Sami Fab asked:


So, you’ve been persuaded by your someone close to you to make reservations for an exotic place. But you can’t even say the name of that travel destination. You know almost nothing about your travel destination.

What’s your plan? When it’s time to travel, are you just going to jump on the airplane? Don’t you think a few minutes of research is going to pay great dividends? I promise you it will.

There are times when traveling ‘blindly’ may have it’s attractions and yes nice surprises too. But often times the key to your nice break from work is to know a little about your travel destination.

Look, you needn’t spend a huge amount of time finding out everything about a place but some basic information before you travel saves you a lot of time when you are at your destination. This in turn means that you will get the most out of your stay rather than to spend a big portion of your time searching and deciding what to do when at your travel destination.

Why not visit the travel section in your local library but do this online to save time. Don’t just look for where you are going but also look for nearby places too. Here are the question you will want to answer:

1. How far is it?

This will dictate whether you need to take more or less reading/entertainment material while en-route to your destination. Also if traveling with children or youngsters you’ll need to cater for their needs to.

2. What is the spoken local language?

You can’t imagine how flattered most locals are when a visitor makes an effort. Just hello, thank you, please, good bye, where is, what time etc make a huge difference.

I can’t tell you the number of times I have had locals bend over backwards to help me out of trouble when I used just three or four basic phrases … they have at times grabbed some local English speaker to help me out. Make this effort.

We’re talking about a tiny phrase book that you can even point to while at your travel destination and the locals will read your phrase in their own language. But learning the basic phrases will not take more than half an hour.

3. What is the currency and can you easily make conversions to your own currency for comparison purposes?

In most countries, your destination hotel is probably one of the most expensive places to exchange currency. Think about it. They don’t service all that many customers, so they make their money out of larger commissions and bigger currency differences than the average bank.

Add this to your list of things to do before or after you get to your travel destination: Where is the nearest high street bank and look for a main branch of a main bank. Hopefully their volume trade means you get better rates.

4. What are the customs regarding tipping?

Do not get ripped off. Find out what the tipping rate is so you don’t spend a big percentage of your money on over the top tips.

5. What, if any, is the time difference?

Don’t underestimate the effect of time difference on your daily schedule when you get there and when you get back from your holiday. If the difference is more than 2 hours, do try to alter your timing for sleep, wake up time, eating etc just slightly, before you go on your vacation.

When you get there, adjusting to local time is going to be much easier. You will spend less of your precious holiday time recovering from the journey.

Do the same adjustment a day or two before you get back and you lose less precious work time when you get back. Somehow I don’t think this one bothers too many people.

6. What is the expected average temperature, and how much does it rain?

You already know how much the weather affects our daily activities. Then you agree that the weather absolutely *rules* your vacation at your travel destination.

Be prepared in terms of clothing but also in terms of the activities you plan and possibly pre-book. For example, if you are going to Britain you will find rain is a year round certainty.

Knowing that in advance means you won’t pre-book a Shakespeare open air play unless you are allowed to cancel without penalties. You will just buy the ticket on the day, if the weather holds up.

Similar considerations go for pretty much any destination. Know what to expect and then you won’t be disappointed.

7. What places do the travel writers recommend visiting?

Many travel writers have got their work down to a fine art. They place the correct emphasis on the relative importance of one thing compared to another. They will pint you a good picture of what a place is like.

Just do a search in the online search engines for something like “London review” or “London holiday review” and you will find plenty of references. The search engines will probably show you the most “liked” reviews because these are the reviews that most people have enjoyed and therefore made popular.

Advanced consideration of these valuable questions will make all the difference to your enjoyment of your travel destination.

Michael Ibbertson asked:


The most expensive part of travel to Cambodia and indeed any international destination is the price of the airplane ticket. This is particularly true for Cambodia which doesn’t have a direct destination link with major airlines based out of the South East Asia catchment area. However the introduction of online airline booking systems has made the costs to travelers more competitive. It is now possible to receive  price comparisons from over 100 different airlines in a matter of minutes. The arrival of budget airlines in the South East Asia area has also made the market more competitive and offered more assistance to the budget traveler.

With the cost of internal air travel in Cambodia expensive the budget traveler will be seeking out alternate forms of transport. Cambodia fortunately has very efficient bus services utilizing the country’s modern highway system. Where is your favorite destination point in Cambodia? Is it Siem Reap in the north to view the majestic Angkor temples? Is it the coastal region to the south including the port and beaches of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand? Or is it the lesser known town of Kratie on the Mekong River where you’ll be able to sight the Irrawaddy dolphins? All these destinations are a 5 to 6 hour bus trip from the capital city; Phnom Penh.The International Airport at Phnom Penh is the busiest airport in Cambodia and is the first port of call for most travelers.

All long distance bus services in Cambodia operate during daylight hours. With buses setting out as early as 7 am travelers have enough time to enjoy the sights after reaching their travel destination without losing a entire day on traveling

In this part of South East Asia, Cambodia offers cheap accommodation. It is possible to stay in clean, guesthouse accommodation from as low as US$4 per night. US dollars as well as Cambodian riel’s are the accepted currencies in this country. For the budget traveler these accommodation prices represent great value as generally accommodation is the most expensive cost after air travel.

The low local cost of living is reflected in the price of food. It is possible to get an excellent, nourishing meal for under $2 from street vendors. By simply following locals to where they go to eat, travelers will save money by not needing to pay expensive restaurant prices. There needs to be no excuse to put off travelling to Cambodia as it would qualify as one of the World’s most affordable travel destinations amidst some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.

Michael DeVries asked:


Thailand, or the “Land of Smiles”, as it is also called, is one of the most popular tourist destinations. When you ask someone what are his top travel destinations, Thailand will often be the answer. What makes Thailand such a popular tourist destination? We will see that there are quite a few contributing factors that make Thailand such a popular country.

First of all, Thailand isn’t called the “Land of Smiles” for nothing; there is a good reason why it has that name. Thailand has the reputation of being a country that is extremely hospitable for tourists. Thais are such nice people, always smiling and trying to help whenever they can. They are genuinely interested and have at heart that everyone who visit’s Thailand enjoys their stay. Even though this is a very good reason to visit Thailand, there are a few more that make’s it a must for any tourist.

Another reason would be the rich culture and history of the country. When you visit Thailand, you will be amazed at the number of great temples that you can find a bit everywhere. While in Bangkok, everyone should stop by the Grand palace and the temple of the Emerald Buddha. After that, whether you go up North towards Chiang Mai or down south towards Phuket, you will find many temples and a rich culture that is truly unique. Ayutthaya is such a grand sight to behold and is an UNESCO world heritage site. But there are not only nice temples and ruins to visit in Thailand, the natural beauty of the country is one of its greatest assets.

Beautiful beaches in the South, mountains and rainforest to the North, there is really something for everyone in Thailand. Phuket is one of the top destinations in South East Asia and for good reasons. The beaches are superb, the weather is great, what can you ask more? In Thailand there are more beautiful beaches than you can possibly hope to visit during your trip, so you should choose carefully. Koh Phi Phi is one of the most popular and became famous after the movie The Beach. There are hundred of tourists that visit Koh Phi Phi every day. But the North also has its charm, although a different kind of charm. If you want to do some jungle trek, you will be very happy by going around Chiang Mai. It is a very fulfilling experience to do a jungle trek in the mountains around Chiang Mai and to visit some small villages.

Shopping is another reason why so many people go to Thailand. Bangkok is quickly becoming a shopper’s paradise. There are huge shopping malls being built around the city and the prices are very good. You can find many bargains if you look around and can also find the top brands in the bigger shopping malls such as Siam Paragon and Central World. If you stop by Bangkok, you should definitely go to the Chatuchak weekend market, the biggest open market in the world. There are over 15,000 stalls and each day hundred of thousands of people go to the market.

Thai food is another reason why people want to go to Thailand. Everyone knows about Thai food, it is very popular and gaining in popularity in Europe and North America. In Thailand, Thai food is much better than what you will find anywhere else and there are restaurants everywhere. There is so much choice of food that when arriving in Thailand you won’t know where to eat. Thai cuisine is very diverse, as there are specialties form the North of Thailand and also form the South. You should definitely try a Pad Thai when you arrive in Thailand, you will fall in love with that meal.

Finally, the last reason is the price. Aside from the air ticket, staying in Thailand is very cheap. You can find nice hotels for about 30$ US and if you eat in smaller restaurants it will cost you around 2$. Activities are also very cheap, as is travel. Staying in Thailand won’t cost you as much as the air ticket if you want to stay on a budget. You could easily spend a lot of money if you stay in the top hotels, as there are prices for everyone, but you can also easily spend very little each day.

So with all these nice factors that make Thailand truly unique, it is no wonder that it is such a popular destination. Everyone should visit Thailand at least once in their life. All of these factors individually could be enough to visit this wonderful country, but when you add them all together, you get a destination that you won’t want to leave.

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Brett Muscio asked:


Naming top ten travel destinations could prove easy, but how relevant such a list is, that is debatable. This article refers to the most popular locations based starting from the statistics made thanks to international travel agencies, and according to travelers’ reviews posted on various web pages.

Latin America deserves a place on the list with Buenos  Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Peru as favorite destinations but the remnants of the ancient Maya and Inca civilizations, or the modern and sunny Cancun are not to be overlooked either. The cultural impact, the the entertainment diversity combined with some great weather conditions, make this part of the world become the holiday destination of millions of tourists from all over the world.

Western Europe with the charm of the Romantic setting of Paris, the historic attraction of Rome and Venice, the fascination of Spain’s former Arab cities and the mystical lands of Scotland and Ireland can be included in the list of top ten travel destinations any time of the year. Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza require a special mention here, as they are some of the most exotic resorts in the European part of the world.

The Egyptian Pyramids and Morocco are absolutely magnificent, and travel agencies sell thousands of touristic packages for holidays on the dark continent. One of the features of African resorts consists in the constant touristic push and an unforgettable adventure in the multitude of cultures that mingle so much in the crowded North-African cities. Whether you choose a well known resort or a more discreet one, this part of Africa will always rank among the top ten travel destinations.

Nepal, Bhutan and other countries on the Asian roof of the world fascinate and charm visitors alike. It is the Nepalese capital city, Kathmandu, with its thirteen hundred years of history that attracts most of the tourist crowds. As for the climbing of the Everest, very few courageous people dare to venture on the crests of Himalaya.

Last but not least, lots of great sunny islands can enter a top ten travel destinations list: Bali, Jamaica, Crete, Hawaii and many others, which is why the list needs to be a lot more comprehensive, as so are the beauties man and God created. All in all the places closest to a person’s heart remain the ones to attract him/her for further exploration, and therefore, anyone can come up with a list of top ten travel destinations.