Really Nice Vacations

Here are just a few common sense tips …

1. Never leave your car “abandoned” in front of the terminal. Park in shot-term parking lots or better still, take a cab and leave your car behind. The airport staff will surely towed and ticketed unattended cars left at inappropriate places.

2. Don’t bother trying to bring drink or food through the security check point. The security staff will ask you to leave them at a bin before you cross over. Drinks and food purchased after the checkpoint has been screened and are permissible to be brought onto the airplane.

3. Remove all of your metallic items and put them in your carry-on baggage before reaching the security checkpoint. These items may comprise of jewelry, cell phones, loose changes, belt buckles, pagers, keys etc.

4. Get your boarding pass and valid identification handy before reaching the security checkpoint. This may seem like a silly advice but many people do fumble at the checkpoint as they cannot recall where they leave them. In fact, many people lost their boarding pass, passport and stuff like that. If you are around airport enough time, you will hear lots of “lost and found” announcements.

Why not? Especially when you can afford to pay for the nice things in life. Flying can be a lonely and long journey so why not make yourself comfortable when money is not a concern.

Traveling first class is a great experience. Otherwise,  why would all airlines invest so much money to make sure their VIPs were treated like kings and queens?

First class travelers enjoy

1. More shoulder space and leg room.

2. More comfortable chairs that can decline and make into beds. Of course, leather chairs, no less.

3. More peaceful. At least you don’t have adults yakking non-stop and kids running and screaming up and down.

4. More personalized service. If you travel with the same airline often enough, the stewardess will know what you like to drink without asking.

5. More sumptuous meals. Naturally, you get much better food, beverages and liquor when you pay so much more.

If you are not earning a fat income and you want to travel first class to have an experience, the tip is to  book your tickets during the off season. Also, go to the travel agency that regularly serve you may help too. They usually have great connections with the airlines, and they will know which airline offers a better deal.

Additional Reading:

Airfares Secrets – Insider Information from a Fired Airline Agent who bares all

Living like James Bond!

Why do people travel? Why do you travel? I travel often for work but other peoples have their reasons. Let me know if you can add on more reasons than these listed ..

1. Love & Relationship- People who are involved in long distance relationships  travel for hours to see their love.

2. Rest & Relax- All work and no play makes Jack a dull bloke and Jill a dull gal.  People can get sick with boredom staying at the same place too long, changing sights and sounds is good for the soul.

3. Family & Friends -Many people have family members and friends who live and work in other parts of the world.  They travel to each other.

4. Faith & Religion- There are places in the world that hold religious importance for many people. The Muslims travel to Mecca, the Buddhists go to India etc.

5. Death- When a loved one pass on, travel may be required to attend the funeral which is located out of town.

6. Honeymoon- This is probably one of the most common reason for people to travel, to celebrate the 2nd phrase of life.

7. Education & Continuous Learning – Parents sent kids to great schools all over the world. Harvard and  Oxford for examples.

8. Celebration- Wedding, Anniversary, Birthday, Birth -you just have to go to the other part of the world if these occasions and the people involved are important enough.

9. Medical & Health-  Often the best medical care is costly and requires travel to receive it. For examples, Indonesians travel to Singapore which is the nearest medical hub. While Singaporeans may travel to China for Traditional Chinese Medical treatment and to USA for mainstream medical surgeries.

10. Work- Job requirements might mean a fair bit of travel is involved. That’s what I do a lot.

If you need to travel and likes to travel at a low cost, you may want to check out Tony Morrison’s Airfare Secrets. Hear what this bloke got to say: ”I was a hard-working travel agent for 16 years at a major airline corporation …Until they decided to fire me one morning over a completely bogus reason! Here’s my way of saying “no thank you” when they offered me a new contract earlier this year. With my extensive insider knowledge, I’m bringing forth this mind-blowing informational guide on how you can save a truckload of money on traveling — the secrets that only the ones in this industry would ever be familiar with”.

Additional Reading:

Airfares Secrets – Insider Information from a Fired Airline Agent who bares all

Living like James Bond!

Apparently a fairy left one of her slippers at Yeliu GeoPark, Taiwan,  and it is immortalized thereafter on the lonely shore.

Somehow, it reminds me of Cinderella but the damsel’s glass slipper was picked up by the prince. Does the fairy has no prince? At least the Fairy Slipper will be resting in peace unlike the Queen’s Head which is destined to be decapitated by the elements .. . …  sooner or later.

Yehliu  is a cape on the north coast of Taiwan in the town of Wanli between Taipei and Keelung in the beautiful island of Taiwan. Taiwan is formerly known as Formosa

The cape, also named the Yehliu Promontory,  by geologists is a part of the Taliao Miocene Formation. Apparently it runs 1,700 meters into the ocean and was formed as geological forces pushed Datun Mountain out of the sea.

One of the most distinctive feature of the cape is the hoodoo stones that dot its surface. Based on the shapes, some of these rock formations graced many tour brochures. Among the more well-known ones is The Queen’s Head”. This  is an iconic image in Taiwan and an unofficial emblem for the town of Wanli. Other formations include “The Fairy Shoe”, “The Bee Hive”, “The Ginger Rocks” and “The Sea Candles.”

The picture here is taken earlier this year. According to the locals, the Queen has  “slimmed” down over the years due to the harsh wind and tough climatic change. In fact, some said the Queen is bound to be decapitated due to the punishing elements shining and blowing at her.  So if you are passing by Taiwan, do make a trip to Yeliu Geopark. You don’t want just to see her neck only.

Went to Hong Kong for business and during one of those long boring meetings, my peer cheered us with this meaningful joke. I got him to email over so that I can share with more people here:

A holy man was having a conversation with God one day and said, “God , I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”

God led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished.

They were holding spoons with very long handles, that were strapped to their arms and each found it impossible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

God said, ‘You have seen Hell.’

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one.

There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.. ‘

‘It is simple,’ said God . ‘It requires but one skill.

You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.

After reading Versa Creations’ Completing 2008, Creating 2009, I borrowed the questions and “remodel” them to relate to traveling.

Traveling 2009

What would you like to be your biggest travel triumph in 2009?

What travel advice would you like to give yourself in 2009?

What is the major effort you are planning to maximize your traveling pleasure in 2009?

What would you be most happy about traveling in 2009?

What major indulgence are you willing to experience in 2009?

What would you most like to change about your traveling plans or habits in 2009?

What are you looking forward to learning during your traveling in 2009?

What do you think your biggest risk will be in 2009?

What about your work, are you most committed to changing and improving in 2009, so that it can serve your traveling bug better?

What is one as yet unvisited country/place you are willing to explore in 2009?

What brings you the most joy and how are you going to do or have more of that in 2009?

Who or what, other than yourself, are you most committed to loving and serving in 2009?