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Have you ever taken a trip where it seemed that everything went wrong? What should have been a care free, relaxing vacation or an efficient business trip quickly turns into a stress-filled nightmare. No one likes to dwell on the negative, but the old saying “hope for the best, and plan for the worst” has a lot of truth to it. Many things can go wrong and planning ahead will help you avoid unwanted drama, stress and hassles. Travel delays or accidents, hidden fees and costs, lost or delayed luggage, medical or dental emergencies, travel accidents, rental car damage, potential terrorist attack alerts, emergency assistance problems, identity theft and more are common problems that can, and most likely, will occur on some occasion during trip taking. In hindsight could most of the hassles on that trip have been prevented or made more bearable by planning for the unexpected? Here are some tips for doing just that.

1. Start planning your trip early. Four to six weeks before you depart is not too early to start planning. If you are purchasing a comprehensive or all-inclusive package, make sure you research the agency you are dealing with. Some offer packages that guarantee no surprise up-charges or add-ons. If you don’t understand their policies or package rates, make them explain it to you until you do understand it. Asking the right questions beforehand can eliminate disappointment over unrealized expectations. Know what you are getting for your money. Never assume that what you think you are hearing is factual until it is fully explained and you see it guaranteed in writing. If you are planning a business trip on short notice, use an agency that you trust, or one that you consider reputable.

If short notice trips are normal for you, or if you know that travel could be required on short notice due to an emergency situation, keep a bag packed in your closet with the things you consider basic necessities. Include at least one complete change of clothes, and necessary toiletries. Also include a small amount of your regular medication, if applicable, and important account numbers and phone numbers. If packing space is at a premium, purchase sample size toiletries to keep in your “short notice” bag. Make sure it is of carry-on size for airline travel. This will take some stress off in the event that plans must be made quickly. If your luggage is lost or delayed, you will be glad you took the time to pack your carry-on bag in this manner.

2. Research your trip thoroughly. The Internet is a good choice for doing this. To get the best deals and the best accommodations to suit your preferences, there is no substitute for being informed and fully aware of what is available. In the information age, there are huge amounts of travel information available on the World Wide Web. Tickets, and even permits, in some cases, can be printed on your home computer printer from the Internet. Rental car reservations, hotel reservations are made easy for convenient prices and quality comparisons on-line.

3. Plan for the unexpected: Troubles can occur when you least anticipate them, so take along some peace of mind and protect your trip investment by purchasing travel insurance. Make sure the travel insurance you purchase covers job loss or transfers, uninhabitable accommodations, emergency assistance, travel accidents, delays, lost or delayed luggage, weather-affected cancellation, medical and dental expenses, terrorism, and identity theft. In addition, plans should offer flexible coverage periods for pre-existing medical conditions. Choose a company that answers all calls with a live person, not an automated attendant. Confirm all your purchases and reservations at a later time either on the Web or by phone to ensure no glitches have occurred.

4. Make sure you will have all the arrangements and paperwork you’ll need- airline tickets, passports, visas, maps, rental car and hotel reservations, permits as well as health and travel insurance documentation. Carry enough cash for emergencies, phone calls or unexpected fees. Don’t carry large amounts of cash. Traveler’s checks and credit cards are a better alternative. Make a list of all the pertinent numbers of your credit card, driver’s license, visas, passport, ticket, reservation, prescriptions and any other important documentation. Include any emergency phone numbers to call if any of these items are lost or stolen. Put a copy of this list in your carry-on, and carry the other one on your person.

Have someone you trust watch your home or apartment, or house-sit while you are away. Think about the things that need to be done in your absence- watching and feeding your pets, watering your plants, etc. If you don’t have a house/pet-sitter, have a light left on inside your residence so it would appear that someone is home at night. If you have someone checking up on things periodically, have them rotate the lighting and retrieve your mail and your newspapers. Another option to this is to have your newspaper and mail delivery temporarily suspended. You can also put your lighting on inexpensive timers, which can closely imitate your normal lighting routines.

5. Write out an itinerary- before you head out the door, give someone you know and trust a written copy of your trip plans. This should include: Your estimated time of departure, mode of transportation (flight numbers and/or make, model and license plate numbers), the names, addresses and phone numbers (especially cell phone numbers) of all group members traveling, any relevant medical conditions that may affect you or your travelling companions. Also include your travel insurance policy names, numbers and beneficiary information, your hotels’ phone number and address and expected time of arrival, time of return, and all pertinent return travel information.

Make arrangements to contact the person holding your itinerary at specific intervals during the trip, and then again when your trip is over. Agree with your contact person on a procedure for contacting the authorities if you do not report in by a certain time. This can be especially important when traveling in high-risk areas of the world, or even anywhere outside the United States. In some cases, if you have a pet and choose to hire a reputable pet-sitter or house-sitter, this can be your contact person.

In short, the quality of your trip depends largely on proper planning for the unexpected. Most of us like to think that things will come off without a hitch, but the truth is that even with the best of planning, things can, and will go wrong from time to time. Planning early, thorough research, double checking arrangements, coverage and documentation, and writing out an itinerary may not completely dispel unexpected problems, but it does produce a peace of mind and assurance knowing that there is a plan in place to deal with the unexpected if it does come about.

This article was written by Rita R. Powers with support from CSA Travel Protection, providers of Travel Insurance and travel assistance services. For information on how travel insurance can add to your travel experience, please visit http://www.csatravelprotection.com. Any reproductions of this article must provide a link back to CSA Travel Protection.

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There it is, plenty of mountains, beaches, adventures and history, all at an affordable price. What are you waiting for your next trip to South America?

As a matter of fact, if you are reading this, you have already decided to go there or, at least ,you are thinking about it. But, where to? I will show you my three favorite locations in South America, you choose by your own.

Peru: Macchu Picchu and The Inca’s Road

Are you the kind of person interested in history and archeological marvels or you would rather go looking for adventure, and a little (or more) fun within it? Whatever option you chose, Peru is the right place for you to go.

Five hundred years ago, the Spaniards ransacked and destroyed most of the legacy of the Inca Civilization. They could not, however, reach the sacred city of Macchu Picchu. These almost intact ruins where found in the twentieth century, and access to the city is believed to have been reserved for the emperor (the Inca) and the nobility (Hiran Bingham, founder of the remains, held that priestesses were raised and prepared here, but this is refused by current scientists)

Macchu Picchu is also some kind of world spiritual centre, people of all credos consider it an incredible point of contact with the spirit. But reaching the Macchu Picchu without walking the Inca’s Road, one of the most spectacular walking roads of the world, would be a sin. The Incas had built a road system only comparable to the one that the Ancient Romans built. The best kept part of the Inca’s road is the one that goes from Aguas Calientes to Macchu Picchu. After paying a USD 50 rate (USD 25 for students with international card), you will be able to start three unforgettable days in which you will walk 60 miles of mountains, with incredible vegetation and landscape.

The contact with the local people is one of the most attractive sides of traveling to South America, and this is particularly noticeable on the Inca’s Road.. You will find several “postas” all along the way (the antique places where Incas messengers got rest), and the natives hired for carrying the heavy luggage (the “portadores”) still resemble those antique messengers: they run at an incredibly rhythm; when you arrive to the “posta” they will have already set up your tent. However, not only rest is to be expected at the end of the day: depending on which “posta” you choose to stop, you can be received but one of the parties enjoyed by the innumerable youngsters that visit Macchu Picchu from all around the world.

The Inca’s Road is usually preceded by a visit to Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire, and one of the greatest urban monuments from Colonial times in Latin America.

Yet, if I were you, I would start from the Argentine city of Salta, visit Bolivia, the Titicaca Lake, and just then go to Cusco. It is a bit longer, yes, but you will never forget it.

Brazil, always Brazil

What else can be said of Brazil that you have not heard about? Brazil is not a place to be visited once, it is a place to fall in love with.
Brazil is also one of the largest countries of the globe, so my first advice is to get a travel guide book, and also one of those promotional plane tickets including 5 destinations for a reduced price.

Brazilians are worldwide known for their eternal smile and happiness; they tend to have less prejudices regarding human relations. That may be the reason why you will find a party almost wherever you find a Brazilian.
Although Rio is “the” place for nightclubs, discos, and related events, the entire coast of Brazil is a permanent party.

If you are planning a trip for two, let me recommend you Trindage, an almost unnoticed place between Rio and Sao Paulo. The road ends at Parati, a beautiful beach town known for its Colonial architecture. After Parati, you will have to walk 8 kms. (around 3 miles). Renting a car is an option too, but I prefer hitchhiking. Every night there are reggae parties on the beach, and the sky is so clean that you will see several falling stars. You can a take a bath in of the rivers of the zone, but please remember not using soap in order to keep the environment unpolluted.

For those who enjoy adventures, the Amazon is a huge challenge. If you want to visit the jungle but without taking big risks, it is always nice to visit the mythic city of Manaos, with its Opera and its glorious past. Manaos is today a tax-free zone, so you may also find very cheap electronic devices.

Buenos Aires: the most pretentious city in South America

I was not surprised when I read that a London magazine has chosen Buenos Aires as the ’sexiest city in the world’. With most of its population of European origins, and the frenzy proper of a big city, Buenos Aires has an incredible night life. Fancy nightclubs and pubs (accessible to the tourist, because of the low local currency, the Argentine Peso) are concurred by both young and mature people.

I would recommend going to one of the exclusive restaurants located in Puerto Madero, eat some Argentine meat, and then start the night at the Recoleta, the fanciest zone in Buenos Aires. You will ask yourself whether you are in Milan or Paris (do not dear to remind an Argentine they are from South America, they will get mad at you!).

Culturally, Buenos Aires is the most active city in South America. Writers, film directors, philosophers and artists of all kind are usually in the city giving performances or conferences.

If you like Theater, Corrientes Av. is some sort of local Broadway, all along which you will find uncountable spectacles. Of course, you cannot leave Buenos Aires without visiting the Colon Theatre, the most refined of its kind in South America.

During the day, you can visit San Telmo square, place of bohemians and artists, home of Tango, the Argentine typical dance. You can always go to a “tangueria” (tango bar) and get some lessons or just enjoy the sensual movements of the dancers.

For the weekend, going to a soccer match is a must. If you want to go to the biggest stadium in Argentina, go to the River Plate Stadium. However, if you prefer something slightly smaller but much more intense, go to the antagonist Boca Juniors Stadium, where 60,000 souls tight in a reduced space make literally vibrate the concrete. Soccer is not just a sport for the Argentines, it is a passion.
Although Argentine beaches are not famous, you can enjoy several near Buenos Aires.

The most crowded is Mar del Plata, but the most beautiful is perhaps Necochea. If you are thinking on going a little more to the south, you can visit Las Grutas, the most southern beach where you can take a bath (below that, it is freezing cold). As a matter of fact, this would be an excellent excuse for visiting the entire Patagonia, with the lakes, the mountains and the Pampa, but this is subject for another article on traveling to South America

Additional resources and information can be found by going to: http://www.TravelToSouthAmerica.com

Jason Gadayan is an author and contributor to http://www.TravelToSouthAmerica.com

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Monterey, California, the oldest city in California, was founded in 1770. It has approximetly 30,000 residents, an average high temperature 0f 65.3 degrees, an average low temperature of 47.8 degrees, receives rain an average of 67 days a year and is on the Monterey Peninsula which has over 98 miles of coastline.

The beautiful city of Monterey is approximetly 115 miles south of San Francisco and 350 miles north of Los Angeles. It can be reached by air, car, train, boat and bus. Just getting to Monterey is an experience in itself. For most of your trip you will have California’s gorgeous coastline on one side and beautiful forests and mountains on the other. In my opinion, the best way to visit Monterey is by car. Just driving through the Monterey Peninsula, with all of it’s beautiful scenery and old Spanish architecture, can be an experience of a lifetime.

Whether you enjoy, lying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, surfing, sport or surf fishing, golfing, shopping, visiting art galleries, antiquing, dining, sightseeing, whale watching, taking romantic walks along the beach or just relaxing in a luxury hotel, you can do it in Monterey and you can do it without fighting heavy traffic, without being crowded and without breaking the bank.

Discover Old Fisherman’s Wharf with it’s great restaurants, seafood, unique shops, whale watching, fishing, and bay cruises, theatre, and the sights and sounds of Monterey’s past. Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium with it’s over 200 award-winning galleries and exhibits and it’s approximately 550 different species of marine life. Play golf at Pebble Beach Golf Links which was ranked the No. 1 Public Course in America by Golf Digest in
2005. Take one of the numerous whale watching boat cruises and watch Grey and Killer whales, dolohins, turtles, porpoises, sea lions and more. Go sport fishing for Albacore, Cod, Flounder, Halibut, Salmon, Sea Bass, and Sole. Visit one of the hundreds of art galleries on the Peninsula. Stay at hotels like the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel with it’s onsite 18-hole Del Monte Golf Course and it’s heated outdoor swimming pools or the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa which combines elegant European architecture, wide-sweeping coastal views and sophisticated style to create the perfect vantage point by which to enjoy the gentle sounds of surf, the fresh scent of sea air and the sight of sea otters at play. If all that is not enough for you, take a drive up the coast and in less than two enjoyable hours you can be in San Francisco, eating in Chinatown or enjoying the nightlife.

For more information about the city of Monterey, California see:

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