- Planning a trip is part of the fun. Trying to select the
nicest places and to organize a smooth flow going to the various
places.
- Try not to want to do too much. You need to be able
to rest once in a while.
- Make sure you have a cancellation insurance unless you are
prepared for
the loss if you cannot take your trip. Many of the best deals are
not
refundable. Sickness or accidents do happen and they usually are
unexpected!
- You need travel documents to be able to prove your
indentity. What you need is highly dependant on your nationality,
the xtent of your travel . Make sure you ask your travel agent
. Some of the visa can take a significant amount of time to
secure.
- Try to have a piece of luggage that is easily
noticeable. Most of them are black...
- Take appropiate clothing for the waether of your
destination.
- Keep all of your prescription drugs with you.
Sometimes luggages get lost. It may take several days before you
recover them. Also, have a few emerency medicines. You can
of course find what you need on the spot, but it may not always be easy
to explain yourself and get understood.
- Make sure you can easily and quickly get a replacement
credit card in case yours is lost or stolen.
- Have a certain amount of cash in the appropriate
currencies. Travelers check can allso be useful.
- Look at various ways of travelling locally. Trains
are a very good alternative in Europe and particularly in France, where
often you'll get there by train faster than by plane. They can
also be significantly less expensive than planes. There are
special passes that need to be purchased in the country of departure
and that cannot be bought once you have arrived. One of them is called
Eurailpass.
- Prior to your departure, you should print information from
the websites for your accommodations. Print hard copies of your
vouchers, directions, phone numbers and
rates. It is not always possible to get connected to internet
while you are travelling. Always have information about some
backup places in case
the one you thought would be terrific, does not meet you expectations.
- Watch out to see if the websites for B&B are up to
date. If
not, that is not a good sign.
- Look for places that just arrived on the
market. People that just started a bed breakfast are highly
motivated. As they are starting, everything is just brand
new or refurbished, and accomodations will most likely be high
quality. They have few customers and they would like them to stay
or even come back.
- See if and when a hotel was renovated.
- Verify that the area is quiet, well located and has all of
the facilities you need, like close by public transport, near the area
of interest ot you.
- Call the hotel or bed and breakfast to get additional
inofrmation. Make a complete list of all of your questions and
write
down the answers that are given.
- Wether you book by email or by phone, require a written
confirmation of the reservation or at least an email confirming your
dates of arrival and departure, the facilities booked the contact
address and phone. Take these documents with you.
- If you want to use the swimming pool, make sure that it
will be open for the date that you plan to be there, and that it is
heated if needed.
- Breakfast is often included in the room price. A
quality breakfast will give you a good start. Many bed and
breakfast places have
homemade jams("confitures maison"), freshly baked bread ("baguette")and
crescent roll ("croissants") that can be
served in beautiful surroundings, like a nice room or in the garden or
on a private balcony, weather permitting.
- Some places offer the possibility of having main
meals. Make sure that this is not outrageously price for the
quality. In France, you can find excellent quality meals at
reasonably priced restaurant. For an all inclusive meal except drinks,
look at the "menu". "" is when you pay for each dish andit is
usually more expensive.
- There are seasons when the best places are booked ahead of
time. If you plan to go anywhere in high season, you sould book
your places ahead of time or else you will have a hard time finding a
place to stay.
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