Travel destination tips to help plan your holiday
By Darren Cronian on Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

When researching my next holiday destination I prefer to read content written by people who have visited the location or live there. The last of the travel tips posts features useful advice on travelling to France, Australia and Switzerland.

Travel destination tips to help plan your holiday

Five France travel tips

Tips provided by Stu of the A slice of ex-Pat(e) blog

1. If driving you must have original documents, i.e. car licence, insurance & V5. Copies not accepted.
2. Fluorescent vest & warning triangle are now a legal requirement. Fines for non-compliance.
3. Learn a few simple phrases. Bonjour, Merci, Au revoir. The French will be more receptive.
4. If renting a gite, and you’re running late – phone the owner! Please! They worry.
5. Drive on the right. To remind you, think of this simple maxim, bum in the gutter.

Five Switzerland travel tips

Tips provided by Mark at the Mark’s Travel Notes blog

1. Find special deals during the highly-available shoulder months (April / May / October / November)
2. Get maximum value from punctual and scenic train travel with one of the many rail passes available.
3. Travel between regions on the special scenic train and bus routes.
4. Visit the Alpine fortifications at Bellinzona en route to the southern Lakes.
5. Get up early for Morgenstreich in Basel for a uniquely Swiss experience.

Five Australia travel tips

Tips provided by Lucy at the Lucy Loves Australia blog

1. Don’t even think you will see ‘everything’ in one trip as Australia is a huge country.
2. it’s a very long way to fly so an extra £50 or £100 is money well spent to fly with good legroom.
3. Jet lag tip is to sleep ‘til lunchtime, then get up and try and keep to local time for the rest of the day.
4. Buy an ‘open-jaw’ ticket your flights this means you can arrive into one city, leave from another.
5. Remember to get a visa; they’re easy to apply for online.

Thanks to Stu, Mark and Lucy for sending in these travel tips. Now it is your turn, what tips would you add to this list? The tips must be destination related and the best will be featured in a PDF guide, available for download next week and will also be distributed in the next issue of my newsletter.


Related posts

Please enter your email address to receive my free newsletter

 



4 responses to “Travel destination tips to help plan your holiday”

Sam Daams | 8 July, 2009 at 8:07 am

Oslo tip. I’m pulling this from the above linked page, but I’ve been to this mausoleum at least 4 times now with friends/family that are visiting and it’s definitely one of Oslo’s best kept secrets. Only open 4 or 5 hours on Sunday afternoons, so plan well!

” At least equally impressive as his brother Gustav’s sculptures is the mausoleum of Emanuel Vigeland. It’s not very well known, in part because it is hidden away in the middle of a residential area, but mostly because it is only open for 4 or 5 hours a week on Sunday afternoons. The museum’s main attraction is a dark, barrel-vaulted room, completely covered with fresco paintings, depicting human life from conception till death, in dramatic and often explicitly erotic scenes. The museum is located at Grimelundsveien 8 in Oslo. Take the T-bane (metro) no. 1 towards Frognerseteren to Slemdal station. It’s 7 minutes walk from there. Or bus no. 46 to Grimelundsveien, 5 minutes walk. There are parking facilities outside the museum.

Report this comment

Brian | 8 July, 2009 at 1:13 pm

Puerto Rico (Caribbean):
3 Must sees – Old San Juan, El Yunque Rainforest and a Bio Bay Tip (just make sure the moon phase is good for the Bio Bay trip)

Taxi rates are FIXED for the tourist zone and are based on starting and ending destinations (so you should not have any surprises when you get to your destination)
Try the local food from Panaderia’s (local bakeries) and roadside vendors

San Juan is a great place to start a Caribbean Cruise
Looking for a quieter spot with great beaches, consider the islands of Vieques or Culebra located just off the north east coast of Puerto Rico.

Report this comment

Claude | 9 July, 2009 at 2:09 pm

Bonjour Darren,

My five tips to travel to Provence

- Try to see the 3 best Provence city : Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon
- better time to travel in Provence is mai-june and september-october (you will find better prices, not to much tourists and very nice weather)
- Provence is the landscape of impressionniste peinters, so don’t miss to see Van Gogh in Arles city, Cezanne in Aix-en-Provence city…
- Provence is well known for their international festivals. See Photo International festival in Arles, Lyric Music festival in Aix-en-Provence, and more
- want to discover Provence area and Provence city with a free local friend, suggest to ask the “greeters” network, see here and here

You want to know more, suggest to see the Wikipedia page about Provence. Good and clear stuff

Best regards

Claude

Report this comment

Wink Lorch | 11 July, 2009 at 5:25 pm

Five Tips for Travel in Wine Regions in France
1) If you are the driver, be careful, drink-drive limits are lower than in the UK and there are regular checks. Ask the winery for a spittoon – crachoir in French.
2) Many wine producers are only open to visit by appointment – if there’s a favourite you want to visit, email or call them in advance.
3) Most wine producers are closed at lunch-times and on Sundays except by arrangement.
4) If you are buying wine to take home, be careful not to let your wine get too hot in your car – car interiors can get very hot in summer and heat for any length of time will damage your purchases badly. Buy on the way home and always find a shady place or undergound garage to park.
5) If you want an interesting tasting and visit, then really show an interest in the wines and their production process early on in your visit – ask lots of questions – this proves you are a keen wine consumer! Salut!

Report this comment