4 Ways to Stay Safe on Vacation

When you’re planning a much-needed getaway, you’re probably thinking about the attractions you will see and the things you will experience. You’re probably not thinking about the potential dangers you might face while on your trip. Staying safe, though, is an important element of a relaxing, enjoyable vacation. These tips will help ensure that you and your companions remain safe and happy during your travels:

Keep Valuables in Your In-Room Safe

You might think that your valuable items are secure when you leave them in your hotel room. Unfortunately, even with extensive hotel security measures, your possessions can be at risk of theft or damage. Before you head out for a day of relaxation or sightseeing, take a few minutes to secure your valuables in your in-room safe. This includes electronics such as laptops, tablets, MP3 players, and smartphones. You should also secure other valuables such as watches, jewelry, digital cameras, and expensive clothing to keep them out of the hands of thieves. Most major hotels provide safes that can easily accommodate multiple items so that you won’t worry about having to replace them while on vacation.

Travel in Groups

In many tourist areas, criminals target people who are exploring the sights on their own. This makes it less likely that tourists will notice items being stolen or resist physical confrontations. Traveling in a group gives you the advantage of easily contacting law enforcement if a problem arises. It also makes it more difficult for pickpockets to take wallets, purses, and other items of value. For these reasons, criminals are less likely to target tourists traveling in groups.

Opt for Traveler Cheques

Carrying cash while traveling can increase the risk of loss at the hands of a pickpocket. When you pay for purchases with cash, you can attract the attention of thieves, since they know you have cash available for the taking. By opting for traveler cheques, you provide yourself with a layer of security if your money is stolen. You can simply call the institution that provided the cheques to have them replaced – this can help keep you from having to skip attractions and dine on Ramen noodles if you are a victim of theft.

Carry Credit Cards Securely

Credit card theft can turn an otherwise enjoyable vacation into a frustrating experience. Instead of soaking in the ambiance of your destination, you’ll spend your time trying to contact your credit card company to mitigate the financial damage. Carrying credit cards in your wallet or purse can invite theft and make you an easy target for pickpockets. Instead, keep credit cards in your front pants pocket – this makes it more difficult for thieves to take your cards without your knowledge.
Whether you plan to enjoy a cross-country trip or an international vacation, staying safe is top priority. These tips can make the difference between a relaxing trip and a disastrous one.

Keep Valuables in Your In-Room Safe

Travel in Groups

Opt for Traveler Cheques

Carry Credit Cards Securely

Family-Friendly Vacations in the United States

Planning a family vacation can be a stressful experience. Chances are, each of your family members will have a different idea of what to see and do. Choosing a family-friendly destination can make the difference between a trip everyone can enjoy and a frustrating excursion that leaves your family eager to return home. Global Discovery Network can help you book a family-friendly trip that has something for everyone at one of these enjoyable destinations.

Chicago

When it comes to kid-friendly activities, Chicago has a wealth of options. Shedd Aquarium, the largest aquarium facility in the United States, gives you and your family the opportunity to see sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, and a variety of other sea creatures. Lincoln Park Zoo, with its vast array of animals and interactive exhibits, is also a favorite of children and adults alike. Several discount programs, such as Chicago CityPass, help make your trip more affordable by providing admission to several of the city’s top attractions for a single low price. The food options in Chicago are just as family-friendly – for every upscale restaurant, you’ll find a pizza shop or other casual fare joint. For a unique cultural experience, take the family to Chinatown or Greektown.

Yosemite

If you’re looking for distraction-free togetherness, Yosemite is an ideal vacation destination. The National Park encompasses more than 1,200 square miles and offers some of the most breathtaking natural scenery you’ll find in the United States. Most of the popular tourist spots, such as El Capitan, are located in a small area of the park known as Yosemite Valley. The rest of the park, though, is yours to explore. Hundreds of miles of hiking trails, scenic waterfalls, and campgrounds make Yosemite the perfect place to escape to nature and enjoy a relaxing getaway. In April and May, the flowers are in full bloom. Keep in mind that there are only a handful of fine dining options here, but you’ll find plenty of general stores stocked with camping and picnic supplies.

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. Is an exceptional destination for blending education with relaxation. Here, you and your family can see traditional tourist attractions such as the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Smithsonian. The National Zoo, which offers complimentary admission, is a favorite attraction for children. Outside the main tourist area, you’ll find plenty of art galleries, farmers markets, and other unique places to while away an afternoon. If you’re traveling to Washington D.C. In April, be sure to visit the Tidal Basin and enjoy the National Cherry Blossom Festival – the canopy of cherry blossoms provide a wealth of photo opportunities. Street carts near Capitol Hill can be pricey, but you’ll find cheaper (and much better) fare just a couple of blocks away.

Tampa

Orlando is well-known as the premiere family destination for Florida tourists, but the crowds can be frustrating when you’re trying to enjoy a relaxing getaway. Just a couple of hours away, Tampa offers a wealth of family-friendly fun without the throngs of tourists. The city is just a few minutes away from the beaches of Clearwater and the upscale eateries of St. Petersburg. If you’re visiting Tampa with children, be sure to visit the Museum of Science and Industry and the Florida Aquarium. Of course, if your kids are longing for a theme park experience, Busch Gardens offers a vast array of roller coasters, games, live entertainment, and kid-friendly rides.

Global Discovery Network offers exceptional deals on trips to these and many other family-friendly destinations. You can even book full vacation packages that include car rentals, resort rooms, and airfare to make your vacation even more affordable.

Swing on the edge of the world

Have you ever experienced the fun of riding a swing at the end of the world? Here is a thrilling swing that sits at the end of the world! This extreme attraction in the mountains of Ecuador, attracts extreme thrill seekers. This crazy swing lets thrill-seekers swing over an abyss without any safety measures whatsoever.

Adrenaline junkies can experience this adventure swing at the edge of Ecuador, on a path up to Bellavista. Hiking up the path to Bellavista from the edge of Banos, Ecuador, there you can find a seismic monitoring station called ‘La Casa del Arbol’ or ‘The Treehouse’. It is a small house built in a tree, at the edge of a canyon. A view from this tree top is worth, but the tiny hut offers a unique bonus, a swing hanging precariously over the edge of the Canyon.

The swing is open for use to  adventurers at their own risk. There are absolutely no safety measures, one have to hold-on-tight’. With a slight push the person sitting on the swing would be thrown right over the edge with a full bird-eye-view of what lies below.

Smart apps for business travelers

In today’s fast world, traveling for business can be a headache from calculating expense reports and trying to navigate around a new city. Here are some handy apps that help you find Wi-Fi hotspots, track your flight and even combine loyalty programs to track all your balances!

Locating a Wi-Fi hotspot can be challenging in your busy schedule. A Wi-Fi Finder can be the best app to resolve this issue. It helps you stay connected. Available as a free download for both iOS and Android devices this app will help you find both free and paidWi-Fi while you are on the go! Seatguru and Gate Guru, a door-to-door solution for travelers on the day of travel. Gate Guru will update and alert you any gate changes, delays or layover time adjustments. Seatguru helps in zeroing in on the best seats on your next flight. 

Now get more from your loyalty programs by using Points.com. This site helps you combine your reward points from different programs such as popular airlines, banks and pharmacies. You can exchange your miles with other users, and redeem or buy more miles or points to get what you want. Award Wallet has been yet another app that keeps track all loyalty programs. It keeps the hotel and credit card points, frequent flier miles and all the login credentials locked in a single hub. Tracking your expenses can be a great pain while traveling. Worry not, Expensify, an effective app can put together your expense reports seamless and easy. The app imports your expenses straight from your credit card or bank account, and it will compile all of the information into a PDF expense report. It is a free download for bothiOS and Androids. XE Currency is an excellent companion for a business traveler. With more than 180 currencies, this app keeps you updated with the latest currency exchange rates.

Apart from this list, which tool do you  think can be a must-have for a business traveler on the go?

Volcano Kerakatoa Amazing Place

What was in your mind when you hear the word “Krakatoa”? Surely directly terbesit about terrifying eruption occurred in 1883in the Sunda Strait. On this occasion, I am keen to discuss the history of Mount Krakatoa.

The eruption of Mount Krakatau History
Krakatau once an active volcanic mountainous islands are located in the Sunda Strait, between the islands of Sumatra and Java.Mount Krakatau has existed since ancient times and never eruption. Based on the Wikipedia website, a note of Ancient Krakatoaeruption taken from an ancient Javanese text entitled Pustaka Raja Parwa dating from AD 416 years. Among other things, stated

“There was the sound of thunder from Mount Batuwara. There is also a frightening earth shaking, total darkness, thunder andlightning. Then came the wind and rain storms were terrible and the whole storm darkens the whole world. A big flood camefrom Mount Batuwara and flows eastward to Mount Kamula …. When the water sink, separate Java island into two, creating islands of Sumatra “

Based on the records of the ancient Javanese texts, ancient krakatau height was estimated as high as 2,000 m. Wikipedia alsonotes that the ancient eruption of Krakatoa is also considered to contribute on the end of the heyday of ancient Persia, the transmutation of the Roman Empire to the Byzantine Empire, the end of civilization of South Arabia, the extinction of a largeMaya city, Tikal and the fall of the Nazca civilization in South America that is enigmatic. Ancient Krakatoa explosion is expected to last for 10 days at an estimated speed of the mass vomit reach 1 million tons per second. The blast has formed a shield 20-150 meters thick atmosphere, lowering the temperature by 5-10 degrees for 10-20 years.

Ancient eruptions of Krakatoa occurred in the hundreds of thousands of years ago, destroying and submerge 2/3 ancientKrakatoa. As a result of the eruption, leaving three islands, namely the island of Rakata, Round Length, and Sertung. Growthoccurred in the caldera lava rakata form 2 new volcanic island, namely Danan and Deeds.

On August 27, 1883, a catastrophic eruption (VEI scale / Volcano Eruption Index = 6.0) which destroyed 60% of the body of Krakatoa in the middle, forming a caldera 7km hole and leaving three small islands, namely Rakata, Sertung, and Island length.Krakatoa eruption can be heard up to 4600 km. Krakatoa explosion had thrown stones pumice and volcanic ash with a volume of18 cubic kilometers. Vulkanisnya dust bursts at 80 km. Hard objects that flew into the air it falls on the plains of the island ofJava and Sumatra, even to Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand. The impact of the eruption of Krakatoa wasrecorded death toll reached 36,417 people and generate a tsunami. Krakatoa volcanic activity began three months earlier. “There followed a very powerful eruption … blob ash gushed into the air as high as 70 kilometers, accompanied by a tsunami. Waves as high as 40 meters wiped out the beach next to Sumatra and Java in the Sunda Strait.

In 1927, approximately 43 years after Mount Krakatoa erupted, emerging from ancient caldera volcano is still active. The highgrowth rate of about 20 inches per month. Every year he became higher about 20 feet. Altitude child of Krakatoa current is 450meters. But for tourists, since the eruption of Krakatoa in 2011 children, tourists can not go to the top of Krakatoa. Currently,tourists can only child of Krakatoa mountain climbing to a height of about 200 meters / last post.

The process of colonization of plants and animals on the island of Rakata, length, and Sertung been running long enough.Whereas for Krakatoa own children are still at a few decades later (about 75 years later). On the island of Krakatoa child, the child of Krakatoa ridge there is no plant life due to high temperatures and lack of water. But in the area can be found pioneerplants such as reeds (Saccharum spontaneum) that symbiosis with Azospirillum lippoferrum. At the bottom of which wascovered with reeds in a process of weathering of sand around which later grew M. affine types and other types of plants.

Based on existing records, there are currently some 206 plant species as there are fungi, 13 species Lichenes, 61 species of ferns,and 257 kinds of Spermatophyta. For animals, there were rats and bats to mammals and 40 species of birds / poultry / aves, asCentropus bengalensis, Falco severus, Plegadis sp. Animals reptiles are lizards, turtles, and snakes.

Child of Krakatoa began to be excellent for domestic tourists, especially tourists from Greater Jakarta, Banten and Lampung.Child of Krakatoa began ogled because the location is not so far away and offers a view that is not less interesting than theBromo and Semeru. Many tourists who want to set foot for a closer look at the child of Krakatoa, and get to know and explorethe local volcanology agency information on the history and development of the child of Krakatoa Krakatoa. Tourists usuallywill visit various destinations in the islands near the child of Krakatoa and tourists can stay (homestay) in the island Sebesi. The journey from the island of Anak Krakatau Sebesi towards reached approximately 90-120 minutes by boat.

When your ship docked on the island of Krakatoa child, you will see a black sand beach. Most likely, the sand is sand eruption of Krakatoa. Not far from the boat dock area, there is a monument nature reserve of Krakatoa and some signs and the introduction of Krakatoa.

Note carefully the warning signs and restrictions that exist during your visit in this world heritage area. Every traveler is obligedto comply with any applicable regulations and maintain the cleanliness of the area and did not bring the region and damage the environment.

Note that in this area there is no signal in addition to the freeway and just be near the first post (cottage) Natural ResourcesConservation Agency of Lampung Province. Clean water was not there. If you want to urinate and defecate, you have to takesea water prior to use in the bathroom rudimentary who is behind the lodge KSDA Lampung or use a long way to dig a hole andclose it immediately after completion. To drink too, duty officer KSDA Lampung, bringing clean water and drinking in thestock during the week. If the water is less, the officer will usually take water from the nearby island of springs Sertung or SebesiIsland.

In a child of Krakatoa, there is volcanic activity monitoring tool is. In this area, the detection device using solar power cell totransmit information to the Agency and the Center for Volcanology Lampung. If there is increased activity of Mount Anak Krakatau, this detector will immediately send the signal. Solar cells are used, there are two units with two batteries that are planted in the soil.

Unfortunately, tourists are not able to climb up to the top of the Krakatoa since 2011 due to volcanic activity the child of Krakatoa. Altitude mountain krakatau children currently about 450 meters since its inception in 1927, or in other words the child of Krakatoa high growth estimates of about 5-6 meters per year. Mount Krakatau child will grow every year because it is still active and their activity in the lava of the volcano.

The tourists will be able to climb the mountain only child of Krakatoa to a height of about 200 meters which can be reached within 30-45 minutes until the last post ascent. When there are visitors, will usually accompanied by the officers of LampungKSDA assigned alternately for a week in the area of Anak Krakatau.

From the last post child of Krakatoa, you will see the mountain rakata, Sertung, and Long Island. The view from the last post is also very pleasing to the eye. While visiting, do not forget to take some pictures as memories while in this world heritage area.

Congratulations on vacation in a mountain area child of Krakatoa and set foot in the history of this global eruption

Batu Hiu Beach an Amazing Place

Batu Hiu is one of the tourist attractions are located in the town of Ciamis. Batu Hiu is about 14 km from pangandaran asatourist attraction a choice when you come to Pangandaran. Located in the village of Ciliang sub-district of Parigi,approximately 14 km south of Pangandaran. Have a very beautiful natural panorama. From the top of a small hill that isblanketed with trees Pandanus Wong, we saw the blue of the ocean with the waves hit Indonesia rolled up white.

Batu Hiu beach is located in the village of Ciliang, district Parigi. This beach is called Batu Hiu as there are stones that were seen in the sea and resembles a shark fin. To enjoy the beautiful beaches, we can rise to the top of a small hill at the beach.From the top of the hill that we can see the rock that resembles a shark fin, feeling the fresh sea breeze and also enjoying the beauty of the ocean Indonesia.

On the small hill planted with pandan that is the most fitting place to enjoy the beach of Batu Hiu. uniquely, to rise to the top of the Hill, we passed the “gate” bikit a small tunnel in the shape of the mouth of the shark. So, as we enter into the mouth of ashark. We can also play sea water next to a hill. However carefully with a lot of jellyfish were scattered on the sand beach.

About 200 metres from the coast there is a rock that resembles seonggok sharks, because that’s what this place is called the rock of the sharks. Coastal wind gusts accompanied us when releasing the views towards the ocean or beach East of stretching toPangandaran.