allh

Although I don’t travel much these days, over the past years I have been fortunate enough to visit some lovely countries – Austria, Bavaria, Switzerland, France, Spain … and more. I am getting itchy feet and am about to plan some more overseas travel.

One thing, though, as I get older, I worry more about stuff – such as having adequate travel insurance to give me a safety net should I fall ill – or just fall over! So, before I start planning the trips for the year, I’m investigating taking out adequate travel insurance cover for myself and my husband – and would strongly recommend that you do the same.

That’s one way to make sure I have peace of mind on holiday.

Have a lovely time at New Year – and I wish you all the best for 2008.

Keep safe, keep well – and don’t forget the travel insurance.

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Top Tokyo Hints

Posted by on December 22, 2007

Guest article by Stuart Cheese

In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, every time we add a new destination, the questions come flooding in and so when Japan came on line the questions, especially about Tokyo, was no exception. So here are my top hints for your first trip to Tokyo.

You are going to do a lot of walking. So wear comfortable shoes. Tokyo has more than its fair share of trains, subways, monorails, taxies and buses. But depending upon where you are staying, once any of these modes of transport get you to roughly were you are going, then it’s time to let your feet do the rest. Tokyo is an amazing and vibrant city and without doubt the best way to see and experience it, is on foot

Drink lots of liquids. There are almost no diet fizzy / soda drinks on sale in Japan. This is apparently because the Japanese are generally very fit people and just do not drink them. To every rule there is of course an exception and in this case it is Coke Light (aka Diet Coke). The problem this can cause is if you are a diet drink drinker, you may find yourself simply not taking enough liquids on board. If you are a calorie counter, you may find yourself saying no to drinks when normally you would say yes. So just try to make a mental note and be sure to top up your body with a bottle or two of water or maybe a fruit juice.

If you like to eat, Tokyo is gastronomic heaven! Tokyo proudly boasts over 60,000 restaurants. Fortunately in most of them, language is not an issue as wisely most of their menus carry pictures of the food too, so as a last resort you can just point at what you are trying to order. A lot of restaurants all have plastic mock up display items, so you can often just point a what you fancy.

Tokyo can be expensive when it comes to food, but this is more only the case in hotels and high class restaurants. Locals keep eating out costs down by eating in local restaurants. As in most big cities the other way to eat cheaply, depending upon your personal preference is fast / junk food. Tokyo has all the worldwide standards including 7-11, Subway, Burger King, Wendys, KFC and of course McDonalds. Even if you are not a fast food fan, some of the above are worth a look, as unlike in so many other countries, these restaurants do have a uniquely Japanese feel to them.

A camera is a must. Tokyo is an amazing place to take photos, be it the landscape, the architecture or the people and as you would expect, even if you want them there and then, getting your photos printed out is not an issue. Tokyo is technology capital of the world and theres plenty of places offering a while you wait service for photographs and of course, assuming you are using digital cameras, there no problem in picking up an extra memory card or 2 if you are running out of room for all those pics.

Taxis are the last resort. As mentioned previously, there’s lots of ways to get around Tokyo and if going on foot is the best, then taking taxis is probably the worst. The only reason for this is the traffic means the journeys are long, not the end of the world, but they are expensive and like with many big cities, with taxis charging (in this case) a lot for standing time, then unless you have money to burn, then Taxis really should be the last resort.

Most Japanese don’t speak English. so its not a bad idea to take a phrase book. Even if you do not get understood with your attempts to massacre the Japanese language, you can at least point out the phrase (in Japanese of course) and they can read it for you. If you make sure you get a English – Japanese / Japanese – English phrase book, this is good as even if they cannot answer you, they will at least in theory be able to find the answer in the book and point it out to you.

Keeping Connected. If you are looking for internet access in Tokyo and in the unlikely event your hotel does not have it, there are plenty of internet Cafes dotted around the city and more and more wifi / ireless internet access is available (sometimes for free but usually at a charge)

And Finally

Mini bars cost the earth. This is true all over the world but especially in Tokyo (and the rest of Japan for that matter). Anything from the minibar is going to be very expensive, so pick up any snacks and drinks you may need before returning to your hotel. Your wallet will love you for it.

About the Author

Stuart Cheese is the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours and, having visited over 110 countries, has a wealth of travel experience.

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Holiday Accommodation In France – A User’s Guide

Posted by on December 20, 2007

Guest article by Glynis Shaw

If you’re planning a holiday or break in France, you’ll find an almost bewildering choice of accommodation. At the top end are luxury hotels, usually found in big cities and smart coastal resorts or in converted chateaux in the countryside. Also in rural areas are auberges, country inns that offer basic comforts and often have a restaurant attached.

France has several big hotel chains – many of them excellent value – but they tend to be close to motorways and ring roads. This is convenient for an overnight whilst travelling but not so inviting for a holiday, when you want to relax in pleasant surroundings. At the economy end, camping is popular and camp sites are usually clean, well-equipped and efficiently run.

But by far the favourite choice of Francophiles in the know is self-catering accommodation. If you think this sounds basic or hard work, think again.

Modern gites and holiday houses are just as likely to have designer-look interiors, to provide a maid service and to boast facilities like DVD player, central heating, English satellite TV and dishwasher. The properties themselves range from bijou town apartments for a romantic weekend through charming country cottages to huge family farmhouses with swimming pool and grounds – not forgetting the occasional chateau or converted water mill.

When planning your holiday, there’s a big advantage in being able to browse every detail of properties on a specialist website like French Connections, whose listings cover most of France, and then have direct contact wit the owners, many of whom are British. Once you’ve arrived, enjoy a great sense of freedom to do whatever you want whenever you like. Sleep until noon or get up early and take a trip to the local market to buy delicious locally grown produce or warm croissants from the baker. Relax around the pool all day and spend the evening sampling the local food and wine. Self-catering accommodation is not only for summer holidays.

There are great choices for skiing and other activities such as fishing, painting, cycling and riding. And why not take an out of season break or a long weekend? Many property owners are happy to be flexible on holiday start days outside the peak months and to negotiate lets of a month or more. Whenever you decide to hop across the channel, renting your own home from home will allow you not only to stay in a beautiful location but also to sample a slice of real French life.

About the Author

Glynis Shaw is http://www.frenchconnections.co.uk, the French property website for renting a holiday home, farm house, gite or villa in France, or to buy and sell property in France.

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