Articles

IT AND TOURISM IN INDIA
Written by- Sara Thomas

The Information Technology industry is growing at approximately 60%. It will certainly accelerate the growth of the Electronic Global Distribution System (EDS) sector in a big way to redefine the demography and paradigm of the Indian tourism industry. Already a $4 billion industry, the IT industry in India has been predicted to grow to $50 billion by the year 2008. This enormous growth will impact every sphere of the Commerce including travel and hospitality industry.

The professionals from tourism industry have estimated the current IT growth in the Tourism Industry to be approximately 10%, where GDS and CRS's have played a major role. Only 9% of the 55 million tourists in India get their booking done through Travel Agents. Travel Agents don’t fear to get marginalized, provided they evolve ways to tap their potential customers from the remaining 91 %.Technology is there to benefit Travel A, gents.

Those who would refrain would get left out, but there seems to be no reason for undue apprehension among agents. However, experts are unanimous that there is going to be shakedown that will eventually eliminate non serious players. It is true that, the Indian market is not oriented to Internet use, however, a time may come in a decade or so when customers will book directly though Internet.

TRAVELLING WITH THE BABY
Written by- Joy Al Rivas

When taking a trip with baby there are special considerations to take into account. You need to follow these simple tips given below for a smooth and happy journey.

1. Carry something for sucking
If traveling by plane, remember to pack something for your baby to suck on during take-off and landing. The sucking motion will help his/her ears. This might be a pacifier (even if he normally doesn't use one), or you can nurse your baby or give a bottle.

2. Expect Delays
Whether traveling by car or plane be sure to pack extra finger foods and bottles. Single serving cereal packets are great for pulling out of your bag. You might even find that the unopened package makes a great toy too.
3. A bottle of water
A bottle of water not only helps with plane dehydration, but it's great to have on hand for spills, dirty faces and messy hands. In extreme cases of child boredom you can drop shiny dimes into the bottle, tighten the lid and children will entertain themselves shaking the bottle and watching the coins inside.

4. Bring a baby blanket
No matter where your baby sleeps, the familiar scent of the blanket will provide some comfort in the new environment. It can also be used to pad a dresser drawer as a makeshift bassinet.

5. Be a back-row mom on a less packed flight
Try to travel on flights that are not heavily booked and try to choose the seat near the back of the plane. Although the engine is much louder, it drowns out the sound of your child and also masks noises in the cabin that can wake up the baby. Also it puts you near the flight attendants' station so you can get as much milk warmed up as you need, extra napkins for spills, etc. Plus, they can easily keep an eye on the baby when you need to use the toilet.

6. Ask for an empty seat
Even if you don't have a purchased seat for your child, always ask the flight attendant if you can have an empty one. Ask at the counter when you check-in. Ask at the gate when you board.

7. Pack extra diapers and clothes
Don't forget to pack plenty of diapers and clothes for baby. You just never know when a baby's going to have an extra messy diaper or meal.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
Written by- Jamie Hughes

Plan the holidays and rejuvenate yourself if you are fed up of your mundane life. Holidays certainly refreshes and energizes you. Annual holiday travel insurance ensures tension free holidays as it makes you free from all the impending danger that might occur during travel.

Annual holiday travel insurance covers all your trips made in a year and you need not to worry every time you plan your holidays. It serves best to the travelers who travel frequently.

Annual holiday travel insurance covers all the annual trips at comparatively low price. It provides you the protection you need while travelling abroad as traveling is always full of risks which might sometime be dangerous for you. It covers injury and accident and remburse the medical expenses. It gives compensation in case of cancellation of flight, delays in flight, trip interruption, any loss of baggage and documents etc. Some insurance companies also provides the facility of emergency evacuation in case you need it in the situation of emergency.

Thus, annual holiday travel insurance is the best way to cover all the trips you like to take in the year. However you can get extra benefit by paying little extra premium to your policy. For instance, if you are going for winter holidays and you have interest in sports like skiing and snow boarding then you can add winter sports cover with your policy of annual holiday travel insurance.

Before you decide to buy any policy of annual holiday travel insurance you should make online research of various policies offered by the insurance companies. Different insurance companies offer different coverage with the policy. Choose a policy that suits the best for you. Make a final decision to purchase the policy only after getting fully satisfied about the coverage and cost of policy.

Traveling With The Toddlers
Written by- Elton Parker

Having a baby doesn’t mean that you should stop going for holidays. But it certainly calls for making elaborate plans well in advance. Being away from home is a big change in the routine for you as well as your baby. This requires you to plan ahead and even anticipate the problems you can face with the baby so that everybody has a good time. Here are a few tips that worked for other parents and will surely work out for you as well:

While booking a holiday find out what facilities the tour operator provides. For instance, children who are below two years usually travel free.
Find out what kind of childcare facilities the tour operator provides like baby cots, prams, highchairs etc. This will certainly help you in deciding what to take and what not.
Your baby will require a passport if you are planning to go abroad.
Check if there is any vaccination due, before deciding on the holiday dates. Its always better to get the vaccination done before you go for a holiday.
The most difficult part of your holiday will be the journey and with a small baby it will not be easy. You should book an air cot well in advance. Get seats that are together so that you have ample space on the flight. Book meals for your children in advance. It is better if they had their grub before you eat.
Ask the company for baby seat, in case you are hiring a car.
Take toys for the journey. It will keep the baby occupied and he will not get tired of the journey.
Carry enough snacks and drinks for the journey. Pack snacks your child normally enjoy at home. Make your selections crumb-free such as juice-made gummy bears and dried fruits.
It is easier to travel if you are breast-feeding as you don't have to worry about sterilized bottles or clean water to make bottle-feeds.
Take your baby sling or back carrier. It will make it easy to carry the baby around.
If you are going to a place which is hot, make sure that you carry sun block for your baby as their skin is delicate and more likely to get sunburns.
While booking your holiday you can book a hotel that provides childcare facilities such as nannies, crèches etc.
Carry adequate clothing for the baby keeping in view the weather conditions of your holiday destination.
Plan your journey with timely breaks if it’s a long route trip preferably after every three hours.

Road Trip Planning
Written by- David Buchanan

Road trip requires a huge deal of meticulous planning and organization skills. While a successful Road trip can become a life time experience to cherish, a failure may result into a disaster. Let us see how to deal with Road trip planning successfully.

Some people love the idea of getting away in a car and taking a few days off, even weeks to get to their destination. There is a huge deal of planning, packing and organizing goes into, when you decide to go by road.

Road trip planning guide could be availed; one can approach at any book store.

Make sure your vehicle is well-prepared and in perfect condition for the trip. It is not possible to predict everything that can possibly go wrong with a vehicle, but you can surely increase the likelihood of an incident free road trip by taking a few preventative steps and make sure the vehicle you are going to take on trip is ready in all aspects.

Making the Gears Ready. Make sure that your car is up and ready according to all of its manufacturer's maintenance cautions. The vehicle instructions manual will guide each service that should be performed for your particular vehicle model at different mileage stages. Also, have any irregular noises or shakes examined by a certified mechanic before you hit the highway.

Driver and vehicle completely depend on tires not only to take from point A to B, but to contribute to safety in route. Under or over inflated tires can hurt your gas mileage and are more prone to blowouts that can leave you stranded. Ensure that the air pressure in each tire meets the exact recommended inflation level, and inspect the tread for wear. Any unevenness or baldness is cause for concern, and should be inspected by a tire specialist. If your trip involves snowy, mountainous terrain, have snow tires or chains ready in advance and know the procedure for utilizing them.

Lots of things should be taken in consideration that should be done ahead of time to save you from a lot of trouble later on while you are on the way.

Plan Your Journey. A valuable travel safety tip is the preparation of a travel log or outline of road trips or long distance travel. By knowing the travel path for the journey, it is easy to notify a friend or family member of the intended route of travel. By taking the time to share the details of the journey, the opportunity for mishap is considerably diminished.

Give a visible inspection. Make sure that you walk around your car and check for anything that might cause trouble down the road. Are the tires fully inflated and in good condition? If not you could end up like me and have to change the tire 100 miles from home when you are on a 2000 mile road trip. Also make sure that all lights are working and get new windshield wipers to help keep your windshield clear.

Check the fluids. Make sure that your oil and other vital fluids are at premium levels and are not in need of changing. Your car will be working overtime and you do not want to give it any more stress than is necessary by not giving it the proper lubricant to handle the additional strain.

Clean the car. A clean car, inside and out, is a comfortable car. If you just throw your luggage into the car haphazardly you will end up a little more frustrated than if you make sure everything is in it's place. Also less clutter tends to put you in a better frame of mind so that you can relax and enjoy the drive.

Top up the tank. Make sure that you top up the tank before you move so that you don't have to stop too soon on your trip. It is always good to put as many miles as possible before you have to make your first stop, which gives you a feeling of accomplishment and helps the time go more quickly.

The emergency kit. Don’t forget to carry the emergency kit that contains all the items of emergency flares, emergency blankets, whistle, water, food, scissors, rag and small hammer.

Travel Only With Friends. The days of hitchhiking and picking up friendly faces along the highway are long gone. It is a dangerous risk to take a travel with a stranger.

Medical Tourism
Written by- Tina Williams

The concept of medical tourism is gaining momentum across the world. It is becoming a worldwide, multibillion-dollar industry. A combination of many factors has led to the recent increase in popularity of medical travel: the high cost of healthcare in industrialized nations, the ease and affordability of international travel, and the improvement of technology and standards of care in many countries of the world.

Medical tourists can come from anywhere in the world, but generally the bulk comes from Europe and the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Japan. This is because of their large populations, comparatively high wealth, the high expense of healthcare, lack of healthcare options locally, and increasingly high expectations of their populations with respect to healthcare. Some countries that operate from a public health-care system are so taxed that it can take a considerable amount of time, to get needed mediacal care. The time spent waiting for a procedure, such as a hip replacement, can be a year or more in Britain and Canada; however, in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Colombia, Philippines or India, a patient could feasibly have an operation the day after their arrival. Lower cost and minimal difficulties is probably the main reason why patients from United States prefer treatment outside the country. The cost of surgery in Bolivia, Argentina, India, Thailand, Colombia, Philippines or South Africa can be one-tenth of what it is in the United States or even less.

Medical tourism is not a new concept. Its been happening thousands of years ago also. In ancient Greece, pilgrims and patients came from all over the Mediterranean to the sanctuary of the healing god, Asklepios, at Epidaurus. In Roman Britain, patients took the waters at a shrine at Bath, a practice that continued for 2,000 years. From the 18th century wealthy Europeans travelled to spas from Germany to the Nile. In the 21st century, relatively low-cost jet travel has taken the industry beyond the wealthy and desperate.
Cuba, Costa Rica, Hungary, India, Israel, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia and Thailand, Philippines, Singapore are popular medical tourist destinations. Belgium and Poland are also breaking into the business. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Turkey are popular cosmetic surgery travel destinations. South Africa promotes its “Medical- safaris”, where one can see wildlife as well as get a face lift in the same trip.

There are companies emerging to offer global healthcare options. These companies focus on ' Medical Value Travel' and have experienced nurse case managers to assist patients with pre- and post-travel medical issues. They will also help provide resources for follow-up care upon the patient's return. While these services will initially be of interest to the self-insured patient, several studies indicate that the rapid growth of Health Savings Accounts will also drive interest to healthcare in other countries.

Medical Tourism does carry risks that local medical procedures do not. Patients might not be covered by insurance or be able to seek adequate compensation via malpractice lawsuits in case of any complications. However, some of the counties that are currently sought after as medical tourism destinations provide some form of legal remedies for medical malpractice.

However, this legal avenue is unappealing to the medical tourist. Advocates of medical tourism have always advised prospective tourists to balance the unlikely legal challenges with the more practical choice of a superior care facility and surgeon before undergoing any surgery abroad.