The Purple Passport

Seasoned advice for British Travellers

John Telford

6 Reasons to Explore Africa This Summer

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Choosing a destination for your summer holiday is never easy, especially when everyone wants to experience something different from the trip. Usually, this results in you booking a hotel in a resort that offers something for everyone, from the beach and pools to entertainment, and of course, the option to explore the destination a bit more. However, if you are becoming bored with the same old routine when it comes to holidays, and want to experience something new, then here are 6 reasons to explore Africa this summer.

1. It’s family-friendly

No matter the age of your children, Africa makes for the perfect destination for a family holiday. The accommodation available is perfectly suited for children, and the attractions and sights will be able to captivate their young minds. The kind-natured locals will be more than happy to recommend places to go and things to see and help your little ones make the most of their time in Africa.

2. It offers different experiences

The great thing about Africa is that it offers so much, from bustling capital cities to luxurious safaris and stunning landscapes. With a wide variety of travel tours offered by Boss Travel, you can explore Africa the way you want to. If you are after something perfect for the entire family, then check out the Family Tour of Kenya, but if you are keen to experience Africa with luxury in mind, then the Micato Grand Safari is ideal.

3. Wildlife

Africa is home to many well-known species of animal that can all be seen up close, surrounded by stunning scenery on a safari. However, the best thing about Africa is that you are never too far from wildlife, even in the city. Spot the brave zebras at the edge of the busy cities, and keep an eye out for the whales that can be seen while exploring Africa via a coastal walk.

4. It offers perfect weather

Most destinations can offer great weather, but it is never a guarantee. However, Africa has, on average, 300 days of sunshine each and every year. This kind of reassurance of good weather is what attracts many people.

5. The unspoiled sights and attractions you can behold

If you’re after unspoiled sights that leave you a little breathless, then Africa is the place to go. Check out Victoria Falls in Zambia, and even take a dip in the pools at the side of the falls to cool down, or explore the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, which is the world’s largest unspoiled dry volcanic caldera. Better yet, experience the thrill of watching thousands of wildebeest and zebra embark on the journey to find new living quarters – a natural event that occurs every year before the changing seasons. You will be amazed at the sight before you.

6. The beaches

Unlike beaches in popular holiday resorts, the beaches in Africa offer a totally different experience of peace and quiet. With warm crystal-clear waters crashing gently against the white sand, you can relax on the beach as the kids swim with dolphins. Not only this, but the calm waters on the coastal beaches make it the perfect destination for snorkeling.

Africa truly is a place of wonder that will stay with you forever. It will provide you with a once in a lifetime experience that will leave you wanting more.

Hola! Bonjour! 9 Key Benefits to Studying Foreign Languages

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Around 75% of Americans can only speak one language.

This is a tragedy considering the many benefits that we can gain from studying foreign languages.

Are you considering learning a new language? No matter whether you choose Spanish, Dutch, Swahili, or Mandarin, you’ll find there are many good reasons to!

In this article, we’ll look at just a few of the top benefits that come when studying foreign languages. We guarantee you’ll be reaching for your textbooks in no time.

1. Improve Your Memory

If you find that you forget basic things on a daily basis, then learning a language could be the answer for you. But sadly, only 7% of American students are enrolled in a foreign language class.

When we learn a language, our brain function is improved which means we remember more and more!

Furthermore, it doesn’t matter where you start your language learning journey for you to see these benefits. No matter whether you’re a novice or picking up a language you knew as a kid, you’ll be aiding your brain.

2. Delay the Onset of Dementia or Alzheimers 

Currently, it’s expected that a third of Americans will die with dementia. It may sound completely unbelievable but by learning a second language, you will delay the onset of illnesses such as dementia.

Researchers believe that this works by keeping your brain engaged. As with any muscle, if you don’t use your brain power, you’ll slowly lose it. But, there are many aspects to learning a language that engage different parts of your brain.

Start by picking up a language textbook or download an app such as Duolingo to boost your brain health. With just a few minutes of listening, reading, or writing per day, you’ll be on your way to warding off brain illnesses.

3. Impress Future Employers

You don’t need to be fluent in a second language to impress an employer. Proving that you’re spending your free time learning a language will show that you’re hardworking, committed, and interested in other cultures.

However, if you are fluent in another language, then there are many companies that hire polyglots too.

For example, Netflix requires employees who can translate text or write subtitles. Alternatively, you could become a digital nomad and travel while teaching languages online.

Furthermore, by speaking more than one language, you will likely earn up to 20% more than your monolingual coworkers.

4. Make New Friends

Surely, one of the best reasons to learn a language is to converse with people while you’re abroad. Think of all the new friends you will make now that you can understand each other.

Perhaps you want to learn a second language to engage with someone who recently moved into your neighborhood? You’ll brighten up their day and improve your own life too!

There are hundreds of benefits to making new friends including increasing your feelings of belonging and boosting your confidence. Friends also help us reduce our stress levels!

5. Develop Confidence while Traveling

Is there anything more exhilarating than being outside of your comfort zone? Traveling is one of the best ways to do this!

Not knowing where you’ll eat your next meal, where you’ll rest at the end of the day, or who you’ll meet along the way is exciting.

But, sometimes it can be difficult to travel and not know any local language basics. If it has always been your dream to travel around South America, then make sure you start learning Spanish a few months in advance.

Check out this course to boost your language skills and make traveling easier!

6. New Respect for Other Cultures

It can be easy to see the way others behave as foreign or strange. When we develop language skills, we also gain respect for different cultures.

Therefore, by learning languages, you’re broadening your mind, becoming more tolerant, and going beyond the horizons of your local town.

While you’re learning, why not read books by famous authors in the language they were written in? This is one of the best ways to learn about a new culture and way of life.

7. Increase Your Creativity

Are you stuck in a creative rut? Instead of sitting in front of your computer or notepad for hours on end trying to create something new, take a break and learn a few foreign words. By doing this, you’re boosting your brain activity.

Over time, you’ll increase your creative capacity and find that it’s easier to enter a creative mindset. Famous polyglots include Hemingway, Mark Zuckerberg, Bradley Cooper, and Will Smith.

Furthermore, you’ll notice that other aspects of your life improve as you deal with problems in a more creative way!

8. Your First Langauge will Improve

Surprisingly, by learning a second language, you will improve your skills in your mother tongue. Not only will your vocabulary knowledge expand significantly but you’ll notice interesting links between your own language and your second language.

Learning will also raise your intelligence levels! Perhaps this is because you’re forced to think deeply about grammar rules and word meanings.

9. Become a Better Multitasker 

Do you struggle with multitasking? Those who can switch between multiple languages are much better multitaskers than their monolingual friends.

As a result, if you’re always being told by family that you’re terrible at juggling tasks, start learning a language!

Studying Foreign Languages is Fun

It can be all too easy to give up while studying foreign languages. Set yourself achievable goals and try to practice for around 15 minutes per day.

In absolutely no time, you’ll find that you are able to have a conversation in your second language. They say you’re truly on your way to fluency when you start to dream in your second language too!

Have you found this article interesting? Check out the rest of the website for similar content!

4 Must-Visit Islands While Touring Mexico

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Are you planning a vacation for the much-needed get away from your busy to reconnect with your family, friends, and inner self? Well, among the top considerations while thinking of a vacation is the destination.  Choosing a destination can break or make your vacation quests, stressing the need to evaluate what it offers before making the final decision. From the goose bumps of spotting incredible scenery, a day with nature, the adrenaline rush from thrilling activities, to relaxed experience as you take in a spectacular sunset/rise, not to mention lazy strolls on sandy beaches, you need to ensure that a destination can cater to your needs. The good news, however, is that with insights from a resourceful travel blog, you find inspirational materials to pick an ideal destination, plan the itinerary, and get the most out of your vacation.

While choosing a vacation destination, Mexico can hardly skip your eye. With breathtaking sceneries, rich culture, and mouth-watering cuisine, your vacation endeavors in Mexico will be nothing short of memorable. With over 5000 mi coastline averaging close to a 100 Islands, your tour in Mexico can’t be complete without touring some of the idyllic islands. While planning your Mexico tour itinerary, here is a look at the top Islands you need to include for a memorable experience.

Isla Holbox

Have you been dying to explore virgin beaches? Well, your dreams are about to come true; Isla Holbox has yet to be fully explored, and with most of its land in Yum Balam Natural Reserve being undeveloped, your exploration will be more than exciting. Don’t, however, wait too long as the word is out and spreading fast, and before long, this haven will be flooding with tourists across the globe. With pleasant weather, soft beaches, and gentle breezes, your two hours drive followed a ferry ride will be more than satisfactory as you sample local cuisine from small boutique hotels, relax in wooden beach bars, or follow the popular hammocks trend stretched over the waters.

Isla Mujeres

Located off Cancun’s coast, the small and quiet island is a low-key destination whose popularity has rapidly grown. Isla Mujeres is a fantastic destination ideal for snorkeling and relaxed beach experience. While the island is home to a small fishing community, its history is inspiring, having been an ancient Maya religious site. While touring the island during summer, your visit will be kicked a notch higher by interacting with whale sharks, the large and tender giants that swim in the warm waters. The unspoiled haven is an excellent destination as you can also taste local cuisines from the local hotels and seaside restaurants as you take in the stunning beaches’ experience.

Isla Marietas

Located off the coast of the state of Nayarit, and known for its “hidden” keyhole crater opening to a majestic white-sand beach with turquoise waters when the tides are low, the uninhabited Islas Marietas is among the must-visit islands while touring Mexico. With active conservation efforts, the islands, ones used as a test site for the Mexican military, prides of rich biodiversity, marine life, and bird population that will quench your tour goals. Among the exciting things, apart from relaxing on the beach, is spotting incredible animals, including dolphins, blue-footed boobies, sea turtles, and whales (mostly during winter months), among others.

Cozumel

The Caribbean island is a haven for divers. With its warm, crystal clear waters, marine life, and stunning white sand beach, Cozumel is surrounded by the world’s second-largest coral reef system, Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, providing an excellent diving experience. The island is quite developed, with a range of large resorts to quench your tour needs, including a taste of the local cuisine.

Islands have a unique appeal. While touring Mexico, on a romantic getaway, a family tour, or an all-out thrilling adventure, you can easily find an island packed with amazing features to satisfy your quests. If you need more inspiring travel stories and photographs to plan your next tours, explore apenoni.com for an extensive reach.

Should You Take Out a Loan to Travel?

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There is no doubt that travelling has countless benefits. In addition to having some fun, it gives you the chance to explore different places, relax, and learn and try out new things among many other benefits. However, travelling requires money. You need money for your ticket, accommodation, food, activities and souvenirs. So, what happens when you want to travel but don’t have enough money to pay for it? Should you wait until you have enough, or should you take out a loan and travel right away? This article highlights some of the key reasons why taking a loan out to travel can be a good idea as well as instances when you shouldn’t take a loan.

Cost is Spread Over a Couple of Months

When you take a loan to travel, you will make the repayments over a couple of months. This spreads the burden, especially when you are taking an expensive trip. For instance, when taking a trip in January, instead of covering the whole amount in January, travellers can consider short term loans from sites like LoanPig that can be repaid in three to twelve months.

No Need to Postpone Travel

Loans can also be helpful when you want to travel at a certain time but don’t have enough money for it at the moment. Maybe you wanted a summer trip but by the time you save up enough, it will be snowing. In such a case, you can weigh the benefits and cost of the loan and apply for the financing you need to make your trip a success.

Travel When You Have Free Time

Loans can also make it easy to travel when you get some free time but hadn’t planned financially for a trip. Maybe you just got some days off work or you are taking a business break and you just get the urge to take a short vacation. Since it may be a while before you get some more days off, you can consider taking a loan and travelling while you have the time.

However, as stated above, there are times when you shouldn’t take a loan to travel. And when you decide to take one, you should think about your decision carefully. Consider these three points:

  • Before you apply for the loan, check the interest rates and see if it’s worth it. Also, compare loans from a couple of lenders to ensure you get one with the lowest cost.
  • Don’t take a loan to travel if you won’t be able to pay it back on time. Late payments attract interest and penalties. Also, don’t do it if it will cause you to strain financially when making the payments. It’s not worth taking a trip if it will cause you to struggle with basic needs over the next couple of months.
  • Finally, find ways to lower your travel costs so that even if you need a loan, it won’t be a big one. Some steps you can take to achieve this include taking advantage of shopping cash backs and credit card rewards, booking your trip when airfares are low, and house sittinginstead of staying in a hotel.

Hopefully this guide has helped make it clearer on whether or not taking out a loan is right for you.

Tips on Bagging Some Travel Savings by Booking Last Minute

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If you have the travel bug but your aren’t feeling flush enough to spend money on an expensive trip, then this is an article which is right up your street. Last minute travel has had its naysayers over the years and whilst there are many aspects of travel which you could once save on when you booked last minute that you no longer can, there are still plenty of ways you can bag a discount if you wait it out.

Whether you are looking for long haul savings or cheap last minute deals for a cruise, here are some top tips on how to secure them.

Flexible With Your Location

If you have you heart truly set on somewhere then you are unlikely to be able to get a great last minute discount, simply because your window of opportunity is so small. If however you simply want to get away from it all and explore somewhere new, then you are going to put yourself in a great position to be able to get a worthwhile discount. Most flight aggregators now have an ‘anywhere’ option that you can put in for destination, keep checking in and see where you may end up.

Flexible Dates

In recent years we have seen that some of the biggest flight and hotel savings are found by those who are prepared to travel and return on weekdays rather than the traditional weekend to weekend vacation. Stay flexible with your dates and you’ll be far better placed to go out and get those big savings.

Signing Up

There are few things more frustrating than an email inbox which is bursting at the seams with spam and unwanted junk mail, which is why many of us will ‘opt out’ of receiving newsletters from companies. If however you are looking to save some serious cash on your travels then it is highly recommended that you sign up to the newsletters and communications of airlines, tour operators and holiday providers. Often you’ll find some killer deals in these emails which you may very well be missing out on right now.

Following Social Media Accounts

There is an abundance of social media accounts which track airlines, cruise companies and hotels, looking to spot great last minute deals or pricing errors which you could take advantage of. Usually the deals that they share online are gone in a heartbeat which is why you should be looking to keep your finger on the pulse of the content that they are sharing.

Traveling Light

Most of the best offers that you will find on flights will not include any more than carry-on luggage, something which puts many off. If however you are able to be smart with your packing then you can take advantage of these deals. In reality you can still take a pretty sizable suitcase with you that fits into the restrictions around carry-on luggage, think smart, pack smart and save a huge amount of money on those last minute flight deals.

Wait for it… wait for it… go get that deal.