There is a ‘Do Not Travel’ category. This classification can affect your travel insurance because insurers will examine the coverage issues in travel to these countries.

The current list includes several countries in the midst of wars, and others with major internal issues and conflicts. They are considered dangerous because some of these countries comprises world insurgents, militants and terrorists that target foreigners, especially those from the western countries like USA and Europe.

• Afghanistan
• Burundi
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Guinea
• Iraq
• Niger
• Somalia
• Sudan

This  ‘Do Not Travel’ list is compiled based on the government’s assessment of risk, known dangers, and professional threat assessments by security and intelligence agencies. Naturally the countries being listed aren’t too happy and have lodged complains against it.   In many cases the ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory has been proven to be accurate. You don’t have to be a military expert or a politician to know, the media will tell you with spreads of news articles and photographs.

Additional Reading: Travel Tips Australia

Phuket is a beautiful place to have a laid back vacation, except that it could be overwhelmingly crowded during the peak month of Decembers. I was there in late November and already the hotels, traveler lodges, pubs and massage parlous were gearing for the in flood of December tourists. If I could, I always like to visit Phuket a week or 2 before their golden months set in. It was great that the company sent me for a 4-day training stint there.

I like nothing better to do than waking up late, walk down to the beach and have a few laps before I head for breakfast. After that, is a stroll down to the town area for a massage. Well, the girls there were great, and their fingers can certainly do wonders. Especially if you can speak a little Thai language so that they can better understand your needs. Well, make sure you negotiate price before you settle for a massage, facial or foot reflexology. Sometimes, the listed price doesn’t count!

Currently, I can greet in Thailand and can bargain using Thai numbers. You bet that helps, because when you can bring on a wide smile from the vendors, there’s hope. “Sawatdee Khrab!” That is how you say hello in Thai. If you are a girl you will say “Sawatdee Kaa”. When you are on holiday in Thailand, most places you go to you won’t have a problem. Still, learn some basic conversational will help. Most web sites and phrase books just write down the Thai words using Roman letters for you to try and read. That is a waste of time because Thai is a tonal language. You need to listen to native speakers and try to talk as often as possible. You don’t talk, you don’t learn.

Additional Reading
60 Minutes to learn the Thai Alphabets

1) Work as a servicing staff on the plane or work a cruise ship job. Especially the latter, you get to live aboard a luxury cruiseliner and get paid to live the lifestyle passengers without paying several thousands of dollars.

2) Be a travel guide. Visit a city or region. Get to know the best places, then get paid to show other people what you’ve found!

3) Become a paid travel writer. Especially great when you like writing and write well. Get hired – permanently or by projects by travel magazines and guidebooks and get paid. Of course, blog about your travels and collect money from advertisements.

There are many ways to travel for “free”, you just have to be creative.

Additional Reading
How To Get A Cruise Ship Job!!!

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!