Posts made in September, 2010

Medical Evacuation Insurance can be Bought by Travel Agents or Directly from Company

Posted by admin on Sep 30, 2010 in Travel Agent | Comments Off

I’ve been traveling abroad for a few years already and the most frightening medical emergency I have experienced happened in Afghanistan where a young Frenchwoman suddenly suffered from an appendicitis attack. In the middle of an empty desert, her pain began. Americans increasingly are seeking out the remote corners of the world, and at least a few suffer life threatening illnesses or accidents, sometimes far from adequate medical care or any care at all.

In the middle of nowhere, the bus full of Afghans suddenly broke down just a couple of hours out of Kandahar. An obvious companion of the Frenchwoman, a westerner who was very much worried approached me out of confusion. She led me in the back seat where her friend stretched out because of a terrible pain in the stomach. The weather was hot and they couldn’t do much that’s why they only applied a wet handkerchief to her friend’s forehead.

After a few hours, some passengers didn’t have second thoughts in hopping on a truck that passed even though it wasn’t going near Kabul. A sturdy European sedan showed up at the time that the Frenchwoman was uncontrollably sobbing. The two French travelers were fortunate enough for the Swiss couple who were in the car agreed to give them a ride to Kabul. I and the remaining Afghan passengers rode on a bus that came after some time. The Frenchwoman’s friend visited me in my hotel the next day just to thank me. In Kabul, after the Swiss couple and she contacted the embassy, the French Embassy helped in bringing the injured lady in a hospital where an immediate appendectomy was done. Chastened by the close call, the friend turned out to be okay afterwards.

In 60 countries, the Maryland based association for safe international road travel ensures its travelers safety measures to observe whenever faced with perilous road situations. Each country has its own customized reports depending on the probability of livestock on the road, accident prone roads, dangers of driving at night and bizarre driving practices. Where pertinent, it also will note where lack of safety standards makes rental cars or bus travel chancy.

In Turkey, a 25 year old Bethesda medical student was killed in a bus accident which is the reason why the association was founded. The most perilous roads based on accident statistics by a non-profit organization are the countries Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Turkey and Morocco. India might be part of the list but still, it doesn’t provide statistics. The association convinced the US State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to include road hazard information in each country’s consular information sheets. Carry adequate health insurance, and consider buying a medical evacuation policy. You are obliged to take care of your own expenses if ever you become ill or are injured but the US Embassy can help you look for a medical care. It could cost you thousands of dollars if from a remote place to an emergency hospital, you are evacuated by air. Before going abroad, find out what medical services your health insurance will cover, warns the State Department, and carry both an insurance policy identity card as proof of your insurance and a claim form.

Treatment for senior citizens done outside the United States is not covered by the Social Security Medicare program but it can be acquired through the American Association of Retired Persons via a Medicare Supplement plan. A number of firms sell medical evacuation insurance which can be availed on an annual or per trip basis. The company and its travel agents sell insurance.

If ever the worst is encountered, better call the nearest US Embassy. A list of other medical facilities or local doctors will be provided by the embassy at the very least. The embassy personnel would want to assure that Americans get the best medical care. This happens mostly in remote places where most Americans visit. To ensure that the victim receives proper treatment in a better facility and that his/her family and friends will be contacted, the officials take care of these victims even in a foreign hospital.

Europe’s favourite online travel agent for cheap flights, hotels, holidays and insurance

Posted by admin on Sep 30, 2010 in Travel Agent | Comments Off

ebookers.com is a leading pan-European online travel agency specialising in worldwide travel. ebookers.com offers a wide range of travel products including a choice of over 250 airlines, more than 86,000 hotels, holidays, car hire and insurance. ebookers.com is part of Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW), a leading global online travel company. ebookers.com prides itself in its passion for travel and in strong customer experience. The company offers a full range of travel products online and over the telephone. It operates local online travel agencies across 13 countries in Europe and its headquarters are in Central London.

Company background
ebookers.com, was established in 1998, and its company’s origins go back almost 20 years under the name of Flightbookers Ltd. Flightbookers was founded in Earls Court, London in 1983 by Dinesh Dhamija and in 1996 was the first travel agent to launch an interactive travel website in the UK. This was so successful that in 1999 the internet arm was separated to form ebookers.com and the new company taken public with a flotation on Nasdaq in New York and Germany’s Neuer Markt. The $61m raised at flotation was used for a Pan-European roll-out and November 2000 saw ebookers.com buy Flightbookers for $15m and reunite the two companies.

Part of the world’s largest travel conglomerate
ebookers.com was acquired by Cendant in February 2005. On October 23, 2005, Cendant Corporation announced its decision to split into four separate companies, citing a necessity to diversify in appealing to stockholders and in an attempt to increase the value of the post-split up company. These four categories include “Real Estate, Travel Distribution, Hospitality and Vehicle Rental Companies.” Cendant originally decided to spin off its Travel Distribution division as a separate company called Travelport, but on June 30, 2006, Cendant announced the sale of Travelport to affiliates of the Blackstone Group, a private equity company. ebookers.com became the European brand for one of Travelport’s three main divisions: Orbitz Worldwide. In July 2007, Orbitz Worldwide was spun off from Travelport and went public on the New York Stock Exchange, listing under the ticker symbol: OWW.

Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW) is a leading global online travel company that uses innovative technology to enable leisure and business travelers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products. Orbitz Worldwide owns and operates a portfolio of consumer brands that includes Orbitz, CheapTickets, ebookers.com, HotelClub, RatesToGo, the Away Networkand corporate travel brand Orbitz for Business. For more information, visit the Orbitz Worldwide Investor Relations website atwww.orbitz-ir.com.

Why do customers shop with ebookers ?
Customers visit ebookers.com for its travel expertise, range and value. ebookers.com is a travel company that has embraced the internet, not the other way round. The call centre and website teams have a passion, expertise and knowledge of travel which is reflected in the way they do business. Plus the company is able to offer travel products at a discount of up to 75% off standard prices and it continues to grow in popularity because of its close relationships with leading travel suppliers which enable ebookers to offer discounts, known as “negotiated” or “merchant” fares, to its customers. ebookers.com sells to destinations around the world and has a particular speciality in long and mid haul destinations including Australasia, the Far East and the Americas.

The ebookers.com customer promise

Access to the best worldwide travel deals -
ebookers.com offers some of the best value flights, holidays, hotels, car hire and specialist travel products in the market. All deals are sourced by a team of travel experts and cover an extensive range of destinations and all prices are covered by our Price Promise.

We are renowned for cheap long haul flights and our flight team are in constant contact with the world’s most trusted airlines to negotiate the best value for customers

Honest and straightforward advice -
ebookers’ customers are travel savvy and value impartial advice and insider travel information. Our new travel blog and customer hotel reviews are 2 examples of honest travel information and we also strive to ensure that our pricing is up to date so that the price you see is the price you get.

Multi-channel booking -
ebookers.com doesn’t just operate on the Internet. You can also call 0203 320 3320, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if you’d prefer to discuss your travel requirements with a consultant:

If you’d like to make a booking, our sales line is open from 07:30 hrs to 23:45 hrs (7 days a week) on 0871 223 5000 .

Passion for travel -
ebookers.com employs staff with extensive travel backgrounds no matter what role they do in the company. Everyone enthuses about travel and we hope that comes across in the information we provide online and via our call centre.

Extensive range of great value holidays -
If you’re looking for an entire holiday package, ebookers can offer unrivalled value and quality, whether you’re looking for a European city break, a sunshine getaway in the tropics or a sporting holiday on the Algarve. All holidays are sourced by a dedicated team of travel experts.

Accommodation at 65,000 hotels -
Booking your holiday accommodation through ebookers.com can save you valuable time and money. The travel team is in contact with 65,000 hotels across the globe. Our accommodation covers a wide spectrum from good value basic hotels to independent boutique Riyads in Morrocco and 5-star luxury resorts in the Far East.

Arrange car hire online -
You can arrange your car hire with the biggest car hire companies, such as Avis and Alamo, through ebookers.com.

Take care of travel extras online -
ebookers.com offer travel insurance with one of the world’s largest insurance providers, AIG, bureau de change and airport parking facilities, as well as assistance with processing visas for Australia.

Email newsletter updates -
The travel industry is fast paced and the best deals are constantly being updated. The ebookers.com weekly newsletter and specialist newsletters keeps you updated with the hottest deals on the ebookers.com website. Sign up here.

Why Using An On the internet Travel Agent Could Be The Greatest Take a trip Determination You Make

Posted by admin on Sep 30, 2010 in Travel Agent | Comments Off

These days, with airline and hotel reservations, car rental bookings and just about each other travel-associated consideration just one particular mouse click on away, numerous men and women decide to make all of their journey ideas on their personal. It’s tough to argue that position that any of these duties is tough to do due to the fact they’re not. But there can be benefits to utilizing the providers of an on the web travel representative. Right here are just a few.

The World wide web is excellent for getting specials, but with vacation there isn’t constantly that exact same benefit. Whilst you can search for and find offers that appear fantastic, they aren’t constantly any much better than a vacation agent can get. Given that take a trip providers like accommodation suppliers, airlines and the other folks are in such a competitive sector of company, there is not a lot of revenue margin. Right up until these suppliers have booked their services to a particular degree, there is usually no earnings. Greater rates are generally offered to individuals who do their very own reserving on the internet.

Every single airline seat, lodge place night time, vehicle rental day and state area on a cruise has an expiration date. If it’s not bought prior to that date, it turns into misplaced money to that organization. In the curiosity of filling each and every seat, space, vehicle, cabin, and so on., the airlines, hotels, rental businesses and cruise lines frequently make the best bargains to online journey brokers. Assume about it. Folks will only be interested in acquiring sufficient airfare, lodging and other amenities for themselves and perhaps their journey companions. The vacation agents can transfer quite a few much more of these assets, retain them from expiring worthless and support the enterprises turn a profit.

Another edge of dealing with an agent is obtaining a total bundle of providers at one stop. Not only does any great journey representative have access to great trip suggestions and some lesser identified lodging deals that can be fairly deluxe, they can very easily fill your days and nights with the points you adore to do although you’re there — and you don’t have to trouble with performing it your self. If tennis is your issue, why not have clinics, instruction and even matches included in your bundle?

Unless you’re really thorough, booking deals your self can be touch and go. Taking place upon a great deal on vacation from the US to components of Europe could imply you accidentally depart and arrive from two diverse airports in London if you’re not cautious. That’s just an example, but issues like that have been identified to occur.

Reserving everything on one’s very own indicates dealing with quite a few particulars. Flight instances, ground transportation, late lodge check ins, to title a couple of, should all be coordinated. Since air journey frequently has its delays, producing modifications and informing all of the providers concerned in your vacation itinerary can be a chore. Having a travel agent can be like possessing your very own personalized journey concierge. He or she deals with the facts so you can concentrate on getting a excellent time.

If you’ve ever traveled with a large group of close friends, enterprise associates or extended loved ones, you know that acquiring every person situated in the identical location at the exact same time is absolutely nothing significantly less than an event. Having a journey representative is virtually a necessity. If every man or woman handled their own itinerary, one thing would undoubtedly get fouled up somewhere. The position is a great deal of operate and handing it over to a skilled in most situations will most assuredly make any group much less tense.

Individuals who are getting married have an further incentive to use a full-service online vacation agent to ebook their honeymoon journey — it’s call honeymoon registry. The journey representative that invented this ought to get a medal! Honeymoon registry operates just like normal registry but reward givers can contribute towards your honeymoon. You register for the meals, companies and routines you want and people obtain them for you as a reward. What could be better than that?

Reserving your very own travel is surely doable, but why do it when you don’t have to? Especially when you can invest the exact same issue and have a specialist do it for you.Read more: online travel booking

Getting the Best out of your Travel Agent for an Affordable Journey

Posted by admin on Sep 29, 2010 in Travel Agent | Comments Off

United Kingdom is flushing with cultural diversity and is rich with varied number of places. Travelling becomes more fun when it is stress free from all the planning whilst on a holiday. The best way to be free from all the hassle of booking of flights and hotels is by hiring a holiday travel agents. Whether you are off on a vacation, on a day trip or need every day tours, UK travel agencies take care of all your travelling needs and provide great discounted and luxury offers to valued customers and have been helping the travelers in making best out of their holidays.

In order to find best travel agents, one should do some research before picking out a travel agent. UK provides largest index of travel booking services worldwide. Online travel and destination sites provide you with best sources with easy access, just a click away. These sites put together some of the favorite and most famous destinations for the people to pick from, while providing great holiday packages and complete travel informations, so that you can plan your entire vacation online.

Expedia.co.uk is the largest online travel provider for UK, serving millions of travelers every year. Their up-to-date database consists of hundred thousand hotels across globe, which gives their customers many alternatives, from very luxurious and top accommodations to cheap and reasonable ones. Ebookers.com is also one of the leading online travel agents in Europe, providing fourteen thousand hotels worldwide, bargained airline fares and great value holiday packages.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), the largest association of travel agents in UK, have been representing 5000 travel agencies and above 900 tour operators in the British continent. It has provided 90% of holiday packages and travel arrangements to the customers. They aim to provide a secure and financially protected holiday for the travelers with high levels of service and maximum comfort.

UK travel directories also offer guides to many travel agencies which help to make plans for elderly and physically disabled travelers. Many travel agencies provide specialized services and holiday packages that provide comfort and particular care for the disabled and less mobile people. Affordable wheel chair services and care taking staff is supplied to the travelers offering unique opportunities to have a wonderful holiday planned around the need of their customers.

For more information on Travel Agents, visit our UK business directory

Asia: A Traveller’s, A Gourmet’s And Photgrapher’s Paradise

Posted by admin on Sep 29, 2010 in World Travel | Comments Off

From time immemorial, the Orient has always attracted tourists from all over the globe for its mystic charm and breathtaking landscapes. The Asian continent is a place teeming with loads of travel destinations, from mountains to seas, and deserts to swanky metropolitan discotheques. Asia includes popular tourist destinations like Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Dubai and the countries of CIS.

The South-East Asian countries, like Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong are a must on any traveller’s itinerary always. One can’t miss places like watching sunrise over the Angkor Vat Temple in Cambodia, going to the Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, photography on the beaches like those of Phuket in Thailand and Bali in Indonesia and so much more. Shopping for quaint items in the markets of Bangkok, Hong Kong or in the Great Singapore Sale is any shopper’s dream come true. Indonesia has one of the best nature parks in this world like the Komodo National Park and the Tamang Buru Bali National Park. Don’t miss going to China Town in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia too. South- East Asia is also any gourmet’s paradise, and you shouldn’t miss Raksa and Rojak if you visit Singapore and neither Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng and Gado-Gado in Indonesia.

India is a land of ancient cities and hidden mysteries and magic. Places to see are Qutb Minar, Lotus Temple, Akshar Dham, Jama Masjid, and a few kilometres away from New Delhi, the Taj Mahal in Agra. Going further south, you shouldn’t miss the Khajuraho temples, M.P., Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, having panipuri and seeing the Gateway of India in Mumbai too.

China and Japan hold their own magic influence on people. Beijing, Shanghai and Lhasa Tibet are must places to visit in China, and the Silk Road and the Great Wall are things you just can’t miss. The Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and Yashow Market are places to go, and noodles and dimsums and chopsueys are things you need to taste there. In Japan, Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima are places to see, and donburi, izakaya, sushi and soba are must haves there.

Dubai in Saudi Arabia is a big attraction, especially for people who are willing to shell out that extra cash. The Autodrome, the Burg-Al-Arab, the Palm Islands, Nakheel Tower and the Dynamic Tower of Dubai are places you definitely should go to, and shopping in Dubai’s swanky malls and Deira’s covered souqs is a must!

In Russia, places like Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg are a must on any world travel list.

All in all, Asia is a huge and exhaustive place for photography and an awesome place for world travel.