The Purple Passport

Seasoned advice for British Travellers

Travel Tips

Top Tips to Make Your Vacations More Exciting

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However much you love going on vacation, if you choose to travel to the same area each year, or if you revel in the same activities that you participate in at home, your trip can quickly become boring. If you are fed up with the traditional family vacation and want to enjoy something a little different, here are some top tips to spruce up your next getaway.

1. Stay Somewhere Different

Although hotels might be the easiest option when you have a family, staying somewhere different can allow you to hear about new activities and can help you to feel as far from home as possible. For instance, if you are planning to visit the Arctic Circle on your next trip, why not consider staying in an igloo or an ice hotel? If you are not adventurous to try different types of accommodation, then you should consider staying at themed hotels, such as Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney World, which allows you to look out over the park’s animals throughout your stay.

2. Go on a Unique Group Tour

If your family members are starting to argue and get fed up with one another, you should consider going on a group tour. These will allow you to see your surroundings in a new light while also enabling you to meet and mingle with other like-minded travelers. For instance, at Silverscreen Tours, they allow you to participate in Game of Thrones location tours that can take you around the locations of the key scenes from the hit television show in the heart of Dubrovnik.

3. Dump Your Luggage

There is nothing that can dampen your enjoyment of a vacation more than having to carry around heavy luggage throughout your trip. If you are struggling with the weight of your bags, and this is preventing you from being able to participate in all the activities that you have in mind, you should find somewhere safe to store it. If your accommodation does not offer a luggage hold, you should consider researching your local luggage storage centers, which are often located in stations or using luggage storage apps.

4. Be Spontaneous

Although it is essential to make an itinerary for your trip to ensure that you do not waste precious vacation time, there is value in being spontaneous. Rather than creating a timetable for your trip, you should allow yourself to explore and try any activities that catch your eye. This will enable you to experience new things that you did not even know existed before you got on your flight.

5. Enjoy the Journey

Many vacation-goers are put off from traveling long distances because their journeys can often feel like a waste of time. To make your vacation as exciting as possible, you should find ways to enjoy the trip as well as the time spent at your destination. For instance, you could read a book or watch a film that you have always wanted to, play games with loved ones, make exciting stops along the way, or go on scenic detours.

6. Experience Local Culture

If you are tired of the cultivated tourist landscape and want to see the real country that you have decided to visit, you should visit independent restaurants away from the tourist hotspots, speak to residents and consider couch surfing with a local family.

Life on the Road: 6 Things You Can Do With a Converted Camper Van

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Travel Trailer Caravaning. RV Park Camping at Night.

If you love to travel, you’ve probably dreamt of seeing the world by road at least once. What if I told you right now is the perfect time to put that dream into action?

Hotels, hostels, and homestays aren’t very safe right now.

Sure, if you stay at one you’ll more than likely be fine. However, every person at a hotel has been exposed to potentially hundreds of other people and could be sick without knowing it, and you’re no exception. Staying in hotels during the pandemic risks your life and the life of others.

If you don’t want to take the chance, traveling on your own in a converted camper van is a safer option. If you’ve ever wondered about living in a small camper, it’s time to answer your questions. Here are six things you can do when living in a camper van.

  1. Convert a Cozy Kitchen

Running a kitchen out of a van might seem daunting, but there’s no shortage of camper kitchen ideas out there. Gadgets like induction burners and Instant Pots make cooking in a camper van easier than you ever imagined.

If you prefer roughing it, cooking food over an open flame or outdoor grill has great appeal and is a piece of cake when living in a camper.

  1. Build Yourself a Porch

If a van with a porch seems impossible to you, think again. It’s simpler than you might think to create a DIY camper van porch using wooden boards and steel cables.

Easier still is the option of purchasing a camper van awning or porch kit. All you have to do is install and you have an outdoor breakfast spot that rivals the porches of most permanent cottages.

  1. Decorate a Dazzling Ceiling

There’s no way to avoid living in tight quarters in a camper van. One way to make your van seem larger is by painting the ceiling. Endless camper ceiling ideas include night sky paintings, sunsets, clouds, geometric designs, splatter paintings, and more.

Decorating your van ceiling with stickers, clings, or paints is a quick and easy project that will make your van feel homey in an instant.

  1. Light up Your Life

A common hesitation about living in a camper van is that you’re living in a metal box—the inside of an unconverted van isn’t incredibly comfortable.

One easy way to make yourself at home in a van is by adding string lights, paper lanterns, and other light features to give your camper a warm glow.

Make sure that the lights you choose don’t cause a fire risk, though. Living in tight quarters makes fire safety all the more important.

  1. Converted Camper Van Lifestyle Ideas

There are a wide variety of things you can do to a camper van: renovations and upgrades abound for maximum comfort on the road. What you can do with a camper van, though, includes not just mechanical and cosmetic improvements, but refers to a whole camper van lifestyle.

Taking a vacation or living in a camper van long-term requires a lot of lifestyle compromises. If you’re traveling with companions, you won’t have all the privacy and space you’re used to. You won’t always be able to compartmentalize and will have to do all your day’s activities in one small space.

Some of these compromises are downsides of living in campers for some would-be travelers. However, some of these lifestyle changes can lead to a better life for you and your traveling group.

For example, cramped eating conditions can easily be solved by eating outside, whether in chairs next to your van or on an installed awning. Work and leisure activities can also be taken outside. You may be able to maximize your space by taking to the top of your vehicle, too.

These are just a few ways that changing your lifestyle to suit living in a camper van creates exciting new opportunities. The frustration of changing your ways soon leads into great calm stemming from a simpler life.

  1. Making the Most of Your Vehicle’s Abilities

Finally, if you’re asking what you can do with a camper van, perhaps you should take a moment to ask what you can’t do. Camper vans are sturdy vehicles that make all kinds of daring travel easy. If you drive carefully with proper campervan insurance, you can live a life more exciting than you ever imagined for years and years.

Whether you take a safari through wild grasslands, travel along stormy coasts, or set up camp deep in the woods, there’s no denying that living in a camper is key to opening such doors.

You can live in a camper van without going offroad and immersing yourself in nature. However, it’s worth taking advantage of your camper’s intended purpose a couple of times to get a feel for what the machine can do. Combining the comfort of your homey camper with the untamed beauty of the outdoors might open your eyes to an outdoor lifestyle that’s more accommodating than you thought possible.

Travel the World With Peace of Mind

After reading this article, you know six exciting ideas for living in and remodeling a converted camper van. While you’re planning your next trip, take a look at our site for all the advice you need on your globetrotting adventures.

We know it can be hard to find advice suited for British travelers, so we publish articles with you in mind. Click around and look at our other articles and you’ll have a safety net of quality advice to fall back on during your next trip.

Animal Vacations: 5 Destinations to Get Up Close to Animals

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Any vacation gives you a refreshing change from daily chaos, but a vacation that involves animals is special. You and your family experience living beings you could never interact with on a daily basis. It gives you perspective and memories that can last a lifetime.

There are plenty of destinations throughout the world that put you up close and personal with wildlife. To start your travel wishlist, check out these animal vacations.

1. Galapagos Islands

Few places in the world are more famous for animals than the Galapagos Islands. Located in Ecuador, this island cluster is known as the animal nirvana that inspired Charles Darwin to discover the theory of evolution.

The Galapagos Islands feature animal species you’ll find few other places on the planet. In fact, islands home to the only tropical penguins in the world. They’re also a habitat for sea lions, albatrosses, giant tortoises, iguanas, and more.

2. Bandhavgarh National Park

The most famous furry resident of Bandhavgarh National Park in India is the majestic tiger. The park boasts the highest density of tigers in India, so you’re likely to spot one or two on your trip.

Beyond tigers, there are 22 species of mammals and 250 species of birds throughout the park. The 600-square-mile reserve hosts striped hyenas, sambar deer, and barking deer to name a few.

3. Bali Bird Park

Bali is a bucket list destination for anyone who loves the natural wonders of the world. Those natural wonders include flying wildlife.

The Bali Bird Park features a stunning 5,000 birds representing over 250 species. To provide the ultimate home for all its winged residents, the park is divided into “regions” that mimic each bird’s natural habitat.

4. Manitoba, Canada

Few animals have more respect and natural beauty than the polar bear. As awe-inspiring as it is to see these bears in person in their natural habitats, that isn’t an opportunity we often get.

For that reason, the town of Churchill in Manitoba should be on your globe-trotting list. During October and November each year, polar bears follow a trusted migration path through Canada. Churchill happens to be right along that path.

During this treasured time, visitors will be able to see polar bears making their trek out of their own windows.

5. Great Barrier Reef

As much beautiful wildlife as there is to explore on land and in the air, there’s a whole world under the ocean’s surface. Few places in the world will let you experience that world the way the Great Barrier Reef does.

Despite its tricky name, the Great Barrier Reef is actually a collection of around 3,000 coral reefs. Located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, the reef is home to thousands of species of fish, coral, and mollusks.

Top Animal Vacations for Your Bucket List

As much as you may love your furry friends at home and the wildlife in your backyard, you don’t have to limit your experiences to your own region. The incredible animal vacations above will give you and your family the rare chance to collect with wildlife around the world.

For more fantastic vacation ideas, check out more articles on our site.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Business Travel

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During the beginning years of any startup, it isn’t easy to spend a large amount of cash on business travel. But you should look at the pros and cons of business travel and find out if business travel is necessary or not. Sometimes the business travel can turn out to be more successful than expected as you will be able to meet your client’s face and face and discuss important matters with them that you won’t be able to discuss through emails or on the telephone.

Due to this, your company would stand out from your competition, as most of the companies would prefer communicating over the internet. Hence, business travels are necessary to achieve the company’s long-term plans. Writemypaper123.com prepared a list of things that you need to consider while going on business travel:

Spend your time wisely

If you need a good ROI (Return on Investment), you will need to manage your time properly. If you are planning on a one-day trip, you must depart on the first flight, and come back on the last flight for that day. It would help if you also considered the benefits of extending your trip to multiple days. One of the benefits can be less stress, as hustling to and from the airports in a single day can be quite stressful. You might end up giving an underwhelming performance in your meeting due to this stress.

Conduct a cost analysis

Before confirming everything, you should carry out a cost analysis, and see if travelling is beneficial for the company or not. If you realize that going on the trip is not that beneficial, then you should save the money for another trip where you could achieve much more.

Choose a team member to represent the company

As your budget would not allow for the entire team to travel, you should only send that team member who would be critical for the meeting. You should send a salesperson if you would like to explain the product to your client during the meeting or send someone from the technical department if you think that the client might ask certain difficult questions related to the product. You should go in yourself if the meeting requires someone who has the power to carry out a decision or send another executive of the company.

To get the most out of this trip, you should utilize the four tips that are mentioned below:

1. Communicate clearly

Communicate with you client clearly what you expect. If you are travelling to have a face to face meeting with your client, you should let the client know that precisely. Furthermore, it will help if you also ask for a referral from the client before adjourning the meeting, as it is of extreme importance. It is not easy to say ‘no’ to your request on the face. Therefore, it is the best time to ask for it.

2. Use your money sensibly

It would help if you learned to spend your money sensibly. If you find a hotel that is cheap but is far from your client’s office, booking it might cause you to lose in the long run, as you will have to take the time lost and the money spent in transportation into account as well. Combine as many meetings as you can in one trip as it might save you a future trip.

3. Carry on with your usual duties

It would help if you kept on carrying out your usual duties even while travelling. It would help if you kept in contact with your office through emails or mobile phone. You should always respond to any message that it sent your way as quickly as possible.

4. Manage your tasks

You should learn to organize and manage your tasks properly. You should choose your delegates and instruct them to professionally deliver the company’s message if you are not available to deliver them.

The Top Reasons to Let Travel Agencies Book Your Holiday

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While technology has altered the way people do various things, one thing has not changed much, and that is booking a holiday. That’s because having a travel agent by your side to handle some of your holiday tasks, such as choosing a destination and booking accommodation can make a huge difference.

If you want to visit a particular destination, for instance you want to visit Kochi, all you have to do is give the travel agency a call, and then they’ll book you any flights to Kochi.  Travel agencies are experts when it comes to traveling and so you won’t have to worry about anything.

If you are still not convinced about why you should let a travel agency book your holiday, continue reading this article to get more reasons.

They will save you time and money

A lot of people believe that travel agencies are very expensive. But in reality, you can save more money if you let a travel agency to book your holiday. Planning a trip, especially a business trip can be quite time-consuming and you may not have the time. Additionally, searching for places to have fun at your intended destination may also take your time. Travel agents know these places because they deal with them almost daily. They are also up-to-date with promotions and deals. So they will basically handle all these tasks of planning a trip for you, hence saving you time.

They provide additional bonuses

As an individual, when searching for the best rates and deals on the internet, you may not see everything that an airline or a hotel offers. Travel agencies have connections, so they can provide you with better-packaged deals with a hotel or airline such as Air India. The travel agency will also ensure that you get the best deals possible.

They provide a human touch

Travel agents care about your feelings and the things that you want. There are amazing deals on the internet, but you should know that what you see is not always what you get. By using the same travel agent to book your business trips or holidays, he or she will become more familiar with your likes and dislikes. And so he or she will ensure that the holiday becomes perfect.

All you’ve to do is to give them a call and let them know your plans, and then they will arrange everything you need for your holiday. This personal touch can have a huge impact on your trip.

They are there for you in case things go wrong

In life, nothing is certain and anything can happen anytime. To be honest many things usually go wrong than right. You may miss a flight or it may be canceled altogether. This might be stressful. But a travel agency has the necessary resources that can help them rebook your flight and make sure that you reach your destination. Additionally, during high seasons, many people travel and that can make it overcrowded. A travel agency can make the process easier for you.