The Purple Passport

Seasoned advice for British Travellers

travel tips

Quickly Converting Travel Videos To MP3 To Extract Sounds Or Music

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Nowadays, traveling automatically means that you are going to take a lot of photographs and shoot videos. We have access to so many devices that can be used to record video as you travel so it should be no surprise to see that various software programs appear to help edit the files recorded. Unfortunately, most of the programs are really difficult to use. It can be quite difficult to make changes, especially with something as specific as extracting music or sound.

Maybe you want to extract the sound from the video of the concert you attanded on a trip or a sound of the traditional song of a country you visited. You want something as useful as Movavi Video Converter. We are talking about software that was designed to help people optimize the videos they record.

Why Use Movavi Video Converter?

The task at hand seems simple: extract audio from video files. You can even do this online with some free tools. What becomes difficult is editing and the software you want to use should definitely include many other features. This is exactly where Movavi Video Converter shines.

The program was created to help and the developers included various different features that are pretty useful. For starters, the program makes it incredibly easy to extract the audio part of a video file. Everything is done with just a few clicks. After the audio file is isolated, you can convert it to various different possible formats, including the really popular .wav and .mp3 options.

Besides the conversion and isolation, Movavi Video Converter also gives you access to different video and audio editing tools. It is really simple to cut the parts that you do not want in the end result and export formats are much more impressive than you would expect.

Is Movavi Video Converter For You?

Obviously, every single program out there is awesome for some people but not for others. Thankfully, you can take advantage of a trial version with Movavi Video Converter. Download it and see everything the program has to offer. There is a pretty good possibility it will be exactly what you need to edit your travel videos.

Travel Tips to Live By

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When you travel, you lucky, lucky person, do live by the following. You perhaps have your own tips, but have a read of these and see if they resonate.

Earlier is Cheaper

It’s generally cheaper to book your ticket sometime in advance of when you plan to travel. Although there can sometimes be shockingly cheap last-minute travel deals for holidays like a Caribbean cruise with Celebrity, tickets are usually more expensive closer to the time you want to go.

Your Passport

Memorize your passport number. Take a picture of the necessary parts of your passport and save it somewhere accessible (and in more than one place).

Cash

Always have some cash on you, even if all you’ll often need to use are your cards. In the unlikely event that you lose your cards, you’ll then have some cash on you.

Your Phone

If you’re traveling internationally and you plan to use your phone to make and receive calls, know what your phone company charges for it. It can be expensive. There’s an option to switch your phone to airplane mode so you don’t receive calls/texts.

Also, if you want to steer clear of charges when you’re on the net, using email or other data services, switch off data roaming on your phone. (How to switch to airplane mode/switch off data roaming might vary depending on the make of your phone.)

Be Flexible

Sometimes, when traveling, certain things might not go according to plan. If you’ve traveled more than a few times, you will know this to be true. It balances out, though, with the people you meet, the foods you eat and the places you go.

When you’re a bit flexible, when you factor in that some things mightn’t go quite the way you expected, it makes you are a river. A river flows over things. It flows nonetheless.

Pretending you’re a river may help you deal with other things in life such as if you ever decide to study a master of education in adult and continuing education program online. Be like a river there too.

Be Present

When you travel, really take in where you are. Taste it with all your senses. Take in the people. Take in the culture. Take in the food. Take in the surroundings, the environment.

Tell yourself or remind yourself that nothing matters apart from where you are right now. Tomorrow takes care of itself as always, and yesterday is already taken care of.

Be grateful

Traveling is a gift, a wonderful experience, an education (a bit like an online MEAD degree in adult and continuing education, but more leisurely). Be grateful for as much as you can, for the money to travel, for the wonder of being in a big metallic butterfly in the sky, for safe travels to and through your destination, for those you meet along the way (some as if they’ve been sent to you), for the food, etc.

Hopefully, some of these tips have been useful and you plan on taking on some.

Enjoy your time away whenever next you go.

A Traveler’s Guide to Pairing Drinks with Chinese Food

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Chinese food is delicious whether you have it from a great restaurant, in your own backyard, or you are traveling to one of the countless other countries around the world where it is popular. As wonderful as Chinese food might taste, it can sometimes be difficult to determine just what type of drink is going to go best with it. This is due in part to some of the exotic flavors and spices that are so often used with this cuisine.

Fortunately, we can provide you with some tips that can help you to make the best drink pairings with Chinese food.

Types of Wine for Chinese Food

Many connoisseurs agree that different types of Asian food tend to work very well with German Riesling, particularly when the food happens to be quite spicy. The sugar in the wine is said to work well to balance the spice.

SeriousEats.com has said that the acidity in wine is what makes it work well with spicy food, including Szechuan fare. Their article agrees that Riesling, along with Chenin Blanc can work very well with spicy Chinese food.

Those who are enjoying some Dim Sum will find that there tends to be different types of food options and spice levels. This can make picking the right wine trickier. However, choosing wines that have high acidity and significant weight tend to be a good choice.

Fetzer and Hogue Gewurztraminer wine works well when paired with shrimp fried rice, and red wines, such as Malbec and Shiraz can work for Chinese food items that utilize a lot of BBQ sauce. They’ve also mentioned that light Chinese dishes often work with Alpha Estate Rose.

What Beers Work with Chinese Food?

While wine might be a popular drink choice, you do not want to forget about the possibility of pairing beer with your Chinese food. According to BirchBox.com, the basics of choosing a beer to pair with food tends to be relatively easy. You want a lighter beer for lighter fare, and a heavier beer with heavy dishes. However, this does not always make it easier to know what works best with Chinese food. Here are some tips.

If you are having some spicy food, as many Chinese dishes are, you will find that an India Pale Ale, or IPA, does a good job of cutting through that spice. A pilsner is often a good choice for lighter food, such as seafood. If you are having a dish that has roasted meat, a porter could work out nicely for you.

As you can see, it does not have to be difficult to find the right drinks to pair with your Chinese food. Once you find a few combinations that you like, you might even want to branch out and try some other options, just to see how it all tastes!

Tips for Sticking to Your Shopping Budget While Travelling

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If you think about it, the need to shop was what brought expeditions around the world. Think of the Portuguese or the English setting sail out in the world because they were looking for spices and silk from across the globe. So it is not surprising to realize that even today, shopping and traveling seem to go together.

In fact, for globetrotting shopaholics, they find that it is probably one of the best ways to get to know a place. Haggling with the local merchants and purchasing their products can be thought of as immersing yourself in the culture. However, as exciting as shopping sounds, it is not without its problems. Apart from negotiating prices, the most significant challenge is making sure we get to stick to our travel budget.

After spending for flight tickets, hotel accommodation, and travel insurance, striking a balance between rewarding yourself and following a budget might seem daunting. There is a way to save money and still come home with arms full of goodies — just follow these tips!

Avoid the big brand names

When traveling, try not to buy from big brands for one simple reason: they are available at home, too. Yeah, there is something unique about being able to experience buying Givenchy or Zara in France, but that limits your buying options. Pretty soon, you might not have enough money left to purchase local artisan or handicraft wares exclusively available in small local boutiques.

Do your research first

While it is tempting to buy from every little shop you encounter, looking up where you can find genuine local products will help you get a good deal. For instance, in Japan, there are lots of shops that sell the kimono. However, not being local would mean you would not know what to look for when shopping for a kimono other than its design and size. So the best way to make sure you end up buying good quality items is to do your homework at home first and look it up.

Additionally, the estimated price should be part of your research. Knowing the cost range will help you decide how much you can allocate for shopping, and how much will be left for food and other expenses.

Get familiar with the range of products and prices available

It is a good idea to allot time to browse around shops before actually shopping. This will give you an idea of the price range available for every merchandise. And honestly, if you think a particular deal is too good to be true (and it probably is), just familiarising yourself with the prices will help you decide where and which items to buy.

Learn the different ways to haggle

Some merchants allow their customers to haggle for the price, make sure you take advantage of that opportunity. Haggling methods vary from place to place, and if you are uncomfortable to negotiate on prices, you need to learn the different strategies for haggling. Some areas would prefer it if their customers are assertive, while others would be more amenable to your negotiations if you say it in a softer tone. So make sure that while you are browsing items, you observe how people around you are haggling, then adapt.

Follow these tips, and you will surely have no problems buying to heart’s desire without hurting your travel shopping budget. Good luck!

5 Simple Travel Hacks for Your Next Trip

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Almost everyone loves to visit a new destination, but few of us actually enjoy the process of getting there. Travelling can be frustrating, dull and stressful, particularly if you’re having to deal with flights, layovers and connections, and all the administrative stress that goes along with it. Add to that the joys of packing, dealing with hotels and the inevitability of forgetting something important, and it’s no wonder many people are exhausted by the time they reach their destination.

However, travel needn’t be so stressful, and with a few simple tips and tricks you can take some of the pain out of your next trip. Here’s 5 of our favourite travel hacks to help you on your next holiday:

Packing Jewellery

Jewellery isn’t the easiest thing to travel with, as it’s easy to lose or break, particularly during long journeys. If you’re taking a lot of jewellery, you can put smaller pieces into an ice cube tray and wrap a sheet of cling film around it to secure what’s inside. For more delicate pieces or breakable accessories such as glasses, you can secure them inside school binders or plastic folders. No more chipped statement necklaces or broken Ray Ban glasses!

Charging without the plug socket

Forgot your plug adapter or left the plug section of your charging cable at home? You can use the USB port on the back of the majority of hotel TV’s to charge your phone.

Roll your clothes

Instead of folding your clothes normally, try rolling them instead – they take up much less space in your suitcase and allow you to pack far more. It’s also easier to pick out a certain shirt without having to take everything out of your bag shoe storage

That space inside your shoes is wasted when they’re packed in your luggage, so take advantage of this unutilised space to fit more in your bag. Your shoes are an excellent place to put your socks, accessories or any small items without taking up any additional space.

DIY toothbrush holder

You can use an empty Tic Tac box as a toothbrush protector, keeping it clean while it’s packed in your bag and stopping it from picking up general fuzz or makeup dust.