The Purple Passport

Seasoned advice for British Travellers

travel

First Time in Asia: 5 Savvy Travel Tips for Your First Trip to Southeast Asia

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How many times have you returned from a vacation only to wish you’d done some things differently while you were there?

That’s okay if your adventures were just around the corner. It’s another thing altogether if you’re planning to join the ranks of the 323 million tourists who visited Asia in recent times.

If you’re heading off to spend time in Asia, take note of these tips so you don’t have any regrets after your trip.

1. Make the Most of Your Time in Asia

This doesn’t mean try to cram as much of the place into your travels as possible. Sure, it’s a wonderful idea to take in all the famous sights and activities on offer, but try to keep it simple.

You’ll get far more out of the experience if you focus on a few destinations and explore them thoroughly. Rushing from place to place is hardly enjoyable or relaxing.

2. Pack Light

Seriously, Southeast Asia is pretty advanced. You’ll find great hotels and shops in all the main centers.

You don’t need to bring all the comforts of home along with you. If you need something, you’ll probably be able to buy it.

Plan to do doing laundry every chance you get. That way, you can get away with packing fewer clothes.

3. Prepare Thoroughly

Before you leave, make sure that you’ve gotten all the necessary vaccines for Southeast Asia. While you can get your inoculations in Bangkok on arrival, you don’t want to waste precious time searching for a clinic when you get there.

Anti-malarial medication will spare you the agonies of this tropical disease. However, there’s nothing like a good insect repellant to save you from buzzing annoyances throughout your stay.

If you do need a visa for Southeast Asian travel, you can get one on arrival. The trick is to come prepared.

Make sure you have US dollars and passport photos handy at the time. You can also save time by printing out the necessary online forms and filling them in beforehand.

4. Travel Differently

Don’t confine yourself to using standard public transport like planes, trains, and buses. Hire a bike, hop on board a tuk-tuk, or take the ferry.

When you try something new, the journey can be as exciting as the destination.

That said, hiring a scooter can be fraught with risk. The crowded urban roads are daunting and everyone drives on the left. Mastering these two aspects at once may prove a little much, even for experienced scooter drivers.

5. Change Money on Arrival

Hotels and airports aren’t the best choices if you’re after a good exchange rate. Rather, opt for a local bank when exchanging your currency.

Be sure to keep plenty of cash on hand as you travel. You’ll need it for tips, fares, and attractions. If you want to use a credit card for some purchases, make sure you have one that doesn’t charge a fee for foreign transactions.

Keep Exploring

One of the best ways to prepare for a trip abroad is to research destinations before you leave. Travel bloggers and tourist sites are filled with helpful information for incident-free journeys.

Whether it’s some time in Asia or you’re after or other lifestyle tips, you can rely on us for the latest information. Keep browsing our website for more.

How to Plan an International Trip: Tips and Tricks for Your Travels

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Travel can be exciting, fun and it’s supposed to broaden the mind too. Over 41.7 million Americans agree. That’s how many U.S. citizens traveled abroad in 2018.

If you’re about to travel out of the country, you need some tips that can help make it an experience to remember. Read on to learn how to plan an international trip.

How to Plan an International Trip

Like many things in life, a successful international trip takes planning. Treat it like a project and your careful preparation will make your trip of a lifetime a wonderful experience and not a chaotic disaster.

Use a simple planning tool such as timeline creator to visualize your itinerary. It makes it easy to check where you are meant to be at any time.

Research

There are some dull and serious things you need to do before the holiday fun starts. Check out the safety and security of your trip. The government publishes travel advisory and alerts about any countries where there are risks.

You should check the published information about the countries you will be visiting. Check entry and exit requirements and any visa requirements. Do this as soon as possible to resolve any issue as it can take some time.

Check local customs, laws, medical facilities and transport arrangements. Take a note of the U.S. embassy or consulate address and telephone number.

Check any vaccination requirements or other health risks. Get vaccinations organized in plenty of time.

Money Preparation

Let your bank know that you will be taking a trip. This will make it less likely that they will block your card thinking that it may be stolen. While you are doing this, check how best to obtain local currency, use credit or debit cards and use ATMs in your destination country.

Prepare Documents

Just to be safe, make a couple of copies of your travel documents in case of theft or loss. Take one set with you but keep it apart from the originals. Leave the other set at home with a friend.

Obtain a passport. It might take several months to get one so plan ahead. If you already have a passport many countries require the passport to be valid for more than six months after your return and have two or more unstamped pages remaining in it.

Some countries require a visa. See the U.S. government travel advisory to check this. If you need a visa, contact the embassy of the country you are visiting for details about how to obtain one.

Medication

Not all countries share U.S. regulations about medications. If you are taking prescriptions drugs abroad you should check that they are permissible in the countries you are visiting. You may need some documentation to take with the drugs.

Driving

Driving abroad can be a challenge. Not all countries drive on the same side of the road or have the driver’s position on the left side of the vehicle. This can take some adaptation.

Some countries do not accept a U.S. driver’s license. Check if you need an International Driving Permit. When renting a car, check the insurance cover you get thoroughly before you travel to avoid expensive surprises.

Plan for Fun

Planning well can reduce mishaps and distractions from the enjoyment of your trip. It leaves you free from travel anxiety. Now you know how to plan an international trip, you can plan to have fun.

Keep browsing our site for more exciting travel tips.

6 Different Trip Ideas for 2020

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The cost of travelling has significantly reduced in recent years, and now you can find a cheap flight to Asia, or to the other side of the world on a budget airline for a reasonable price. Travel enriches the mind, as well as the soul, and it’s well renowned as being the only one thing you pay for that makes you richer.

If you’ve long been thinking about taking the time to escape your usual routine and enjoying a break next year, then be sure to begin putting a plan into action now. It’s never too early to start figuring out whether you want to embark on a cross-country road trip, hop on an indulgent Mediterranean cruise, go interrailing, languish over a series of city breaks, or a staycation.

For all of this, this guide has got you covered.

Road trip

Life is for the living, and it makes sense to do as much travelling as you can possibly afford, and what’s more indulgent and lusted after than a road trip, especially one moving from state to state in the US? Of course, you don’t need to necessarily travel through the US, but some of the routes in America are famed as being some of the very best in the world.

When making a final decision on RV rentals, ensure it has enough space to enjoy time to yourself away from your travel buddy, as well as air conditioning, a freshwater toilet, microwave, shower, refrigerator, generator, and a gas cooktop. Some rental services will allow you to travel alongside your dog, so it’s worth enquiring whether your pooch can get in on the action too.

Road trips can experience bad press due to questions of safety, so always be sensible, never knowingly take risks, and be alert when driving at all times. Ensure you’re prepared and well before your departure date.

You will need the following, and these are crucial, so take note:

  • Notes on compiled research concerning particular trailer parks, and parking permits
  • License and registration number
  • A copy of your car insurance policy
  • The vehicle’s manual
  • A spare tyre
  • A roadside emergency kit.

Learn the language before you depart

Although this isn’t necessarily a trip in itself, endeavouring to grasp the language spoken in your chosen destination is going to open up so many more possibilities to you, and travelling plans may well naturally form for you. If you can communicate with others around you, the chance of being invited along to events, bars, parties, and excursions will increase tenfold.

You’ll be able to ask after recommendations, as well as engage with interesting people.

Mediterranean cruise

Cruises afford the ultimate luxury, convenience, and easy living for their duration. By nature, you’re cruising over some of the most fantastic and tantalising shore and coastline in the world. Your needs are taken care of, there’s no washing up to do, you can easily have your laundry completed, and you can dine on some real gourmet food, enjoy daily visits to the spa, and lounge on the top deck soaking up the warming rays.

Having said this, cruises are not for everyone. Those who prefer to get out and explore may want to consider another trip for 2020, but for those looking for a slower approach to relaxation in 2020, a cruise could be for you.

Interrailing and railways

Interrailing has been a rite of passage for young people for many years now, and although it’s been met with some controversy in recent years, it still remains a hugely popular way of exploring European cities and enjoying a whistle-stop tour of many places in a reasonably short space of time.

You can create your own interrailing journey simply by collating train tickets, and hostel stays along the way. This would provide you with a less rigid form of travel, and you can explore at your own pace. Look into the best railway journeys in the world, and choose which sounds the most exciting, engaging, and exploratory to you. Consider the likes of the Trans-Siberian Railway if you’re ready to brave the bitter cold in Russia, Siberia, and Mongolia, and pass through onto China (your final stop).

The experience is truly electric, and you won’t be forgetting your chilly adventure anytime soon, that’s for sure.

Rally of city breaks

You can keep this one cheap, or blow the bank with this suggestion. It depends on what kind of trip you’re ideally searching for. If you’re seeking indulgence and luxury, then you can book yourself into glorious all-inclusive hotels with a pool, fine dining, and spa facilities, or you can go down the budget route and crash in hostels, eat street food, head out on foot with a large backpack, and generally explore how you would as a backpacker.

Each of these has their advantages and disadvantages, so you will need to weigh up your options before ahead and choosing. You can travel through France, and onto Spain, then Portugal, for example, or could adventure through France, into Italy, then Germany, and finally reaching Switzerland.

Staycation

Think about it, have you really explored the country you live in? If you’re squinting your eyes and thinking dubiously, then chances are, you know in your heart that you haven’t. If this is a safe assumption, then you should try to head out and see more of the land you spend most of your days. Okay, it’s not the most exotic idea to form this guide, but it’s the one that’s closest to home and also, very likely, the cheapest. If you’re not particularly flush, then staying at home to enjoy a holiday may be just the ticket. There’s a bevvy of delights in your home country, it just requires time and planning to navigate your way around, and perseverance.

Consider driving from one end to the other, or driving across the landmass and stopping off in several locations. You can do this in a campervan, by hopping on and off public transport or even donning your walking boots, traversing some of the most outstanding national parks, and setting up camp along the way.

5 must-read tips ahead of a family holiday

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It is likely that the whole clan will be excited for an upcoming holiday, as it will allow you all to have fun, enjoy some freedom, and spend quality time together.

Despite the many wonderful moments a holiday will have in store for you all, it can be easy to make small and large mistakes before and during your break away.

To ensure you have a smooth, enjoyable experience, here are five must-read tips ahead of a family holiday:

1. Pack birth certificates

If you are set to travel alone with your kids who have a different surname or are adopted, you must pack their birth certificates and even their adoption papers before leaving for an airport.

It can prevent an issue from arising at border control that could lead to you missing your flight.

2. Don’t forget the travel vaccinations

If you’re planning to visit an exotic destination, you will likely be researching the best sun lotions for your kids, stocking up on fun beach towels and ensuring that every family member has appropriate clothing to wear. Yet, you might not have considered the need for travel vaccinations, which could protect you and your children from various diseases, such as:

  • Malaria
  • Rabies
  • Yellow fever
  • Japanese encephalitis

It is, however, essential to book an appointment with your doctor many months in advance, which will ensure that you, your other half, and your children all receive the appropriate immunisations to protect against foreign illnesses.

3. Book child-friendly flight times

Long flights can lead to tiredness and irritability for your kids and could make parents wish they had remained at home.

To ensure you don’t regret your decision, you should pay a little extra for child-friendly flight times.

For example, if your children are under the age of five years old, you should attempt to secure an early morning flight, as young kids tend to become a little crankier as the day wears on.

It might also be beneficial to book a room at a hotel airport, which can eliminate hassle and stress prior to travel.

4. Rent a Car

Travelling via public transport with your kids on holiday can be a nightmare.

If you want to take the stress out of journeying from A to B, you should rent a car at your chosen destination.

For example, there are car hire services at Malaga airport available, which will allow you to jump into a vehicle as soon as you have passed through security and claimed your luggage.

So, you can quickly transport the kids to your accommodation once you have left an airport.

5. Pre-Book as much as possible

While turning up at a landmark, attraction or restaurant might have been fine before you welcomed kids into the world, it might not be the best option when you have tired, hungry and irritable children in tow.

It is a smart idea to pre-book as many activities and restaurants as possible, which could also help you to skip lengthy queues, and will ensure you have more time for fun at a destination.

3 Kid-Friendly Vacation Ideas

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When it’s time for a holiday and you have kids in tow, you’ll probably be wondering where to go and what to do in order to keep boredom at bay and score some time for yourself to relax, put your feet up, and unwind.

Here are three kid-friendly vacation ideas to help you plan a memorable getaway that every member of the family will be sure to appreciate.

Theme parks in Orlando, Florida

Many parents and children alike will agree that Orlando, Florida in the USA is the mecca for kid-friendly holidays and heaps of family fun. The main reason is that it’s chockfull of theme parks for every mood and every interest. From the Walt Disney World Resort, where they can meet their favourite Disney characters, to SeaWorld® Orlando, which is home to Orlando’s tallest, fastest, longest and only ‘floorless’ coaster known as ‘Kraken®’.

With a brand new rollercoaster set to make its debut in 2020, you can be sure that there won’t be a single minute’s worth of boredom the entire vacation long.

Worried about the prices for Orlando park tickets? Fear not. It is possible to take advantage of numerous incredible ticket deals on offer, including FlexiTickets and Combo tickets which allow you to visit multiple parks over a specified period of time at a massively discounted price.

It’s the best way to get maximum enjoyment and the maximum bang for your buck.

Beach life in Mauritius

You can’t go wrong with a traditional family beach holiday in Mauritius. When the kids aren’t swimming in the ocean or digging moats in the sand, you can be almost 100% certain that the resort or hotel in which you’re staying also hosts a vibrant kids club. These clubs are designed to keep children busy for a few hours so that the parents can also make the most of their holiday experience by hitting the spa, savouring a cocktail poolside, or working on their tan.

There are also countless water activities for adults and older kids to take part in, including water skiing, surfing and snorkelling. New to these sports? The great news is that most hotels offer lessons at an affordable fee.

Skiing in France

You’ll find some of the best child-friendly ski resorts in France. For example, Avoriaz, which has prime position in the centre of the gargantuan Portes du Soleil, is a firm family favourite.

It’s a charming resort and a top pick for beginner skiers and snowboarders, making it the perfect choice for little ones whose skiing skills aren’t quite up to scratch just yet. Plus, kids of all ages will love the fact that sleighs are the main mode of transport in the area!

Skiing in general offers a great opportunity for families to bond, and is an alternative to a sun-drenched getaway for those who are looking to engage in more activity rather than lazing around. It’s time to put the kids’ boundless energy to good use!

Don’t let family vacations stress you out. With a bit of careful planning and a clever destination choice, you’re all sure to get maximum enjoyment out of the experience and return home feeling fulfilled, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle any new challenge that comes your way!