Here you will find some tips which will definetly help you in planning and enjoying your tours much better than ever you have thought. Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

1. Travel Insurance.
2. Tips to ensure a safe and stress-free holiday for you and your family.
3. A few important things to check off on your list before you go on vacation.
4. What do you keep in mind when traveling with children?
5. What should one keep in mind when traveling with an infant on a flight?
6. What things should students keep in mind while traveling abroad?
7. How to find the perfect hotel for your stay?
8. What does one pack for a wildlife safari?
9. How does one find the right island for a vacation?
10. Tips for an enjoyable international holiday.

Travel Insurance.

• Prior to departure, you may want to consider a comprehensive international travel insurance policy; they are widely available to cover such risks as medical emergencies, trip interruption, etc. Consult with your travel agent when booking your airline reservations.

Tips to ensure a safe and stress-free holiday for you and your family.

• Think before you drink - having a ‘quickie’ before enjoying sports or activities isn’t a good idea; injuries and deaths happen.
• Avoid bathing in unknown and polluted waters because this may give you ear and skin infections. Human sewage and animal faeces make some beaches and rivers 'no-go' areas for swimming or even wading.
• Never swim alone or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and never dive head first into an unfamiliar body of water. When swimming in the sea, check out for jellyfish, sea urchins, coral, sea snakes, sharks and venomous fish. Excessive heat and humidity or over exertion may lead to loss of water and salt. Drink plenty of fluids and potable water en route.
• Be careful what you eat. Contaminated foodstuffs are a common source of diarrhoeal infections. Unpasteurized milk, non-bottled drinks, uncooked food apart from fruits and vegetables that can be peeled or shelled, are likely to be contaminated. Use boiled water or bottled water for drinking. Be aware of the importance of rehydration fluids containing salt and glucose.
• To reduce the possibility of being bitten by insects or arthropods that can transmit diseases (vector-borne), such as malaria, dengue, tick borne encephalitis (TBE), use an insect repellant on exposed skin. Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats to cover exposed skin. When you visit areas with ticks and fleas, wear boots, not sandals.
• Be aware that Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria are most active during twilight periods (dawn and dusk or in the evening). Stay in air-conditioned or well-screened housing, and/or sleep under an insecticide treated bed net. Bed nets should be tucked under mattresses and can be sprayed with a repellant if not already treated with an insecticide. For malaria, prophylactic drugs should be started latest on the day of arrival in the malaria endemic areas and continued for four to six weeks after leaving the area.
• Daytime bitters include mosquitoes that transmit dengue and chikungunya viruses. Aedes aegypti (the yellow fever mosquito), a household container breeder and aggressive daytime biter, which is attracted to humans, is the primary vector of chikungunya to humans.
• For hepatitis A prevention, vaccine is available. Avoidance of contaminated food and water is an effective protective measure; against hepatitis E. Hepatitis B vaccines that are available are safe.
• Avoid sex or limit to a single faithful uninfected partner. Use of condom is an important preventive measure for STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) and HIV. Avoid injectable drugs while you are on the move unless the needle and syringe come from a sterile pack.
• Yellow fever vaccine is recommended for those who travel to countries designated as yellow fever endemic zones such as Africa.

A few important things to check off on your list before you go on vacation.

• Disinfectant and a dressing that can be applied easily.
• Sunscreen and mosquito repellant.
• Oral rehydration salts.
• People with chronic diseases such as cardiac problems, diabetes, thyroid problems etc. should carry enough medications.
• Carry a card with your blood group, allergies details on it.
• Note down the drug sensitivity if you have any and also the name of any chronic disease you are suffering from.

What do you keep in mind when traveling with children?

• Before a long car or plane ride, wrap several toys or snacks in gift-wrap or tissue and haul one out every so often. It's a great distraction for cranky kids.
• For babies and toddlers, "early boarding" just means more time in the cramped quarters of an airplane. Have a travel partner board early to get your things settled while you wait in the terminal with the kids.
• Bring changes of clothes for each child and an extra shirt for mom. Kids spill and spit up along the way, and you don't want to arrive at your destination a complete mess.
• Keep a large, up-to-date picture of your child in your purse. It might come in handy if, God forbid, she wanders off.
• Give your child a disposable camera or inexpensive point-and-shoot for trips. His perspective might surprise you.
• Kids hike longer and with less complaining if they have a big stick.

What should one keep in mind when traveling with an infant on a flight?

• Pack a small bag with just one diaper, a few wipes, a perfumed nappy sack and some rash cream if needed and place it in the seat pocket in front of you.
• Take your own baby food, bowl and utensils for an infant. Some airlines do have tins of baby food on board but most likely not what your baby likes best.
• Bring toys out one by one - get maximum use from them, pack them away, then move on to the next one.
• Make sure your airline provides a baby lap belt to attach to your own.
• Before you fly talk to your doctor about whether using sedatives is right for your baby or child.
• Take a simple change of clothing for you and for your child in case of spills. Cotton jersey worn in layers is good.

What things should students keep in mind while traveling abroad?

• Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if required. Also, before you go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport.
• Leave copies of your itinerary, passport data page and visas with family or friends at home, so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.
• Make sure you have insurance that will cover your emergency medical needs (including medical evacuation) while you are overseas.
• Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which you are traveling. Remember, while in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws.
• Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas and never accept packages from strangers.
• While abroad, avoid using illicit drugs or drinking excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages and associating with people who do.
• Do not become a target for thieves by wearing conspicuous clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of cash or unnecessary credit cards.
• Deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money to avoid violating local laws.

How to find the perfect hotel for your stay?

• The first and most important thing to do is to start planning your trip in advance to avoid not being able to find vacancy in a peak tourist season.
• While looking for the perfect hotel, keep in mind that the price may be a good clue about the quality of the services offered by hotels. Compare the prices and stay away from bargains.
• The location of the hotel is crucial. You should check it in advance, even double-check it on different websites, to make sure the hotel resides where it says it is. For instance, if the hotel's website says it is five minutes walk from the train station, ensure you understand which train station is that, as many big cities have two train stations, far away from each other.
• Don't really trust the rooms or hotels' pictures advertised over websites. You might not ever find the lovely room with a view to the ocean you saw on the website.
• The rating system should help you get a good idea about the quality of a hotel. Ask your friends about any information on the hotels in the area you want to travel.
• The best method of checking the accuracy of the information is to call the prospective hotel.
• Don't forget to post your opinion on the hotel and the region after your holiday. It'll help other tourists choose the best hotel and will spare them the trouble of indulging in tiring research.

What does one pack for a wildlife safari?

• Don't pack more than you need. Leave space for shopping, and consider weight limits for wing safaris. Carry soft luggage, shaped round like a duffel bag, so that it can be tucked away in small compartments on charter flights within the region.
• Whether you are identifying birds or simply admiring the beauty of their plumage, a good pair of lightweight binoculars is essential. Binoculars also help you to distinguish a boulder from a rhino, or identify the name of a sailboat. Keep binoculars around your neck on a smart strap. Don't weigh yourself or your baggage down with unnecessarily heavy binoculars.
• Whatever kind of photography gear you choose to use, be sure to take all the film or tape stock you might need with you. The right kind of film/tape is not always available, and when it is, can be very expensive. Include extra camera batteries for your flash/light meter, and for video cameras, take along a charger with plenty of adaptor plug-ins for foreign plugs.
• Dust is irritating to contact lens wearers, so pack a pair of reading glasses. You don't want to miss a day of writing in your journal, or reading books that enhance your journey.

How does one find the right island for a vacation?

• Make sure that if you are going to a Caribbean island, the side you stay on is the warm Caribbean seaside, not the relatively colder Atlantic ocean-side.
• If you are island hopping, make sure you have the entire island documents required, from visas to more casual permission slips. Some islands will grant visas on arrival, but don't bank on it, check and double check.
• Some islands rely on mail-boats to bring in food supplies, so take certain items you cannot do without on board. Also, research the island to make sure that you are happy to eat whatever vegetable and fruit crops are harvested on the island, because you will be served those everyday unless you are on an all-inclusive corporate mammoth of a resort.
• Ensure the customs of the people on the island are not completely at odds with your own practices.

Tips for an enjoyable international holiday.

• Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas.
• Apply for a visa at least a month in advance.
• Make 2 copies of your passport identification page. This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen.
• Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport. Make sure you have travel insurance before traveling.
• Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which you are traveling.
• Read up on the etiquette and moves of the country you are planning to visit.
• Carry telephone number and address of the India Embassy / Consulate in case of emergencies. It is better to carry a triband phone when you are traveling abroad and to use a local SIM card.
• The best exchange rates are given at banks in town, not at the airport or hotels.
• It is preferable to use a travel card for your forex requirements as compared to travelers Cheques, currency or credit cards.
• Most importantly, just use plain common sense and intuition. Traveling abroad should not be over-whelming or dangerous. In fact it should be one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences of your lifetime.