world including ones who have competed at the Olympics. This is a night out you will never forget.
Bellagio Fountains
You may wonder how going to see a fountain could make it so high on this list, however if you take the time to go see this amazing sight during the day and then again at night you will understand.
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Art Museums in Los Angeles
If the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear “Southern California” is Disneyland, you’re likely not alone. SoCal is well known for the very popular theme parks that make it a destination for young and old alike. But don’t let the art lover in you miss out on your next trip to the Golden State – Los Angeles is home to some of the most impressive and well-known art collections anywhere.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Considered the largest art museum in the western United States, LACMA attracts almost a million visitors annually to view its holdings of more than 100,000 works in 21 different collections that focus on art from all areas of the globe, plus contemporary art, decorative art, modern art, photography and more. You’ll find works by such artists as Rembrandt, Paul Cezanne, Mary Cassat, Paul Gaugin, Claude Money, and George Bellows, to name a few. The museum also hosts many special exhibits throughout the year, a current and upcoming selection of which include Stanley Kubrick, Henri Matisse, and James Turrell.
The museum campus consists of nine buildings that house the not only the art, but an auditorium, a theater, a café and a bar. Also on the campus, you’ll find several permanent art installations, including the well-known Urban Light, a sculpture by Chris Burden made of 202 antique cast-iron street lights from various cities in and around the Los Angeles are. The street lights are functional and turn on in the evening, powered by solar panels. Another is Levitated Mass by Michael Heizer, a 340-ton boulder that sits upon a 456-foot long trench that gradually deepens to 15 feet, allowing visitors to walk under and around the massive rock.
Getty Center
One of two branches of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Center specializes in pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts, and 19th– and 20th-century American and European photographs. It’s one of the most visited museums in the U.S., with 1.3 million visitors each year, and features paintings such as Irises by Vincent Van Gogh, Arii Matamoe by Paul Gauguin, and Portrait of a Halberdier by Pontormo. The building itself, designed by architect Richard Meier, is a work of art, and it’s completed with outdoor sculptures, terraces and gardens, including the 134,000 square-foot Central Garden, which contains over 500 plant varieties. Multiple tours and talks are available for visitors, and the museum offers a full calendar of lectures, films, concerts and festivals. And don’t forget your camera, because the views of L.A. from the Getty Center are some of the best you’ll find.
Getty Villa
This 64-acre museum complex, which houses 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Estruscan antiquities dating from 6500 B.C. to 400 A.D., sits on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, on property adjacent to the former home of oil tycoon and founder J. Paul Getty. The Villa was modeled after the Villa dei Papiri in Herculenium near Pompeii and consists of 29 galleries on 2 levels, as well as an outdoor theater and gardens. Like the Getty Center, it’s as much about the architecture as the art collection; the site was created to give one the sense of being at an archeological dig. And also like the Getty Center, the views are fantastic – this time, however, you are looking out to the Pacific Ocean.
The Norton Simon Museum
While the Norton Simon Museum may be smaller that the LACMA and the Getty Center, its collection is certainly just as impressive and is highly regarded world-wide. The Upper Level of the museum houses European and American Art from the 14th to the 20th century, and contains works such as Madonna and Child with Book by Raphael, Portrait of a Boy by Rembrandt, Mulberry Tree by Vincent Van Gogh, and The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil, by Claude Monet. Other artists include Matisse, Renoir, Manet, Cezanne and over 100 works by Edgar Degas. Also notable are 45 works by Pablo Picasso, about a dozen of which are on display at any given time.
The museum’s Lower Level is home to an extensive Asian Art collection, representing India, Tibet, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand and other South and Southeast Asian countries. Several outdoor art displays round out the museum’s offerings, including the Rodin collection at the front of the museum, which includes one of 12 copies of Rodin’s Burghers of Calais, as well as several of his studies used in creating the six-figure sculpture.
BIO
This is a guest post by Alicia Russo who works for CityPASS. Hitting the museums is great, but if you’re in the area make sure you also take time to visit Disneyland Resort and the other theme parks. You can get discounted admission on a few of them with the Southern California CityPASS.
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Goodbye Stress!
I’d like to share an experience with you, one that has firmly put me off train travel with a large amount of luggage ever again.
I thought I was being clever, I thought I was saving the environment, when all I ended up saving was my sanity when I decided I would never do it again.
Anyone who has ever tried to get from their house to the airport, with a very large suitcase, a very large carry-on bag and themselves of course, with two train changes in-between, will understand where I’m coming from with this. I had to stand all the way, my suitcase was constantly in the way, I was tutted at and sighed at more times than I could ever count, and by the time I arrived at Dublin Airport, I was certainly regretting wearing sandals, as my poor toes were bruised, practically flat from being run over so many times, and my lovely pedicure was, quite frankly, ruined.
Disaster.
This is what led me to find another way, and like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, I discovered airport parking. There will be no going back now!
It may sound dramatic, but airport parking has saved my stress levels, my soaring blood pressure, and my pedicure. Oh, and money too, let’s not forget that little gem.
Most large airports offer a service, including the one I’ve used many times since that fateful train journey – Airport parking Dublin . I would highly recommend this for anyone with a car, who wants to get to the terminal with their sanity intact. I find the convenience fantastic, meaning I can load my car up at my leisure, set off when I want, sing along to the radio on the way to my heart’s content and arrive at the terminal, knowing my car will be looked after until I return back from my two weeks’ in the sun.
Of course, airport taxis are available, and if you haven’t got a car, this is a great alternative, however they can be expensive and you don’t really have the control you have when driving yourself. Last month I booked Airport parking East Midlands , and again found the same level of service and great price on offer.
I think it’s safe to say I won’t be going back to dragging my worldly belongings across the train platform with a harassed expression on my face.
Through discovering airport parking, I also found a couple of other airport add-ons, which are fantastic for making your holiday start in a relaxed manner – which is what a holiday should be, from start to finish. If you have an early flight for example, or if you’re travelling long-haul, I’d really recommend booking a night in an airport hotel, for a little extra shut-eye before you embark on your journey.
The other great value add-on I discovered was the airport lounge. For a minimal charge, around the same, if not less, than the money you would spend in busy, bustling airport restaurants, you have a controlled, chilled-out space to wait for your flight in, with unlimited drinks and snacks. No stress, no hassle and no headache. Perfect.
So the next time you’re heading off on a summer jaunt, remember these little extras, such as airport car parking with Park BCP, and you’ll be wondering why you ever put yourself through platform or coach station hell!
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Top 10 Hotels for a Family in the Sun
There is nothing better than a family vacation, especially when hectic schedules get in the way of spending quality time together. Staying in hostels is a great way to start a family escape, as they have everything you need: a relaxing atmosphere, comfortable facilities and great food! Here’s a list of the top 10 hotels for a family in the sun:
If you want a “lie on your back and relax” type of vacation, Princess Andriana Resort & Spa is the hotel to go to! This beautiful Resort and Spa is located in the resort of Kiotari in Rhodes, Greece. It is newly built, ensuring everything is clean and beautiful. This place has excellent service and the best part is that the food is served all throughout the day in different locations of the hotel. It also has an indoor pool and a pool especially made for kids (4-12yrs.) This is perfect for families with young children that simply want to relax in luxury.
Want to have an adventure? Then you need Pirates Village. With a pirate themed atmosphere coupled with amazing service just like in a hotel Pirates Village is the place to go! It has been fully refurbished so everything looks brand new/ All rooms have balconies overlooking the pool. What’s great about this hotel is that kids and even kids at heart will absolutely enjoy staying here because of the live-action “pirate attacks” and an amazing themed splash pool area.
Iberostar Las Dalias is located at the heart of Playa del Bobo, Tenerife. It is a great destination for families mainly because there are lots of activities at the hotel and in Tenerife itself. This hotel has friendly and very accommodating staff. The food here is served in different varieties, so you have lots of choices. The hotel also has free entertainment for all the guest. to keep you entertained when you’re not busy enjoying the sunshine.
Do you feel like being only a five minute walk from the beach? Well, Iberostar Torviscas Playa offers you exceptional service while almost being based on the beach. Aside from the friendly staff and great rooms, Iberostar Torviscas Playa also has great food! Some hotels are child friendly, others make your children feel exceptionally welcomed and Iberostar Torviscas Playa has a reputation for treating families well. This is the perfect combination of luxury on a beach’s doorstep.
H10 Mediterranean Village is an amazing hotel that has everything you could ask for! With a very quiet location, it is also near to the beach and near the bus station. Kids will absolutely love the pirate ship, slides, fountains and water mushrooms in the kiddie swimming pool. The food here is also great and the good thing is that the hotel set up a children’s food section so the little ones will definitely enjoy their meal. The entertainers really works hard day and night in entertaining their guests and the staff are very accommodating.
Here are 5 more top hotels for a Family in the sun.
What’s your favourite hotel in the sun?
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Just Cruising Along: Top Spots in the Med
Basking in a deck chair, watching the sun shimmer off the water before going ashore to explore yet another of the world’s great cities – yes, it’s a hard life going on luxury cruises in the Mediterranean. But if your idea of the perfect holiday involves having all the stress taken out of moving from A to B, then it could be the one for you. Certainly there is no other way to take in such a variety of cultural destinations in a short time. Here’s my top four best of the Med to help you plan one.
Ephesus, near Izmir, Turkey
Starting at the easternmost end of the sea, many cruises will go a long way to take in a visit to the ruins of the fabled temple of Artemis. This monument to the Goddess of Love is the highlight of a network of ruins which also includes the Temple of Celsius, built around 500 BC. Take in a visit to the bazaars and souks of nearby Selcuk at the same time.
Santorini
One of the Greek Cyclades Islands, Santorini, with its white-walled towns climbing up rocky hillsides out of the sparkling blue Med, is an unforgettable sight. The perfect shore trip could be a stroll through the main settlement, Ola, including a visit to one of the canteens producing the Santorini red wine made from indigenous grapes.
Venice
For the gong of most unique destination, Venice remains unbeatable. Even as it sinks into the lagoon, the city grows in fascination and mystique. St Mark’s Basilica, a gondola ride, the Bridge of Sighs, the glass blowers workshops at Murano: all of these are sights and experiences you could only enjoy in Venice.
Tunis
Many forget that a Mediterranean cruise can be a superb chance to experience North Africa as well as Europe and Asia. A close call with Alexandria in Egypt, Tunis just shades it for the proximity of the nearby ruins of Carthage. Home to Hannibal, who marched on Rome with an army of elephants, there is no more fitting place to appreciate the historic interaction between Europe and the Arab world.
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Three Childhood Memories that Inspired me to Travel
Growing up in New Zealand was great; it’s a country known for its natural beauty and there are a lot of beautiful places to explore. Unfortunately for me, my family never had the spare cash to go overseas, so instead I spent my childhood dreaming of Paris and escaping to somewhere that didn’t have English as the main language. I think part of my deep desire to visit all the places stems from the fact that I knew it simply wasn’t an option when I was younger.
One of my favourite childhood travel memories was the trip my dad and I would take up to Takaka to visit family who owned a dairy farm. We’d make some time every summer school holidays to head away. Even though it wasn’t an exotic holiday destination, it was so nice being so far away from home and the chaos of a city. I was allowed to run free around the large, green paddocks and we abandoned all schedules. Traveling by campervan is definitely something I want to explore more now that I’m a bit older; whether it’s a road trip across America in a campervan or a few weeks enjoying my own country. If any of my UK readers want to look into caravanning, The Caravan Club does a good insurance package, and the company also has a huge community of enthusiasts who love chatting about caravanning
Another childhood memory that sparked the flame to travel was the numerous days spent at the beach across the country. We have so many great beaches in New Zealand; we’re literally spoiled for choice. I remember when I was seven or eight, standing on Sumner beach, my local beach growing up, looking out to the ocean and wondering what was on the other side. What the people were like, what the food was like, what it smelled like and what it would feel like to be there. Even though I’m older and I’ve traveled to numerous countries now, I still stand on the beach and look out to the ocean wondering what’s on the other side, or missing places I’ve visited elsewhere.
The third childhood memory that inspired my desire to travel is a little unusual; I grew up in a small school that was relatively mixed. There were children from Afghanistan, some from China, others from Japan and a couple from America and England. When you’re a child it’s easy to think that the universe is simply your small box of people you know, but having such a multicultural class made me realize the world was big and mixed with a lot of different people. I found myself feeling jealous of these foreigners, wishing to go somewhere where I would be the exotic or novel person.
I’ve always thought about travel; since I was as young as I can remember. I’m just grateful that I’m getting to live my dream and to explore the world, finally.
Do you have any childhood memories that you think inspired you to travel? Have you always been an explorer or is it a recent development?
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I didn’t love Paris
I’m just going to come right out and say it: I didn’t love Paris; maybe I’m not a real girl.
It took me by surprise, too. I always thought I’d love Paris – the incredible food, beautiful buildings… as a small child I had dreamed of being proposed to under the Eiffel tower (I was very original). But the reality of the Paris I’d dreamed of and the Paris I found was very different. While there’s no doubt that the buildings are extremely romantic and Parisians dress like no one else, there was no escaping the fact that everything smelled like pee.
And the trains were on strike.
And it was awfully expensive.
But I’ll return to Paris someday. It’s really high on my to visit again list, so that I can do it a good justice. I made the mistake of going to Paris with two guys who had already been before; they were quite happy sitting in cafes drinking beer, rather than exploring the Louvre or one of the many beautiful jardins.
Here are some things I wish I’d done in Paris to enjoy my time more.
Stopped penny pinching. I remember sitting in a café browsing the menu and converting the price of an espresso to that of two and a half coffees back home in New Zealand, so I decided not to buy the coffee. But that became my motto for all of my purchases in Paris, if it was more expensive than in New Zealand I was simply not interested. After a few years of travel I’ve learned that this is a silly mentality – now I like to think about how much it will cost me to get back to Paris to enjoy that coffee, and it’s certainly much more than the outright price. When I return to Paris I’ll come with a big, generous budget and an open mind.
Stayed in a nice hotel. While staying at hotels in Paris can be expensive, although you can find some great deals online. Last time I was there I stayed in an apartment, which was a cool experience but it didn’t feel that special. Although Parisian hotels are expensive, from what I’ve seen they are extremely luxurious and beautifully adorned, so it’d be nice to go home after a long day of enjoying museums and galleries to draw a bath in an elegant room only to later munch on some macarons in a robe. Most of the time when I travel I stay in cheap hostels, so it’d be nice to allow myself this special treat.
Visited the museums. My trip was badly planned; we were in Paris on a Tuesday which is when the majority of the museums and galleries are closed. We didn’t realize that, until we were there. It was very disappointing. I also remember a few galleries were open but their entry fees were expensive and I was too cheap… ah now look at how much it’s going to cost me to get back there to see them – lesson learned.
Learned some French. My boyfriend at the time and I decided to do a cheap dinner at home. We bought some bread, some cheese and then we walked into a deli to order some meat. We spoke basically no French, although we tried to explain that we spoke no French in French as a sign of respect. We pointed to the meat we wanted and tried to signal 200g on our phones. The attendant was frustrated we didn’t speak French and instead of trying to come to a solution, promptly ushered us out of his store. He’d rather have no sale, than try to deal with people who do not speak his language. This is the only place in the entire world where I’ve experienced this problem. In many Asian countries the locals will apologise for their lack of English. I think if I had learned a little more French, perhaps numbers and how to order things, my stay would have been a little more comfortable. Failing that, I could always meet up with some Couchsurfers to help show me around and act as translators.
Have you visited Paris? What did you think?
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My Travel Wardrobe
I’d love to say that I have special travel clothes that are extremely practical with fifteen pockets each side and anti-theft safety measures, but the truth is I tend to wear what I’d normally wear at home overseas. My focus is on comfortable and stylish daywear, so that I can still look good without worrying about my clothes. Overall I probably dress a little more casually than I would at home, but I still like to look presentable. Traveling out of a backpack means that your travel wardrobe is fairly limited so you have to pack smart. My travel wardrobe is extremely practical while still being cute and feminine.
What to Wear Traveling Long Term?
Clothes in New Zealand are really expensive compared to other countries. I was shocked to see how cheap things were in California, let alone the prices in Asia. I tend to shop a lot online, looking for clothing that is easy to fold up into my backpack. When traveling in hotter climates I tend towards cotton because it’s easy to wash and stays comfortable throughout the day. I wear a lot of dresses because they’re an outfit all in one and take up very little space. Simply add leggings and you’ve got something more suited to colder climates.
On each trip I go on, I make sure that my travel wardrobe contains at least one really nice outfit that I can wear out to special dinners or for a night out drinking. I only travel with three pairs of shoes when I’m in Asia: a pair of flipflops (jandals), a pair of sneakers and a pair of heels. I rarely use the heels, but I love having them just-in-case something special crops up. Guys could easily get buy with just flipflops, and maybe a nicer pair of dress shoes if you want the option to go out.
Dressing to the Country
When I was in Morocco, I noticed there were numerous tourists who were wearing shortshorts and had bra straps poking out of the side of their thin, singlets. Morocco is a Muslim country and the locals dressed very modestly, with some women completely covered up so only their eyes were visible. It made me uncomfortable seeing other tourists with such a strong disregard for the local standards. I tried to cover from neck to toe, which was pretty challenging in the heat that often climbed past 40 degrees, but it was worth it so that I didn’t stand out.
My travel wardrobe always takes into consideration the local customs and what is appropriate where I am visiting; not just what I feel comfortable wearing.
Men are lucky; most places in the world that encourage modest dressing for women will be happy to see men donning shorts and a tshirt. It’s frustrating and can be quite weird when you are originally from a liberal country, but I always feel so much more comfortable dressing appropriately. I always carry with me a pashmina or other scarf so that I can wrap it around myself to cover up a little more when needed.
What do you wear when you’re traveling long term? Are there any clothing pieces you need to be a part of your travel wardrobe?
