The Travel Geek

Archive for the ‘Travel Tips’ Category

Call it a nightmare or just another boring task, packing for a vacation, no, let me rephrase that, packing for a family vacation can be a tedious task for some. Usually the mom gets stuck with remembering all the necessary items like, clothes, toiletries, electronic items, and much more. A family vacation is all about having fun with everyone, spending quality time together, and unwinding. But before you get to do all that and relax, you have a crucial task of remembering everyone’s important items for the vacation. Take a look at the following detailed vacation packing lists that can be used for pretty much any type of family vacation. Here’s your packing list for travel.

Family Vacation Packing List

Before we start the packing list for vacation, think about exactly where you’ll be going and what type of climate is it. The following list can be used for any/all family vacations. Read more on what to pack for a vacation.

Dad’s Clothing
•    Athletic shoes
•    Belts
•    Boxers
•    Casual shirts
•    Dress shoes
•    Hat
•    Pajamas/robe
•    Sandals
•    Flip-flops
•    Shorts
•    Booklight
•    Sunglasses
•    Sneakers
•    Pants
•    Sports jacket
•    Swimsuits
•    Tie
•    Undershirts
•    Workout clothes
Mom’s Clothing & Accessories
•    Bathing suit
•    Bras & Panties
•    Lingerie
•    Dresses
•    Skirts
•    Slacks
•    Jewelry
•    Tank/halter/sleeveless tops
•    Heels
•    Straw hat
•    Workout clothes
•    Purses
•    Sneakers
•    Sweater
•    Robe
•    Socks
•    Sandals
•    Sarong
•    Shorts/capris
•    Sunglasses
•    Fake diamond engagement ring (leave the real one in a safety-deposit box till you return)
Son & Daughter
•    Shorts
•    Shirts
•    Pants
•    Baseball hat
•    Swimsuits
•    Pajamas
•    Socks
•    Sneakers
•    Underwear
•    Sandals
•    Dresses
•    Skirts
Baby
•    T-shirts
•    Light blanket
•    Breast pump
•    Bottles
•    Formula
•    Shorts
•    Swimsuits
•    Toys
Common Toiletries
•    Shampoo & conditioner for adults and kids
•    Bath soap/shower gel
•    Moisturizing lotion
•    Deodorant
•    Nail clippers
•    Q-tips
•    Sunscreen
•    Razors
•    Hairbrush/comb/hair clips/scrunchies
•    Diapers & wipes
•    Training pants
•    Swim diapers
•    Earplugs
•    Hand sanitizer
•    Washcloths
•    Contact lens care
•    Makeup
•    Bugspray
•    Toothbrushes, toothpaste, special kids’ toothpaste, dental floss
•    Tissues
•    Shaving kit
•    Lip Balm
Money & Documents (for international trips)
•    Addresses for sending postcards/e-mail
•    Auto insurance card
•    Driver’s license/international driver’s license
•    Cash Copy of medical history, if necessary
•    Copy of marriage license
•    Photo ID
•    Passports & visas
•    Vaccination certificates, if required
•    Emergency numbers & embassy address
•    Frequent flyer/frequent guest cards
•    E-ticket confirmation
•    Your itinerary
•    Vouchers/coupons/tickets
•    Pre-paid phone card
•    Travelers checks and receipts
Medical
•    Anti-diarrheal medication
•    Antibiotic cream
•    Anti-itch cream
•    Band-Aids
•    Birth control pills
•    Bug repellent
•    Prescription medicines
•    Extra pair of eyeglasses
•    Sea-sickness bands/pills
•    Pain reliever
Miscellaneous
•    Cellphone and charger
•    Binoculars
•    Playing cards
•    Sports gear (tennis rackets, golf clubs)
•    Maps and directions
•    Camera case
•    Travel guide(s)
•    Foreign-language dictionary or phrase book
•    Underwater camera
•    Journal/notebook and pen
•    Travel alarm clock
•    Umbrella
•    Blow dryer/straightening iron
•    Digital camera, batteries, memory cards
•    iPod/MP3 player and headphones, batteries
•    Reading material

If you are making a tour to the Costa Rica then let me inform you that the most popular way of transportation here are the public transportations and of the Costa Rica private transportation it’s the taxis, and the rental cars, in spite you might also take a small plane in order to reach from one part of the of the country to the other part.
Then to get around the Costa Rica it is a must to rent a vehicle.

It’s more preferable to rent a 4×4 vehicle, more so if you belong to the adventure-type and plan to make it to the jungle hikes and making it to the less touristy regions. If you wish to fly right into the San José and you then plan to hit the beaches, you are about 3-4 hours off the nearest beach. The transportation services are standard enough to allow a comfortable journey.

You can also take public transit which is a lot more economic, about 5 US dollar to reach the west coast from the downtown San José. In spite of the fact that it is a very economic choice, it might be a little confusing and dangerous more so if you are traveling all by yourself.

Be cautious of the Hidden Charges

Never sign on any of the blank contracts or the contracts having missing dates or any other of the blank information. Double check the rental contract by means of reading it for multiple times. The contract should be in English, and if they make an effort to include bogus charges right into the contract then never sign it and you better then look for another company. There is nothing as such the “heat/AC” charge or the “maintenance” charges, all of that pure bogus.

So, if you are going to the Costa Rica then make sure you travel safe.

Owing to the past experience here I present to you 5 of the most essential tips that every traveler must adhere to before making the booking for the cheap flights to the land of Ireland. The tips are as follows:

1. Make the Booking for Your Flight Well In Advance

As one of the common rules, flight fare increases along with the nearer you get to the date of departure. With a view to achieve maximum benefits the best thing that you can do is make bookings for your flights as early as possible.

2. Fly to one of the Major International Hubs

If you reside close to a city like the Los Angeles, Chicago or the New York where the international flights generally come and go, then you are simple having a great benefit. Flying straight out of these cities are surely going to save you pretty handy cash and thence your flight to the Ireland are certainly going to be suitably non-stop.

3. Remain conscious of the Discount Airfare sites

Seldom are the economic flights to the land of Ireland available on the discount airfare sites such as the Expedia or even the Travelocity. As a matter of fact, I would recommend you of making use of them only for comparison purposes. Once you decide on a specific flight, make bookings for it directly from the main airline’s site. The reasons for this are mainly in the customer service stuffs. Airlines are seldom a bit hesitant in terms of proving you with aid in the event of an issue.

4. Take into consideration the One-Way Flights

The best thing is often to manage a one way flight which curtails down the percentage of luggage loss to almost zero and also promises to offer you with the best possible relaxing experience.

So, these are few of the main tidbits that you can adhere to before selecting a flight to Ireland.

In this era of globalization where time is money where would you choose to spend the fifty two weekends, eight bank holidays and twenty four days holiday each year, where do you see yourself spending your leisure period? This cumulates as many as 136 days of holiday every year, which by any means isn’t a short period of time by any standards. Therefore, why not spend your leisure period in a luxurious and comfy holiday home?

There are many advantages of the Holiday homes over a hotel or such like accommodation systems and majority of these have serious issues to deal with like the privacy and the freedom. You are at your own, even if this does not signify doing anything you like. In majority countries pools are received by you as a standard and you won’t have to bother sharing with other outsiders.

The benefits derived from a holiday home are endless for families especially the bigger ones. Adequate space are available to chill out simply like the way you do at home, and there will seldom be sports rooms in order to keep the kids engaged in having fun whilst still being at your sight especially for the typical modern safety and security conscious parent. Meal times will also not be fixed, thereby you can fix the timing of your meals as and when it suits the best for your family or you can even arrange a BBQ. On the contrary, in the closed and far less spacious hotel rooms this can’t even be dreamt of.

One more thing that the Hotel rooms will never offer you is enough space for storage, on the contrary holiday homes will be bestowed with luxuries such as walk in wardrobes added with a lot of drawers to safely keep all your beloved clothes and other stuffs. If you seldom bother about running short of fresh and dirt free clothes when you return home simply don’t be bothered, dryers & washing machines are a commonplace.

These positives might sound great, but locating a typical holiday home can be far simpler to talk of than done. Majority of the people chooses to do all the paper works via an agent, but this in turn means paying inflated prices as a portion will be go into agent’s pocket. However, a few established websites are there which puts you in direct communication with the owners of the holiday homes. So, by directly contacting with him you will be able to get the Holiday Home at the exact price offered by the owner.

Some of the expenses for the business travelers can be really are turned down. With the economic recession under process, businesses are certainly looking for newer ways of saving money while travelling. Make use of these tips with a view to cut down the costs and make more savings.

Previously, you could simply walk straight into the airport and snag cool last-minute deals on the air line flights. But that’s not the case anymore. The airlines have curtailed the total number of flights being offered and then overbooking those that they perform. This signifies that as the flights get filled, the fare for seats get more expensive. The earlier you make the booking for your flight the things are way better. Usually, the prices rise as the demand increases.

Hotels function in the very the same way. It is almost a rare case now to find a suitable hotel of late which is having a constant room rate. As the hotels get filled, the rooms which are unoccupied turn into more valuable ones. Therefore, it turns more troubling for those occupants.

Renting a car is generally more economic than making use of a taxi service or even a shuttle service. This is more so true if you’re not too choosy about what kind or size car you are wishing to get hold of. Check with the credit card firms, banks, insurance companies, and the professional affiliations with a view to get special discounts or the economic rates. In addition to this, you can also make an online search for the coupons. A lot of the people make a deal where you get to rent a car for a single day and the next one day is totally free. Therefore, you could take a car on rent for two days, managing yourself the second day for free totally, and then again rent a car from some other company, cutting down the overall car rental fees into half. One more option available for the city is to select a hotel nearby a public transportation hub which enables you to travel at a cheap rate wherever you require going.

Therefore, try and save money behind travelling on business all round the year following these simple tricks and a real difference can be seen by you in no time.