Monday, December 4, 2006

0

How To Travel Responsibly

  • Monday, December 4, 2006
  • Wtmm
  • Responsible travel is a broad term but in essence, travelling responsibly means treating people in other countries with the same respect you would expect from others in your own community or country. The responsible traveller is interested in preserving cultures, communities, local way of life, wildlife, habitats and the environment as a whole in every region he or she travels to. So how can someone interested in responsible travel help to minimise their travel footprint and help sustain local communities and environments? There are a number of steps an individual can take in this ever changing world where mass tourism has had such a destructive effect on the environment. One of the biggest concerns at present is carbon dioxide emissions and green house gases in general. By reducing the number of flights or taking alternative transport wherever possible, carbon emissions from planes can be reduced which will benefit your own community as well as others as there are no country boundaries where pollution is concerned. Even before arriving at your destination, it is always advisable to research the area to gain a greater understanding of the local culture and customs through the internet, books, email or by phoning. Try to find hotels, businesses and schemes which are eco friendly. Also, by learning a few words of the local language or by using a phrase book, it will be easier to immerse yourself in the local culture and have a deeper experience than travelling with hordes of people from your own country. Once you arrive at your destination, keep an open mind and try to experience the local culture without making comparisons with life back at home. Use local resources with care such as water and electricity which are in short supply in many regions of the world. Simple steps like switching off the tap while brushing your teeth or taking a shower instead of a bath can help save water. Switching off lights, mobile phone chargers, televisions and a whole host of modern electronic equipment can save electricity.Respect the local culture and always obey the local laws even if you disagree with some of them. Follow dress codes to avoid offence and avoid the temptation to drink and drive just because you are on holiday. Never accept packages from strangers or recent acquaintances especially if you about to travel through an airport. Obeying local laws and customs on drinking and taking drugs is especially important as many travellers are tempted to drink heavily while on holiday causing havoc in the local community.Many people want to support the local community by purchasing local produce and products and while this is beneficial in most cases, it’s essential to avoid purchasing animal skins or products produced from the slaughter of endangered species such as tigers, leopards, jaguars, elephants, rhinos, hippos, reptiles, birds and many other animals. The same applies to protected plant species. Many countries now have severe penalties for anyone importing illegal plants or animals. Whenever possible, buy locally grown produce and crafts from local family businesses or fair trade companies. To minimise pollution and to have a better experience of the local community, walk or ride a bicycle whenever possible. Support the local infrastructure by using local buses and taxis. Use trains or boats instead of planes for longer journeys to minimise carbon emissions. Finally, volunteering is a great way to give something back to the environment and help local communities through various educational and non-profit schemes. The benefits are not all one way as many volunteers gain new skills, achieve a better understanding of themselves, gain added confidence through social interaction and gain a greater sense of self-worth through helping others. By travelling responsibly, you are more likely to have a richer more immersive experience with the knowledge that you have minimised your impact on the environment and in some cases, helped to improve some areas. With more communities and environments being threatened with pollution and extinction, to travel responsibly is not only essential but it may help to form part of the solution in preserving environments and wildlife for future generations.
    By: Lalphoto

    Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

    Lalit Rastogi is editor of First Gap Year Travel. He has a background in photography, IT and travel. He completed his first gap year in 2003 and 2004 by travelling the world and visiting Asia, Australasia, South Pacific and North America. He has since travelled to Asia in 2005 and will photograph Japan, Taiwan, Hong kong and Thailand in early 2007.
    Read more...
    0

    How to find cheap travel

  • Wtmm
  • This article will uncover the market of cheap travel, suggest ways of finding cheap travel and pay attention to the problem issues that may arise in budget travel.Student travel has come a long way in the past few decades. It is no longer considered a rarity. Gap years, student electives abroad and cheap summer holidays in distant places, have become part of the generally life-enriching experience that is now considered synonymous with the student status. (Frost F et al., 1999)The current financial climate, with many students having to rely on student loans, parental support, holiday jobs or personal savings for their financial fluidity, largely dictates and limits just what can be achieved in this regard and there are a number of ploys and strategies that are commonly used to make the money go further or, to look at it another way, to allow the same money let the student go further! (Reisinger Y et al., 2004)We can start by taking an overview of the situation and dividing up the travel costs into those that are necessary to arrive at a destination and those that are necessarily incurred to move around once the student has arrived. Generally speaking, the preferred way to travel is by flying. It is often the quickest way to travel long distances and in these days of competitive pricing strategies, many of the no-frills and budget airlines are offering very cheap flights across mainland Europe. The unwary student should note that the eye-catching prices quoted are invariably exclusive of taxes and fuel surcharges which can add between £30-£200 onto the quoted cost (depending on destination and distance).As a general rule, the cheaper the flight, the greater the sacrifice of both flexibility and conditions. A flight that arrives or leaves in the early hours of the morning, does not supply food, has minimal in-flight entertainment and a strict baggage allowance, is clearly going to cost less than one that has additional amenities. A word of caution also for these flights as there are generally strict terms and conditions, limited changeability and minimal prospect of refund if there's a problem.Cheap flights are at the other end of the spectrum from cheap holidays. With holidays the greatest savings are made by those who are willing to book at the last minute. With flights, the converse is true. As flights get booked up, the prices tend to rise. (Bernstein J et al., 1999)Two of the most commonly used mechanisms for obtaining cheap flights are flight-brokers and screen scrapers. The flight brokers make their money by selling you a flight that gives them a commission. There is therefore a balance between the amount of commission that an airline pays them to fill their seats and the requirements of the student. The screen scrapers are web-based tools such as TravelSupermarket, TravelJungle, and SkyScanner. You effectively enter your requirements and these sites send the details to dozens of airlines (and some brokers) and display their findings with the cheapest first. (Sheth A et al., 2002)There are variations on this process with sites like Expedia and Travelocity specialising in long-haul flights and Expedia and Opodo allowing flights to one airport then leaving from another. Flights Direct will specifically examine the charter market for occasional bargains.If you intend to fly on certain dates a few months in the future, it is well worth signing up to the e-mail lists of the appropriate airlines. They will send out details of short-term sales so that you can snap them up at the right moment if they come up. British Airways, Opodo, American Airlines and KLM are particularly good for this type of approach.Once at the destination, the student has to consider the best way of travelling around. Rather like the airlines, one pays for convenience, accessibility and comfort – the cheapest forms of travel generally being the slowest and least luxurious. It is clearly impossible to generalise throughout the world, but hitch-hiking, which might have once been considered the cheapest way to travel, has a distinct risk element of personal safety and clearly is inappropriate for the lone female traveller. Many of the commercially available insurance policies specifically forbid such practices. (Cullinane S, 2002)Public transport is often the most reliable of the cheaper options. Either the local busses, the long-haul coaches or the train services being generally safe and reliable. Many of the more developed countries offer student travel cards (or a variant) to reduce the costs of repeated journeys and some bus companies (Australia travel being a notable example) will sell an open ticket between two specified destinations which can be used with different segments of the journey being undertaken over a period of several weeks.There are other considerations relating to travel such as how best to deal with money. The time-honoured way of carrying travellers cheques may no longer be popular, with many students electing for the convenience of "plastic" money and credit cards. One should note that Mastercard will generally convert foreign exchange transactions at about the best commercially available rate, but will then add about 2.75%. This does vary between cards and therefore should be individually checked. Overseas cash withdrawals are also usually subject to a 2% additional fee (minimum charge £2) on both credit and debit cards. In addition to all of this, some credit card companies will also add a transaction fee on foreign transactions. (Halifax is currently the worst, levying £1.75 on each transaction.) For the student, the Post Office or Nationwide credit cards appear to be the best option. They have no levy on overseas purchases but they do charge interest on all cash withdrawals.As with all travel, insurance is not essential, but only the most foolhardy student would travel without it. The annual multi-trip insurance is seldom competitive except for the USA where it may work out cheaper than individual trip cover (mainly because of the medical expense element applicable to the USA). Most will require you to be staying at pre-booked venues which may not be appropriate for the student traveller.Decide what cover you need, what excess you need (the first part of each claim that you have to pay yourself) and then shop around. The classic insurance selling line is "why not upgrade to our platinum policy, with £30 million worth of medical cover etc." In real terms, the chances of you ever needing more than £2 million of medical cover or repatriation to the UK is virtually negligible and therefore perhaps best avoided. A good plan is to include a personal liability cover of £1 million and also cover for "cancellations and curtailments" together with cover for lost or delayed baggage and cash.You should note that Europe-only cover is cheaper than further afield and therefore only select wider cover if it is appropriate. Lastly, ensure that the company you are dealing with is covered by FSA regulated underwriters.Bear in mind also that the new EHIC card (free from www.dh.gov.uk/travellers) will provide free or discounted health care costs in the EU, but does not cover any repatriation costs.Useful sites for comparisons and costs are Travel-Insurance-Web for Europe-only travel and Insure For for world-wide travel.ReferencesJudith Bernstein, Susan C. Awe (1999) "Wired travellers : travel and tourism", Reference Services Review ISSN: 0090-7324 Dec 1999 Vol 27 (4) 364 - 375Cullinane S (2002) "The relationship between car ownership and public transport provision: a case study of Hong Kong" Transport policy Vol 9, (1), January 2002, pp. 29-39(11)Frost F, T Shanka (1999) "Asian Australian student travel preferences: An empirical study", Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 1999REISINGER Y, F MAVONDO (2004) "Determinants of youth travel market's perceptions of tourism destinations" Page 1. Tourism Analysis, Vol. 7 pp. 55–66 1083-5423/02 2004Sheth, A. Bertram, C. Avant, D. Hammond, B. Kochut, K. Warke, Y. (2002) "Managing semantic content for the Web", Internet Computing IEEE Jul/Aug 2002 Vol: 6, (4) 80- 87

    Article Directory: http://www.globalarticlesdirectory.com

    This article was written by Verena Veneeva professional writer working for www.coursework4you.co.uk You are free to reprint this article; however should you do so you must place a hyperlink to Papers4you
    Read more...

    Other Tavel and Vacation Tips