Monday, May 31, 2010

How to Prepare For Your First Road Trip

Getting ready for your first driving adventure is very exciting, and very intimidating. A basic overview for how to prepare for your first road trip will give you a nice checklist of things to consider before you go, making you feel safer and more prepared before you take off.

Make sure you have a small box of safety supplies in case of any emergencies. This should include a first aid kit, flashlight, important phone numbers, water, some non perishable food, and maybe an extra battery for your cell phone.

Unless you're fairly mechanical, have your car looked over before you go. Let them know you'll be putting a lot of miles on the vehicle soon and have them check your fluids, your tires, and your spare tire for you. This can save you a lot of headaches later.

Consider signing up for roadside assistance, possibly with your current insurance carrier. If you get a flat tire or your car breaks down they'll come out to where you are and give you a tow. The fee you pay for this service will be much less than what you're likely to pay for a tow, especially if you're stranded out in a rural area.

Make sure you have plenty of music. The stuff you listen to on a regular basis will get old fairly quickly, so bring lots of new things, too. To mix things up I also like to bring some CDs with stand up comedy, or maybe a book on tape.

Getting lost can be a fun way to find new things (if you want to look on the positive side) but so can finding new things on the maps on your GPS. A good system will make finding where you want to go easier--even when you don't know exactly where that is. For instance, if you're low on gas, you can just put in "gas station", or "hospital", or other important locations you'll need to get to quickly. Say while you're on your trip you want to avoid highways? You can put that in as well. A good system can come in very handy and take the frustration out of navigating unfamiliar areas.

With all this in check you should be ready to go, prepared for your first road trip.

GPS navigation systems are both practical, and fun. Learn more about choosing a GPS, what these systems can do for you, and check out stylish pink GPS devices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Quilter

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Save Money Booking Your Travels Online

Online booking is the latest concept that has reached users who depend on the Internet for their transactions. Several people search the World Wide Web for different reasons. Some seek information in general, while others conduct their financial operations. People who do not have time for financial operations such as booking for tickets by standing in long queues and spending hours and hours together can now opt for online booking. There are several advantages associated with this concept. Though it takes initially some time for you to adjust, once you get familiarized you can extract maximum benefits.

Rely on online booking that saves a lot of time for you. Also, you can cut short the influence of any middlemen and agents involved who demand hefty rates for booking tickets for you. Another significant advantage that online booking provides you is that you can book for tickets at your comfort. This facility comes in handy for those people who book for flight tickets on an ad hoc basis. Most of the transactions do not collect any processing fees for letting you realize your transaction. It would work out for you in the best way when you utilize the services of Internet in a more frequent manner.

The features of online booking are more than that of booking in real time. Firstly, you need not carry any cash by hand that will make you insecure. Secondly, you can have safe and secure transactions online and the payment will be realized in an instant manner. This allows you to close transactions on your account immediately. This prevents the risks of your financial information being exposed online. However, you need to ensure that you are not going to perform any transaction at any of the public places such as Internet cafe and kiosk. Finally, you get bonus points for using online services that you can exchange for any rewards.

Alessandro is an internet marketer and a software developer. Who's passion including helping people, good food, nice wines the outdoors and exercises, fitness and his dogs.

Doberman Barking
Abs toning

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alessandro_E.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

5 Things You Have to Know About Scotland Before Traveling It

I recently traveled Scotland with a friend of mine and it was a great trip. We had a great time and I would do it again any time soon.

The thing is though that there are some things you need to know about Scotland. It will help you make your trip much more fun.

Pubs and Restaurants


If you go to a pub or a restaurant you might think it's strange because waiters won't come up to you and ask you what you want to order. Usually in Scotland you have to go up to the bar to order things.

I have heard about a lot of people who thought this was strange but that's the way it is in Scotland. It's just a cultural thing like in any other country. They are not being rude.

Haggis - National Dish


Once you travel around Scotland you will see that most pubs and restaurants offer Haggis as a dish. Haggis is very popular in Scotland and contains lots of intestines from the sheep. It's a very salty meal that usually comes with neeps (yellow turnip) and tatties (mashed potatoes).

Renting Cars


If you want to rent cars in Scotland then you have to make sure that you are old enough. Usually car rental places will only rent cars to people who are over 20 (i.e. you can rent a car with 21). If you rent a car when you are 21 you will have to pay a lot of money on top of the actual rental price. That's because younger drives have to pay higher insurance rates.
Also note that the cheapest price you can possibly get for renting a car is when you book it right with your plane ticket.

Rain Cloths


The weather in Scotland is strange. It will rain continuously for several days without ever stopping. This can be quite frustrating especially if you don't have the right cloths with you. So before you go to Scotland make sure that you take at least waterproof cloths with you. Some travel boots are also good.

Youth Hostels


When we traveling through Scotland we mostly stayed at youth hostels. The youth hostels in Scotland are great and clean. So we can recommend staying in hostels.

One thing to keep in mind is that you can get youth hostels (not all of them) a lot cheaper once you become a member of SYHA. It's the Scottish Youth Hostel Association and becoming a member is free. So check it out.

Scotland is a great country and you could miss out on a lot of opportunities if you don't have the right kind of information. We have a website solely dedicated to tips for traveling Scotland.
We would love if you go check it out! We also offer a wealth of information on how to plan your Scotland trip. If you want to know more about the right kind of equipment for Scotland you need for traveling there then feel free to visit our web site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julius_Kuhn-Regnier