|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Sunday, 14 January 2007 |
|
If ease of travel is your main concern and money is no object, you can ship your luggage with one of the growing number of luggage-service companies that pick up, track, and deliver your luggage (often through couriers such as Federal Express) with minimum hassle for you. Traveling luggage-free might be ultraconvenient, but it’s not cheap: One-way overnight shipping can cost from $100 to $200, depending on what you’re sending. Still, for some people, especially the elderly or the infirm, it’s a sensible solution to lugging heavy baggage. Specialists in door-to-door luggage delivery are Virtual Bellhop (www.virtualbellhop.com), SkyCap International (www.skycapinternational.com), and Luggage Express (www.usxpluggageexpress.com).
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 22 January 2007 )
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Sunday, 14 January 2007 |
|
With the federalization of airport security, security procedures at U.S. airports are more stable and consistent than ever. Generally, you’ll be fine if you arrive at the airport 1 hour before a domestic flight and 2 hours before an international flight; if you show up late, tell an airline employee and he or she will probably whisk you to the front of the line. Bring a current, governmentissued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport, and if you’ve got an E-ticket, print the official confirmation page; you’ll need to show your confirmation at the security checkpoint and show your ID at the ticket counter or the gate. (Children under 18 do not need photo IDs for domestic flights, but the adults checking in with them do.)
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Sunday, 14 January 2007 |
|
BY PLANE
Flying from New York to Lisbon typically costs less than from New York to Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt. In today’s marketplace, one airline proposes a fare structure, and another airline follows with a competing and perhaps different fare structure. The competition might or might not result in uniform prices for all airlines flying to that particular country. It all adds up to chaos—but often beneficial chaos for the alert traveler willing to study and consider all the fares available. The key to bargain airfares is to shop around. Flying time from New York to Lisbon is about 6 hours; from Atlanta to Lisbon is about 6 1/2 hours.
MAJOR AIRLINES
When it was established in 1946, TAP (800/221-7370; www.tap-airportugal.pt), The national airline of Portugal, flew only between Lisbon and Angola and Mozambique (then Portuguese colonies). Today TAP flies to four continents and has one of the youngest fleets in the airline industry—its aircraft have an average age of only 4 years. Its U.S. gateway is Newark, New Jersey. In Portugal, it flies to three destinations, the most popular of which are Lisbon, Porto and Faro. |
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Sunday, 14 January 2007 |
|
INTERNET ACCESS AWAY FROM HOME
Travelers have any number of ways to check their e-mail and access the Internet on the road. Of course, using your own laptop—or even a PDA (personal desk assistant) or electronic organizer with a modem—gives you the most flexibility. But even if you don’t have a computer, you can access your e-mail and even your office computer from cybercafes.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Sunday, 14 January 2007 |
SURFING FOR AIRFARES
The “big three” online travel agencies Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, and Orbitz.com, sell most of the air tickets bought on the Internet. (Canadian travelers should try expedia.ca and Travelocity.ca; U.K. residents can go to expedia.co.uk and opodo.co.uk.) Each has different business deals with the airlines and might offer different fares on the same flights, so it’s wise to shop around. Expedia and Travelocity will also send you e-mail notification when a cheap fare becomes available to your favorite destination. Of the smaller travel agency websites, SideStep (www.sidestep.com) has gotten the best reviews from Frommer’s authors. It’s a browser add-on that purports to “search 140 sites at once,” but in reality it beats competitorsfares only as often as other sites do. Also remember to check airline websites, especially those for low-fare carriers whose fares are often misreported or simply missing from trave agency websites. Even with major airlines, you can often shave a few bucks from a fare by booking directly through the airline and avoiding a travel agency’s transaction fee. But you’ll get these discounts only by booking online: Most airlines now offer online-only fares that even their phone agents know nothing about. For the websites of airlines that fly to and from your destination, go to “Getting There,” below.
|
|
Last Updated ( Sunday, 14 January 2007 )
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 |
|
STAYING HEALTHY
Portugal does not offer free medical treatment to visitors, except for citizens of certain countries, such as Great Britain, which have reciprocal health agreements. Nationals from such countries as Canada and the United States have to pay for medical services rendered. You should encounter few health problems traveling in Portugal. The tap water is generally safe to drink, the milk is pasteurized, and health services are good. Occasionally, the change in diet can cause some minor diarrhea, so you might want to take along some antidiarrhea medicine. Limit your exposure to the sun, especially during the first few days of your trip and thereafter from 11am to 2pm. Use a sunscreen with a high protection factor and apply it liberally. Remember that children need more protection than adults do. |
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 |
|
We suggest that you verify dates with a tourist office because festival dates can vary greatly from year to year. Sometimes last minute adjustments are made because of scheduling problems. January
Festa de São Gonçalo e São Cristovão, Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river from Porto. These resemble fertility rites and are two of the most attended religious festivals in Portugal. An image of São Gonçalo is paraded through the narrow streets as merrymakers beat drums. Boatmen along the Douro ferry a figure of São Cristovão with a huge head down the river. Much port wine is drunk, and cakes baked into phallic shapes are consumed byall. Early January. |
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 |
|
Watch for these public holidays, and adjust your banking needs accordingly: New Year’s Day and Universal Brotherhood Day (January 1); Carnaval (early March—dates vary); Good Friday (March or April—dates vary); Liberty Day, anniversary of the revolution (April 25); Labor Day (May 1); Corpus Christi (June—dates vary); Portugal Day (June 10); Feast of the Assumption (August 15); Proclamation of the Republic (October 5); All Saints’ Day (November 1); Restoration of Independence (December 1); Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8); and Christmas Day (December 25). The Feast Day of St. Anthony (June 13) is a public holiday in Lisbon, and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist (June 24) is a public holiday in Porto. |
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 |
CLIMATE in Portugal
“We didn’t know we had an April,” one Lisbon resident said, “until that song came out.” As a song and a season, “April in Portugal” is famous. Summer might be the most popular time to visit, but for the traveler who can chart his or her own course, spring and autumn are the most delectable seasons. To use a North American analogy, the climate of Portugal most closely parallels that of California. There are only slight fluctuations in temperature between summer and winter; the overall mean ranges from 77°F (25°C) in summer to about 58°F (14°C) in winter. The rainy season begins in November and usually lasts through January. Because of the Gulf Stream, Portugal’s northernmost area, Minho, enjoys mild (albeit very rainy) winters, even though it’s at approximately the same latitude as New York City. Snow brings many skiing enthusiasts to the Serra de Estrêla in north central Portugal. For the most part, however, winter means only some rain and lower temperatures in other regions. The Algarve and especially Madeira enjoy temperate winters. Madeira, in fact, basks in its high season in winter. The Algarve, too, is somewhat of a winter Riviera that attracts sun worshipers from North America and Europe. Summers in both tend to be long, hot, clear, and dry. Lisbon and Estoril enjoy 46°F (8°C) to 65°F (18°C) temperatures in winter and temperatures between 60°F (16°C) and 82°F (28°C) in summer. |
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 |
|
- Taxi from the airport to the city center 7.50€.
- Average Metro ride .50€.
- Double room at Four Seasons Hotel The Ritz Lisbon (very expensive) 284€.
- Double room at the Janelas Verdes Inn (moderate) 90€.
- Double room at the Residência Nazareth (inexpensive) 36€.
- Lunch for one, without wine, El Bodegón (moderate) 18€.
- Lunch for one, without wine, at António (moderate) 7.50€.
- Dinner for one, without wine, at António Clara (expensive) 30€.
- Dinner for one, without wine, at Conventual (moderate) 23€.
- Dinner for one, without wine, at Bonjardim (inexpensive) 14€.
- Glass of beer 1.90€.
- Coca-Cola in a restaurant 1.50€.
- Cup of coffee in a cafe .40€.
- Roll of ASA 100 color film, 24 exposures 6€.
- Admission to the Museu Nacional dos Coches 2.25€.
- Movie ticket 3.70€.
- Theater ticket 7.50€. |
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 |
|
The U.S. Dollar and the Euro. One U.S. dollar was worth approximately 1.15€ at the time of this writing. (Inversely stated, that means that 1€ was worth approximately US87¢.) The British Pound, the U.S. Dollar, the Euro. At press time, £1 equaled approximately US$1.61 or approximately 1.40€. The Canadian Dollar, the U.S. Dollar, and the Euro.At press time, C$1 equaled approximately US72¢ and approximately .63€. |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 December 2006 )
|
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 |
|
Some credit card companies recommend that you notify them of any impending trip abroad so that they don’t become suspicious and block charges when the card is used numerous times in a foreign destination. Even if you don’t call your credit card company in advance, you can always call the card’s toll-free emergency number, if a charge is refused—a good reason to carry the phone number with you. But perhaps the most important lesson here is to carry more than one card with you on your trip; a card might not work for any number of reasons, so having a backup is the smart way to go. |
|
| | << Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>
| | Results 1 - 13 of 32 |
|
|
