Travel Tips Quarterly
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January
February March 2015 |
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Scroll down to view these articles!
How to Be More Spontaneous While Traveling Unique Destinations for Snorkeling Make the Most of Long Layovers Ancient Cities to Explore Follow these links for helpful tips!
Know Before You Go - Rules for Bringing Items into the U.S. Weather Info for Your Destination Airline Passengers' Rights State Department Travel Page International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Center Tips for Traveling Abroad Airport Status and Delays Info Worldwide Directory of Tourism Center for Disease Control Travel 
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Trusted Tips from Your Travel Advisor
Sally with MG Travel San Diego Being your travel advisor is more than offering you enchanting vacations to the far reaches of the globe. It also involves offering you personal support and helpful advice to enhance all your travel experiences, whether near or far.
The Travel Tips below are chock-full of important information that will help you travel the world safely and efficiently. Our agency simply wants you to have the best experiences possible, wherever you travel. As always, please feel free to contact us about your future travel plans. Happy travels! Sally with MG Travel San Diego |
How to Be More Spontaneous while Traveling
To experience as many attractions and museums as possible at the destinations you visit, you often must stick to a strict schedule. While this is ideal for checking boxes off your to-see list, it leaves little room to be spontaneous. Which is a shame, since spontaneity can lead to magical moments you would have never experienced on an over-scripted vacation.
Here are four tips to add a sprinkle of spontaneity to your next travel adventure:
Location, Location, Location - Many of the tour operators we work with know the importance of staying at a hotel that's located in the heart of your destination. With numerous attractions, restaurants, museums and public transportation options within walking distance, a new adventure awaits every time you step out the hotel's front door.
Rank Your “Must-See” - Put a value on all of the attractions you think you “must see” and rank them. Then delete some of those that fell to the bottom of the list. This will free up time better spent to see where the day takes you.
Sight See Early - Once you have your list of “must see” attractions, make it a point to visit them early in the day. This gives you the freedom and flexibility to spend your afternoons however you want.
Enjoy a Plan-Free Day - Several cruise itineraries feature a day at sea, where passengers have no choice but to relax and let the salty ocean breeze gently guide them from activity to activity. On your next journey, be sure to plan one of these plan-free days for yourself. Your spontaneous spirit will be better off for it!
To experience as many attractions and museums as possible at the destinations you visit, you often must stick to a strict schedule. While this is ideal for checking boxes off your to-see list, it leaves little room to be spontaneous. Which is a shame, since spontaneity can lead to magical moments you would have never experienced on an over-scripted vacation.
Here are four tips to add a sprinkle of spontaneity to your next travel adventure:
Location, Location, Location - Many of the tour operators we work with know the importance of staying at a hotel that's located in the heart of your destination. With numerous attractions, restaurants, museums and public transportation options within walking distance, a new adventure awaits every time you step out the hotel's front door.
Rank Your “Must-See” - Put a value on all of the attractions you think you “must see” and rank them. Then delete some of those that fell to the bottom of the list. This will free up time better spent to see where the day takes you.
Sight See Early - Once you have your list of “must see” attractions, make it a point to visit them early in the day. This gives you the freedom and flexibility to spend your afternoons however you want.
Enjoy a Plan-Free Day - Several cruise itineraries feature a day at sea, where passengers have no choice but to relax and let the salty ocean breeze gently guide them from activity to activity. On your next journey, be sure to plan one of these plan-free days for yourself. Your spontaneous spirit will be better off for it!
Unique Destinations for Snorkeling
Anyone can snorkel. Swimmers and non-swimmers alike can bob atop the water, with floatational assistance if necessary, peering down through the depths to see the ocean's dazzling splendor on display. For a snorkeling experience unlike any other, aim for one of these dive-worthy destinations:
Akumal, Mexico - Some sites provide the whole kit-and-caboodle of underwater attractions; others focus on mainly one thing. Akumel, south of Cancun, falls in the latter category due to its amazing abundance of turtles. You could spend the entire day snorkeling in these clear blue waters, swimming with giant sea turtles in their natural habitat.
Churchill, Manitoba - Snorkeling? In Canada? You betchya! Every June, once the ice breaks away, thousands of Hudson Bay beluga whales head to their summer home in the Churchill River. Once you're properly suited with a wetsuit and cinched booties, you can dive in to watch a pod of snow-white belugas race right beneath you, causing your heart to skip a beat.
Crystal River, Florida - Another gentle giant awaits you in the warm waters of Florida: the West Indian manatee. Swim calmly with these creatures, and they'll stay with you for up to 15 minutes at a time. Some will allow you to touch them, but only if they initiate the contact!
Grenada, West Indies - Why walk through a museum when you can swim through one? In water as shallow as six feet deep, you'll find a reef teeming with a 65-piece sculpture garden that was originally placed here to restore the bay's ecosystem.
Rock Islands, Palau - For an other-worldy experience like no other, head to the South Pacific island of Eil Malk, where you can swim in a lake filled with jellyfish as far as the eyes can see. The golden and moon jellies of Jellyfish Lake have completely lost their sting over the years, giving you a chance to swim in a swarm of ethereal, underwater beauty.
Anyone can snorkel. Swimmers and non-swimmers alike can bob atop the water, with floatational assistance if necessary, peering down through the depths to see the ocean's dazzling splendor on display. For a snorkeling experience unlike any other, aim for one of these dive-worthy destinations:
Akumal, Mexico - Some sites provide the whole kit-and-caboodle of underwater attractions; others focus on mainly one thing. Akumel, south of Cancun, falls in the latter category due to its amazing abundance of turtles. You could spend the entire day snorkeling in these clear blue waters, swimming with giant sea turtles in their natural habitat.
Churchill, Manitoba - Snorkeling? In Canada? You betchya! Every June, once the ice breaks away, thousands of Hudson Bay beluga whales head to their summer home in the Churchill River. Once you're properly suited with a wetsuit and cinched booties, you can dive in to watch a pod of snow-white belugas race right beneath you, causing your heart to skip a beat.
Crystal River, Florida - Another gentle giant awaits you in the warm waters of Florida: the West Indian manatee. Swim calmly with these creatures, and they'll stay with you for up to 15 minutes at a time. Some will allow you to touch them, but only if they initiate the contact!
Grenada, West Indies - Why walk through a museum when you can swim through one? In water as shallow as six feet deep, you'll find a reef teeming with a 65-piece sculpture garden that was originally placed here to restore the bay's ecosystem.
Rock Islands, Palau - For an other-worldy experience like no other, head to the South Pacific island of Eil Malk, where you can swim in a lake filled with jellyfish as far as the eyes can see. The golden and moon jellies of Jellyfish Lake have completely lost their sting over the years, giving you a chance to swim in a swarm of ethereal, underwater beauty.
Make the Most of Long Layovers
Layovers happen. Travel consultants like us always try to get you to your final destination as swiftly as possibly, but sometimes there are obstacles—such as gaps in schedules or delayed flights—that create lengthy layovers. Fear not! Here are a few ways to make the most of your time spent between flights:
Stretch those Legs - After spending hours sitting in a plane, the last thing you should do during a layover is sit down, watching the clock. Take a brisk walk around the airport terminal, or even around it if you don't mind going through security again. The next leg of your flight will go much smoother once you've kicked the dust off.
See those Sights - If your airport is attached to the local public transit system, or if it's centrally-located, hop on the metro or take a tab to take in the local sights. A six-hour layover flies by when you spend that time experiencing a destination for the first time.
Use those Forks - The quality of restaurants inside airports has risen exponentially in the last decade. Wherever you are, check out the full list of restaurants and splurge on one of the fancier ones. After a slow, large feast of the highest quality, you'll be in a better position to relax on the next leg of your journey.
Grab those Zzz's - Long layovers typically occur when you're flying to the far side of the world. Get a head start on converting to the new time zone by sleeping at the airport. Many terminals have dedicated sleeping sections or reclining chairs just for this purpose.
Layovers happen. Travel consultants like us always try to get you to your final destination as swiftly as possibly, but sometimes there are obstacles—such as gaps in schedules or delayed flights—that create lengthy layovers. Fear not! Here are a few ways to make the most of your time spent between flights:
Stretch those Legs - After spending hours sitting in a plane, the last thing you should do during a layover is sit down, watching the clock. Take a brisk walk around the airport terminal, or even around it if you don't mind going through security again. The next leg of your flight will go much smoother once you've kicked the dust off.
See those Sights - If your airport is attached to the local public transit system, or if it's centrally-located, hop on the metro or take a tab to take in the local sights. A six-hour layover flies by when you spend that time experiencing a destination for the first time.
Use those Forks - The quality of restaurants inside airports has risen exponentially in the last decade. Wherever you are, check out the full list of restaurants and splurge on one of the fancier ones. After a slow, large feast of the highest quality, you'll be in a better position to relax on the next leg of your journey.
Grab those Zzz's - Long layovers typically occur when you're flying to the far side of the world. Get a head start on converting to the new time zone by sleeping at the airport. Many terminals have dedicated sleeping sections or reclining chairs just for this purpose.
Ancient Cities to Explore
Cities, like the civilizations that spawned them, have risen and fell during mankind's vast history. However, many ancient cities still stand, surrounded by thriving, modern cities. To walk down their labyrinthine streets, see their crumbling walls and behold their cultural locales is truly an experience to relish. Here are four ancient cities you can easily enjoy:
Athens, Greece - The Acropolis, the ancient citadel that houses The Parthenon (among many other structures, including Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Nike), is thousands of years older than the great building itself. A simple walking tour of the Acropolis, built more than 7,000 years ago, will transport you to another time like no other place in the world.
Gaziantep, Turkey - Located at the crossroads of civilization itself, where the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia meet, Gaziantep has been known by many names throughout the years. And through those years, travelers have come from far and wide to experience the city's baths, cisterns and mosques that still stand today.
Luxor, Egypt - For centuries, Luxor was, simply, the most powerful city in the most powerful empire. Bisected by the mighty Nile, the city's West Bank houses some of history's most influential figures, who you'll find in historic repose in the Valley of the Kings.
Jerusalem, Israel - The Old City's narrow streets take you past more than just lofty stone walls and crumbling buildings that been destructed and resurrected over the eons. They also lead you past the holiest sites of three world religions, including the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Temple Mount.
Cities, like the civilizations that spawned them, have risen and fell during mankind's vast history. However, many ancient cities still stand, surrounded by thriving, modern cities. To walk down their labyrinthine streets, see their crumbling walls and behold their cultural locales is truly an experience to relish. Here are four ancient cities you can easily enjoy:
Athens, Greece - The Acropolis, the ancient citadel that houses The Parthenon (among many other structures, including Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Nike), is thousands of years older than the great building itself. A simple walking tour of the Acropolis, built more than 7,000 years ago, will transport you to another time like no other place in the world.
Gaziantep, Turkey - Located at the crossroads of civilization itself, where the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia meet, Gaziantep has been known by many names throughout the years. And through those years, travelers have come from far and wide to experience the city's baths, cisterns and mosques that still stand today.
Luxor, Egypt - For centuries, Luxor was, simply, the most powerful city in the most powerful empire. Bisected by the mighty Nile, the city's West Bank houses some of history's most influential figures, who you'll find in historic repose in the Valley of the Kings.
Jerusalem, Israel - The Old City's narrow streets take you past more than just lofty stone walls and crumbling buildings that been destructed and resurrected over the eons. They also lead you past the holiest sites of three world religions, including the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Temple Mount.
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