World Walker

I was given a complimentary copy of “Good Night & God Bless” Volume One to review. The book is a guide to convent and monastery accommodation in Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy by Australian author Trish Clark.

I was already familiar with this Europe travel tip after reading Heather Cowper’s post “Staying in a religious guest house in Rome” on the Europe a la Carte Blog last year. Heather enjoyed her stay, finding the accommodation comfortable and quiet. The room cost 125 Euro per night for a double room including breakfast and taxes (in Spring 2008). On reading Heather’s post two thoughts crossed my mind. The first was that as a non religious person would I feel comfortable staying in a religious guest house? The second that I could find a room in Rome in a central location for lot less than 125 Euro a night, using an accommodation metasearch such as HotelsCombined.

Therefore I still had these thoughts in mind as I started to read “Good Night & Good Bless”.The book got off to a bad start with me as I couldn’t read the white text on an orange background on the first page of the introduction. Fortunately the categorisation of the different types of religious accommodation on the following page was readable black text on a pinky background. It’s crucial to be aware of the two main types of accommodation, so that you choose what’s appropriate for you when you travel in Europe.

1 Open houses open to all visitors with a relaxed, casual atmosphere with no strict regimes or rules.

2 Spiritual retreats where guest have to be committed to spiritual activities.

The book is really well researched and gives you information about the area and the best places to visit around each accommodation option. There are some fantastic locations like the Conventi Sicilia in Palermo, Sicily in Italy with ensuite rooms cost around 45 Euro per night per person excluding breakfast. Probstei St Gerold, Vorarlberg, in Alpine Austria offers ensuite rooms from 47 Euro per night including breakfast. If you’d prefer to be in the centre of Austrian capital Vienna, Schotten Abbey has single rooms from 66 Euro or twin rooms from 99 Euro per night including breakfast and private facilities. In the Czech Republic, the Hotel Jeneralka in in Prague has ensuite twin rooms at the early bird rate 1700 CZK (approx 65 euro) including breakfast.

Probstei St Gerold by sibypsilon

Staying in a convent or monastery gives you the opportunity to stay in beautiful buildings which often contain artistic treasures. You can stay somewhere unusual and more characterful the average hotel. You may also meet some some of the nuns or monks who live and work in the convent or monastery.

The accommodation prices ranged widely, with an average of around 50 Euro a night per person. However as a UK resident the low value of the British pound inflates prices for me. I reckon I can find a double room in Italy including breakfast, outside high season, at a 3 or 4 star hotel, for around 30 euro per person night. I haven’t stayed in Austria or the Czech Republic recently, so can’t comment on accommodation prices there. Now you could argue that you can’t put a price on a unique experience such as staying a convent or monastery. Whilst I do agree with that, if you are going to spend a lot of time out and about exploring, are you willing to pay a premium for that experience?

Some of the accommodation is quite basic with shared bathrooms. There may be curfews which could restrict your nightlife. While the idea of staying in a convent or monastery sound appealing, you may prefer more comfort and flexibility during your European travels. With regard to my qualms about staying in religious accommodation, reading the book didn’t really answer that fully for me, I think it would depend on the specific establishment. The author Trish Clark was educated by Ursuline nuns so I think that she probably feels more comfortable staying in religious accommodation, due to familiarity with a religious environment..

In conclusion, for the average traveller in Europe, as opposed to someone seeking a spiritual experience, staying in an open house convent or monastery is an option you may consider if you want to do something a bit different when visiting Europe. If you’re considering this type of accommodation then “Good Night & God Bless” gives you the lowdown on the available options.

Have you stayed in a convent or monastery on your travels in Europe?

When you travel you probably want to take photos. These pictures will document your travels and give you great memories down the road. With a camera in hand, you set out on your journey. But wait, where do you begin? Tons of people already have the same photos taken of skylines and cityscapes. Each museum has probably been photographed millions of times. This is where you need to get creative and prepare to take the absolute best travel photos possible.

First of all, traveling is spontaneous. You will probably come across numerous people, objects, signs, and locations that are completely bizarre and unique. Take the opportunity to photograph everything, but you must be quick. Some of the most magnificent photo-ops are fleeting. For this reason, a compact digital camera and a DSLR are good to have on hand.

Even though millions have photographed the Statue of Liberty, you can always find unique angles to get a different perspective. This same concept applies to other monuments and areas of attraction. Angles are key and they can result in an interesting and captivating photo.

Don’t use flash unless you need to. In certain situations using the flash option will make the image better. In other instances flash just ruins the whole scene. You don’t want someones head being the focus of your shot, or the back of someones butt. Choose your modes wisely.

When using a professional camera, always use a tripod. Other tourists may not appreciate a tripod taking up space, but your photos will come out clear and vibrant. This isn’t possible if you are just using your hands. You must also remember to be quick and efficient. Don’t dawdle with settings for too long, or you may miss the good opportunity you have to take a photo.

Lastly, photograph what inspires you. Consider going out during different hours of the day. Mornings, afternoons, and night time all offer completely different views of your surroundings. If you are in a big city, consider going out to the rural areas to get even better photography ops.

No, I'm just Asian

Travelers are often rushed, irritated easily, and down-right rude. Traveling is such an important part of society, and brings millions of people together each year. If you have traveled in the past, then you probably already know that it isn’t easy to sit next to someone on a 25 hour plane ride. It isn’t always easy to be smashed against a smoker on a train. It isn’t even fun to cram into a subway with hot sweaty people in the middle of summer. However, you can learn a lot from these people.

During my travels I have come across tons of different folks from around the world. Any kind of person you can think of, I have probably seen. That’s the beauty of traveling though, because without that peculiar diversity – travels would be quite dull. I have learned so much about life from traveling, and accepting other people.

It’s hard not to judge someone when you see them doing something “stupid”, like using their baby stroller as a beer holder on New Years Eve in Las Vegas. I think most people can agree that the above isn’t the best judgment on the parents part (true story by the way), but it doesn’t give anyone else the right to look down on them. Perhaps they had no other options. If you can’t tolerate people in public, you probably shouldn’t travel. Same goes for simply putting up with drunks, smokers, and other people that try to ruin a nice evening out. I know several individuals that would have screamed at all of the people doing undesirable things.

If you are racist, you also shouldn’t travel. If you are intolerant of someone elses race then traveling will not be enjoyable. It is rude and unacceptable to go out to another country, then talk down to the locals. Business owners will kick you out if you display any sort of rudeness to the other tourists. Sadly I have come across many people during my travels that were completely rude to me because of my race. This kind of attitude has come from other travelers as well as locals from the cities I have visited.

Acceptance and appreciation of unique individuals is the best part of traveling. While initially things seem different or even strange, you must learn to love those things. While visiting China you will certainly notice some customs that are much different from your own. However, these are people just like you and deserve your respect. Take the opportunity to ask questions and learn about each other. Accepting someone else for who they are certainly makes traveling more enjoyable.

When you travel do you make an attempt to get to know the locals? Do you enjoy seeing many different types of people around the world?

Summary: Don’t give away part of your holiday spending money to your bank. You could be losing around 5% in card charges made by your bank on overseas transactions and withdrawals made with your current account debit card. With a CaxtonFX Euro currency card you load the card (a Mastercard prepaid debit card) in Euro, at a very competitive rate of exchange. Then you pay no fees or charges for purchases or cash withdrawals made in Euro and no card purchase fee or monthly fees.

by viZZZual.com

Introduction: UK residents are already being hit in the pocket by the low value of the British pound to the Euro. Therefore you need to make sure that you’re not losing even more of the value of your holiday pound by shelling out for fees and charges on debit card fees and charges for Euro transactions.

When doing research on Mastercard prepaid debit cards, the only payment method to avoid the Ryanair £5 per person per flight, I noticed that CaxtonFX, the supplier of one my recommended cards, the CaxtonFX Global Traveller Card, also offered the option of a Euro currency card.

I had a look around and couldn’t find any other currency cards that had no charges or fees. The next best card identified in my research was the FairFX Euro Card but there is a charge of 1.5 Euro for machine cash withdrawals in the Euro Zone. There is normally a £9.95 card purchase fee for a FairFX Euro Card but this is waived for Europe a la Carte readers who purchase the card using this link.

Typical bank charges for overseas usage: Halifax Reward current account holders pay a fee of 2.75% plus a flat £1.50 fee for any foreign transactions or machine cash withdrawals. Therefore if you spent say the Euro equivalent of £1000 in fifteen separate transactions, say ten card payments of £75 and five Euro cash withdrawals of £50 using your debit card, you’d pay £27.50 (2.75% x £100) and £22.50 (15 x £1.50), a total of £50 in fees and charges, that’s 5% of your spend of £1000 holiday spending money.

Nat West customers face a 2.75% flat fee for purchases and cash withdrawals with an additional £1.25 flat fee for purchases and a 2% fee for cash withdrawals,with a minimum charge of £2 and a maximum of £5. Therefore on 10 purchases totalling £750 the cost would be £20.63 (2.75% of £750) plus £12.50 (5 x£1.25) total of £33.13.The cost for the cash withdrawals would be £6.87 (2.75% of £250 plus £10 (5 x £2 minimum fee), a total of £16.87 . That adds up to a grand total of £50, again 5% of your holiday spending money.

Advantages of the CaxtonFX Euro Card:

1 You save around 5% on the charges and fees made by many banks on overseas transactions and cash withdrawals.

2 There are no fees or charges made for this card, some other currency cards charge an application fee, loading fee, transaction and/or a cash withdrawal charge.

3 You can set and keep to your holiday spending limit.

4 You get a best exchange rate guarantee when to load your CaxtonFX Euro card. The conditions are “you must notify us on the day that you load your card so that we can validate your claim. We will need to know where you found the better exchange rate and that rate must be net of all charges and commissions with no transaction fees applicable. Please note that our guarantee excludes products that have an initial purchase cost as this may be used to subsidise the exchange rate.”

5 Over 18’s can apply for the card with no credit check or bank account required.

Disadvantages of the CaxtonFX Euro Card:

1 It’s simpler and more convenient just to use the debit card from your current account as opposed to applying for and loading a currency card.

2 There’s a minimum load of 150 Euro to your card. If you don’t spend all you holiday budget the balance will remain on your card. However the card is valid for 2 years, so as long as you are pretty sure that you’ll visit a country in the Euro Zone during this period you can spend the remaining funds then. The balance won’t receive any interest and the exchange rate is locked in,which could be a good or bad thing, depending on the future value of the UK Pound. If you don’t want to leave the balance on you card there are two ways to get a refund. You can make a machine cash withdrawal in the UK of the remaning balance but that would cost £1.50 plus a 2.5% fee. the other alternative is to apply for a refund to Caxton which can take 30 days with a 2 Euro flat fee, valued at the prevailing buy rate.

3 Although there’s no card purchase fee, there is a £10 deposit payable on application for your card which is credited to your balance the first time that you load your card.

Conclusion: If you are travelling to a country which uses the Euro as its currency, it well worth looking at purchasing a CaxtonFX Euro currency card. It’ll mean that you get more from the your holiday spending money as your bank will not be taking around 5% in fees and charges. You’ll have the reassurance of knowing that when you pay for a purchase of 75 Euro, you will only pay 75 euro debited from your currency card and that you won’t overspend when you’re in carefree holiday mode. This currency card is probably best suited to either frequent travelers and/or high spenders to countries in the Euro Zone, who’ll be able to recoup more in savings to balance the time spent applying for and maintaining the currency card.

Warning and Disclosure: Please read the terms and conditions carefully before purchasing a currency card. This post is based on my research but I’m by no means a financial expert. If you purchase either of the cards in this post, I’ll be paid a commission. However in my opinion these currency card are a good buy for many UK residents travelling to the Euro Zone.

With airlines increasingly looking for new and innovative ways to boost profits in an otherwise bleak industry, many airline carriers are finally turning to new technologies. And by new, we mean decades old. Yes, it seems hard to believe but it’s been almost two decades since the internet has hit the mainstream, and yet only now are airlines starting to offer inflight WiFi.

While the airlines are quick to point out that usage has been increasing on a near weekly basis (no airline is willing to admit how many users opt for inflight WiFi), many experts peg the rate at about 5-7%. The reason is obvious: 15 bucks for a few hours of internet. In comparison, Continental’s new inflight entertainment offerings feature DirecTV. For 9 bucks, passengers can view both live and programmed channels, and will also get barebones internet access. That means passengers can access email and instant messenger, but no general web browsing.

Airlines report the best success during popular business routes. This should come as no surprise, as many business travelers are looking to work while they fly. Add to that most passengers bill it to their company and it’s a no brainer. However, airlines recognize the importance of the business traveler and are looking to sell WiFi packages to companies in blocks, or plans, instead of the single use model that is currently in effect.

It costs nearly $100,000 to outfit a plane with WiFi capabilities. Will the airlines recoup their costs? Only time well tell. We can only hope that the cost will lower as the technology gets better.

We seem to be on a security binge these days, but there was once a time when going to the airport was a pleasant experience: you expected your luggage to be scanned, but would pass through the metal detectors with ease. Not only that, but loved ones could accompany you all the way to the gate. People were nicer, lines were smaller, and random full-body searches were practically unheard of. Of course, those days are long gone. Now, lines to pass through security can extend beyond a two hour wait during busy times. Have you ever wondered how you could pass through security faster? Follow these helpful tips and you’ll be able to breeze through security in no time.

* If you must check-in your luggage, check in as most as possible! The lighter you pack, the faster you go through security.
* Only carry what you need. You don’t need your keys, phone, laptop, or even your wallet to pass through the security checkpoints. Instead, only carry your identification card and boarding pass (at least until you get through security). Until then, leave everything in your carry-on bag.
* Well before you get to the scanners, place all your possessions containing metal into your carry-on. Yes, that means the phone, wallet, and keys mentioned above if you have not already done so. You’ll also need to take off your jacket, belt and shoes, so prepare for that as well.
* Avoid families, find business travelers. Sure you might think the business traveler has more carry-on luggage and would thus take longer, but that’s not true at all. The average business traveler is airport savvy, and knows all these tricks to past through security quickly. Families will often have to step through the metal detector multiple times because they keep “forgetting about the change in their pocket”.

These simple tips will help any traveler pass security with ease. Business travelers have been using these tips and tricks for years, and now you should too. The most important thing to remember is don’t take it personally: these security regulations were put in place for your protection, and security agents are merely enforcing the rules. If you get angry, they’ll get angry, and nobody wins. Just take a deep breath, relax, and suffer like the rest of us.

Vacation planning can take up to two years, it can be tedious and difficult to choose hotels and car rental services, and it definitely takes a lot of patience. Planning is one of the most important aspects of travel! Without a solid plan you will end up lost, confused, and probably broke. When planning vacations you should always follow these 7 tips to help you plan the most epic vacation of your life!

1. Always plan ahead. This is a given in any instance, but planning ahead saves money, time, and makes the trip that much better. While for many services you have to wait closer to the destination date to plan, buy plane tickets as soon as reservations are available. Book hotels for holiday travel far in advance to ensure your reservation is a solid YES, and always book reservations to popular restaurants if you think you will eat at an upscale restaurant.

2. Learn the language. Most people can’t become fluent in Spanish, Chinese, or Italian within a year or two, but you can definitely learn easy phrases. These phrases will help you get by as well avoid scams from those trying to rip you off. Try purchase a translation manual to take along, and if you have an iPhone download one of the flash card translator apps!

3. Learn to like the local food. If you don’t like the food that is available in your desired travel destination, then you probably shouldn’t go. If you can learn to like the local food your trip will be much more enjoyable, and you will have the experience of a lifetime!

4. Plan to bring extra money. In most cases traveling isn’t all that expensive, but the fact is, it is extremely important to bring extra funds in case of emergency. Only bringing what you need can land you in a tight spot quickly if you run out of funds.

5. Dress like the locals. Buy clothing and dress like locals. The worst thing to do while traveling is to look like a tourist! It makes you more likely to get nailed with a scam or put you in a dangerous situation. If you want to protect yourself, then blend in as much as possible.

6. Pack lightly. When planning your vacation, only plan to bring what you absolutely need. Packing heavily means you have more stuff that can get lost or damaged during flights, train rides, or any type of travel where someone else will be handling your luggage.

7. Most importantly, expect delays and always be prepared for longer travel time than you expect.

Traveling is a cinch once you prepare ahead of time, and know what to expect. Do plenty of research and always read reviews on things you plan to do, where you plan to eat, and where you are going to stay.