Entries Tagged 'Travel Tips' ↓

Question: What is the best way to travel between Madrid, Santiago, Barcelona, and Granada (in just 9 days)? Is their air pass in Spain?

This answer is from Jona:

There’s no air pass in Spain. If you only have nine days, I think you better take a plane, at least in one or two of the trips. Companies that have domestic flights in Spain are Iberia, Vueling, Spanair and Air Europa. Iberia should have the most options and Vueling should be the cheapest.

You can get a train pass, called interrail, which will give you free pass to all the trains (except high speed train) for a fixed price for a certain period of time. More info in www.inter-rail.org (only in Spanish). If you want to buy single tickets just check the Spanish rail network website www.renfe.es (info available in English) where you can find prices and timetables. Prices don’t change so no matter when you buy them.

The worst option in my opinion will be the bus, but if you want some info just check www.alsa.es which runs all long-distance Spanish journeys. It’s a little bit cheaper than the train though.

I think it depends on the actual route you take between them and the time you want to spend on a vehicle. If you travel by train or bus, you better travel overnight so you can enjoy more your time. In the train you can even get a bed.

Have fun!

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Traveling is so fun, but it gets tough when the language barrier sets in. English is the universal language, but many European and Asian countries do not know how to speak and understand English. What do you do when the locals don’t understand a word you’re saying? Simple…don’t use words. Yes folks, just like how the song goes, “you say it best, when you say nothing at all”. Use the facial expressions and your hands to convey your thoughts.

It’s a lot easier than scouring the English-(other language) dictionary all the time.

When you want to ask for a restaurant, or say that you’re hungry, you can either pat your stomach or open your mouth and let your hand do the eating stroke. When asking for time, simply tap your wrist. When you want to respond “I don’t know”, just shrug your shoulders and perhaps raise your eyebrows. Ask “Which way?” without saying a word by pointing your fingers in opposite directions with an asking look. “How much?” can be interpreted by rubbing the thumb and fingers together. When you want to express that you want just “a little”, just put the thumb and finger close together. And say “Oops!” by placing the hands close to the mouth and with eyes wide open.

Lastly, nothing beats the effect of a good SMILE. Universally, it communicates something positive, and you’ll get positivity in return. Of course it helps to learn a few foreign words that are most basic to your destination. Enjoy!

Traveling in different times zones can spell disaster. Disaster in your body rhythm, that is. “Jet Lag” is a common term for globe trotters, and it’s the most natural thing that can happen when crossing time zones, and there are ways to cope with it.

· Rest is important. Sleep early a few days before the actual travel date. During the actual flight, sleep as much as you can in the plane.

· Stay away from alcohol, tea, coffee and other caffeinated beverages. Drink plenty of water before and during the flight to avoid dehydration which is one of the bad effects of jet lag

· Eat light (avoid unfamiliar food) during the flight and first few days of arriving at your destination. To cope with jet lag means to adjust your body clock, and the last thing you’d want to do is to exhaust your body further by spending more energy on adjusting to unusual foodies (at least for the first few days).

· Do take a occasional breaks from your flight seat. Do some stretching, walk the aisles of the plane in order to fatigue, prevent blood clot, back aches, and swollen legs.

· Last but not the least, take time to rest a little bit when you arrive, and try to make your body clock adjust to local time by sleeping at the same time the locals do. If you’ve arrived during rush hours, still rest for a while until you get your bearings.