Ready To Roam

Keep your passport safe

Last week I almost lost my passport while in Las Vegas and I thought it would be handy to offer up a few tips I've heard over the years on keeping your passport safe while you travel.

1. On route - don’t let your passport out of your sight! Don’t let the hotel front desk or tour company take your passport away to photocopy it without knowing where they take it. Don’t leave your passport sitting on your seat on the airplane when you walk to the washroom. Don't turn away from your bag while looking for cash or reading a map. Keep your passport with you at all times when traveling from departure to arrival.

2. Keep a copy at home! Passports can get stolen or lost no matter how hard you try to keep track of them. Keeping a copy of your passport at home will ensure that you have the information in a safe place just in case you misplace it while on the move.

3. Share your secrets! Make sure someone you trust has access to that photocopy in your home or a digital copy on your PC so that they can send you the information if needed.

4. Better yet – travel with a photocopy! If you lock your passport in a safety deposit box at a hotel or local post office while traveling, carry a photocopy with you at all times. That way if anything happens, you have the information immediately on hand.

Good luck and safe travels.

Multiple stop-over tickets

Are you ready to travel all over the globe? The Airtrek travel booking service offers multiple stop-over airline tickets. If you plan to cross the globe and stop in several cities and/or continents, you now have more than just an affordable way to call home  – you can save money on flights too.

There are many airlines offering discounted rates at any given time but you always pay too much if you need to travel to more than one city. Airtreks is the leading provider of multi-stop international air travel. Their website is fun and easy to use.

First off, visit the Guide to Planning for useful links on budgeting, packing, passports, tickets, safety and more.

Then, use the Trip Planner to select your track. You can choose your destinations with a world map or by a list of city names.

When you view your route a price estimate will display along with alternate options “More for your money” or “Special value”. These options add or eliminate cities to show you the most affordable options on your chosen route.

Airtreks is excellent for the traveler who needs to span the globe but also for the wanderer that is curious how much it would cost to see the world's 25 most beautiful cities. Be inspired, check out the Current Airtreks Specials and see where your imagination will take you.

Travel Blogs

While I love to have readers visit my blog, truth is, there are hundreds of excellent travel bloggers. There are two travel blogging websites that I really enjoy: Travelpod  and IgoUgo 

Travelpod is great simply because it’s the biggest. Journalists and newscasters rant and rave about it, ten of thousands of people post each week and pretty much the entire globe has been covered.

• Check out the all-time top travel blogs for some armchair reading
• Or better yet, select a country off the world map to dig into a destination

IgoUgo has stood the test of time. This website has been going strong since 2000. What I have always liked about IgoUgo is that it treats the blog entries like recommendations where users are required to think about their trips in stages of events and venues. For example, I stayed at XX Hotel and visited XX museum and ate at XX restaurant and here are the details on each place. While it leaves slightly less room for creativity and story telling around travel, it is a valuable resource for travelers seeking honest advice.

• Check out the IgoUgo Hall of Fame to see the top rated writers from each year 
• Choose a destination to read more reviews

Some other good travel blogging sites include:

• TravelBlog 
• Get Jealous
• BootsnAll
• Real Travel
• My Trip Journal
• World Nomads

It's more than Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival is coming this May and all that glitters is finding its way to the south of France for another week and a half of fanciful fun. Starting May 14 and continuing through May 25, this event is a must for the up and coming in film. Find out more about Cannes Film Festival

Keep in mind, this is an impossible time to truly enjoy Cannes as the hotels are packed and the streets filled with paparazzi, but don't skip the region all together.

I took trip through southern France in the fall of 2000 stopping in Nice to shop for designer fashion, Saint Paul de Vence to admire contemporary artist studios and Cannes to ponder life's unanswered questions on the shores of the Cote d'Azur. It is a magical place dusted with fantastic views, scenic vistas and unparalleled style.

Traveling to the French Riviera is simple, you can either fly right into the Nice Côte d'Azur airport (the second largest in France) or you can take an overnight train from Paris or another major European city. Once there, you can get around by train, bus or rental car. From yacht tours to museums, wineries to golf courses, there are endless activities in the region to keep you occupied.

Here are some useful links for your trip:

• Load up your phone with a Brightroam France SIM card so you can keep in touch
• Visit Guide Riviera for information on things to do and see
• Visit St Paul de Vence to experience a charming castle town built in the 9th Century
• Stay at Villa St Maxime - a stunning BNB with all the bells and whistles