Travel Insurance - What to Look Fo

Things to look for?

Look for good country cover, particularly at the current time (early 2005), where policies sometimes do not include Thailand or other countries affected by the South East Asia Tsunami. Make sure that the activities that are covered include things like hitchhiking, hiking and if you foresee it - scuba diving, bungee jumping, normal team sports.

Don't always look at the headline figures - what are the chances of you need $1 million legal expenses? Much lower than you claiming on baggage lost in the airport.

If you are taking specific expensive items such as laptops and cameras, finding a general purpose travel insurance package that covers these items will be difficult. Make a decision here: get some quotes for specific insurance for these items, work out the cost of replacing the item - and choose whether or not to buy the often high premium or cover the cost of a potential replacement yourself.


The highest insurance premiums are for travel to the US, Canada and Japan. If you avoid these countries you will get much lower insurance. It is not because your risk is higher in these countries, just the opposite, but you are much more likely to be sued for something minor, and be liable for higher court costs.

What they don't tell you

Insurance companies exist to make money - not as a service to individuals. Due to this, you will be charged more money than the risk of something happening, multiplied by the money you'd need to get out of trouble. For example, a British Citizen taking a short city break to Paris is extremely unlikely to have any kind of mishap at all - and even if he fills in the freely available E111 form which covers him for emergency treatment - insurance for this trip generally costs in the region of £20 ($35). Compare this with insurance for extended travel around the world, which can cost £120 ($200), is a much higher risk, for a much longer time away, with no cover provided in certain countries and the £20 insurance charge appears vastly disproportionate. Do your homework before paying out for travel insurance - it is a must for any extended travel - but don't pay over the odds; shop around.

Remember you are not covered if you put yourself in high risk situations, you are not insured for damages caused when drunk, or if you go somewhere you are not supposed to.

If an insurance company receives a large claim they will investigate to try and avoid paying it. Be up front in your declarations and only make honest claims. Keep receipts for any purchases and send the receipts home if you buy anything expensive on your travels. You will need receipts to prove ownership.

PREPARE Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of preparing for a trip. Getting the right insurance cover is very important. Choose the wrong policy and if the worst happens you could find that you are not covered - do be aware of what you are covered for and what you need to arrange separate insurance for. By the same rule, visiting a foreign country on a short city break is very low risk and you might well be covered for medical expenses by national reciprocal agreements. In this case, travel insurance recommended by many travel agents is extremely expensive, mainly due to commission plus administrative costs, and you will pay disproportionately to the risk by a huge factor.

Basic Guide to Travel Insurance

Common Terms

Excess: the initial portion of any insurance claim, which the policy doesn't cover. If you have an excess of $50, and claimed for $300, you would only receive $250 since you would be responsible for paying the first $50 yourself.

Repatriation: the act of returning to the country of origin. With regards to travel insurance, returning you to your country of residence. Returning home as a result of accidental injury or illness.

Annual Multi-trip: Insurance for multiple trips during a year, limits the number of days you can be away from your country of residence, so is often not suitable for long periods away from home.

Singe Trip Policies: Cover a specific destination, for a specific period of time,

Winter Sports Cover: Cover for potentially risky winter sporting activities, such as snowboarding and skiing. Note that some policies can be quite restrictive in terms of off -piste skiing.

Pre-Existing Medical Condition: Any pre-existing medical conditions need to be notified to the insurance company. It doesn't mean that they will not cover you, or even increase the cost - but if you don't inform them and something unrelated happens, you may not be covered. Be upfront about everything with the insurance companies - if they can find a technicality on which to avoid paying out, they will.

Personal Liability : Legal liability for accidental injury to a third party and/or accidental damage to their property.

Quick Guide to other Major Travel Diseases

Rabies
a viral infection of the nervous system. Delirium and painful muscle spasms in the throat - if symptoms develop, it is usually fatal.
Affected Areas: Europe, North America.
Spread by: Bites from an infected animal.
Precautions: Recommended only to those who would be in wilderness areas for long periods, or working with animals.
Extra: If you are bitten by an animal, wash the wound immediately, get medical attention quickly, note the date, place and description of the animal, then inform the local police.

HIV/AIDS
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), HIV (Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus) - a virus that attacks the immune system. There is no vaccine or cure.
Affected Areas: The entire world.
Spread by: Unprotected sex with an infected partner, the use of infected syringes, medical and dental equipment or other items that puncture the skin, when infected body fluids (eg. blood) penetrate the skin .
Precautions: Avoid casual sex, use a condom, take a supply of good quality condoms - lower quality ones have a higher risk of splitting, do not inject non-prescribed drugs.


Bilharzia
A parasitic disease caused by a worm carried by water snails. Treatable but no vaccine.
Affected areas: Most common in African waterways.
Spread by: A worm that penetrates the skin and damages the intestines, liver and urinary tract.
Precautions: avoid bathing and wading in infected areas.

Cholera
an intestinal infection that causes severe diarrhea, can lead to dehydration and death.
Affected areas: Areas of poor sanitation in South America, Middle East, Africa and Asia
Spread by: Water and food.
Precautions: Good personal hygiene (wash hands before eating) and avoid food and water that is of dubious quality.

Dengue
Painful fever.
Affected Areas: the tropics.
Spread by: mosquito bites.
Precautions: avoid being bitten by mosquitoes day or night.

Medical Kit

Always carry a small medical kit, which should include: bandages, pain killers, antiseptic wipes, antiseptic cream, plasters, scissors, throat soothing tablets, iodine, diarrhea tablets, etc. Put this in your backpack, not your daypack (carry on luggage), when flying - to avoid problems with airport security.

Health Preparation

FIRST SAFETY OF LIFE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

Go and see your doctor and your dentist - get checked up and let them know you intend to travel for an extended period. If you have any medication that you need to take with you, make sure you have all the relevant documentation in case you are investigated at customs - it makes things a lot simpler. Be aware that some drugs that are legal in one country are not necessarily legal in another - this can be for commonly available items.

Vaccinations
For some countries you will need a certificate of vaccination for certain diseases. Yellow Fever is a very common one; for many countries in South America and South East Asia, you will not be allowed in unless you have the certificate. You could also require vaccines for polio, hepatitis, tetanus, diphtheria and typhoid.

Malaria

Malaria kills around 3 million people a year and deserves special mention above all other diseases as it is so prevalent. Talk to your doctor about the side effects of the various preventative drugs, and bear in mind that the length of time you'll be in an affected area is very important, as you cannot take anti-malarial treatment indefinitely. It is important to avoid being bitten, so if you will be going to an affected area, take a mosquito net and insect repellent - raw meat works too but is unpleasant. Keep your arms, legs and feet covered after sunset. Malaria is a parasitic disease spread by the bites of mosquitoes in infected areas; it can be fatal so take it seriously. The symptoms include fever and complications can affect the liver, kidneys, brain and blood. Once you have caught malaria you can suffer relapses long after the initial effects are over. None of the precautions are 100% effective. If you experience symptoms - fever, feeling unwell - seek immediate medical attention. If you experience illness after returning, do tell your doctor that you have been to a malaria-infected area.

TRIP TYPES

COMMON TYPE OF TRIPS

Year Long Travels

The gap year.
The gap year is probably the most common type of extended travel, undertaken by students in the year immediately after school, college or university. Travelling the world during this period is a very common goal. This enables gap year students to broaden their experience, increase their understanding of themselves and others, as well as being a fun and interesting time. After a gap year of travel, students are able to go to university or start a career with an additional level of confidence. This really does work.

Typical characteristics : most people in this group tend to be lone travellers or with a close friend, in the age 18 - 22 bracket, on working holiday visas, often doing any kind of job they can find.

Mid-Twenties Crisis
Vast numbers of people mid-way through the start of promising careers realize that this is not what they wanted to do their whole lives! This often coincides with finally paying off the debts from university educations, or the saving of enough money to put a deposit on a house, and then realizing that there is more to life than careers, office politics and material things, like increasing the size of the DVD collection. One massive positive out of all these negatives is that confused, possibly disillusioned career people can embark on one the most worthwhile experiences of their lives, which might well be life changing. 

Typical characteristics : often the lone traveller, usually from a 'good job', discovering more about themselves than they had ever imagined. They are often found in very adventurous situations!

Pre-Kids (Pre-house) Splurge
Couples stuck in careers, having worked hard for many years, seen nothing, could buy a house and would like to have kids - but how do you take kids to the Amazon rain forest? Many couples seem to go on these journeys, which become voyages of self discovery. They represent quality time spent together, getting to know each other fully and deeply in times of crisis, adventure and wonder. Most end up happily, but be warned when the chips are down some relations don't stand either the strain or the temptations.

Typical characteristics : couples, stable relationships, shared dreams. Matching fleeces or backpacks are giveaways.

Mid-Life Crisis
Holy cow - divorce, depression, battling the bulge, I gotta get out of here! No healthier way to cope with a mid-life crisis than to see something of the world, where things will really be put in perspective. In addition to all the other advantages, you will probably lose weight backpacking.

The typical characteristics are obvious.

Spend the Kids' Inheritance
You can't take your assets with you when you die, and the kids probably don't need or want your money to be left to them. So spend it - do some travelling, see the sites you have always wanted to before it's too late. Travel light, spend the extra which you have on slightly better hotels or more interesting adventures. Live your dreams while you can.

Common Types of Trips - 2

Mid-Length Breaks.

A mid-length break typically is from a month to 3 months. Though the time is not necessarily going to change your life, it will certainly enhance it.


Career Break
Job just getting too much at the moment ? Ask your employer for a career break. If you do and if it's a choice between a resignation or a sabbatical, many employers will opt for the sabbatical. One of the advantages of this approach is that of security, you know you have a job to go back to, though there is a disadvantage - you know you've got a job to go back to.
The other option, resignation, is sometimes preferable - perhaps if the job market is bad, or if a change in direction is wanted. Employers often respect time out to go travelling rather than being unemployed.

Satisfying a case of wanderlust.
Itchy feet? - you've got either athletes' foot or a strong case of wanderlust. There is only one thing to do. Get out there and see some things. You probably know where you want to go, maybe it's a specific thing - do you have a Japan fetish ? Well go - it's cheaper than you think. Take the time you need and do it.

If you still have itchy feet - there are a huge number of athletes' foot cures available at your local pharmacy. Still got a problem ? - uh oh - you've caught the travel bug - there is only one cure for this particular disease.


Something I have to do before I die.
This slightly morbid heading goes to the category of wish fulfillment, for some it's seeing the Taj Mahal, for others scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, or climbing the Himalayas - you know what it is, go do it.

Short Breaks

Get me out of here!!
Tired of the same old routine ? A long weekend away to somewhere different has become a lot easier and cheaper with the increase in cheap flights to interesting locations just a few hours flight time away (particularly relevant at the moment in Europe). Look at Last Minute Deals, or just get the flight and book your own hotel, the opportunities are immense. For example, city breaks from London to Paris, Copenhagen and even Budapest are but a short inexpensive flight and a world away. Its far better than a stressful, time-consuming and expensive drive to these particular cities.

How Long is your trip should be ?

Whatever your circumstances you can go somewhere - the biggest limiting factors will be how far and for how long. To really experience life in another culture you need time, as much time as you can get. All we can suggest at this point is get as long as you can. A round the world trip in 9 months will feel rushed, 9 months in a city and you'll feel like you know it well. 9 months studying a foreign language and you'll be pretty good and in some cases fluent. Conversely - some will get itchy feet after a week in one place.


Budget
Your budget and commitments will limit how far you can go and for how long. Find out the typical daily expenses for where you want to go, including flight costs. Also don't forget to factor in overland transport costs to your calculations. A region will always have expensive hot spots, so you can save money by avoiding these areas and concentrate on other less expensive areas. By stretching your cash you will see more and worry less about things when you get back.

Commitments
Sorry everyone I can't pay off your mortgage, or lead you to the fountain of perpetual money. It's human nature to get into situations where we have commitments. 
Some ideas to help you travel and keep up the commitments: re-mortgage the house, you only live once. Rent out the house for a year. Take the kids along, or send them to live with their grandparents for a year - both generations will love it.

Take at least a month
It is our considered opinion that a month is the minimum amount of time for a worthwhile travel break. It sometimes takes up to a week to recover from jet lag, so you need this length of time to recoup and enjoy the remaining weeks. So take a month and enjoy it.

Trip Styles

In reality most trips will be combinations of the styles listed below.

Historical/ Educational.

The world is full of interesting history, and kind souls globally have put the information on display for visitors to share. It is possible to go to books, encyclopedias and surf the web and learn vast amounts, but it's far more interesting to visit the scene of the events and assimilate the history where it all happened. The down- sides of this are that sometimes museums or sites have either only details in the local language, or perhaps a token amount in English. Some notable locations where history really comes to life, in not necessarily pleasant detail are: 

Eastern Europe: learn about 2 world wars, oppression during Soviet occupation, crushed rebellions, and visit some of the most notorious locations in the world. 

Vietnam: crawl through tunnels built by the Viet Cong.
Latin America: Pyramids and ancient cities from lost civilizations.

Another aspect of educational trips is learning a language. You'll find language schools in many countries, some providing home-stays with local families, allowing you to totally immerse yourself in the language.

Photographer's Paradise.
A camera, a lot of time, with fantastic, unusual scenery, people, and architecture to record - you've made it to photographer's paradise. This style of trip is more popular than you might think. Since trekking with tripods and lenses can be hard work, the intrepid photographer often sacrifices comfort for art. Although relatively few people make a full-time living from travel photography, (a few of the luckier and talented ones become famous and lead very interesting lives as a result their efforts), most travellers use photographs as a way to record their travels and preserve the memories forever.

"I have discovered photography. Now I can kill myself. I have nothing else to learn." -- Pablo Picasso 

Picasso takes it a little to extremes, but photography is an art form, which is very useful to all types of traveller.

Party Tour!
Party Tours such as round the party Islands of Phonon Keng, booze trips down the eastern coast of Australia or on one of the infamous party buses, such as the Kiwi Experience are in abundance. If lots of drink, good company and hangovers on luxury 57 seater coaches with a party in a different town each day is your idea of fun, this is an ideal option.

Growing and Knowing Together.
Taking some real time to get to know your partner is common, and what better way to do it than to see the world together. Though be warned: there is a risk that sometimes when the chips are down and the stress levels are up, the strain can tell. Can the relationship survive the stresses, strains and temptations of an extended period of travel ? If it can, one of the most colorful and exciting experiences of your life will be enhanced by becoming a shared experience with a chosen partner.

Trip Styles (continued)

In reality most trips will be combinations of the styles listed below.

Adventure Travel.
Hiking, climbing, cannoning, bungee jumping, skydiving - progressively getting more scary or more exciting? - depends on your point of view. Adventure travel is not just for the adrenalin junky, any trip where the focus is on the outdoors can classified here. Various destinations are ideal for different types of adventure travel : New Zealand, perfect for hiking and climbing, also popularized the bungee jump. The Caribbean is for scuba diving, while the National parks in the US will allow you to visit vast tracts of wilderness, and see no one for days. Explore the jungles of South East Asia. Be adventurous, have fun, but keep safe. (See notes on insurance.)

Turn on, Tune In, Drop Out.
Life too stressful ? Drop out. Go on the hippy trail. Find the finest in the world and spend a very relaxed and mellow time in any of the world's retreats. A popular tour, but you don't have to involve drugs to have an amazingly relaxed trip. Three weeks in a hammock in a place like Fiji will also do it. Feel the weight of the world drop from your shoulders and chill out, when the most stressful event of the day is being on the losing beach volleyball team. There are serious disadvantages to taking the hippy trail, especially since there are very few places in the world where drugs are legal, not to mention the penalties in some countries for mere possession.

The Travel Professional.
There are a chosen few, one in every generation, who are able to turn a passion into a lifestyle and a career. They do it in different ways here are some ideas: 


Teach English as a Foreign Language : advantages include worldwide demand, reasonable wages and the ability to interact with people continuously. Disadvantages: requires study and a qualification, easy to get stuck in one place, no career progression.
Scuba diving/water sports instructor: demand is growing for qualified scuba dive instructors, as well as for other water sports, in lots of interesting places around the world.

The Exchange.
Take 6 months, work or study in a different part of the world. Advantages are that you have a support group, will meet people in the same situation, and not lose time on any life plan. 

The Charity Trip.
Want to help people ? Then join the peace corps or VSO, get a low-paid job working for an overseas based charity such as Oxfam. However, beware. If you are required to pay the charity in order to help them (beyond flights) then you are not needed, it's your money that they need. If they just need/want your money then be prepared for a less than fulfilling experience. 

Preparation - Practical Aspects

SECOND STEP OF YOUR PREPARATION

There are lots of things to do before you travel - by being prepared your journey will go more smoothly, and in the event of an emergency you will have a fall-back.

Visit (links to government sites): US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland all have travel advice sites. (TBA)

Passports and Visas
For every country you want to visit - find out if you need a visa. For a list of embassy and consulate websites,visaproject.com is a site that can help you. Check it out.

Examples: European Union - citizens of member countries can travel around freely, no visas required. Americans can travel to the European Union without visas - be aware that not all of Europe is part of the European Union - Ukraine is not a member and many nationalities need a visa. Europeans need a visa for visiting Australia! 

Before applying for a visa, check out your passport, how long is it valid for ? If it is not valid for more than 6 months after the expected end of your travels - get it renewed - many countries require you to have a period of validity on your passport of 6 months beyond your entry, for example Australia.

TravelTIP: Look after your passport - on the road it is one of your two most important possessions, the other being your money/atm/credit card. Do not let these get damaged or stolen. Get an under-clothes wallet, and a watertight plastic bag that is slightly larger than your passport - a zip locking freezer bag is suitable, with a piece of rigid (but thin plastic) that is the same size - place your atm card, credit card, rigid plastic and passport inside the water tight bag, and place all this in your under-clothes wallet. Keep some of your money, a photocopy of your passport in a more accessible place, as you'll be asked for your passport details quite often for administrative purposes, such as checking in to hostels and hotels - so use the photocopy instead.


AND THE MOST IMPORTANT !

Money

Where is your money going to come from on the road? Experienced travellers usually have a variety of sources. Hard currency - US Dollars, Euros, GBP ( Pounds Sterling) in that order are the most readily exchangeable (nearer Europe swap the Euro and dollars position) - it's recommended that you have about enough cash for a week of survival (lodgings, food) in your destination. Avoid using this money - you'll lose out on exchange rates trying to get it back later.

Next - your credit card and your ATM card - make sure that they don't expire mid trip! Get replacements if this is the case. Some people recommend splitting the locations of cards between your pack and your person - the logic being - if you are robbed and your stash is discovered, then at least you'll have some money/ATM card elsewhere. I keep my cards on my person and hide some of my cash in my pack My logic is "if I'm robbed - my pack is the most likely thing that would be taken, from the top of a bus or when sleeping on a train, so why lose something as important as an ATM card ?"

How Do You Afford All This?

FIRST STEP OF PREPARATION FOR YOUR TOUR.

One of the most frequently asked questions is: I'd love to go traveling, but how do I afford all of this? This question most often comes from young first time travellers - here are ten things they should consider:


1. Live frugally, forget home cinema systems, save the money for travel. Be stingy at Christmas - get people small presents and ask for small ones in return (or even donations to the travel fund!). Keep an eye on all the bills, record how much you spend on things that aren't necessary, and save save save !!. 

2. Don't own a car unless you really need it. If you're living in a city do you really need the car ? Road-taxes are high; yearly servicing and legal requirements add up. Plus if you're concerned about the environment - the CO2 from long haul flights will be offset by not driving for a year.

3. Give up SMOKING - what an incredible waste of money! If you don't smoke, give up something else that costs money, and which you really don't need, but do on a daily basis.

4. Avoid debt. Pay off any credit cards; if you have existing debts, transfer your balance to a new credit card which offers discounts on transferred debt and pay it off as quickly as possible.

5. Material possessions - whenever you want to buy something - think about - "what will I do with this when I'm away on my travels?" - if you can't take it with you, then you can't use it, so don't buy it.


6. Don't get caught in negative equity - having a disproportionate mortgage to your income or value of your home will be the biggest tie that binds you to your current job and stops you travelling for an extended period.

7. Have a monthly budget, and stick to it; include putting away some money as savings every month.

8. Get a second job - if you need to, try bar work or something completely different from your day job, use this money solely for your travel fund.

9. Be prepared to work during your travels. If you are under 30 and from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or Europe, there are reciprocal agreements enabling you to work.

10. Visit places that are cheap, stay in budget accommodation and be careful how you spend. Some people go travelling and even come back with money from their initial backpacking budget. Location will have the largest impact on the overall cost of your travel. Think about it - a month in Europe will cost you three times as much as a month in South East Asia, so set your itinerary for a whirlwind tour of Europe and a longer spell in South East Asia.

Sources for Travel Information

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It’s a rare day that people can say there is not enough information about where, when and how to travel. When sifting through all of the information you dig up while planning a trip, the problem, then, is how to make sense of all of it. Information overload can be almost as unbearable as not having enough information during the travel planning stage. With dozens of sources available to read, watch, listen to and digest, how can you make the most of your time and effort while conducting research for your next vacation?
I certainly don’t claim to be a travel planning guru. In fact, I’m not very good at planning my own trips, but I have spent a fair amount of time browsing through the resources available. As you begin preparing for your next trip, I suggest you turn your attention to the following sources:
Documentaries and other movies are a great place to turn for travel inspiration. If I’m interested in getting a brief overview about a new destination, I often find films that have been shot in or are about that place. These rarely go into enough detail to allow for any actual planning, but they do provide a three-dimensional experience by providing either a snapshot or general overview of a place with imagery and sound. I also check out several non-fiction books from the children’s section of the library to get an overview of a destination.
Talking to people who have been to or live in your destination of choice provides a first-hand account of a place. Locals are great for offering up details such as the best places to eat, shop and find live entertainment while travelers tend to be better for logistical issues such as how the cost of things compares to other places, where to stay and how to get around. If you don’t know anyone who has been to your potential vacation destination, hop on a travel forum such as the Lonely Tree Thorn Tree or the travel forum at BootsnAll to find others who might be able to answer your questions.
Admittedly, there are hundreds of travel blogs online, and digging through all of them can be time consuming. If you find a few frequent travelers that you come to like and trust, I recommend you get in touch with them during your travel planning instead of trying to wade through all the information online. In addition to fielding questions about the places they’ve been, frequent travelers know other travelers as well as expats who have likely been to the places you’d like to go and done the things you’d like to do.
As you begin to hammer out the nitty-gritty details about your vacation, I suggest you turn to a guidebook for details on where to eat, stay and play. The key here is to choose a guidebook series that speaks to you. For example, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides are written primarily for those on a budget while Frommer’s and Fodor’s are for higher-end travelers. For European travel, I think the Rick Steves Through the Back Door series is the best on the market. If you want something that offers more in the way of cultural and historical information instead of simply tips on where to eat and stay, the National Geographic and Eyewitness books may be the best choice.
A quick caveat: I know that a lot of people are anti-guidebook, and I agree that you shouldn’t be married to them, but glancing through a guidebook can provide a basic structure for the activities or itinerary you might want to follow on a day-to-day basis. There is something to be said for simply wandering the streets and exploring a place by chance, but many people walk away from their vacations disappointed because they didn’t know what to do and felt like they wasted their time doing a whole bunch of nothing.
Finally, for on-the-ground assistance, consider finding a walking or driving tour that offers context for your surroundings. There are now a number of podcasts and iPod apps you can download for this purpose. I haven’t used any of these myself, so there isn’t a particular brand or company that I recommend. Rather, my preferred method for finding walking tours is to check with the local tourism board, any historical societies that exist in the area or the National Park Service (in the U.S., if there are any units in or near your destination). This is how we discovered the self-guided jazz tour on Algiers Point in New Orleans.
Now it’s your turn to sound off: What sources of information do you trust and consult when planning a trip

Yosemite Valley

When I first travel to a national park, I have little choice but to be That Guy. I don’t know the lay of the land, I am unfamiliar with the famous landmarks and I yearn to learn about the biggies that make a park worthy of national park designation.
Hence my day as That Guy in Yosemite Valley. An estimated four million people visit Yosemite National Park every year, and most of them squeeze into the approximately two percent of the park that makes up the Yosemite Valley. To say that Yosemite is too crowded is an understatement. The bad news is that being That Guy requires taking my place among those four million in that two percent worth of space. The good news is that once I’m done being That Guy in Yosemite, I can say that I’ve seen all the main sites and can move on to the backcountry wilderness and less-visited trails.
Being That Guy in Yosemite means the following:
* I walked through the visitor’s center museum, which was interesting though the experience would have been enhanced with information on the climbing history in the park. I was interested to learn that Camp 4 has been designated on the National Historic Registry as home to modern mountaineering techniques, but nothing was noted about the world records and personalities that have made Yosemite and El Capitan famous.
* I checked out Yosemite Valley’s most famous sites from the comfort of a raft as we lazily drifted down the Merced River. Though there are definitely a fair share of rafts on the water, this is a great way for That Guy to get a feel for the lay of the land and admire some of the Valley’s stunning scenery without fighting for a parking spot.
* I rubbed elbows with the masses at Lower Yosemite Falls. Both the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls are spectacular with their massive drops from the rocks into the pools below, but the only good way to get a picture standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other people is to aim for the top half of the waterfall only or take pictures in black and white, so that the critters crawling around the rocks don’t stand out so drastically.
* I took the interpretive walk through Cook’s Meadow, a guided trail explained the ecology and history of the area. I am a huge fan of these interpretive trails, which are enhanced with the purchase of an inexpensive of guide available at the trail entrance. Even a couple hours on one of these short trails goes a long way in providing the basic foundation for understanding the basics of a national park. An interpretive hike is a must for That Guy.
* I stopped to check out Bridalveil Falls, which was also a crowded mess. Also beautiful though not as high as Yosemite Falls, it was worth the stop to say I’d seen it.
* I watched rock climbers inch their way up El Capitan. When I say “inch,” I mean that. In the half hour of watching the four tiny specks on the wall that we spotted, they barely moved. It was fascinating to marvel at the enormity of El Cap compared to these little tiny people. Climber spotting on El Capitan is a must, whether a person is That Guy or not.
*sigh*
And so it is. Now that I’ve spent That Day as That Guy, I can move on. Now the real exploration begins.

SITES FOR TRAVEL INSPIRATION

If site visits and comments are any indication, people are interested in finding interesting travel experiences through backward thinking. The first thought to come to mind is not “I should go to …” but rather “Where should I go?”
Standard travel websites insist that you know your destination first, but that doesn’t help travelers who are more interested in the experience than the place. Sometimes it’s more fun to plan a trip around a certain type of activity or unique local festivities or random weirdness that makes a place appealing. The problem is we know we want to travel, but we always don’t know what we want beyond that.
In an attempt to find a way to feed that hungry travel bug who can’t decide between the rice noodles of Vietnam, the ugali in Kenya or the vegemite in Australia, I’ve hunted down five more websites that inspire travel—even when we don’t know where we want to go. (Make sure you check out the initial posting of six websites that inspire travel.)

Expedia Inspiroscope encourages people to think about the things that are most important to them when planning a vacation. Inspiring words—ranging from beautiful weather and local markets to ice cream and museums—float around the screen daring potential travelers to choose just one tempting vacation detail. Once you choose a phrase, a psychedelic background taunts visitors to wait while the site serves up five destinations that meet the chosen criteria. If your interest is piqued, easy-to-navigate destination guides are just a click away.

YHA offers ideas for travel in the United Kingdom. If you know you’d like to travel in this part of the world, but aren’t sure how to pin down exactly where or what you’d like to do, this site provides some great ideas. If food is your style, the site has something for you. If you’re looking for lovely countryside, you can find that here too. Scenery, activities, travel style—it’s all here.

Joobili’s tagline pretty much sums up this site’s goal: You say when. We say where. Tell Joobili when you want to travel, and it will suggest great destinations dishing up interesting events and activities during your chosen time period. Traveling at the end of October? Don’t miss the largest gathering of Irish chocolate artisans at the Temple Bar Chocolate Festival in Dublin. Looking for something to do the first week of the year? In addition to a host of New Year’s celebrations, there is plenty to get excited about at the Stockholm Winter Games, the world’s largest youth winter games. If you prefer, you can also choose your vacation destination by category, not just date.

101 Holidays uses colorful imagery to inspire travel. The photography represents 101 vacation ideas, which span the globe, price ranges and activity types. Roll your mouse over the pictures for more information on each idea, or narrow down the options by choosing the kind of experience that piques your interest, price range or corner of the globe you’d like to explore. When you’ve found the perfect holiday, click on the picture for specific details on the trip as well as a recommended tour operator to make your travel dream come true.

Come Walkabout is ideal if you know you want to explore Down Under but you’re not sure where to start. This site lets you explore the continent by offering 16 suggested self-guided tours that cover popular destinations, such as the Sunshine Coast, and more obscure but equally interesting destinations that cover the country. Pick and choose the highlights that are most appealing to you, or—if you find the perfect Australian vacation on the site—take advantage of the PDF itineraries, which make it easy for travelers to print and go.

SITES WHICH HELPS FOR MORE INSPIRATION

Sometimes I know exactly where and when I want to travel. In those cases, I hop onto a commercialized website, plug in my destination and arrival and departure dates and I book a trip.
But more often than not I get an itchy travel bug telling me I need to travel, but I find myself asking where should I travel? When should go and for how long? What should I do on my next trip?
So, how do I start searching for my next getaway? In my search to find ways to inspire travel, I’ve found a selection of websites that encourage user interaction and use fun and interesting criteria to help create the ideal vacation dream. While many of these sites encourage vacation bookings directly on the website, I’ve come to use them primarily as trip ignition, which sends my travel bug running in mad circles, excited by brilliant ideas that I can then research more thoroughly elsewhere and book in other places that work better for my travel plans.
Below you’ll find six great sites that travel inspire. Perhaps you, too, will find that these sites excite your itchy feet.

GeckoGo has a great interactive map on the top of its first page, which allows users to pick through a list of travel-related activities ranging from beaches and nightlife to temples and wildlife. Choose one or two that interest you, then choose a month of travel (but only if you’re so inclined). The world map highlights countries that will be great, okay or not ideal at meeting your travel dream. Hover over individual countries to see how they rank according to your criteria. Venture further into the site for background information, top sites and travel details on destinations around the world.

TravelMuse assumes you know where you’ll be departing from, but beyond that, you get to plan a trip based on what time of year and number of days you want to travel, budgetary requirements, themes and activities that pique your interest, and flying time you are willing to invest to reach your destination. From there, the site offers vacation ideas that match your criteria as well as easily accessible online content about that destination and an estimated price for the trip (though exact dates of travel are needed to better define this).

Activity Breaks provides travel ideas in Europe based on where you want to go, when you want to go and what you want to do—though you only have to decide on one of these to get a list of travel ideas. Activities range from party holidays to outdoor adventures. Though the site serves up vacation packages based on your criteria, if you are stoked about booking a vacation package through the company, browse through the itineraries based on your interests, or hop off the site to build a similar trip using these ideas to get you started. If the packages do interest you, they are clearly marked as suitable for singles or if there is a group discount available.


African Portfolio is an African safari company with a specific list of safaris available, but I find their easy-to-navigate site to be a good place to start if all you know is that you want to go on safari. Click on the Find Your Adventure tab to learn a little bit about safaris available across the continent and discover the types of safaris appropriate for families, first timers and more. Research your safari destinations and tour options here, then stay on the site to book, or look elsewhere to research further now that you know more about what you’re looking for in an African safari.

Tourdust is a company that discovers and supports local travel businesses, and thus creates tours based around the principles of responsible travel. Inspire your sustainable traveler by browsing unique, local experiences by considering the activities (from creative courses and foodie places to coastal wildlife and mountaineering) or regions of the world that interest you. Tourdust has done thorough research on the tour operators it endorses to ensure they meet the ethical standards set by the company, so feel free to book these unique journeys here, or use the site as a jumping off point to fuel the travel bug.


World Reviewer is an extremely thorough website with a lot of information, and it can be a bit daunting to tackle, but the vacation ideas are interesting and fun. Though there are a number of vacation ideas based on destination, I love looking through the section under the What To Do tab. Few other places break down activities so comprehensively and allow you to find inspiration based on everything from ghosts and monsters to military history. Who knew you could find the perfect getaway for Christmas markets or extreme machines?

TRAVEL RESOURCES

TRAVEL RESOURCES



There are more stories to tell than I could ever tell. More experiences to have than I could ever hope to have. More first-person knowledge than I could ever compile into lists of tips and hints. So, to help you navigate through all of the stories, experiences, tips and hints, here is a list of resources that have inspired and helped me in my travels.
Advice and Planning

• Briefcase to Backpack – Travel advice for career breaks and sabbaticals.
• BrilliantTrips – Smart travel tips and advice from the independent travel company BrilliantTrips.com.
• Chris Around the World – A travel journalist’s tips from the road.
• Darn Good Digs – A site for budget-minded travelers to share their all-time favorite hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts around the globe. All accommodations are unique and independently owned.
• Maiden Voyage – Travel advice, reviews and ideas for 20-somethings (and others young at heart).
• Paramount Travel Blog – Advice about traveling around the world from a group of travel bloggers.
• Sharing Travel Experiences – Travel more with tips, information and travel resources.
• Travel Insurance – This website offers information on passports, visas, safety and health as well as a planning checklist.
• Travel Writers Exchange – A place community where travel writers, bloggers and journalists exchange tools, tips and resources as they relate to travel writing.
• Wanderlust and Lipstick – A comprehensive travel planning guide for women that includes gear reviews, tour guide information and tips.

Communities

• BootsnAll – The ultimate resource for the independent traveler.
• Lonely Planet Thorn Tree – Get help, get connected, get inspired.
• Matador Network – The world’s largest independent travel magazine.

Destination Specific

• Africa Freak - Tales and tidbits from a traveler in love with Africa.
• My Several Worlds: A Global Mind in Asia – My Several Worlds is a travel and photography website focusing on Asian destinations, attractions, lifestyle and culture.
• Travel the Middle East – Your guide to Middle East travel.
• WhyGo Australia – A comprehensive guide about traveling to Australia.
• WhyGo France – Everything you need to know about traveling to France.
• WhyGo Italy – One of the most comprehensive travel guides about Italy.
• WhyGo Las Vegas – The all-in-one Las Vegas travel guide that I write through BootsnAll. If there’s something you want to know about Las Vegas and can’t find it on this site, let me know!

Round-the-World Travel

• Almost Fearless – Fortune 500 manager quits job to travel the world.
• Everything Everywhere – Traveling around the world since March 2007.
• Go Backpacking – A blog aimed at encouraging people to travel abroad, independently.
• No Debt World Travel – One guy’s attempt to travel as far around the world as he cheaply can.
• Nomadic Matt – Around-the-world journeys of Matt, who quit the rat race in 2005 and has been traveling regularly ever since.
• Nomadic Samuel – Miles away from ordinary … dripping with sarcasm.
• One Step 4 Ward – Johnny Ward graduated from university in 2006 and has been on the road since. In the last 4 years he has traveled, worked, studied, volunteered and backpacked through more than 50 countries around the world.
• Otts World – Travel and life experiences of a Corporate America runaway.
• The Professional Hobo – Adventures of a girl with no fixed address.
• The World Effect – A travelogue from around the world searching for culture, design and adventure.
• Two Go Round-The-World – Two Go Round-The-World preserves the observations of Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip set to depart Toronto, Canada in July 2011.
• Uncornered Market – Measuring the Earth with their feet.

Travelogues

• A Little Adrift – Shannon finished a round-the-world trip in 2009 but couldn’t stop the travel bug and is still wandering the world.
• Backpacking Worldwide – The worldwide travels of Matt Hope, an ex-band member with half-finished law school applications on hold.
• CG Travels Blog – A travel blog for the working professional.
• Dave’s Travel Corner – Seeing the world one step at a time.
• Folie à Deux – Tales of food and travel plus so much more.
• Frill Seeker Diary – The intersection of pop culture and adventure.
• Inside the Travel Lab – A blog about the art and science of unusual journeys.
• Nomadic Notes – Travel blog and photography from a location independent nomad.
• Pommie Travels – A British girl who has decided to leave behind cold, rainy England to travel the world in search of something more.
• Solo Friendly – Tips and advice for the solo traveler.
• The Brooklyn Nomad – A “Noo Yawka” with a serious case of wanderlust. The Brooklyn Nomad is updated daily with travel news, tips, stories and hotel reviews.
• The Jungle Princess – Costa Rican expat turns Las Vegas magazine editor.
• Tourist 2 Townie – Travel deeper with Gareth on his uncensored social experiment to see what it takes to go from Tourist to Townie in Latin America.
• Travellious – Travel smarter, travel often, travel rebelliously.
• Travelogged – Covering a variety of destinations around the world, Liz describes not only about her only travels but writes about other people’s adventures too.
• Travel Wonders of the World – Personal photos and descriptions of Mark’s most memorable destinations from 25 years of travel across 80+ countries—what he calls his travel wonders of the world.
• Two Yuppies and a Passport – Chronicling life one trip at a time.
• Velvet Escape – Go explore. Experience. And be inspired.
• Wandering Trader – Tales of a day trader turned world traveler.
• World Wide Mike – Stories from Mike’s travels around the world.

Travel, Writing and Curious Musings

• Geotraveler’s Niche – Esteemed travel writer Lola Akinmade trips around the planet and showcases her work through writing and photography.
• Ian Mack – A writer, filmmaker and traveler, Ian is also the founder and editor of Brave New Traveler.
• Living Holistically – A website dedicated to re-educating the world about what it truly means to be holistic, and how this can lead to health and happiness as defined by YOU, not anyone else.
• Travel Media Ninja – Gentleman adventurer, travel writer, digital media producer, climber of mountains and thinker of thoughts.

GETTING INSPIRED

Just having a vague notion to travel and see the world won't get you far. You need to firm up those ideas and form a plan - if you don't you'll never leave! Many people will say that they always wanted to travel but never had the opportunity. In reality many of these people never created that opportunity; there is a subtle difference. Looking into the details, getting a firm plan and then telling people what you are going to do are a good way to begin.



FOR MAKE A ATTRACTIVE AND ADVENTUROUS TRIP THE YOU HAVE TO GET SOME INSPIRATION ABOUT TRAVEL.
Where to find inspiration? Read, research your ideas, think about where you want to go. You can take inspiration from :

Travel Magazines - usually, glossy high impact brochures on destinations world wide, ranging from The National Geographic to the pullouts from the weekend papers; there is a lot of material around. The problem is that it's unlikely that your experiences will match those shown in the magazines. Why? In the case of the National Geographic their reporters are often researching one particular aspect of a subject, or a society, spend months getting to know the subject, take thousands of photos, and produce an article just a few thousand of words in length. They know the topic inside out, but have they experienced all the region has to offer ? On the other hand, glossy magazines often provide content supporting the lifestyles and types of holiday for which the magazine can push advertising. Hence the glossy magazines' emphasis on luxury. An article on backpacking is not going to support the cruise liner advertising on its opposite page.

TV Travel Shows - in my time I have seen some amazing TV shows - BBC TV's the Rough Guide Series (not to be confused with the travel guides of the same name) - was inspirational; a mix of footage, sensationalism, culture, music and facts blasted at high speed in the now defunct def2 format (I'm showing my age now). Michael Palin has inspired a generation of Round the World Travellers, though most don't try to do it in 80 days. The holiday shows, "wish you were here" and "holiday 2000's" are aimed at the short breaks mass market - and the mass market buyers only give themselves two weeks a year to enjoy themselves.Inspiration.
Where do you want to go? The world is huge, really huge. One life-time would never be enough to see it all, so get an idea of what you want to see and experience. You only have a limited amount of life - and probably a more limited amount of time and finance to travel. So what are you going to do with it? The first step is to decide what kind of journey you want to go on. To do this you need inspiration.

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Just like a lot of people who enjoy traveling, I have a bucket list. Though I’d love to explore the world, the fact of the matter is that there’s an awful lot of world to see. Naturally, though, there are a few places that float to the top when it comes to deciding where I want to travel next.
Some people may be surprised to find that I don’t personally draw a lot of my travel ideas from online travel resources, but there are plenty of sites out there interested in helping people choose that perfect somewhere. (See examples of such sites here and here.)
So where does my travel inspiration come from? How do I decide where to travel? Here are five ways I find ideas for where I want to go next:
1. Music –  you know that it is very odd that music inspires some of my travels. The truth is that I know nothing about music, and WE R terribly out of touch regarding what is mainstream and what the hip, underground music is at any given period of time.
But if you want to talk about an eclectic collection of music from around the world, then I’ve got it. My love of Celtic and Irish-inspired music have pushed Ireland to the top of my list of places to go. Seriously, does anyone else have the entire collection of albums by Clannad, not to mention several Celtic Christmas and other similarly Irish-inspired albums?
I’ve had a hankering for the Silk Road ever since I happened to run into the Silk Road Festival in Washington, DC, in 2001, where I had the chance to see Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble perform. The haunting sounds of the festival have piqued my interest in the likes of Tajikistan and Mongolia ever since.
Over the years, I’ve managed to amass several CDs from the Rough Guide Music and Putumayo World Music collections, and my afternoon play list now includes local tunes from the Balkans, jazz from Africa, Peruvian flutes and didgeridoos from Australia. Every time I pop one in, I instantly want to pack my bags.
2. Pictures – The energy and vibrancy captured by good travel photography definitely gets me excited. I love pictures of natural settings and minimal people as well as bustling markets stacked with a rainbow of products. I also love photos of events—the Olympics, Carnival, the Fringe Festival—though the idea of actually dealing with the logistics of finding a place to stay and park so I can enjoy them can be daunting.
There’s something about the perfect photo of an isolated beach with the popping oranges and pinks of a sunset that really appeals to me. Or those vertigo-inducing, brilliantly green pictures of Machu Picchu that don’t appear to have any people in them; I’ve been there, and somehow all of my pictures ended up with people in them plus it was foggy and rainy.
I know Stonehenge is surrounded by a highway and I’m aware that there’s not much on Easter Island besides moai, but I still want to go there because photographs draw me to to those destinations.
3. Similar Trips – If I’ve enjoyed one particular destination, I know that chances are high that I’m going to like another similar destinations. It’s almost always a sure bet that I’m going to find something I like about a U.S. national park just because of the nature of the destination. Sure, not everything lives up to its hype (even though I love popular parks like Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain, I couldn’t find it in my heart to fall in love with Yosemite), but there’s a sense of familiarity that really makes it easier to enjoy a new place faster.
I thoroughly enjoyed Switzerland, for example, so my desire to visit nearby France, Germany and Austria has greatly increased. I liked Honduras a lot, and my husband and I are toying with future trips to Guatemala and other Central American countries as a result. I fell in love with Australia while I was there, and, as a result, I’d like to check out New Zealand.
4. Research – When I was in middle school, I had to write a report on Cyprus, and I’ve been interested in visiting it ever since. Because I was so into Cyprus, I chose another island—Malta—for another report. I nearly visited the country while I was in college but didn’t quite make it. Nonetheless, both are high on my list of places I’ve got to visit.
In my daily work, I frequently get to do research on places with which I’m not familiar. As I dig into the history and culture and begin to put together the bits and pieces that make a place special, my interest grows. For this reason, Morocco is one of my top choices for places to travel right now.
5. Books – such as travelling around Ireland with a fridge (who would have thought that this book would be a best seller. People do equally crazy things all the time, they just don't have the flare for humor that Tony Hawks is blessed with, nor do they skateboard as well), or Bill Bryson and his observations on tiny cultural habits and behavior, set in the grand scheme of road trips.I’ve mentioned before that I royally suck when it comes to trip planning so I’m not big on reading guidebooks for inspiration. I do enjoy books like Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel (read a review here), primarily for the pictures and interesting geographical tidbits, but I’m even more of a fan of fiction or narrative writing that puts me in a place with character.
Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible has me intrigued by the Congo, and I absolutely love the imagery Paul Theroux painted in The Mosquito Coast. Well-written narratives have also left me with the desire not to visit certain places. Though I love Peter Hessler’s writing, it’s because of the honesty of it that I’m in no rush to get to China.
Travel Guides - any of the big name travel guides provide a wealth of information on a region. Browsing in a bookshop will often lead to an overwhelming choice. Try to look at a general book for a region, then decide if the region is for you. The advantages of this type of research are that you'll have a better idea of costs, places to stay and what the highlights are. See LonelyPlanet, Rough Guide, Fodors for further details. What about out-of-date travel guides ? Even older travel guides are useful, as the sites, the history, maps, the food, the culture of a place don't change so much over time. Even the older guide book's prices can be useful, since when you get a feel for how much costs have changed, you can work out up-to-date costs from the listed price in the old guide.

6.Websites - reading this document means that you have discovered one of the best sources for travel inspiration on the Internet. TravelBlog.org collects inspirational journals, stories and photos from thousands of users and displays them in an easy to read and attractive format. Surf through the locations, click the images, read sample journals, look at the highlights - there is a wealth of travel experience provided here. Lots of other sites exist on the net with a mass of information and detail on an different areas of the world, look at : wikipedia.org = more history information than you ever wanted to know, wikitravel.org = user created travel guides.

Be Adventurous!
Imagine yourself in the most adventurous places that you find on these searches for destinations. It's all hypothetical at this stage so go with it! Ignore the cost, imagine yourself on that tropical island, or visiting villages in remote African savanna. It will allow you to see what you really want to do! 
BEST OF LUCK :)