Travel is My Life; Work and Pleasure

I wonder how come the insurance providers have seen a rise of 300% in sales since the Swine Flu.

Do people who travel to infected zones really believe that the insurance policy will help them survive it…

Get real, travel to Mexico only if really needed, why not postponed the trip by a couple of weeks until you see whats happening?!

Who said the old China is over?

I recently read in the Travel Daily News that the Chinese government has decided to intervene in the travel regulations and habits of the Chinese People.  Who will suffer? the people of course.

Some operators have found the old system where you bring a group for shopping and enjoy lower prices, moreover, from vast experience I can say - when you have a group going shopping the shops will be subsidizing your tours / hotels / buses etc which means tour operators can under cut market prices of tours and become attractive price wise.

Whats this different from Ryanair or EasyJet or any other  low cost airline which is subsidized by the local city of arrival just to bring over as many tourists as possible?

Is it any different from the free nights you get if you come for a 1 hour speech about the hotel time share scheme?

Would you go on a tour if you know that its subsadized by a shop and you will be taken there as part of your tour?

I returned a week ago from an AMAZING short vacation with my wife to the Maldives.

There are so many issues to write about; the holiday, the Maldives, the airports, the flights, tips on Royal Jordanian Airlines and so so so many more.  But I find myself in the past week trying to catch up with lost time at work, therefore, please hang in there, i will be back VERY soon with many tips and cool stuff.

RG

Saying “Thank You” is the extra mile which makes the difference;

I’ve been working in the travel industry for almost 2 decades now; it’s a bloody hard work. Clients don’t really know what you go through to ensure their trip is perfect and satisfaction is guaranteed; thus, you hardly hear the words;” Thank You” from your clients.

From time to time I join cruise ship tourist groups who arrive Israel for a one day tour with Patra Travel.

Last month I helped an elderly man, weak in heart to walk the entire Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. He came all the way from the US to see the holy sites; I was not about the let him go back without actually visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

It was a tough physical challenge, so along the walk I nicknamed him “Tiger”.

Yesterday I’ve received this by snail mail and wanted to share

Mr. Bernard, it’s me who needs to thank you; what an honor to meet a gentleman as you.

They live on tourism (real pure tourism and sex tourism), so why do they think that closing the airport with riots will they improve their conditions?

The little people don’t think of the “after shock effect”, its been almost 24 hours that the 2 Bangkok airports are closed. This means all flights into Thailand are diverted to other destinations. Bangkok being not only a tourism destination it’s the South East Asia largest hub - and now it’s shut down!

The aftershock effect;

Airlines which now diverted the aircraft elsewhere will not be in able to shift back in a flash. After all, Thailand is a profitable destination but there is a point where airlines’ CEO cut the costs and shift traffic and utilizes aircrafts elsewhere.
A few important tips:

1) If you are in Bangkok now - crawl back to where you came from; the PatPong

a. And make sure your hotel booking is secured for the next few days

2) If you’re on one of the “Koh” (Islands) - go get a banana shake and a body massage.

a. Make sure your hummock has not been taken by some businessman who was left behind…

3) If you need to travel via BKK Airport - find an alternative.

a. BEFORE you start your travel,

b. Don’t trust the connecting flights from BKK to the further destination will operate,

c. Beware of OVERBOOKING - airlines might not be able to carry you on board as there are thousands of people waiting in line before you :)

Originally: World Travel Market - It’s the annual largest travel show in London. Having been there last week I should advise them to change the name to:

Walk - the milleage you walk there is unreal, I advised my partner to the trip to dump her high hills and move to Nike - she only took my advice on the second day…

Talk - the amount of Bla Bla you hear is enormous - everyone wants to sell you something.

Money - Everyone wants to make money, close a deal, bring tourists. The Travel business is a perishable market; a room at the hotel cannot be stored to be sold tomorrow, nor can a seat on a flight etc. It’s very much like the Fish Industry = if you don’t sell you smell…

Therefore, you find yourself walking & talking all day long about how to make money in the travel business.

More than ever, I enjoyed South America booth and Iran. South America was very happy, colorful and in motion; which attracted many visitors to their stands - look at the photos bellow.

Being an Israeli the visit to Iran booth was special, I was invited by the Azadi International Tourism Organization to have tea with Mr. Mahmood Karimi and discuss world travel issues.

Did he gave me his card so i will not forget his face?

According to the latest USA Visa Weaver Program the following passport holders will be granted electronic US entry permit, thus, will avoid the long queue and interviews to receive a US entry visa.The online application must be done at least 72 hours prior to entry into the United States of America. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

Then, who is so lucky to avoid the hassle of getting a visa? Andorra; Australia; Austria; Belgium; Brunei; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Iceland; Ireland; Italy; ; Japan; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Monaco; Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Portugal; Sun Marino; Singapore; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom.

I actually read a cool post by Tony Wheeler (founder of Lonely Planet) comparing embassies attitude between encouraging and discouraging tourists through their visa departments.

Those are the moments I wish I had more than one nationality.

Driving in a foreign country can be deadly, and not because the drivers are crazy, its simply because you are not aware of the local driving norms.

Driving is totally different from sexual behavior where in most cases everybody in the world knows what you mean :)

Examples;

1) When you flash your car’s headlights:

a. In The UK it means; “Go ahead, I give you way”.

b. In Italy: “Be careful I am coming fast and I am in no real wish for you to enter my space”.

c. In Israel; “Be careful there is a police radar nearby…”

2) Driving in a roundabout is always confusing, but in France its crazy, it’s a real suicide…

I have driven in many places, and everywhere when you are in the roundabout you keep driving; i.e. you have the right to move on; main idea behind it; clear the roundabout.

In France - be careful, the cars who want to enter the roundabout have the right to drive in; and in high speed… which means you block the roundabout as you stop in the middle.

3) Hand signals; in Israel if you wave you hand in a unusual manner, closing your fingers together upwards - means please wait, give me a minute, “savlanut” i.e. patience, I need time to do what I want to do; whereas in Italy it means cursing your mother…

Take it easy out there, be smart not right.

I was walking in the small pretty streets of San Gimignano in Italy, allowing my almost 3 years old son, Dan, to use my camera.

After a while I realized the little man whom I gave my camera to was talking specific pictures; he has noticed that the doors to the houses and shops of San Gimignano were not the same; i.e. each door was different, and he took pictures of the doors !!!

It has amazed me what children observe, ofcourse it made me take almost 100 pictures of different doors around the small city - amazing experience.

These are only a sample of the 1000 doors of San Gimignano…

We have visited Pisa yesterday, what a remarkable place.I have not been to Tuscany area before, and the drive to Pisa through the small roads was amazing, there were roads so narrow where we had to stop the car and allow a single car passage to go through before we could - amazing, like in the movies and the stories - the authentic Tuscany.After seeing the amazing Leaning Tower of Pisa .

we took the kids for some great Italian ice cream, at the Piazza Del Duomo .

- I have had to take the kids to the bathroom, and was allowed to use the café’s. I was shocked to have found that the facilities are Indian “free style” toilets - shit shoot style… I have been to India many time in my life, and learned to live with shit shoot style, but did not expect so in Pisa, the centre of European culture.

I would divide the dangers into two categories:

The actions we do in conscious - we know what we are doing, but we either don’t care, or don’t think far into the future, nor wide angle and see the whole picture (example; those we travel with)
The actions we take without knowing the reality of the place.
Dangerous places; there are many official websites which advises which country and zones are not safe for visitors; and we all hear about the latest Anti Terrorist Department warnings about Sinai. However, there are countries which are listed and we as Israelis “enjoy” traveling there, examples; Colombia. (Among the other countries; Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Lebanon, Nigeria, Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Iran, Gaza Strip, Indonesia, Iraq, Haiti)

Extreme sport; I was younger and foolish myself, while visiting Peru I Para Glide, which was great fun, knowing its dangerous as I was jumping off a cliff of 1800 meters after 2 day basic training - was that smart? Probably not. Scuba diving without license, nor experience; driving a motor cycle without license, white water rafting - check the equipment, the company, the insurance they have, the rescue team, the route, the weather.

Animals - monkeys in Nepal, India - when you travel near them be safe they could be vicious, could be jumping for your food - in California bears can smell your food in the car and break into - pack your food. Don’t forget that animals such as African monkeys carry diseases such as AIDS.

Extreme nature danger; when you are up in the Himalayas make sure you treat the nature with respect, walk slowly, drink, don’t be a hero the nature is much stronger than you think. Bolivia; “El Camino de la Muerte” (road of death) 70 km of dangerous downhill 4600 meters to 1800. Until today over 13 young Israelis died there - what for?!

Local habits, custom and religion; respect the locals you are visiting and dress accordingly, it has a great affect on your safety. I have seen Nordic backpackers who travel with no shame in Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish countries holy places as if they came out of the shower. It sometimes lead to harassment as well; sexual & physical (Indian are known for “bat pinching” and hair pulling)

Insurance - make sure you are covered, don’t neglect nor ignore its importance - hope you want need it; don’t regret you didn’t do it.

Medication - what you take at home is not the same as what you buy there. The local “Chinese Doctor” is not always your home town standard of doctor.Pregnancy - think ahead to the future, some great Malaria medications will mean you should not get pregnant at least a year of cleaning your body from taking it - is it worth traveling to those countries for your honeymoon?

Health and local hospitals - before you get into trouble find a companion whom you trust to be with you in case of need. If you get hospitalized the partner should be with you ALL the time, don’t find yourself returning home with a kidney missing.

Drugs - not always you know that you are the smuggler… make sure you check your gear well - specially before airports and border crossing - smugglers are smart they plant drugs on you for crossing it over.

Theft - pick pockets and drug tourists with food (Thailand busses)

Advise; learn on the country & city you are about to visit, their customs and social conduct. Think ahead, remember you have a family at home who cares and worry about you. Don’t be shy to ask a fellow traveler about his experience, but don’t be a hero, it’s not worth it.

What can I say? I was walking with my family on Saturday morning on the beach of Tel Aviv, looking for a cool place for a “shabes” morning coffee.

We wanted to walk into the well known place; Shalvata, having looked at the sign I thought twice of the place, it has to respect its visitors in order to be respected.

Shalvata - them Hebrew meaning is total relaxation, and guess what the sign at the entrance says; No entry with drugs and weapons!

Some kind of relaxation this place is…

I have backpacked for many years, and hoping to do so many more years to come.

Trekking is a great experience, I trekked Everest Base Camp & Kala Patar 4 times (5545 m), India Northern part many more, and even reached Mt Kilimanjaro Auhuru Peak (5895m) a couple of years ago.

Being an Israeli soldier I walked up to Jerusalem as part of the Oath of Allegiance ceremony. But I have never thought of backpacking and trekking up the amazing trail of Jerusalem, I bet it’s an amazing super psychological feeling, no matter which religion you are from; it’s like back in the old days.

During my visit to Latrun last week, en route Jerusalem, my eye has caught this cool, nonchalant new way of trekking - the semi new and semi old style of walking up to Jerusalem - the donkey style…

May more come and join the route, connecting to their roots.

Israel 60 years of Independence & Jerusalem 40 years of Unification ;

I have spent the day in the Old City of Jerusalem, working with the Pacific Princess Cruise shore excursion department, operated by Patra Travel Israel.

Words cannot express the beauty of the city of Jerusalem; it’s the 60 years to Israel’s independence & 40 years celebrations of unification of city of Jerusalem. The flags, the colors, the 3500 honored guests of President Shimon Peres and the world leaders among them President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, all attending the Conference: “Facing Tomorrow”.

I was lucky to bring with me a small tiny camera and capture amazing moments;

The Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (the burial place of Jesus), and an amazing guide Mr Tzachi, who guided a group of Patra into the Old City who brought with him a “Shofar”, acting the same way as the worldwide known; Rabbi Goren at the same place at the liberation and unification of Jerusalem in 1967; “Baruch ata Hashem, menachem tsion u-voneh Yerushalayim. [Translation: Blessed are thou, who comforts Zion and builds Jerusalem]”

I am proud of Mr Tzachi ! He represents the values I was raised on.

This year the ski season has been one of the best ever, my friends are currently in Europe skiing saying it’s the best weather they have had for years. Though they seem to have one problem; most restaurants are closed. The Europeans who did not expect such a long ski season have fixed a date to close their resorts and chalets; working season is over for them.

I feel as though it’s in the Europeans nature to know when to stop working. Unlike the Americans and many Israelis I know who are willing to work 24/7 to make their financial dream come true, the Europeans live in order to live, which is a great attitude as they seem to have a life besides work.

Val Thorens is still open for those who want to catch the last drop of ski.

It seems to me that there are new trendy destinations this year.

Popularity of destinations changes, it could be any of the following reasons, the crash of the US Dollar, the political instability of Kenya, the terror attacks in Sinai, the safety alerts in Malaysia & Indonesia. Or simply, we are looking for new, more exciting, more relaxing and pampering destinations.

It seems like that Thailand is still a popular destination, the islands (in Thai: Koh) Samui, Phuket, PhiPhi, & Krabi are replaced by less common islands such as; Koh Lanta, Koh Tao, Koh Chang.

Pimalai is one of my most favorite places

Tanzania is growing rapidly, it has all one needs; the safari in the Serengeti National Park and Zanzibar with its amazing beaches.

My pick; Breezes

Maldives, heaven on earth, though, hotels are hard to get, nevertheless, and prices are not low. But I guess Maldives is a unique place to visit.

Words cannot describe; Soneva Gili

If you are planning your next amazing vacation, take a look at www.exclusive-honeymoon.com - if you want tips and advise call Shelley, she will find you the most suitable place for you:

Mandara Spa - words cannot explain how important it is to; relax, recharge, to live.

http://www.mandaraspa.com/

I have lately visited Thailand and had the great experience in the Mandara Spa.

Visiting a spa starts at the door; from there to the reception, the way you are welcomed, greeted, and taken to your one hour hide away.

The walk to my hideaway spa room at The Mandara Spa Phuket, was different from all the other spas in the world I have been to. Usually once you entered the reception you walk through the corridors - breathing the aroma, the odor, the scents of tranquility - it’s the first sense in action, and you are yet to start the massage - the smell. Here, I was walked through the gardens - nature. I entered through an amazing large wooden door, to a private spa with a private garden and an outdoor shower.

The massage was amazing, though, one can say, that a good massage is one which is needed. And indeed travelling with 2 young kids and after a long period of hard work in the office a good massage is the overall elements that combine it, and it starts with the location, the look, the ambiance, the smell, the sounds, the professionalism of the Mandara Spa.

In insight, I should have visited the amazing spa more often, charge my soul and body with more energy to last longer once returned home.

Mandara - we look forward to spending more time in one of your world-wide world-class spas.

Planning a wedding is a larg operation, we all wish to believe its a once in a life time. I believe planning the honeymoon is a very important factor in the wedding ceremony.

Having websites with prices dont help you as much as having simple old fashion websites with photos + an expert. I think www.exclusive-honeymoon.com is one of the sites that channels users to view where they wish their dream vacation to be, and still call the expert for advise 1×1 .

The site has multiple ideas of honeymoon; islands, extreme, Classic, Sanctuary, Chateau, Nature and even some secret places.

Graphics is great, its clear, countries and cities are easy to navigate.

I think that some elements in travel, such as waiting list, advise, and exclusive places are to be guided by experts, take a look www.honeymoon.co.il

One of the advantages of an old backpacker is the ability to adapt to travelling with kids in 3rd world countries.

Our trip to Brazil was partially a family reunion, yes, you can envy me, it’s my pretty wife who is half Brazilian. And the second part of the trip was an amazing visit to the North Coast a 2 hour drive from Salvador Bahia.

Travelling with kids, and in my case an infant is somewhat challenging. In countries such as Brazil your full 5 senses should be focused on the child; his behavior and his health. Having mentioned health there is a story to share; 2 days before our return home (21 hours 2 flights to reach home) Dan who was then 8 months old, had high fever and a ear infection, which means he will not be able to fly if it continues. We have had to take him to the local doctor; that was an experience I will remember for years.

I strongly believe that the following pictures say it all…

Look at the Doctor, all she has is a stethoscope:

And the walls are full of Fungus.

That is not even acceptable for the local kids. Therefore, I strongly suggest that first aid and second aid kits of our children should be prepared.

I regard traveling with children post 9/11 to be a new era, new rules, new airport and airline regulations. Most of all it has implications regarding medication & fluid medication on board the plane - I will discuss in depth separately.

Nepal has been my favorite country since 1990 when I first arrived. It’s the place where my soul finds peace, my body reconnects to the land and the spirit is high in the mountains; the Himalayan Mountains, the Land of Sherpa, the Everest Trek.

I have trekked the Everest Base Camp route 4 times in my life, each time was different Eeach trek was as unique as the first time. And yet, I am now waiting for the days when my children will be old enough to trek with me - or as some say; if they will allow me to join them…

My first Everest trek I did when I was 22, that time I started from Jiri, it’s a long 21 days round trip trek. Later in years due to lack of time I have flew to Lukla and started the 13 days trek there.

The tips I give you here will make your trek more enjoyable, for sure easier, and safer.

Trek days:
Day 1) Flight to Lukla, quick arrangements and 5 hours walk to Phakding. While most travelers stop here for the night I personally advise to stretch a little longer and keep walking another hour and a half to Munju - this will help you the following day to climb the steep mountain trail of Namche.
Day 2) Munju to Namche Bazar
Day 3) Namche - acclimatization
Day 4) Namche to Tengboche
Day 5) Tengboche to Pheriche - do not go to Periche, walk an extra half hour and go to Dingboche, where the wind is blocked.
Day 6) Dingboche acclimatization day - Island Peak.
Day 7) Dingboche to Lobuche
Day 8) Lobuche to Gorak Shep
Day 9) Walk up early morning to Kala Patthar - walk down to Gorakshep pick up your backpack and start walking fast down all the way to Pheriche
Day 10) Walk down to Namche Bazar
Day 11) Walk down to Lukla
Day 12) Fly out Lukla to Kathmandu.

Great guest houses I used:
Munjo - Summit Lodge
Namche Bazar - Hotel Namche
Tengboche - Gompa Lodge
Dingboche - Snow Lion Lodge
Lobuche - Eco Lodge
Gorak-Shep - Snow Lion Hotel
Way back:
Periche - Himalayan Lodge