traveling tips for starters (quoted from Jeruen Deri)

Pammy, di ko pa naeedit pero taung 2 plang naman nakakakita nito. :)



1. arrange all travel arrangements by yourself,

don't go for packages as much as possible.

2. select just one country, or better yet, just

one city (especially if you're planning to go to

 enormous places like europe).

and i quote

"elektrik_blue_82: id rather recommend selecting

perhaps, just a country
elektrik_blue_82: or, kung beginner travelers,

just a city
elektrik_blue_82: I would be happy to assist

you"

3. avoid august for europe, mejo high season pa

iyan. sept  or october is better, shoulder

season sila.

4. find a lonely planet book in a good

bookstore. look for lonely planet vienna or buy

the country guide instead.

5. travel books are never meant to be stored

6. research on what you want to visit

7. try to shop around for travel agents but dont

buy the first quote you get.

8. go to expedia.com to check some flight rates

9. e-tickets arent the norm yet in Manila so

grab a phone directory and canvass

elektrik_blue_82: I just plugged in random dates

in October, for a week-long stay
elektrik_blue_82: and I found Internet fares,

but they are rather high
elektrik_blue_82: I am sure you can get lower

fares by talking to a real travel agent there
Lei: oh ok
elektrik_blue_82: Expedia.com told me that you

can get a flight for 1404 USD on Philippine

Airlines and Swiss International Airlines..you

go by PAL to Hong Kong, and from there, you go

to Zurich on Swiss, and transfer to Swiss for

Vienna

10. direct flights are most of the time, more

expensive..believe it or not, connecting flights

are cheaper..you are paying for the convenience

of not connecting, kaya mahal

elektrik_blue_82: you can also check KLM,

Emirates, China Airlines, and Qatar Airways
elektrik_blue_82: they offer flights both to

Vienna and Manila
elektrik_blue_82: so you can connect using just

one airline
elektrik_blue_82: I just plugged again random

dates in October on the Qatar Airways website
elektrik_blue_82: and guess what?
elektrik_blue_82: you can find flights for as

low as 1130 USD round trip
elektrik_blue_82: you will connect in Doha,

Qatar
elektrik_blue_82: i believe you can buy directly

from the airline's website
elektrik_blue_82: although tingnan mo pa rin

yung rates ng travel agents
elektrik_blue_82: i just did the same search on

Emirates, pero mas mahal sila
elektrik_blue_82: around 1340 USD

11. the budget revolves mostly on the airfare

and hotel

12.after getting the airfare and hotel, budget

around 75 USD per day, that is a mid-range

estimate

elektrik_blue_82: 75 USD per day does not

involve your hotel payment ok

elektrik_blue_82: the dollar is weak at the

moment, so consider the exchange rate with the

euro
elektrik_blue_82: and the rest depends on your

preferences
elektrik_blue_82: are you more into shopping?
elektrik_blue_82: do you like to visit plenty of

museums and stuff?
elektrik_blue_82: or are you more into cheaper

activities like hiking the wilderness? or

perhaps costly activities like bungee-jumping

from the Donauturm>

13. here is where your Lonely Planet can be

useful
 
elektrik_blue_82: it lists museums, together

with their entry fees, and you can estimate how

much you need

14. back in 2005, entrance to the

Kunsthistoriches Muzeum in Vienna was 6.50 EUR

for students
elektrik_blue_82: bring your student ID, it can

sometimes give you discounts

15. so you have to read through the guidebooks

and see what you want to do. go to the Lonely

Planet website too, they have travel advice that

is usually reliable

16. stay safe

17. know your travelers IQ - the guidebooks

usually list the do's and don'ts of the area.

such as what the area is known for crime-wise
elektrik_blue_82: believe me, that guidebook

will be your bible during your stay


18. and good thing that it is europe you're

visiting, they are more knowledgeable in

english. for my Peru trip, I have a phrasebook

in 1) Latin American Spanish and 2) Quechua