Category Archives: Travel

Travel Books – Know the World Around You

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“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it”, quotes James Bryce. This adage is applicable for academic and hobby reading as well. The reader gains insight into diverse range of subjects and is in control of utilizing the knowledge, thus gained. The ideal ways in which mental interpretation may be presented include speech and writing. The advantage of having thoughts, knowledge and interpretability in the written form, provides scope for long term reading and one may preserve the literature for centuries.

Books that divulge details about exotic locations, travel options and most suitable methods to plan a tour are included in this specific category. Travel books offer a fascinating experience of knowing the pros, cons and the best things to expect after getting there, not to mention the typical weather, landmarks, festivals and other significant events. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to traverse the globe through books? There are different categories that cater to a wide range of travelers and they are explored as follows:

Adventure:
Books in this category, incorporate details on a wide range of adventure travel destinations. Readers may avail information on the exotic wildlife safaris of Africa and the expeditions of Antarctica. A comprehensive data on exploration of countries like Vietnam, China and Japan or the islands of Lakshadweep and the Andaman are incorporated. All this and more, are included in books that deal with adventure travel. Information on trekking, hiking, water rafting, snorkeling, shark diving and much more may be availed from this category.

Culture:
Culture is a wide subject that is seldom encompassed in a single book or volume and is best when read in categorically earmarked pages. Most travel guides that take you on a cultural expedition are magazines that deal with cultural predispositions of a defined region, in the most elaborate and enthralling manner. Cultural adventure is ideal for travelers, keen on participating in the cultural extravaganza of a chosen destination. These books deal with time and season bound events and the detailed information provided, makes it an ideal choice for travelers.

Recreational:
Recreational travel is the most popular category as it can be held any time of the year and is not limited by geographic boundaries. Each destination is blessed with its own unique culture. Travel to amusement parks and nature’s very own paradises across the world, is made easy with travel books. You may get a glimpse of Tarzan’s tree house or take a trip to the wondrous Egypt. There is a surfeit of information available on the ‘how’ and ‘where’ of tour planning and the places to avail best deals. The type of journey and the ‘must-see’ places are lucidly presented in travel books.

The most well known publication houses that deal with travel books include ‘The Lonely Planet Guides’, Michelin Guides and ‘The Moon Guides’ which are apt for an adventure loving traveler. The internet is another important source for availing information on the most visited tourist destinations. Reviews from travelers offer detailed preview on the pros and cons of the trip and help the reader plan one that is ideally suited. Books on travel may have been replaced by the electronic media which is the present trend, yet exclusive books on travel will never go out of style.

Booking Travel Online Vs Travel Agents

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This topic is a hot one. My previous job was as a travel consultant for one of the largest travel consulting agencies in the world and I have traveled to over 22 countries in the past 8 years, and have booked travel using every method possible.

The truth is, it really depends on how much time and effort you are willing to put into planning your trip. Planning and purchasing something as simple as a round trip flight online could not be easier and I highly recommend it to save money and time. It requires very little information and thought. Travel agencies charge for their service, and that charge could be between $20.00 – $200.00, depending on the flight and destination. As well, there is nothing that the travel agent can provide for you that the internet cannot.

If you are planning a larger trip, with multiple destinations, internal flights or tourist attractions, booking online could be a bit more work. Having said that, it is still not that hard. It is just a matter of doing your research. If you are planning a trip to Spain and are planning to travel on to Italy by boat afterwards you would simply have to search the information on busses or trains for your overland travel in Spain, and the ferry information for your boat to Italy. Sometimes you are able to pre-purchase your internal travel or tourist attraction tickets online, sometimes you can take care of it when you arrive at the location.

However, if the research is something that you do not have time for, or you feel a bit more secure having your trip planned by someone who does this as a profession, a travel agent may be the answer for you. They have the ability use a plethora of travel resources and their experienced co-workers, but this will come at an extra cost for their service.

Here is an example of a fairly large trip I planned as a travel agent. Two clients of mine wanted to travel to the UK for 3 weeks. They asked me to plan everything from international and domestic flights to the hotels and travel insurance. By the time that this entire trip was booked and paid for, the clients ended up paying roughly $500.00 more than they would have online. As a travel agent in this particular company, as with many companies, you are expected to mark your products up, and are penalized for not doing so. The clients did not see this mark up as it was hidden in the grand total.

Everything that I planned and booked for these clients could have been booked online. As a travel agent I had access to a few cheaper hotels than they would have found online, but as a travel agent, I was expected to mark them up! The security of having them reserved and paid for when they arrived was worth it to these senior citizen travelers. Travel agents are not rip off artists, but it is part of their job to “mark it up”.