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Package Holidays or Independent – what is the best value?
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011 /

We all see fantastic package holiday offers advertised all the time, but do they give the value they appear to at first glance? Unfortunately, the only way to see if they are truly good value for money is to do some research and cost out the included items individually and see what comes out as the most economical and suitable for your needs.

The packages usually include as a minimum airfares and accommodation and then there are the additional items that may or may not be included. These are: transfers, meals (1-3 per day), drinks, resort facilities and activities or special shows etc. It is important if you have quotes from a few different travel providers or websites that you clarify that they all
include the same items so you know you are comparing apples with apples.

Start you rown research by getting prices on the basics of airfares and accommodation and see how that compares to the package price. It is always worth checking with the resorts direct as well as websites and agencies that specialise in your destination. Then look at the cost for adding on any meals that may have been included and see if there is a significant price difference to the package price.

I have had a personal experience recently where to just add breakfast for a family of 2 adults and 2 children under 10 was going to add $600 for 7 days. This was for a resort in Vanuatu and the four of us actually ate out with large cooked breakfasts for $40-$50 per day (so only spending around $300 for the 7 days) and we could try out different restaurants/cafes each day.

The same goes for lunch or dinner options that can be included in the all inclusive packages. You have to way up if you want to be committed to always eating in your resort or want the flexibility to try other places. Also, do you want 3 large meals every day or perhaps you prefer just 2. These all need to be considered before you book & pay for something you may not actually need.

It is also worth looking at the transfer options as well. You can often save quite a lot on these if arranged independently. The hotel you book with can offer options and costs and you can easily find out on-line the cost of taxis, shuttles, busses etc available at your destination.

These costs all add up and the more you can save on getting there and staying, the more you have to spend doing fun things when you get there (or on some retail therapy).

Some times the package deal on offer is truly a bargain and you should snap them up quickly – but just do a bit of checking before you do to make sure!

What type of holidays do you usually prefer – the package holiday or a more independently booked trip?

For all advice no matter what style of travel you prefer contact us now julie@juliewarnertravelplans.com

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Top Ten World Walks
Friday, August 19th, 2011 /

Cheapflights has published the world’s top ten walks – thousands of miles of strolling from Africa to China.
In order…

  1. Appalachian Trail – Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine,
    USA.With aspirations to be a world walk over the Atlantic to Europe
  2. Camino Frances – St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to Compostela, Spain.Over
    250,000 people a year follow the scallop shell
  3. Pembrokeshire Coast Path.Britain’s only full coastal path
  4. Mount Kilimanjaro – Tanzania.One of the great charity walks of all time
  5. Zion Narrows – Zion National Park, Utah, USA.Dramatic scenery on the
    Colorado Plateau
  6. Tongariro Alpine Crossing – Tongariro National Park, New Zealand.New
    Zealand’s most spectacular tramping track
  7. Paine Circuit Trail – Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia,
    Chile.Spectacular mountain trail
  8. West Coast Trail – Pacific Rim National Park, British Columbia,
    Canada.Spectacular backpacking trail in Vancouver Island
  9. Tiger Leaping Gorge – Yunnan, China15km trail by the Jade Dragon Snow
    Mountain
  10. Inca Trail to Machu Picchu – Peru A million hippies can’t be wrong!

Is there a favourite walk of yours that they have missed off the list?

For details on any of these walks contact us now www.juliewarnertravelplans.com

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10 Travel Uses for Ziploc Bags
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 /

Too often when away on a trip everything has a habit of becoming a bit disorganised, particularly if you are on the move and regularly packing and un-packing your bags every few days.  One way to help combat this is to try and have a place for everything which allows you to find things quickly when you need to and makes more space in your suitcase when packing.  The best way I have found to do this is with plastic bags and ziploc ones work exceptionally well as they secure items easily and are fairly durable.  I always carry various sizes of ziplocs and use them in a multitude of ways no matter what style of holiday we have.

I use these when on trips to store anything that may leak in my handbag/backpack (depending on what style of trip) like; sunscreen, insect repellent and hand sanitiser as well as holding all those smaller items that fall to the bottom and take forever to locate, especially when you are in a hurry.  They are also great for carrying a variety of snack items that help keep hungry children happy for that little bit longer whilst making your way to a destination.

Here are 10 more travel uses for ziplocs that you might find handy on your next trip:

1. Travel Hamper — Bring an XL ziploc and keep your dirty clothes zipped up tight and away from the clean ones.

2. Laundry Detergent –Use a small sandwich sized ziploc to hold some launder powder for any emergency clothes washing you may need to do.

3. Fragile Souvenir Protector — Pack fragile souvenirs in your suitcase, surrounded by two or three ziplocs, filled with air.

4. Camera Poncho — A gallon-sized ziploc is a great way to protect your camera in the rain. Wrap it around the body of your camera and shoot with the lens peeking out of the opening.

5. Waterproof Document Holder — Ever get stuck in a rainstorm with your passport in your pocket? Believe me, it comes out pretty wrinkly when it dries and attracts a lot of sidelong looks from border guards. Keep your passport, money, and other precious documents dry by storing them neatly in a sandwich-sized ziploc.

6. Space Saver — Get an XXL-sized ziploc and fill it with all of the clothes you’re bringing on your trip. Then roll or squeeze the air out from the bottom up, and seal.

7. Earring Keeper — Put earrings, pills, or other small items into a snack-sized ziploc and slip it into your bathroom bag. It’ll save your more precious items from getting lost or scratched.

8. Day Starter Kit — Make a coffee kit with your favourite tea, instant coffee, sugar etc. and skip the coffee provided by the hotel.

9. Electronics Packet — Store all of your electronics, wires, chargers, MP3 players, etc. in a large sized ziploc. You can see what’s in it while it’s closed and it’ll keep your things from getting lost in the nooks and crannies of your suitcase.

10. Swimsuit Bag — Put wet swimsuits into XL sized ziplocs until you get home or back to the hotel. Works great for other wet clothes, too, like wet socks when you get caught in a rain storm.

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5 Steps to Dramatically Cut the Cost of your Holidays!
Saturday, July 16th, 2011 /

5 Steps to Dramatically Cut the Cost of your Holidays!

– Research on-line and at travel agencies, the prices do vary greatly and on-line is not always the most economical.  Travel agents will often come up with a wider range of options, particularly if you are travelling to multiple destinations.  Look out for “Special Offers” and snap up any suitable options when you see them as they generally have limited availability and are only on sale for a restricted time frame.

- Ask questions, think of all the ways your itinerary can be constructed, sometimes by changing the order of your itinerary this can result in a lower cost fare.  Make your travel agent really work for their commission!  Don’t accept options that are not exactly what you had in mind.

- Book off-peak and mid-week if possible.  Generally Friday, Saturday and Sunday attract additional supplements.  Try and travel outside the holiday and peak periods, even a few days either side of these can vary the price significantly.  The rule of thumb if you have to travel at these peak times is to book well in advance.  The cheapest tickets and deals get snapped up quickly on a first come first served basis so book early to avoid disappointment.  That said, as the departure date nears, last minute unsold tickets will often get heavily discounted to fill the seats.  As a result you can occasionally come across some fantastic bargains.  This is very risky if you have set dates you must travel, but offers great savings if you are very flexible with when and where you travel.

- Transfers – now this is where you can really save some dollars.  Instead of booking transfers through your travel agent, research other independent options available.  A quick internet search will tell you if there are shuttles, trains or buses from the airport to the city.  Check also the average cost of a taxi to the city and finally, ask at your hotel if they have any sort of shuttle service – even low cost backpacker places offer these in a lot of places.  Using available public transport or arranging transfers locally will usually always save you some dollars.

- Research your travel insurance! – Firstly, shop around! A quick search on the internet will throw up several insurance comparison sites.  Remember that if you are likely to travel more than once a year, you will save yourself money by buying annual, multi-trip insurance, as opposed to a single trip policy.  Also, check with your credit card company as some have travel insurance policies included when you purchase a certain dollar value of your travel arrangements with the card.  Ensure that the cover they offer is adequate for you requirements.  Also consider obtaining quotes from companies that you have existing insurance policies with, such as; home and contents, car or private health insurance companies.  You will often receive significant savings when you take out multiple policies with the one company.

Travelling is seen as a luxury item when we are going through hard times financially and as something that the average person feels they can’t afford.  It really doesn’t have to be such a big expense, there are many ways that a holiday can be constructed to be cost effective and family friendly, yes – even to international destinations!

For more information on ways to afford that important break away, contact Julie Warner Travel Plans: www.juliewarnertravelplans.com.

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Travel Luggage Terms Unzipped, Part 2 – Hard Sided Luggage, Wheels & Bag Types
Monday, July 04th, 2011 /

Continuing on with our luggage glossary, this week we explore the different types of hard sided bags, the different wheel types and explain different bag styles.

Hard-sided Luggage

ABS
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (or ABS for short) frequently combines with other materials to bring strength and durability to many brands of luggage sets. A synthetic plastic material easily molded into hard-sided luggage, it is usually added to other materials such as polycarbonate, creating strong shells designed to protect their contents. On its own, ABS is cheaper than polycarbonate, although polycarbonate offers higher-level strength, heat and impact resistance (in terms of impact resistance, ABS tops only PVC.) When looking for luggage, consider purchasing ABS in combination with another, stronger material for long-lasting support.

EVA

EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) is a softer, flexible type of thermoplastic usually combined with other materials to reinforce hard or soft-shelled luggage sets. It is typically used in soft plastic goods such as sports and shoe padding, and as a replacement for many traditionally rubber items such as hoses (the texture is similar to rubber, but without the odor.) Cheap and easy to mold, EVA is best considered as a reinforcement material in your luggage set.

Polycarbonate

For the benefits of hard-sided luggage sets with as little extra weight as possible, you may want to explore lightweight materials such as polycarbonate. A molded type of thermoplastic, polycarbonate is durable, lightweight, and extremely impact-resistant – the material, although not soft-sided, flexes upon impact, making it resilient to potential rough handling. Tough and nearly impossible to break or shatter, polycarbonate appears in items such as CDs, eyeglasses, sports materials, and even bulletproof glass. While more expensive than other plastics such as ABS or PVC and slightly heavier than polypropylene, polycarbonate offers the highest level of impact strength with lightness, keeping the contents of your luggage safe under any circumstances. It is an ideal choice for frequent travelers who need a higher level of protection, particularly if they are transporting easily breakable items.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene, the lightest of all thermoplastic products, preceded polycarbonate as a material for hard-sided suitcases. Molded into coverings for hard-sided luggage sets, the material is very resilient and offers extra protection for your belongings. Despite being lighter, it is topped in impact-resistance by polycarbonate (but continues to surpass ABS or PVC.) It tends to fall into a more expensive price range than either ABS or PVC, and makes an excellent purchase for those who want the protection of hard-sided luggage in an extremely light form.

PVC

A lighter, more flexible type of moldable plastic, PVC is a resilient material frequently used to reinforce luggage sets. It offers less impact resistance than ABS, polycarbonate, or polypropylene, although it has the benefit of cheaper prices. Because of its higher levels of flexibility and elasticity, it effectively combines with other materials such as polypropylene or polycarbonate for support in hard-sided luggage sets.

Wheels

Inline

A more traditional take on wheeled luggage sets are two inline wheels that travel only forwards or backwards. Although they may be less maneuverable than the spinner sets, these wheels drastically increase the ease of luggage transport, and have simplified the lives of travelers worldwide.

Spinners

A spinner set uses four wheels, one at each corner of the bottom of your bag, which help to evenly distribute the weight of your luggage. The wheels can “spin” in any direction, maximizing maneuverability and allowing you to easily squeeze through tight spaces or aisles. Luggage with spinner wheels might roll both tilted like regular inline wheeled luggage or pulled using a handle or leash.

Types of Luggage

Duffel Bag

Duffel bags come in a variety of sizes, from carry-on to larger. They are cylindrical shaped and usually have straps for over-the-shoulder carrying, but some more recent versions also feature wheels. Duffels commonly accompany luggage sets as accessory pieces.

Garment Bag

Travelers with special pieces of clothing, such as a nice suit, find a perfect solution in a garment bag. The long, durable bag covers and protects your articles of clothing and prevents wrinkles during a long flight. Once at your hotel a garment bag should fold open and hang in the closet keeping clothes protected from damage and wrinkles.

Rolling Upright

Rolling uprights come in a variety of sizes and <luggage materials>, from carry-ons to 30” pieces. Also referred to as wheeled luggage, they travel upright, or vertically as you pull them by handle behind you. These bags represent the type of primary luggage used by most travelers.

Expandable

Typically a variety of rolling upright, these softsided framed luggage sets come with bonus material behind an additional zipper constructed so that when the traveler needs a little larger suitcase rather than just that little extra stretch the packer merely unzips to access the expansion area and suddenly gains 1 to 3 inches of new packing room.

Toiletry Kit

A toiletry kit is a small bag, usually divided into compartments, designed to hold personal or necessary items during your flight or vacation like grooming supplies. Many zip shut or fold over onto themselves, making them small, compact, and perfect for carrying to any location.

Tote Bag

A tote bag usually resembles a large purse with straps for carrying over your shoulder, and frequently comes as an accessory piece to luggage sets. Tote bags are usually the perfect size to use as carry-on or personal items.

For further luggaga and packing advice contact us now: julie@juliewarnertravelplans.com

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Free Australian Travel Brochures
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 /

Travel brochures are a great starting point to planning any holiday.

Take a look at brochures covering the areas you are interested in visiting as a first step in your holiday planning.  Look at the key sites they cover and how many days tours allow to visit these places.  This gives you an idea of how many days you will need to allow in your itinerary to explore all these areas.

This site is one of a few that offer the “Free” brochure service – download here: http://www.travelbrochures.com.au/napp/show/Bundle_list.htm?id=4 and help save the environment while you research and perhaps order a hard copy of only those you really need.

Planning a trip somewhere in our beautiful Country?

Check out these really choice brochures you can have delivered to your door or download for FREE!

Whether you’re planning a holiday, looking at information for school projects or finding new things to do locally I think this site is worth investigating!

I ordered the ones that were in places near me and they were packed with great stuff.
They have Driving Guides, Camping Adventures, Day Tours, Kayak Camping Trips…. just to name a few!

Take a look, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

You may just find a way to your dream holiday!

For more information on your Australian holiday plans, contact julie@juliewarnertravelplans.com

Category: Australian Travel Brochures, Travel Brochures  Tags: , ,  4 Comments
Travel Luggage Terms Unzipped Part 1 – Soft Sided and Semi Soft-Sided Luggage Fabric and Patterns
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 /

Travel Luggage Terms Unzipped Part 1 – Soft Sided and Semi Soft-Sided Luggage Fabric and Patterns

Are you in the market for some new luggage?  There are so many options around these days and the choices are all a little mind boggling. Here’s a few of them explained:

LUGGAGE TERMS GLOSSARY

SOFT-SIDED AND SEMI SOFT-SIDED LUGGAGE

Denier

When shopping for soft or semi-soft shelled luggage sets, the word “denier” frequently appears. Denier is a measurement for the weight of the fiber used in the luggage fabric. A high denier count means a thicker material, and a lower one means a finer and thinner material. Generally, a higher denier means a higher quality and more durable luggage set, so consider looking for a set with a minimum of 600 denier.

Nylon

Nylon fabric combines high-level durability, strength, and weather-resistance into a material ideal for protecting luggage sets from scuffs, rips, and other abuse. It is sold in a variety of denier, including fabrics with variations in weave, strength, and impact-resistance such as ballistic and ripstop. The synthetic threads weave together to form a strong, yet visually appealing, smooth surface. Nylon offers a higher resistance to abrasion and impact than polyester, but also has more elasticity (which means more of tendency to stretch), and costs more.

Ballistic nylon

Developed with the intention of repelling bullets and protecting soldiers at war, ballistic nylon exists today wherever people need durability – particularly in sporting gear and travel equipment, including luggage sets. Extremely strong and lightweight, ballistic nylon consists of nylon threads in a basket weave pattern, bringing a high level of puncture and tear resistance to your bags. Because the yarn is made of continuous fibers twisted together, ballistic nylon is smooth to the touch for a sophisticated, fashion-forward appearance.
Bags made of ballistic nylon are considered high quality, with the strength to withstand any beatings your luggage set might encounter. One of the strongest soft luggage fabrics on the market, it is more tear-resistant than polyester or even ripstop nylon, but also more expensive. A heavy synthetic fabric, it is difficult to dye, and is usually found in black or other darker colors. This type of material, because of its price and strength, might best suit the constant traveler whose often-used luggage takes a beating, although it appeals to anyone in need of long-lasting quality.

Ripstop Nylon

Ripstop nylon, much as its name suggests, prevents ripping and tearing of your luggage set through its close weave, interspersed with strong nylon yarns placed at intervals through other materials. This box-shaped pattern means even if your bag punctures during travel, the fabric prevents holes from spreading into larger tears. Ripstop nylon is lightweight, weatherproof, and abrasion-resistant, making it an excellent choice for lengthy or frequent travels. It comes in a range of deniers and colors, and tends to run at more expensive prices than most polyester materials. Similar to ballistic nylon, this material is perfect for those seeking durability and long-lasting protection in exchange for a higher investment.

Polyester

A versatile thermoplastic commonly used in luggage sets, polyester combines lightness and resilience with stain and weather resistance. Frequently used in clothing, sporting materials, and as padding or reinforcement material, the woven threads create an easy-to-clean, smooth texture. Polyester has less elasticity than nylon, quickly springing back into shape if pulled. While this means the material is more likely to hold its shape against stretching, and may last longer than some types of nylon where pulling may be the biggest issue, the material is generally less resilient to tears or abrasions. Polyester luggage carries a reasonable cost, and provides excellent travel pieces without high-end prices. For those looking to save on cost but still in need of a quality material, or for travelers who fly less frequently, a polyester luggage set makes an ideal choice.

PATTERNS

Dobby

Elegant dobby fabric stands out because of its small, intricate geometric pattern, created with a special dobby attachment that attaches to a loom. The patterns can range from simple to complicated, but tend to be cheaper and simpler to make than jacquard.

Jacquard

A jacquard fabric incorporates an intricate pattern into its weave, and frequently finds a place on sophisticated and decorative-looking luggage sets. Jacquard also refers to the specific loom attachment used to create these detailed fabrics.

To follow in coming posts: Hard Sided Luggage, Types of Wheels and Different Luggage Styles

Contact now for any luggage tips for your next holiday: julie@juliewarnertravelplans.com

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Travel Insurance – What is the best Policy?
Friday, May 20th, 2011 /
I have been having a bit of a frustrating and confusing experience with one of my clients regarding the travel insurance option provided through AirAsiaX website and what portion of her two tickets it actually covers which has prompted this topic today.

Travel insurance is a very important part of any holiday (particularly when going overseas) and the saying “If you can’t afford travel insurance, then you can’t afford to travel” is certainly a very valid one. You just don’t know what can happen once you are on the road and with the natural disasasters we have witnessed in the past few years causing massive travel delays and disruptions, the fine print of policies certainly need to be read well so you know exactly what coverage you have.

With that said though, the cost of travel insurance does seem to have sky rocketed in the past years which means shopping around to find an affordable policy that covers your needs has become more of a challenge.

We personally have a very comprehensive policy through our ANZ Platinum Visa card that only requires us to spend $250 on any part of our holiday before we travel, so airfares, hotels, car hire – whatever to do with our holiday and the policy is activated to cover all 4 of us.

So, check if you have any insurance cover with your existing credit cards or it could be worth joining up with a card that has a travel insurance policy to save some money when you next travel.

Other places to research for good value is with any other companies you already have car, home, contents and health insurance policies with as you get discounts for having multiple policies with many companies.

What are your thoughts and experience with travel insurance?

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iPhone Travel Applications
Sunday, April 03rd, 2011 /

iPhone Travel Applications

Here are a few handy travel applications for your iPhone.

1.    Recorder

The Recorder enables you to capture unforgettable sounds on your trips. NOTE: The iPhone 3.0 software update includes a free recorder. I still like this one better.

2.    Flashlight (free)

This free iPhone app (we like free apps!) helps to prevent that. Its default turns the entire screen a bright white (or other color you choose), which you can dim by sliding your finger across the screen.

3.    CurCon Currency Converter

A blessing for the math-impaired, this easy-to-use iPhone currency converter is one of those apps that also can save you money: It only updates when you tell it to — rather than automatically pulling in fresh data, which can get very expensive when you travel overseas. (Read more about How and Where to Exchange Currency.)

4.    Sit or Squat (free)

Anyone who’s been in a strange place and needed to find a bathroom will consider this app for the iPhone a godsend. It uses the built-in GPS to locate the nearest lavatory. User reviews help it to grow, so after downloading do what you can to add to the info base.

5.    Night Stand

Tired of waking up in the middle of the night in a hotel room and wondering what time it is? The Night Stand travel app works as a digital clock and has a built-in alarm. Note: Couples who don’t need to see the time in blazing numerals can use the free alarm built into the Clock app that comes with every iPhone.

6.    Flight Track

This travel app for the iPhone enables a user to track flights around the world. Want to know what gate your flight will be leaving from and the type of aircraft? You also get ETA info on arrivals, takeoffs, and landings as well as flight delays, cancellations, and more.

7.     Facebook (free)

Keep up with your Facebook friends when you travel. This iPhone app makes it easy to read their status updates, get phone numbers for contacts who may not be in your address book, and upload photos showing where you are and where you’ve been.

8.    NYC Subway KickMap Lite (free)

Even though I’m a native, I still need to check the NYC subway map once in a while and this easy iPhone app helps me find what I need. Using the familiar finger navigation, I can drag it to the location where I want to travel and then magnify the location by spreading two fingers apart. Maps similar to this in the App Store cover other urban areas and transportation systems.

9.    Global Wi-Fi Finder (free)

When you use your iPhone outside of the country without enabling additional data roaming services through your carrier, you are at risk for incurring steep additional charges. To avoid this, go to Fetch New Data in Settings. Slide Push to the off position and select Fetch Manually. Be vigilant about only accessing your email when you are in a free wi-fi zone, which this app can help you to find.

10.Maps (included)

The interface for the iPhone’s GPS app, Maps comes pre-installed on all units. Although it’s not as sophisticated as a dedicated GPS unit, it can help you get directions to travel from here to there. If a GPS signal isn’t available, the iPhone can still geotag you using wi-fi and cellular tower info when tracking is turned on.

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