{Blogger Chit Chat} With Claudz & Chantelle - Part Two

With Claudz & Chantelle

Last week Claudz & I kicked off our #BloggerChitChat Series. 

Read Part One here

We ask each other questions to find out lesser known facts about each other.

We have had games nights and dinners and many glasses of wine together, but it is always the deeper, more serious questions we never ask each other.

For instance, I know that Claudine is great at making quick decisions when faced with a kitchen ingredient dilemma (What to do when J buys Phyllo pastry instead of the puff pastry we needed for our pin wheels)

She has this wonderful knack with making her house feel like a cosy home & is a fun hostess.

Read more about her below and make sure you follow her on social media for all things cat (Thomas), dog (Max) & food.

{Travel Tuesday} 9 Tips to plan your Trip

I have been lucky enough to travel around the world a lot and I have planned my own trips. If you are planning your 1st trip, here are some tips that can hopefully help you.

1. Thoroughly research the country you would like to visit
   I usually visit sites such as Trafalgar Tours or Insight Vacations and have a look at their itineraries in the area I am interested in. These tours cover a lot of interesting things to do and see & will give you a good idea of what that country has to offer.
2. Plan your calendar
   When is the best time to visit your chosen destination? Would you like to see the snow in Switzerland, or visit the tulips in The Netherlands? 
   There is something unique about every season, in every country.
   Bear in mind the high seasons - the cost can escalate quite a bit during the popular months - try to book on the cusp and enjoy the right time of year at lower prices.
3. Flights 
   In order to make your money stretch as far as possible, I recommend you do as much research and price comparisons as you possibly can on both flights and accommodation.
   My favourite sites to visit for flights are Flight Centre & Travelstart
   Remember to keep an eye out on the airline websites, just in case they have some good deals. Virgin Atlantic usually run really good specials.
4. Accommodation If not going on a guided tour that includes accommodation, then jot down a list of cities close by to your preferred places of interest and hop on to Booking.com A very easy to navigate website that gives you free cancellation options as well as the cheapest rates. Before you make your booking, I recommend you have a look on Trip Advisor to see what others out there are saying. A website's photos may fool you, but honest reviews from travellers are a huge help.
   NB: Make sure your room has its' own bathroom! (I speak from experience!)
5. Discounts
   Book and pay as early as possible to enjoy a further saving. If there are any travel expos, I recommend that you attend these. I saved about R5500 when booking my holiday in 2014.
6. Book online
   Where possible try to book your excursions and entrance fees online. I saved up to 25%. 
   Also be on the lookout for Sightseeing passes such as the London/Rome/Paris Pass. These passes can offer substantial discounts on a variety of activities.
7. Learn the LingoAre you going to a foreign country? Learn a few phrases or at least write them down before your trip. Being stuck in an emergency situation where the locals don't understand you can be rather scary. (We missed our tour in Thailand & nobody could tell us where the group had gone!)
8. Pack Light
   Every bit of weight saved makes a difference. You never know when you might be forced to walk a few blocks looking for the bus stop or train station.Pack neutral colours so that you can mix and match & accessorise with coloured jewellery and scarves.
   Plan this in advance so that you are familiar with your clothes.
   Here is a great infographic from Pinterest:
   
   

   

   Link

9. Forex
   Inform your bank of your dates of travel so that your cards are not blocked for suspected fraud. But ensure you have some local currency or at the very least some US Dollars or Euros. We arrived in Malaysia in the early hours of the morning and needed cash for a cab but our cards were blocked when trying to withdraw at the ATM.

How do you plan your trips? Have you had any travel disasters?