Cheap orlando holiday tips: Florida

About the city:

Am Just about to finish a three weeks holiday in orlando- Florida, However there is nothing I will blog that will sell orlando like the name of the city itself. Orlando is the greatest place to spend any festive period and if you haven’t done or visit orlando yet please put it in your to do list.

Although orlando can be very expensive if you don’t know now to move around and my best advice will be to make your research and plan well in order to save money and at the same time enjoy a great holiday. Some of the best approach to plan your orlando experience is to try site like;

http://www.Hotwire.com , www.hotelscombined.com, http://www.expedia.com and http://www.visitorlando.com for last minutes deals and for cheap fight, cheap hotels or cheap holiday package and most important cheap car hire. This and many other competitive sites on http://www.google.com will help, when it comes to booking your holiday.

However, after you have secured your holiday it time to know the tips on how to have value for your money. Orlando is the place that will bring you plenty of appreciated smiles whether you want to spend time or make new memories with family and old friends. It offers a variety and hundreds of way to make them all smile.

Then followed with the wide varieties of foods and their gourmet recipes, it very cheap to eat out in Orlando and am serious with regard to weight watch. i put on a couple of weight on my visit i had to watch my weight.

Places to visit:

Orlando has got a lot of exciting attraction and the opportunity for you to relive your youth while you also, watch kids or your children live theirs to the fullest. Orlando is the home to more than 100 incredible attraction numbering from the exhilarating thrill rides to the enchanting encounters with fairytale characters. It is also home to the world famous theme parks, great shopping malls, restaurants, arts and cultural events. Orlando offer something for everyone in the sense that kids have fun playing in the sun all day and adults appreciate orlando even more when the sun set.

Downtown orlando is many other sides of the city with boasts bustling nightlife and a rich cultural corridor which house more trendy restaurants, dozens of night clubs and art galleries. However with all this and many more to do orlando is a place of unique culture and arts. So take your time and start planning your trip of a life time and come expereces all that orlando have to offer you which will change the way you think of holiday and orlando most especially.

Holiday to England Just Appear to be too Expensive

You didn’t hear much about this in the news, but flying to or through London got far more expensive this month, with a 33% to 56% rise in the taxes added to your ticket. If you’re in any class besides the lowest level of economy, you’ll pay even more.
As this article from Mexperience lays out, flying from London to Mexico will now cost you at least $100 per person more in taxes than flying from Paris or Amsterdam.

Passengers flying direct between London and Mexico need to pay charges for band C i.e., £75/$120 or £150/$240 if you’re not traveling in a basic economy seat. If you fly from London to Mexico via the United States, you pay B and B rates—at least £60/USD$96.
If you plan to travel from London to Mexico, you will pay less APD if you fly from London to a European hub city and connect to Mexico from there, instead of flying direct to Mexico or via a gateway city in the United States.
You can reduce your APD to £12/US$19 by flying to Mexico using a European carrier: for example, Iberia from Madrid, KLM from Amsterdam or Lufthansa from Frankfurt. Air France has a code-share agreement with Aeromexico offering direct flights to Mexico City from Paris; so if you fly from the UK with Air France, and connect at Charles de Gaulle airport, your APD per passenger is just £12/US$19 instead of £75/US$120.
For a couple flying between London and Mexico, taking a European hub route instead of flying direct or via the USA will save £96/US$154 if you are flying economy

Going the other way, the same is true if you’re flying to any other of The World’s Cheapest Destinations from the U.S. or Canada. Getting to Hungary or the Czech Republic via London, for example, will be far more costly than via another European gateway.
If you live there, you could be better off taking a bus or train to another country first before catching a flight to say, Thailand or Egypt—the total could be less than just going from your home airport. As the BBC says, in not so many words, this sucks:

A group of four people flying economy to Florida will now pay £240 in tax, an increase of 33%. And flying economy to popular holiday destinations in the Caribbean will cost £75 in APD, up from £50 last year and £40 two years ago.

Why are they doing this? The government seems to be taking lessons from the airlines, who have tacked on baggage fees, fuel surcharges, and reserved seat fees. It’s a pure money grab, with no added benefits. They put their hand in your pocket and hope you won’t notice.
But just as Southwest Airlines has profited mightily from the added baggage fees its competitors are charging, I expect other European airports to steal a lot of business from this move, and for the city of London to lose a significant number of overnight visitors in the process. As for what it means to you, only fly through London if the flight is far cheaper after fees than it would be to go to another airport.
Here’s advice from The Telegraph on avoiding the fees by choosing alternate airports.
Related posts:
Three Options for Flying Around the WorldWorld Cup of Travel: England vs. USAAirline Fees in EuropeBargain Travel Time in HungaryThe Real Europe: Crowds, Tourists, and Money
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Southeast Asia are associating with more budget flights

Air Asia Routes
Southeast Asia already boasts a good number of options for getting from place to place by air on the cheap, but more are on the way.
According to this article in The Independent, two existing legacy carriers are going to beef up subsidiaries that will compete head-on with the existing budget carriers.

First off, Malaysia Airlines announced an aggressive expansion plans for its budget subsidiary Firefly, promising that it would fly larger planes more economically than AirAsia.
Thailand’s flag carrier Thai Airways also confirmed this week that it would launch its new low-cost carrier Thai Tiger [formed with Tiger Airways] in May 2011, three months later than planned but still in time for the busy summer season.

This comes on the heels of the news that AirAsia is going in the opposite direction, adding to its long-haul schedule for its AirAsia X division. After adding England, Korea, and India this year, it’s going to start flying to Paris on Valentine’s Day, 2011. Oui oui!
What does all this mean? For a while anyway, a nice little price war on fares throughout Southeast Asia and a cheap region keeps getting easier to get around. Knock knock, NokAir. Your move next.
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Related posts:
Cheap Travel in Southeast AsiaAsia Trends for the Budget TravelerMaking a Living in Southeast Asia as an ExpatIndonesia’s Airline Battle Good for TravelersYour Censored Internet in Southeast Asia
View the original article here

cheap European holiday tip: Cyprus

About the Country

Cyprus is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is inhabited with mountains on the north and south and the south coast is covered with plains. The temperatures are really hot indicating Mediterranean climate. Winters are cooler. Nicosia is the capital city of Cyprus. The currency used here is Cypriot Pound.

Culture

Greek, English and Turkish are the languages spoken here. There is a mixed culture of Greek and Middle East. The locals are very friendly and welcome outsiders with an open heart and make them feel at home by offering them with something to drink. To greet someone a handshake will do. It is customary to offer the guest a small gift when invited for dinner. One can dress casually, but the swimsuits must be confined to the beaches only. Social functions call for formal dressing.

Site Seeing

The country is full of vineyards, 12th century buildings, orchards and monasteries. Be careful when photographing outside. It is forbidden in military areas and special permission must be taken for taking pictures in places like museums and art galleries. Most of them do not allow flash photography. Taxis can be hired to move around the big towns in Cyprus, which charge according the government regulated meters. Tipping the drivers is customary.

Electricity

240 V, 50 Hz

Getting There

Port of Famagusta at Ammochostos and Port of Kyrenia, and airport of Ercan, have been declared as illegal ‘ports of entry’, so check it out while planning to get there.

The national airline is Cyprus Airways. It connects most of the major cities of Europe. Other forty airlines, too, serve at the airport of Larnaca, which are 5 km away from Larnaka and 50km away from Nicosia. Taxis can be hired to reach any destination from there as there is lack of buses and trains services at the airport. The other services that are offered at this airport is duty-free shops, bank, tourism and hotels information, restaurants, car hire, post office and reservation office. The other airport, Pafos, is 15km away from the city and it takes about 35 minutes to reach the city from the airport. It provides the same facilities like the Larnaca airport.

The major ports of Cyprus are the Limassol port and Larnaca port which connect other ports of Middle East and Greek. Not only ferry services are provided here, even cruise services are provided here.

Cyprus Island is not connected by roads to other countries, but roads run across Cyprus connecting all the cities and villages. Buses run on roads except on Sunday but they run late in the mid-night during summers. Tourists can get on to rural buses to surf through the remote villages, but they are very slow. If planning to hire car, advanced booking is recommended, especially in summer as the booking is full most of the times. Do remember to carry a National driving license or International driving permit.

Duty Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco

2. 1l of spirits (over 22 per cent volume) or 2l of fortified wine or sparkling wine

3. 2l of still wine; 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette

4. 800 cigarettes or 200 cigars or 1kg of tobacco

5. 10l of spirits, 20l of fortified wine, 90l wine, 110l beer

Most of the food items and items relating to agriculture are prohibited. Explosives and fire arms are a strict no-no.

cheap European holiday tips: Ukraine

About the county

Ukraine which is located in Eastern Europe is one of the largest country in that region of Europe bordering Russia in the northeast, Belarus in the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in the west, Romania and Moldova in the southwest and also Black Sea and Sea of Azov in the south. It is a popular tourist destination especially for tourists from Western Europe and North America. The main selling point is the rich historical character of the country with as many five hundred cities dating back as early as nine hundred years. Visitors are spellbound by the architectural beauty of Ukraine. Kiev is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine where most travelers begin their journey.

Population & Languages

Ukraine has a population of roughly 46.7 million and the official language is Ukrainian. The other languages spoken here are Russian, Romanian, Polish and Hungarian.

Electricity

Voltage - 220 volts, Frequency - 50Hz. Standard European Round pin attachment plug

Geographic Location

Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe bordering Russia in the northeast, Belarus in the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in the west, Romania and Moldova in the southwest and also Black Sea and Sea of Azov in the south. The strategic location of Ukraine between Asia and Europe made it a transportation hub in the region.

Local Customs

Ukrainians are warm hearted and welcoming people. Casual dressing is mostly worn here though it will be a good idea to wear smartly for theatres. Small gifts are appreciated. Tipping is not very common; service is usually included in fine restaurants and hotel bills.

Places to see

St Sophia Cathedral – As old as nine centuries, it is one of the architectural marvels of Ukraine.

Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Caves Monastery) – These caves are as old as one millennium and dating back to 11th century.

Great Patriotic War Museum

Statue of the Motherland, Kiev

Travel

By Air – The national airline of Ukraine is Ukrainian International Airlines. In collaboration with Aer Fi Group and Austrian Airline it links Kyiv to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Rotterdam, Vienna and Zurich. There is one more airline in Ukraine called Air Ukraine which serves relatively less number of European cities. Lviv is also connected to New York, Warsaw and Washington. It is connected to Turkey through Simferopol and to UK through IvanoFrankivsk. The major airport is Boryspil State International Airport (KBP) which is located twenty five miles from Kiev.

By Sea – The primary ports of Ukraine are Izmail and Odessa which are situated on the River Danube. The ferry services connect Ukraine with Russia and Georgia. They also connect various cities on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Sevastopol is the port which connects Istanbul, Turkey.

By Rail – Ukraine has approximately 14,000 miles of railway tracks linking most towns and cities. Kyiv and Lviv are the main stations which connect with Moscow on a daily basis. Ukraine also has direct lines to Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary), Warsaw (Poland) and Bucharest (Romania).

By Road – Ukraine has an extensive network of roads with approximately 107,000 mile of road network out of which nearly 18,000 mile is main or national roads.

Duty Free Items

1. Up to 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 gm tobacco

2. 1 liter spirit over 22% or 2 liter wine or 32 liter beer

3. Goods for personal use with a combined value of €200

Prohibited Items

Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, most meat and dairy products, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

cheap European holiday tips: Iceland

About the county

Officially known as the Republic of Iceland, is located in northwestern Europe. It comprises of the island of Iceland and its outlying small islands in the northern Atlantic Ocean between Greenland, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, and the Faroe Islands. Iceland’s glassy glaciers, hot thermal springs, spectacular geysers, active volcanoes, lava fields, stunning waterfalls and snow-capped mountains, indeed makes it the original 'land of fire and ice'.

Iceland is a very large island with a unique landscape which is rugged and colorful with black lava, red sulfur, hot blue geysers, rivers, waterfalls, bays, fjords and green valley. The capital of Iceland is Reykjavík which is also the largest city of Iceland. Nearly half of Iceland’s population lives around Reykjavík. The popular tourist attractions are centered also centered on this city. The most famous attraction is Gullfoss double-tiered waterfall which is set off with an outstanding rainbow and hot springs of Geysir.

People might wonder what one can do in Iceland. If you hear the list you will be amazed that there are so many things to do and see here. From watching whales to chic fine dining, hiking, seeing Europe’s largest glacier Vatnajokull, fishing in rivers, horse riding, rafting, exploring the landscape on a snow scooter, shopping designing wear, Summer Solstice Festival, visit island of Grimsey to cross the Arctic Circle, visit medieval farm at Stong and what not, the list is endless.

Population & Languages

The population of Iceland is only 299,388 and the official language being spoken is Icelandish. English, Nordic languages, German are also widely spoken.

Electricity

The voltage is 220 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. The types of plugs used are Round pin attachment plug and "Schuko" plug and receptacle with side grounding contacts.

Geographic Location

It is located in northwestern Europe. It comprises of the island of Iceland and its outlying small islands in the northern Atlantic Ocean between Greenland, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, and the Faroe Islands. It is strategically located between Greenland and Europe

Climate

The climate of Iceland can be termed as temperate with damp and cool summers and mild and windy winters. The highest temperature recorded was 30.5°C (86.9°F) on 22 June 1939 at Teigarhorn. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -38°C (-36.4°F) on 22 January 1918 at Grímsstaðir and Möðrudalur.

Local Customs

Like any other country Iceland has its own customs too and normal courtesies should be followed. Handshaking is customary. Visitors are invited to homes when on a business trip and normal courtesies should be observed. The people pay careful attention to their appearance and, as for most Western countries, casual wear is widely acceptable. Service charges are included in the bills most of the time and tips are not expected.

Attractions

Reykjavik Attractions – Hallgrimskirkja Church, National Museum of Iceland, Botanical Gardens and the Einar Jónsson Museum

Travel

By Air – The national airline of Iceland is Icelandair which operates to many internationsl destinations such as Amsterdam, Baltimore, Boston, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Halifax, London, Minneapolis, Orlando, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm and Washington, plus other destinations in the summertime only. Other international airlines operating from Iceland include Air Greenland (website: www.airgreenland.gl) and Iceland Express (website: www.icelandexpress.com).

Other, predominantly Scandinavian, carriers also operate services. Some airlines like Condor and Corsai, operate flights during the summertime. Flights also operate to the Faroe Islands and Greenland during the summer months. Major airport is Keflavik International Airport (KEF) located at 31 miles south of Reykjavik.

Duty Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 250g of other tobacco products

2. 1 liter spirits and 1 liter wine, or 1 liter spirits and 6 liter beer; or 1 liter wine and 6 liter beer; or 2.25 liter wine

3. Food items up to 3kg not exceeding kr13,000

4. Permits from Post & Telecom Authorities are required for cordless phones, remote controls or radio transmitters. It is not required for a GSM mobile phone

Prohibited Items

Un-canned goods, meat or dairy products, Narcotics, pornography, firearms, ammunition, weapons, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

cheap European holiday tips: Germany

About the country

The Federal republic of Germany is the most influential country of Europe. It has witnessed the most controversial facts of history like Nazism, Holy Roman Empire and the building and demolition of the Berlin wall. With many magnificent castles it has wealth of art and culture. German is the widely spoken language in German, but outsiders can find many English speaking locals especially in the common tourist destinations.

Weather

The weather here is very unpredictable as there is a possibility of rain almost all months, so carry clothes accordingly. April and May are the months of spring which brings in full bloom of fruits and flowers. Months from May to September have very fine weather with sunny skies and offers the best time for traveling and site-seeing. People who have a passion for sports like swimming, hiking, and cycling can have the best time here during these months. Winter sports can be enjoyed at the resorts in the months from November to early March. The temperatures are below freezing and the days are too short (comprise of only six to eight months) in winter.

Local Customs

Locals greet each other by handshaking and saying Guten Tag. To say goodbye, people use Auf Wiedersehen. Guests are expected to bring uncovered and odd number of flowers, especially roses, when visiting someone’s home. The guests are welcomed with either food or refreshments. At the table, hosts say ‘Guten Appetit’ to which the guests should reply with ‘Ebenfalls’. Smoking should be better avoided in public areas. Locals dress informally but certain occasions like opera, theatre, certain restaurants and social functions call for formal wear.

Electricity

220 V, 50 Hz

Moving Around

The best way to get around is to buy the Welcome cards or the city passes which allows the customer to access unlimited bus facility in many cities of Germany. It also gives special offer on certain tourist attractions. For flexibility one can rent-a-car or go for chauffer driven cars. Along with the rent, VAT of 16% is payable. Car insurance should be available before hand in case of any accident. The speed limit within the cities is mostly 50kph and 100kph on the highways.

Nine stars

The nine stars of Southwest Germany comprise of Baden-Baden, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Mannheim, Pforzheim Stuttgart, and Ulm. They are considered to be some of the beautiful cities of Europe. Each of the cities play a vital role in the culture of Germany. Baden-Baden has few of the finest resorts and also has Europe’s second largest opera and concert hall. Freiburg is known as the historic city center and is famous for cobblestone mosiacs, open streams and ancient alleys. Heidelberg has world famous castles and Germany’s oldest university. Karlsruhe has the famous museum Center for Art and Media. Look out for various amusements along the Nectar river of Heilbronn. Pforzheim is the capital for watches and jewelry. Stuttgart is famous for theatres and opera. Ulm is the birth place of Albert Einstein and is also house to the world’s tallest hurch spire.

Travel

The national airline that serves Germany is Lufthansa. Bwelin-Tegel airport is situated at 8 km away from the city and it takes about 20 minutes to reach there. There is a provision of duty free shops, banks, post office, eateries, conference hall, and car hire and tourism information for the passengers.

Another busy airport is the Frankfurt airport which is located at 13km away from the city. Buses take about 20 minutes to get there. Taxis are available at any time. The Intercity railway network at the airport also provides international services to Hungary, Switzerland and Austria. The facilities provided here are duty free shops, left luggage, restaurants, banks, conference halls, post office, car hire and tourism information. No departure tax is levied on the passengers.

Those wishing to travel by sea can avail the ferry connections to Finland, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Latvia, and Norway.

Eurostar provides railway service to and from Belgium, France and the UK. Booking can be made by telephone. The Inter-Rail offers unlimited second class train travel within 29 European countries. The Eurailpass offers unlimited first class train travel within 17 European countries.

EuroCity and InterCity trains have a restaurant on board, providing food and drinks. InterCity Express target the business class and provides services such as fully equipped office, conference compartments, etc. Tourist over 17 years of age can carry alcohol and tobacco with them within permissible limits.