Paris Around

Posts Tagged ‘Getting’

For many of us summertime = vacation time. Some people will spend their days off at the local pool. Some may choose to sightsee in their own town. Many will leave behind the comforts of home for the open road. Regardless of the destination or mode of transportation, it is important to be organized for travel.
A few benefits of being organized for travel:
1. Being organized will save you time.
Having a copy of your packing list on the computer will cut down on the time used for re-creating it every time you travel.
2. Being organized will save you money.
Doing pre-travel shopping at home will save you big bucks (especially on film and batteries…) that might be otherwise be spent at a tourist trap.
3. Being organized will save you stress.
No need to stress while scrounging for your tickets and ID at the airport if all of your paperwork is organized in one place.
Follow these organizing tips to keep your vacation a stress-free, time and money saving event:
Plan ahead. Create a general itinerary before you travel. Grab pen and paper and jot down your travel times, hotel check-in/check-out times, and a list of activities/places you’d like to visit. This will help you make sure you have allowed enough time to get to your destination, and whether or not you’ve scheduled too many activities for one day.
* Stop by your local AAA office for a Triptik and other travel-related services to help map out your route if driving.
Create a checklist to help you pack. Keep it on the computer so you don’t have to write it over every time you leave home. Use it as a template and update it before each trip to include anything new such as medications, toiletries, accessories, etc.
Keep all information related to your trip in one place. Create a folder for papers such as reservations, confirmations, and tickets. When you look for the information you need before or during your trip, you’ll have it all at your fingertips.
Keep a toiletry bag packed with small sized travel sized-containers all year round. By doing so, you’re always ready for a long trip or an overnight stay. Take a quick inventory of its contents before you leave home—you might have run out of toothpaste on your last trip.
*If your favorite products don’t come in sample sizes, purchase small, travel sized containers and fill them with your favorite shampoo and creams. Label them clearly so you don’t accidentally condition your hair with a facial moisturizer…
Place items you’ll need immediately at the top of your suitcase. Items such as comfortable shoes, pajamas, and toiletries are more easily accessible if they’re closer to top. When you’re tired from a long journey, the last thing you want to be doing is rummaging through your suitcase.
Use suitcase organizers to separate outfits or types of clothing. Products such as Pack-It Cubes or Ziploc bags do the job well. Hefty makes One-Zip 2.5 gallon bags (found in many supermarkets) that are large enough to organize clothes and later can be used to keep laundry or wet bathing suits away from the rest of your belongings.
*Wearing your bulkiest pair of shoes while traveling will give you more space in your suitcase.
Organize your wardrobe around one basic color such as black, navy, or brown to prevent overpacking. You’ll be able to mix and match easily and you won’t need to bring a ton of different shoes. Also, when packing–think about your vacation activities. Will they include hiking? Days at the beach? Having dinner with relatives? Think ahead and pack items you may need for those activities such as band-aids for hiking, aloe vera for sunburns, and the scarf Aunt Shirley gave you for your birthday if you’ll be seeing her.
Travel safely and have an organized trip!
Stacey Agin Murray, professional organizer and owner of Organized Artistry, LLC, transforms ‘mess’ into ‘masterpiece’ with patience, organizing know-how, and a sense of humor. For more articles and to get your FREE e-list of ‘Top Ten Tips for Organized Living’.  Read more...

For many of us summertime = vacation time. Some people will spend their days off at the local pool. Some may choose to sightsee in their own town. Many will leave behind the comforts of home for the open road. Regardless of the destination or mode of transportation, it is important to be organized for travel.

A few benefits of being organized for travel:

1. Being organized will save you time.

Having a copy of your packing list on the computer will cut down on the time used for re-creating it every time you travel.

2. Being organized will save you money.

Doing pre-travel shopping at home will save you big bucks (especially on film and batteries…) that might be otherwise be spent at a tourist trap.

3. Being organized will save you stress.

No need to stress while scrounging for your tickets and ID at the airport if all of your paperwork is organized in one place.

Follow these organizing tips to keep your vacation a stress-free, time and money saving event:

Plan ahead. Create a general itinerary before you travel. Grab pen and paper and jot down your travel times, hotel check-in/check-out times, and a list of activities/places you’d like to visit. This will help you make sure you have allowed enough time to get to your destination, and whether or not you’ve scheduled too many activities for one day.

* Stop by your local ‘AAA’ office for a Triptik and other travel-related services to help map out your route if driving.

Create a checklist to help you pack. Keep it on the computer so you don’t have to write it over every time you leave home. Use it as a template and update it before each trip to include anything new such as medications, toiletries, accessories, etc.

Keep all information related to your trip in one place. Create a folder for papers such as reservations, confirmations, and tickets. When you look for the information you need before or during your trip, you’ll have it all at your fingertips.

 Read more...

Being one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it is essential for any visitor to Paris to be able to make the best of the opportunity and see as much of the city as possible. And getting around Paris is much easier than any other populated city.

Walking would be the best option, provided one has a good idea of the city layout, as it gives a visitor ample time to breathe in and absorb the beauty the city has to offer. Also, Paris proper is actually very compact, about 6km wide, and walking is reasonably easy. Of course if it’s too tiring there are always plenty of other travel options to choose from.

For safe and fast transportation the Paris Metro is the best option. Comprising of 200 kilometres of rail track it covers 370 stations. Lines are numbered 1-15 direction of which is indicated by the last station on the line. In order to reach a specified destination it might be necessary to change lines although this does not involve purchasing of additional tickets.

The RER trains extend public transport to the suburbs of Paris. The five lines A-E operate from about five thirty in the morning till about half past midnight (like the Metro) and Metro tickets can be used when travelling inside Paris. For travels outside the Paris area, such as to the airport and Disneyland Paris, special RER fares and tickets apply.

For a more entertaining journey try the Paris bus system; this offers better views of the city and makes it easier to get accustomed to the city layout. Maps indicating bus routes are available at bus shelters as well as the Metro stations. Buses generally function from 6:30 am till 8:30 pm with a few extending their services till past mid-night. Metro tickets can be used to travel in the buses as well.

Tickets for the Metro, bus and RER can be purchased at subway stations, bus terminals and registered retailers displaying the RATP sign, and a booklet of ten offers a good saving. And although using the Metro requires only one ticket the bus would require more than one depending on the number of stages of the journey. Special buses such as the Noctambus or the Roissybus have higher fares and ticket for these busses can be purchased only on the specific bus. A Paris Visite, a special pass, offers an unlimited number of trips on all types of Parisian public transport. So for those who wish to travel around a lot using the public transport system, this would be the best option.  Read more...

Weather in South Africa

South Africa’s hottest and busiest time is during the UK winter months of November to March.  This is also the busiest period for tourists and locals.  For a cooler temperature and less busy period, the UK summer months of July and August are a good time to go.  When I visited South Africa in July and August the weather was mainly sunny and warm but not too hot so this was the best time for me to travel.  It was perfect for all activities.  It was nice and quiet at this time too, and this is the cheapest time to visit South Africa.  I made sure I read a lot of South Africa Travel Tips before I travelled to ensure I travelled at the best time for me, which was July and August as I prefer the milder temperatures.

How to get to South Africa

The main airports are Johannesburg International Airport and Cape Town International.  Flights normally take 12 hours.  I flew from Manchester to Amsterdam to Johannesburg on the way there, and on the way back from Cape Town (extra £50 and extra 2 hours) to Johannesburg, to Amsterdam back to Manchester.  On the way there this took about 12 hours and was all during the day so left first thing in the morning and got there in the evening, but on the way back I spent about 36 hours getting home as I had long delays between my different connections.  I found Johannesburg very busy and had in fact managed to collect a lot more luggage than I started out with, but there is a place to store your luggage in the basement so you can wait for your flight without carrying all your bags around with you. 

Getting around South Africa

As a general guide, public transport in South Africa isn’t very reliable but the roads are good so it’s easy to hire a car, or the Baz Bus is a very affordable hop-on-hop-off bus service for backpackers which is an excellent way to meet like minded people.  You can also book an organised tour which can also be very economical.  I used all three methods of transport during my travels.  I started off with an organised tour which was a great way to ease me into travelling alone as you get to know new people really well, then I used the Baz Bus and met hundreds of people all travelling the same route as me, then I hired a car with 2 of the people I had become friends with on the trip.  This was a great way to see South Africa by splitting the cost and having more freedom to go where we wanted to in South Africa. The best South Africa Travel Tip I can give you is to make sure you trust people before putting yourself in vulnerable positions.    Read more...

When you work with a travel agency to plan your vacation, you can save time, stress and money. The travel agency takes care of all the details in planning and finalizing your vacation, leaving you with more time to pack and dream about your trip.

Of course, there is still a little footwork for you to do. Follow these guidelines to get a better understanding of travel agency services. Find out how to choose a travel agent that’s right for you, which questions to ask, and how to get the most out of working with a travel agency.

Choose a Travel Agency

The first step, of course, is choosing the right agency, and the right agent. It’s important to choose a reputable agency, but remember that there is no accreditation for the travel industry. It’s best to choose a well established agency that’s been in the business for a number of years. It might be tempting to choose a new agency that’s offering cheap deals, but it’s easy to get burned when you work with a company that doesn’t have a good reputation, or hasn’t been in business long enough to develop one.

Questions to Ask a Travel Agency

Next you’ll want to ask some questions to make sure the agent is a good fit for you. Make sure you choose an agent who is familiar with your destination and your preferred method of travel. Ideally, he or she should have knowledge and experience with the location itself as well as travel details. You’re more likely to get a great deal with someone who’s been in the business longer, as he or she will have more industry contacts.

The right agent will never be at a loss for information or resources. So feel free to ask as many questions as you need to feel comfortable. If you’ve chosen a good agent, then he or she will have a wealth of knowledge about the industry and about your vacation destination.

Finally, it’s important to ask your agent about all the little details. Will the agent book your rental car and activities in addition to flights and accommodations, for example? Don’t make any assumptions about what your agent does and doesn’t cover; it’s always important to find out for sure.

Things to Tell your Travel Agent  Read more...