Wishing You a Happy, Safe Holiday and Festive Season

TravelTipsPlus.com would like to take the time to wish everyone, the world over, a very happy and safe holiday season. We understand there are differing celebrations depending where you are in the world and where your cultural background lie. Your location can also vary the length of holiday season you experience.

We are particulary thinking of our friends in Europe and on the east coast of America that have been hit by harsh winter conditions during the past week and making it almost impossible for them to get to their travel destinations.

Photo by Joanna Young

Here in Australia we are about to celebrate our festive season and summer holidays. The school children will enjoy a good 5-6 week break and many families take the opportunity to have a summer holiday. Many flock to the popular beaches or large river systems that offer swimming, relaxing and many water activities.

Photo by Squirmelia

So, images of Christmas trees covered in snow and foggy windows donned with decorations are quite foreign here in Australia. No matter where you are this Holiday Season of 2009, enjoy it with your families, stay safe and all the best for a healthy, prosperous 2010.

Please leave a comment telling of your where abouts and what your Holiday Season plans are.

We’d love to hear!

A Collection of My Favourite Travel Quotes

Many of the following quotes I’ve collected and tweeted during the time I have been on Twitter in conjunction with my daily dream, travel destinations. Most of the quotes attract a number of valuable RTs (Retweets for those that aren’t on Twitter!). It was time to gather them up and share them. I find them very inspirational!

“Life is not about the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away”
Unknown

“If you go only once around the room, you are wiser than he who stands still”
Estonian Proverb

“A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike”
John Steinbeck

“There are two ways of getting home, and one of
them is to stay there”
G.K. Chesterton

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination”
Roy Goodman

“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, learn about them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable”
Denis Waitley

“The real voyage of discovery is not in discovering
new lands, but in seeing with new eyes”
Marcel Proust

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the
ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover”
Mark Twain

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left”
Chinese proverb

and, finally…

“Since life is short and the world is wide, the sooner you start exploring it, the better”Simon Raven

Travel SMART – Set Goals and Plan

To achieve the travel you desire you must set yourself goals. The goals need to be achievable. A goal, in order to be effective and drive people towards it, should have the following characteristics. The goal should be Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-constrained. In other words, it must be a SMART goal.

Be a SMART Traveller

1. Specific

The travel goal(s) should be specific. Detail is what matters. Avoid generalisations; get to the point and crux of the matter. Specify your immediate travel desires. Then plan to go after it. For example, take that tropical island, dream destination holiday: “I have always wanted to…” seems a little general when compared with “I will travel, with my family to Fiji for a holiday of two weeks within the next six months”.

 2. Measurable

The SMART travel goal must be measurable. This goes along with being specific. A goal defined specifically might already be measurable. The above mentioned goal stated intention, involved parties, location, purpose and a timeframe – all measurable elements. A measurable travel goal, like going to Fiji, with a family of four, including two children under the age of five, within the next six months helps you identify, plan, execute and track more efficiently and increase your odds of actually making it there! Considering the logistics in this fashion, makes it that more realistic to enable your family to take the planned trip of a lifetime, as opposed to just dreaming about it!

3. Action-Oriented

A SMART goal must also be action oriented. It cannot merely be stated. You must relate the goal to doing something, to indicate what needs to be done. An action verb will indicate what needs to be accomplished. “I will travel” is a good example of an action statement, stated intent and implies preparation and planning, will and persistence.

4. Realistic

For any goal to be motivational and get you committed to reaching it, it must be realistic. When a goal is not realistic and the person does not really believe it can be reached, then the commitment is lacking and the effort will not be there to permit the goal to be realised.

Choosing realistic goals are based on your present status. What jumps to mind right away, is whether and how you can afford it and make it happen!

5. Time-Constrained

In order for a goal to move people towards it, it must be time-constrained. A timeline needs to be associated with it. It will entice people to move towards the goal. The timeline set, will be based on the goal itself and the present status. Six months is stated here as a realistic timeline, leaving enough time to save, plan, book and take your well-deserved holiday to Fiji, OR anywhere else YOU have chosen to go!

The acronym below summarises the advantages of planned, goal driven travel for your inference and reflection:

S – Smart, well informed and structured
M – Memorable, kilometers
A – Advantage
R – Rigorous and regular
T – Thorough

So You Want To Go It Alone?

Kirsty Going it Alone, Gallipoli, Turkey

I have not undertaken a huge amount of solo travel but when I have, I found it quite different from travelling with a companion. I’m not sure I would choose to travel by myself often. I found it a little lonely and when I saw/experienced something amazing, I found myself looking around for someone to be able to say “Wow, did you see that” or “Look, isn’t that beautiful”. I also felt I was limited with where and when I could do things. In saying that, I do realise that there is not always this choice. I have a compiled a list that will aid the solo female traveller to be prepared!

1. Advice Regarding Your Documents

Prior to your departure check for the latest travel advice to ensure it is considered a safe destination. Check that you have all the necessary documentation. Make two copies of all papers, travellers cheques etc, one copy to carry separately from the originals and leave the other with someone at home. 

2. Arriving/Departing from your Destination

When travelling from your accommodation to the airport/train station or vice versa, go with a taxi recommended by the accommodation place and avoid arriving to your destinations late at night. 

3. Safety in Numbers

Travel in a group if you intend visiting somewhere considered ‘off the beaten track’ and avoid going on your own to remote areas/ruins where tourists don’t generally go. Take a guide or seek local advice. 

4. Accommodation

When arriving in a new town, keep to your original plan and stay in the accommodation you originally chose. Don’t let the taxi driver persuade you that it is now full and that he knows of a cheaper/better one. He’ll be working on commission and the accommodation, more than likely, won’t be in a safe part of town.

5. Valuables

Keep all valuables well hidden at all times and don’t wear expensive looking jewellery. That is inviting trouble, especially in under-developed countries. Leave your valuables in your accommodation safe when making long day trips. Obtain a receipt not just for your money belt/wallet etc but for its contents, with everything itemised.

6. Advice Regarding Your Carry Bag

When putting your bag down on the floor, to take a photo, or on public transport, or just to sit in a cafe, remember to put your foot through the strap. Not only does this make it harder to snatch, you’re less likely to forget it! 

7. Remain Confident and Keep Your Wits About You!

Most importantly, look “Confident” at all times! Walk with a purposeful stride and an air of ‘I know where I am and where I need to get to’…even if you don’t. Don’t ever look like easy prey.