Travel around the world – Insurance, Good Hotels

(Photo: davaodude)Fondly known as the ‘Queen of the Hills’, Darjeeling is a scenic hill station in the Eastern state of India, West Bengal. Darjeeling is located in the Mahabharat Range, also known as the Lesser Himalayas at a magnificent altitude of about 2050m. Darjeeling, which is now known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, is also famous for its tea estates which produce delicious tea. There are a number of trekking tracks which cover both high and low altitudes, offering splendid views of Mounts Kanchenjunga and Everest. The railway which is popularly known as the ‘Toy Train,’ connects Siliguri town to Darjeeling. It runs for about 86km and at altitudes from 328ft to 7218 ft.

While at Darjeeling, do not miss the Tiger hill, which is located 2590m above sea level, especially at sun rise. From Tiger hill, you will be able to soak in the breathtaking view of Mount Everest along with the Kanchenjunga mountain ranges. Also visit the Batasia Loop which is a railway loop, located 5km away from Darjeeling. Upon reaching Batasia Loop, you will be amazed by the efforts that have gone into constructing this loop. There is also a war memorial in memory of the men who died for country while fighting for Independence. There are also shopping landmarks in Darjeeling, known as The Mall and Chowrasta. You should also visit the tea gardens where you can see how Darjeeling tea is manufactured. There are also many important Buddhist monasteries around Darjeeling, with the oldest one being the Yiga Chilling Monastery.

The best time to travel to Darjeeling is from March to May or September to November. This is when temperatures are pleasant and free of landslides, monsoon or extreme winters. As a tourist to Darjeeling, you will find a wide range of accommodation like hotels, international youth hostels, English style villas and estates and so on.

(Photo: salmiakki)Over the years, Dubai has evolved into a travel and tourist hub in the Middle East. One of the 7 emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai is located to the south of Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. With the largest population in the emirates, Dubai offers some astounding tourist attractions. Dubai is best visited between November and April where the weather is pleasant to its visitors. Ideally, you should also avoid the month of Ramadan, which is based on moon sighting. This is the month of fasting by Muslims and it is illegal to eat, drink or smoke in public from dawn to dusk. Dubai can be reached by major airlines all round the world and has a spectacular airport capable of hosting hordes of visitors.

As mentioned, Dubai has no lack of attractions for the visitors. Ranging from classy artificial islands to beaches, museums and theme parks, Dubai is also the proud owner of the world’s first 7-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab. When in Dubai, do be sure to visit the Creek and watch dow boats pass by. The Creek is regarded as an important historical venue in Dubai. If you have a long stay in Dubai, you could also enjoy hot air balloon rides, the pretty Jumeira Mosque, tourist villages and go away on a desert safari.

If you are one who is perpetually bitten by the shopping bug, you will be pleased to note that Dubai is an excellent destination for shopping. The low custom duties policy in Dubai makes shopping in Dubai a pleasurable experience. You can spend an entire day just walking through traditional souks, one after the other. Once you have had your fill of that, you can also have a look at the shopping malls which are of international standards.

So, if you are looking to have a magical experience, why not try out Dubai as your next holiday destination?

(Photo: adforce1)Singapore is a city-state in Southeast Asia and is known to be one of the most successful nations in that region. Founded in 1819, with a population of almost 4.5 million people, it is one of the most densely populated nations in the world. Singapore is a conglomeration of both tradition and modernity. While boasting high taste skyscrapers, tourists to the island will also find traditional architecture and local fare of Chinese, Indian and Malay food, culture and goods. Singapore is highly sought after by tourists far and wide. Singapore hosts some high standard tourist attractions which never fail to attract tourists.

One such tourist attraction is the Jurong Bird Park. The perfect haven for nature and bird lovers, Jurong bird pack holds different species of birds and also entertains its guests with bird shows. Tourists should also not miss the Singapore Night Safari which is by far the world’s first Night Safari is the world’s first night wildlife park. The Night Safari allows visitors to experience wildlife in a tropical setting at night under starlit skies. You will be able to see almost 1000 nocturnal animals of about 100 species in extremely naturalistic habitats. Visitors also have the option to set foot on a walking trail which allows them to explore the jungle and the animals. Visitors can enjoy animal shows and performances while on the tour. Beside the Night Safari is the Singapore Zoo which houses various animals from several countries.  Singapore also attracts tourists with the recent introduction of the Singapore Flyer which offers visitors a bird’s eye view of the landscape and Universal Studios.

For the shopping enthusiasts, Singapore provides traditional shopping options as well as plush mall experiences in downtown Singapore known as Orchard Road. With food available everywhere, tourists will never have to feel hungry while on their shopping expedition. The international brand names will appeal shoppers of all ages.

(Photo: 30830597@N08)London is a destination that has built itself to carry the reputation of being classy and fashionable. The capital city of England offers many sights and sounds to satisfy the travel bug in you. Tourists can experience the class and style in the air soon after stepping into London. London is a perfect blend of the tradition, history and modernity. This is what makes the city a quintessential metropolis in the world. Anyone who has been to London can vouch for the fact that London is distinctly the world’s most emblematic cities. The proud owner of the Big Ben, London also has attractive double-decker buses, the Tube and the Queen herself!

What is more, London is home to the Buckingham Palace, Tower of London and Westminster Abbey and more. These are some of the sights that a tourist to London should never miss. Impressive sights are the Changing of Guard at the Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade. These colourful royal processions can enthrall visitors, allowing them to soak in the atmosphere of the English tradition. If you travel to London in August and September, the Buckingham Palace itself is open for visitors to see. You will enjoy the sights of the clocktower and Houses of Parliament. Other sights include the London Bridge, Princess Diana’s memorial and the gorgeous Madame Tussauds. Of course, you should also not miss the London Eye, London’s finest observatory wheel. London is home to a variety of shopping locations and is good enough to rival any other shopping city in the world. With the wide range of goods available, it is understandable if you end up feeling overwhelmed. Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street are some of the places you can go to for your shopping needs.

Unarguably, summer is the best time to visit London. During this time, the weather is stable and it is also the time of festivities. If you want to avoid the huge crowds, you could visit at the end of the year but will need to be prepared to deal with the capricious climate.

There are a number of people who are very much interested in writing articles and making money out of these. The fascinating thing about this writing process is that you can easily do it anywhere even in the comfort of your home. For these people, there are some techniques that you will need to develop in order to be successful. After developing these techniques and using them effectively you will surely be on your way to making money out of your travel writing. Here are four of the techniques that could prove very useful for you.

1. One of the ways to make money as a travel writer is to complete writing project on the numerous ‘project’ sites that are on the internet. There are a host of them out there and include sites like DoMyStuff, Guru, and Elance. All these websites and others have hundreds of writing projects posted on them each and every single day. It is very simple to accomplish this task on the websites. All you have to do is to set up a free account as a content provider, and then you will be able to respond to requests for writing projects. After successful completion of the writing project the funds that accrue from it will be directly deposited into your bank account. You can easily withdraw it from any ATM in the world, especially if it is MasterCard or VISA.
2. Indeed another simple technique is to be writing for your own blog. This way you will be able to use your travel stories to generate traffic to it. This is because there are a host of people who are very interested in getting enough information about travelling. If you are able to gradually develop your blog space, in not time you can attract a lot of people to the point where you will then sell ad space or products related to your blog. Even it seems very simple; there are a number of people who have thousands of dollars through this process.
3. One of the most common methods is to sell your stories to travel newspapers and magazines. However, this is the method or technique that pays the least of all. What you can here is to place a query to the newspaper or the magazine about the subjects of interest they like to receive. From there you can do your own research as to how to write your topics or materials before writing and selling it to them. You can easily find these newspapers and magazines from your library or more simply the internet. These days the latter provides the most effective means of locating some of these institutions. The only risky thing about this technique is the fact that you can never be sure as whether the company will guarantee the payment. For most of them your articles will be easily rejected if it is considered as a low grade article.

Most of the time when we travel, we tend to concentrate too much on the safety of facilities and other minor items. However, there is the need to make sure that you focus on the things that are of necessity before looking at the luxurious ones. In this regard, you will have to protect your valuables to the highest level possible. Some of these valuable include your passport, extra keys, credit cards and most importantly your money. Here are a few things you can do to ensure that protection.

1. What you can do is to keep all those valuable things and other documents in a pouch that can be worn under your clothing in a protected manner. Make sure that the pouch is worn in front of you. As an alternative you can equally put the pouch in the pillowcase and could even take it along with you as you go to the bathroom. Moreover, you must make sure you do well to hide a small cache of your traveller’s cheques or cash in more places just in case the main one is stolen.
2. You must also be very careful with the usage of cash purse straps. If you are going to carry some of your items in a backpack make sure that there are no valuables in there. This is because the easiest way for these items to be stolen is to cut your packs or slash your rear pants pockets and wait for the items to fall as they pick them up.
3. Your room in the hotel that you choose should mostly be between the 4th and 6th floors. For the rooms that are on the upper floors it is very difficult to get there with fire ladders. It will also be good to stay near the elevator even though the place could be quite noisy. More so, you could go in for rooms that are away from the parking lot if you decide to stay on the ground floor.
4. Furthermore, you must ensure that anytime you are signing in for your hotel room, you use only your first initial and last name. If you are a single woman you should then consider using the Mr. And Mrs. Make sure no one knows the room that you are occupying. You could also get two hotel business cards with the name of the hotel on it. Here one will be for the room and the other will be for you to carry on yourself as you go about the town on sightseeing.
5. When you get to your destination, make sure that you are careful of all those who wander on the hallways. Also make sure you examine the room you are supposed to stay in as well as any holes that are drilled through the walls. You can insist in a heavy combination padlock alongside the secured locks that have been put in place.

These days a number of people are very much interested in making a trip to places of their choice. However, most of them do really take time to do some research on the places that they are visiting. The following are some four tips that could really help you to do that effective research on the favourite place you want to visit.

1. One of the first things that could help you in your research is to know what you really want to do. For those who are really interested in food, then it will be helpful to make sure that you find a lot of information about these. You can find out about cooking classes, restaurants, and also speciality markets. For those who are someone who is fond of shopping, then do some research about the best deals in the shops and the favourites for the locals. For those are interested in going on adventure, then do some research about places of interest in the area where a lot of people like to visit.
2. You can also do well to speak to people about your upcoming trip. At all cost, you will be able to get someone who has got some kind of information about the place. In addition, you could find someone who knows a friend or family member in the area. With an email address, you can easily get information from these people about the cultural attractions, activities, transport, hot spots and accommodation facilities. You will be fascinated about the kind of information you will get from these people if you can just ask.
3. When it comes to safety, you will also have to get a lot of information about the area you are travelling to. You should do well to check out the tourist guides in your local library as to the kinds of people that visit the place. In order to prevent the violation of any laws in the area or country, ensure that you are abreast with all the customs, especially with regards to dressing, gender attitudes and other stuff. These will ensure that you are drawn into any protracted squabbles, arguments or quarrels in the area. When you take a place like Saudi Arabia, as a lady you cannot transfer the kind of dressing you put on in the United States here. This is because there are very strict rules guiding the kind of dressing in this country.
4. When it also comes to health you must make sure that you are very much abreast with every kind of information. Before going there, you must let your doctor give you all the necessary immunizations and injections that will make you immune to any form of disease. You should do well to check the health directorate website of the country concerned and even narrow it down to the area that you are visiting.

There is no doubt that all these tips will make your travel research an easy one.

Before one plans to travel to India, it is necessary that the basic information regarding the places you are likely to visit is gathered. It is also advisable, in order to, make the journey comfortable follow certain Do’s and Do-Not’s.

Information:

• Information about the Places to be visited can be obtained from the Indian Embassy in your country as well as it can be looked at by surfing India Travel related sites.
• Staying in India is no problem. There are plenty of Hotels with categories ranging from Five Star Hotels to One Star Hotel, No Star Hotels, Budget Hotels, India Tourism Hotels, Resorts. In each big town there is Tourism Office, which gives information and Assistance.
• Foreigners staying in hotels are required to make the payment of their bills in Foreign Currency.
• English is the most commonly spoken language. For other languages you can seek the help of an Approved Guide knowing the Language you speak.
• People of India have a friendly nature and show their hospitality in welcoming you. Do not get disturbed if some one looks at you with some curiosity. You shall find them helping in nature and where ever necessary they shall go out of the way to guide you.
• Need not to mention, if you are using some of medicines, carry them with you, because the medicine or the brand you are using ay not be readily available. How ever the equivalent substitutes are available.
• The Religious places require that you remove your shoes and deposit them at the Shoes Counter. The Shoes are safely kept here and you are given a token in lieu if shoes. By surrendering the Token you can collect your shoes after you have finished with your visit to the temple. You are also required to cover your head with a cloth.
• The electric current supply in India is AC 220/ 250 volts and 50 cycles. If your equipment uses different current supply, obtain a converter.

Do’s :

• Always carry with you a Bottle of water. Col Mineral water is available at the Railway Stations, Bus Stands and in the Shops every where.
• Buy Railway Tickets from the Railway Station Booking Counter or authorized Travel Agent
• Keep your Pass Port, Travel Documents and Tickets safely.
• Keep your money safely.
• Hiring a Taxi or an Auto Rickshaw should be from a Pre Paid Booth present at Railway Stations, Air Ports, Bus Stands. If no such service is available from the place you are hiring Pay only by Fare Meter or settle the amount to be paid before starting the journey.
• Make your Travel Reservations well in advance especially during peak season from the month of October to month of March.
• Use Phone Call booths for making Inland and International Calls. There are plenty of them at the Public Places and in the markets with a Public Call Office Board Displayed or STD/ISD Board Displayed.

Do-Not’s:

• Do not hire a transport service from an unauthorized agency.
• Do not eat on the road. Always dine at a good restaurant.
• Do not give money to beggars they shall surround you and shall face a problem in dealing with them. More over it is illegal to give money to beggars.
• Considering the safety aspects it is advisable not to go to isolated places late hours.

Human inhabitation in India:

The evidences of Stone Age Rock shelters and the paintings found in the area of Madhya Pradesh reflect about permanent human settlements in India dating back to about 9000 years ago. This formed the creation of Indus valley in western India. Subsequently in Vedic Period there was establishment of Hinduism affecting the culture of the early Indians. Later on many small kingdoms got established in different parts of the country.

Being a home land of Indus Valley Civilization and a region which encouraged historic trade routes and formation of vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.

The Religions of Indian People:

Four major religions followed by the Indian people i.e. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism were the religions which originated here in different periods to fill the gaps existed in the previous religions. Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in India during the first millennium and are responsible for diversity of culture exhibited by the people of India.

India offers lot of fascination to view and feel by mixing up with the people of India, who are very hard working, sincere and display great harmony in living together and working for a common cause. There is a lot of diversity to be seen

The Racial Origin of Indian People:

People of India have origin from a number of racial groups having different Religions, customs and traditions. People of India display diverse traits of varying in heights, complexion and features. There is lot of contrasts in responses and behaviors as you to west to east or north to south. There is diversity in regional languages. There are 13 regional languages, which are prevalent in India.

There have been aggressions by foreign Invaders during the ancient period, who ruled and settled in India bringing with them their cultures and traditions which influenced the local people and is result of heterogeneous population of India descended from European Aryans in North India, Dravidians in south India, Mongloids in East India and Negrito in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Indian Languages:

The Languages of India range from Hindi in Northern India and the Dravidian Languages spoken are Telgu, Kannada, Tamil and Malyalam. Kashmiri is spoken in Kashmir and Bengali in Bengal. A number of states speak their own dialect version of Hindi.

The number of languages spoken by the people of India reflects their ethnic diversity. Languages that belong to the Indo-Aryan family of languages are spoken in Northern India. Hindi is the official language of India. The tribals speak their respective dialects ranging from Austro-Asiatic to Tibeto-Burman.

To commemorate the 50 years of Indian Independence One India One People (OIOP) Foundation, a non-profit organization was set up in August 1997. The foundation was set up by Mr. Sadanand A. Shetty, an industrialist, with the object of unifying the people of India.

One India One People magazine was a vehicle, which touched hearts millions of people of India settled abroad or living in India. He had a broad vision for building great and strong united India. He wished to see every citizen to be proud Indian.

One India One People magazine was created to fill a very vital gap of Recognition existing in the Indian society for building internal awareness about our great cultural legacy and geographical wonders, and highlighting social, economic and political issues unique to India.

The Foundation proved to act as a catalyst and influence the ignorant population to realize full capabilities they possessed and use them in to place India as an exalted country. The 20-point Charter was conceived with Indians in mind.

India has a very rich heritage of the past based on the Indian traditions and values of the times immemorial ranging from origin of a number of religions and faiths based on the true stories portrayed by the pious men like Lord Rama, Mahatma Budh, Lord Mahavir, 10 Gurus of Sikh Religion. There are places of Pilgrimage associated with these religions.

The Epic wars like Mahabharta were fought on this land to uphold the principles. The places associated with the epic war are also places of pilgrimage.

Indian sub continent has witnessed many ancient civilizations moving from one part of the world and settling here affecting the local population with their practices. India suffered at the hand of foreign invaders settling here to rule the country for over 400 years and constructing monuments and memorials, which contribute to the heritage of India.

India has its own seven wonders, which are a must for a traveler to visit and enjoy life and hospitality of Indian traditions. The tourism in India is growing very fast because of increasing popularity of Indian wonders.

In the ancient past India had many princely states living peacefully without any threat and encouraged Art depiction in Temples and palaces constructed by them. The art and architecture of India progressed with the patronization of kings and princes of the past. Such activity was witnessed in full swing from 2nd Century BC to 10th Century AD. The best architecture, sculpture, painting work is still maintained in the ancient temples. Caves at Ajanta and Ellora, temples at Khajuraho, Mahabalipuram, Buddhist Stupas, and plenty of temples, shrines, and palaces pertaining to this period are the places of tourist attraction. Gandhara and Mathura schools of art contributed significantly towards the growth of the arts of ancient India.

Medieval period witnessed crumbling of the political structure against the strength of foreign invaders resulting into immigration by the Muslims from central Asia. This gave different turn to the ancient art and architecture of India. Almost different culture background is responsible for different shapes of monuments and memorials constructed during the period.

Turkish and Afghan rulers blended their traditions with Indian culture and created Indo-Islamic style seen in Qutab Minar, Quwwat ul Islam Mosque,

The Mughuls during 16th to 19th century influenced great advances in respect of the grand buildings. Many Forts, Palaces, and Mausoleums like Himayuns’ tomb, Agra Fort, Old Fort in Delhi, Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Red Fort in Delhi and the Highly decorative palaces at Mandu and Jaunpur. The temples of Dilwara, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Vijayanagar also belong to this period.

The seven wonders of India having World Heritage Status are worth visiting the details are given below:

1. Taj Mahal :

Located at Agra was built by Mughal King Shahjahan in memory of Queen Mumtaz Mahal. It is all white marble huge structure on the banks of River Jamuna, which now has changed its course. It has the tombs of Queen & King side by depicting true love for each other.

2. Khajuraho Temples:

These Temples  remained hidden from the modern society for a very long time. Khuraho Temples have been by Chandela Dynasty depicting ancient form of fine sculpture representing erotic and sensuous scenes of real life of those times.

3. Ajanta Ellora Caves:

These caves are situated near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. These are cave shrines made by hand cutting of the rocky region. They were unknown for almost 1000 years and were accidentally discovered by a hunter. They represent finest example of ancient art in India.

4. Golden Temple also known as Darbar Sahib:

It  situated at Amritsar, it is one of the Oldest Sikh Shrine established by Shri Guru Ram Das ji and the town is called Guru Ki Nagri. Pilgrims from India and abroad regularly come here to pay their homage.

5. Mahabodhi Temple:

It is located at Gaya in Bihar and is famous because Mahatma Budh, while sitting under the Bodhi tree for a long time attained enlightenment based on which is Bodhi Religion. It has finest architecture of the ancient times.

6. Hampi Ruins:

They are of both Architectural and Religious Importance. It was capital of Vijayanagara empire having Hindu Influence and was built in 14th to 16th century. It is a collection of Majestic Temples, palaces and Market place.

7. Konark Sun Temple:

It is a 13th Century monument built by King Narsimahadeva and has Oriya Culture

at its best form. The whole temple is shaped like a Chariot on which Sun God is shown going to heavens. Sun is a very favored diety of Hindu religion and many rituals are done to please the sun diety for bountiful blessings.