Month: May 2010

Travel Tips to European Countries: France

About the city

The crowd is attracted to sparkling ski slopes of the Alps, sunlit vineyards and sun-baked beaches of this beautiful country. France is a country which draws more tourists than any other country. It is easy to see why this is the case given Frances great reputation for fine wines, good food, high fashion and relaxed lifestyle. But while France is undoubtedly a place to eat and drink till your heart is content, there’s much more to this fascinating country than only cutting-edge cuisines. Spring is the best time to be here, and those interested in winter sports can drop at the Alps and Pyrenees with some polar gear. The summers are very hot and winters are moderate. An all-weather coat and pair of comfortable shoes are a must. Women, especially, should carry cocktail dresses as some of the restaurants ask for it. When visiting any religious site, refrain from wearing sleeveless shirt and shorts, as they are disliked at such places.

Culture

English is widely spoken here, although French is the official language. Handshaking is
customary greeting and women should be kissed on both cheeks and should be addressed
as Monsieur or Madame. French people are popularly known for their like for stylish sportswear
and of course perfumes. Nudism is allowed on some beaches only. Social functions, fine
restaurants, and clubs call for more formal dressing. When at a formal dinner, wait till the host
gestures to start the dinner. Smoking is banned in public places.

Site Seeing

Paris, the city of love, is a massive city with many attractions in reachable distance thanks to the
highly efficient public transport system. It boasts of more than 80 museums and 200 arts
galleries. A trip to Disney land and the magnificent Eiffel tower will make the trip worthwhile.
The attractive tourists spots are the Arc de triomphe which spans over the tomb of an
unknown soldier, the forbidding gothic architecture of the Notre Dame cathedral, the picturesque
Sacre Coeur, to Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa, the Moulin Rouge and boat tours along the
Seine. Get the Carte Musees-Monuments pass, which gives access to 70 monuments and
museums.

Shopping

Although service tax is included in the bill, a humble tip wont cost much. An extra dollar can be given as tip to the waiter. A tip of $2 can be left for the bus drivers.
Electricity

220-volt, 50-cycle AC current.
Getting There

The national airline that operates here is Air France. Many low-cost airlines, too, provide services from UK. Paris-Charles de Gaulle also known as Roissy-Charles de Gaulle is the major airport of France, which is 23km away from the city. Coaches, taxis, limousines services are provided at the airport. The railway facility provided by the airport, claims to reach all the terminals within eight minutes. These trains run 24 hours. The other airports that offer flight services are Paris-Orly, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Toulouse.

Ferry and cruise trips can be made from ports such as Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean, and Havre.

Duty Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco
2. 1liter of spirits over 22 per cent or 2liter of alcoholic beverage up to 22 per cent
3. 2liter of wine
4. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette
5. 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract
6. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract

Food and agricultural products should be avoided.

Top

How to help a friend in overcoming fear of flying

How to help a friend in overcoming fear of flying

Despite the reliability of air travel, many people still develop fear of flying. If you know a friend who is at risk or who already have fears of flying, you can help him or her to overcome that. What you can do is to act as a confidante in his or her trips as often as possible. Since he or she trusts you, you can try to explain to your friend that although the fears of untoward incident may happen during a flight, these dont take place all the time.

Acting as the confidante

If he or she decides to try flying again, it would be best if you accompany your friend so he or she can have somebody to turn to once the panic attack and nervousness grip his or her senses. If you are in the same flight with a friend who is trying to overcome fear of flying here are some of the things that you can do:

1. Attend a seminar or a class about overcoming fear or flying. Today, there are so many airlines that offer classes or seminars that can help people overcome fear of flying. If it is possible for you to bring him or her there before the flight, it would be better because here, information about air travel such as flight physics, flight safety, and studies or statistics as well as various relaxation techniques are taught to help people understand the phobia.

2. Make sure that you are informed about your flight. This is an extra effort for you but you have to do this because your friend will rely on you for information during your travel. You can check all your flight details so if your friend asks something during the flight, you will know what to tell him or her, your friend will be more comfortable and relaxed knowing that she or he doesnt have to worry about anything anymore.

3. Keep the person distracted. Since your friend has aviophobia, it is only natural for him or her to feel nervousness, vomiting, dizziness, muscle tensions and deep breathing. If you see one or two of these symptoms, you should start distracting her or him by talking to her about things that are light. If you do this, you can veer him or her away from negative thoughts. You can also distract him or her by asking her to do something such reading a magazine or play some cards with you.

4. Take time to know the pilot and cabin crew. Some people fear flying because they dont know who are the people they are entrusting their lives with. If this is the concern of your friend, make a request for both of you to see and meet the pilot as well as to the flight attendants. If he or she sees that these people are reliable and trustworthy, your friend would be more comfortable during the entirety of the flight.

5. Stop him or her from consuming stimulants. These stimulants may include sugar, coffee and other drinks that may contain alcohol that he or she might take before or during the flight. Tell your friend that it would be best not to take these since they contain ingredients that may increase the symptoms of anxiety as well as panic attacks.

6. Make sure that you both arrive in the airport early. One of most effective ways of helping a friend in overcoming fear of flying is you get there at least two hours before the flight, you can buy more time to relax and just enjoy the flight. It is best not to go there late because it will only cause a feeling of rush that may trigger anxiety.

Top

Travel Tips to European Countries

About the Country

Finland is a country of islands, lakes, and forests. The modern capital city of Finland is Helsinki and is filled with museums and galleries. In summers, sun never sets here and vice versa in the winters.

Culture

While in Finland, greet the locals by a handshake. The people here are quite reserved and dont open up easily. Leave shoes outside the house when going over to someones house. It is customary to wait till the toast is being raised at the dinner table. Host raises the toast by saying kippis or skol. People dress casually most of the times.

Travel

Finnair is the national airline of Finland. Other airlines that fly to Finland are Air France, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, American Airline, British Airways, KLM, Swiss airline, Lufthansa, and United airlines. The major airport of Finland is Helsinki airport. It is 19km away from the city and it takes about 25 minutes to get to the city from the airport. Finnair provides buses for the passengers. Taxis and hotel coaches are also available. The facilities provided at the airport are duty free shops, car hire, bank, hotel reservation service, conference room, restaurant, and a multimedia center. Other than Helsinki airport, there are about 22 other airports and Blue 1 is the domestic airline which operates within Finland. Times to time cheap offers are being announced by the airlines. Prior checking of such offers will prove to be of great help.

If deciding to go by the sea, ferry services are provided and the major ports are Naantali, Vaasa and Turku. These ferries connect to Rostock, Kapellskr, Grisslehamn, and Travemnde. Some of the cruises offer small cabins along with the provision of meals if staying aboard overnight.

Trains from St Petersburg and Moscow can also be boarded. All the trains are clean and very comfortable. Car-carrier trains also operate in Finland. Traveling by rail proves to be inexpensive and efficient and also great options for enjoying sight seeing. Avail the unlimited train travel offer of Inter-Rail pass or Eurailpass. There are offers for elderly people and children, check them out.

When traveling by road there are chances of running into an elk or reindeer. In such cases, police should be reported immediately. Blowing horn for small reasons should be avoided. Keep your car to the right. Gas stations accept credit cards. Laws about seat belt and drinking while driving should be strictly followed. Extra precautions must been taken if taking caravan along. National driving license or International Driving Permit and car insurance must be there with you at all times. Coach Service is also available and connects to even the remote places. Taxis can be hired at the airport and railway stations and tipping is considered offensive here. Check out agents in Helsinki who run a rent-a-car business for hiring cars.

Duty Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco or 100 cigarillos
2. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette
3. 2litre of alcoholic beverages of less than 22 per cent by volume or 1litre of alcoholic beverages of more than 22 per cent by volume, 2litre of sparkling wine and 16litre of beer
4. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract and essence and 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract or essence

Tobacco and alcohol can be carried by people over 18 years of age. Agricultural and food items should be avoided. Certain medicines require a doctors prescription for verification. Firearms and sharp objects are strictly prohibited.

Top
%d