Prepare for Holiday Travel

The holidays are a time for family, friends, and celebrations. But if you’re one of the millions of people who will be traveling this holiday season, it can also be a time of stress and anxiety.

Whether you’re flying cross-country to visit relatives or taking a road trip to see the sights, preparing for your trip in advance can help ensure a smooth and hassle-free journey. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Early Bird

The early bird gets the worm—or in this case, the best deals on flights and hotels. If possible, try to book your travel arrangements several weeks or even months in advance. Not only will you save money, but you’ll also have your pick of dates and times. And if you’re traveling with young children, it’s always best to have your plans firmly in place well before the chaos of the holidays descends.

Check It Twice

Okay, so you might not be Santa Claus, but making a list is still an essential part of preparing for holiday travel. Start by making a list of everything you’ll need to pack—clothes, toiletries, medications, etc.—then check it off as you go. It’s also a good idea to make copies of important documents like your passport and driver’s license, just in case you lose them while you’re away from home. And speaking of documents…

Papers in Order

If you’re traveling internationally, be sure to check the visa requirements of your destination country well in advance of your trip. Some countries require that visitors obtain a visa before they enter, while others allow travelers to apply for a visa upon arrival. No matter what the requirements are, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to complete the necessary paperwork; there’s nothing worse than being denied entry because your paperwork isn’t in order!

Following these simple tips can help take some of the stress out of holiday travel. Remember: start early, make a list, and get your papers in order. And most importantly, try to relax and enjoy the ride! Wherever your travels may take you this holiday season, safe journeys!

Contact Charm Travel today to help you plan your stress-free holiday travel!

Okay, travelling is fun right? But it can be tricky to fit it into a busy schedule of work. Boring! Yep, we know but it’s one of those realities that we just have to face. However, there are many ways around it and today we want to explain how you can travel the world efficiently while considering your work and money!

          First things first, what is PTO? We hear you ask. Well, PTO stands for paid time off. This is a certain period of time that most work places offer to their staff whereby you are allowed to take some time off while still being paid! Boom! This is a great chance for you to escape the day to day rush of life, and experience a new way of living. A new culture. A new country… Travelling.

          Paid time off means you are legally entitled (depending where you are in the world) to have time off while still being paid as if you were working! This means you can be cost efficient while travelling and not miss out on your pay slip.

Now… how long your paid time off is dependent to where you are in the world! For example: If you live in the United State, you may be entitled to 7-10 days paid time off!

          Another example is France: Employees in France receive 2.5 days of paid vacation for every month they work!

          However, this changes depending on the country, state and even company you are working at so everyones circumstances will be different!

          Also… it’s important to mention there are often limitations to paid leave regarding when you can take your holiday but this will vary across companies so make sure to secure your paid leave before rushing off to book a holiday!

Don’t Waste Your PTO:

Now, this is a point we didn’t think we would have to mention… But after doing a bit of research it appears that annual leave is wasted! Yes, you heard that right.

          Every year, people all around the globe don’t maximise their annual leave and actually end up wasting it. Did you know the average US worker only uses 55% of their annual leave allowance each year! This totals to 308,359,968 days of untaken paid time off!

          The moral of the story.. don’t waste this! This time is perfect for you to get out there and see the world. Depending on where you are means you could get a few weeks of travelling in throughout the year! Paid for! So, what are you waiting for? Get your laptop out and start researching your company and the legal PTO allowance that you as an employee are entitled to! Then secure your time off, and get looking at flights… it’s time to travel!

Travelling solo is a great way to grow as a person, learn the world and understand more about yourself! Some say it’s the greatest experience of their lives! In today’s blog post, we will delve into 5 tips to help you in your solo travelling journey…

1. Firstly, it’s important to do your homework! To make your solo travelling a more enjoyable and safe experience, we recommend you do your homework before you go. Understand where you are going, do a bit of research on the culture to save any embarrassing moments!

            Knowing the place your going is crucial, so take a little bit of time before you go to learn the area, know what’s nearby and find out an idea of how much things cost for example to make sure your not spending too much!

2. Secondly… just say no. Yep, we mean it. Learn to say no. In their language of course! You never know what might happen so make sure you know how to politely say ‘No thank you’ in the language of the place your going.

            If you ever ended up in a scenario and your faced with something you don’t want to do, there’s nothing worse than not even being able to not answer. So be sure to take a few moments to learn this. You probably won’t even need to know it, but it’s good to have just in case!

3. Now, this may sound obvious… but we just wanted to mention it as in all of the exciting moments, you may forget to take a moment for the camera roll. So, remember… TAKE PHOTO’S! Remember to take photos of everything. Your food, selfies with the people you meet, the rooms you stay in, the views you see and the sights you travel to! Everything.

            Seriously, when travelling you are living some of the best moment of your life, so don’t forget to take a memory of where you are. These are photos that will hold so much meaning and as they say, every picture paints a thousand words! They will tell stories and you will be able to show them to people when you speak about the journey you’ve been on!

            The moral of this point… don’t forget to take photos!

4. In addition to this, before you set off spend some time on learning the language. No we don’t mean speak it fluently! But as we mentioned earlier, with learning to say no. You should also take some time to understand other commonly used sayings. These will come in very helpful!

            For example, make sure you know how to say: “Where is the nearest toilet?”, “How much is that?”, ‘Hello”, “Thanks”. These commonly used phrases will benefit you so much, so make sure that you know how to say them in the language of the place your traveling to!

5. Finally, stay safe. When your on your travels, don’t forget to have fun of course but make sure your staying safe whilst your out and about! It can be scary travelling on your own so stay sensible and make sure your aware of your surroundings!

That’s everything for today, we hope you enjoyed our 5 tips for travelling solo! Have fun on your trip, stick to the tips we mentioned today and you can be assured you can have the time of a lifetime! Enjoy!

Travelling in a group is great fun, maybe it’s some college friends, work buddies or even a family get together! Whoever your travelling with, you are definitely going to encounter something… finances!

First things first, before you travel… we recommend sitting down with everyone and discussing money. Everything about it. From budgets, to who will pay for what and how everything will work regarding the finances for your trip!

To make sure there is no confrontation on your trip, set some ground rules before you go! For example… how will things be paid for? Are you splitting the bill for everyone equally, do people pay for their own food? All of these questions need answers. Trust us if you have these things prepared before, it will avoid those awkward dinner table discussions at the end of the meal and those money arguments when you get back to the accommodation! A little bit of time before your trip will go a long way and make the whole experience more enjoyable!

Another financial tip for when your travelling with friends is to keep receipts. Now, we know you don’t want to come across as petty, but there is no harm in keeping the receipts in case you need them. Hopefully you won’t! But as a back up if things don’t seem to be done properly then you have proof of how much was spent, where it was spent and when it was spent.

          For example, if one person paid for the meal to make it easier, later that day you could check the receipt, split it by the correct amount of people and sort out the money that way. Before you disregard the idea of keeping receipts, it could come in handy!

Furthermore… when discussing the finances make sure that everyone is 100% happy and not just going along with it to save an argument. You have to keep in mind that not everyone is in the same financial position; therefore everyone’s views and opinions will differ which is why it is important to check everyone is on the same page for how the money side of the trip will work.

Finally, make sure the accommodation you decide to stay in is suited to everyone! Often when it comes to group trips away, the accommodation can cause quite the stir!

          As mentioned earlier, everyone’s financial position is different and some have more than others. However, if you are in this position, be respectful of everybody’s different budgets and understand that you may have to compromise and be accepting of everyone’s different situations.

Using public transport is a great way to get around and it can be fun too! However it’s important you know how to use it safely and efficiently.

Firstly, plan your route in advance. This is a great way to make your travel’s stress free as you will already know where your going.

            We all have that one friend who always seems to know what’s going on, right? They just know where they’re going, what they have to do and seem to have everything sorted! Well… the secret to this is planning in advance. Planning your trip, where your starting, where your going, and how you will get there makes your travels so much more efficient and less stressful. So next time your heading on an adventure, pre plan all of your travel arrangements. This way you’ll know where you need to be and at what time so you can feel like you’ve got everything sorted out! Seriously, you’ll feel so much better if you have your travel plans pre-arranged, trust us! There’s nothing worse than rushing around train stations, hopping on taxis trying to get to where you need to be in time! Save the stress!

Secondly, give yourself enough time! This is so important as it takes that last minute rush away from everything. Now, when we say give yourself enough time, we don’t mean give yourself ‘just’ enough time! If you time everything to the minute, you don’t allow for any problems such as traffic jams, cancelled trains and delayed buses. So it’s important to give yourself more time than you need!

Another word of advice… don’t be afraid to ask! There will always be people around you who know what they’re doing so make sure you ask if you are ever unsure.

            There are so many people who feel awkward to ask but don’t! It’s perfectly normal and other passengers and staff will love to help. Even if you think you know but aren’t 100% sure, just check for that extra peace of mind! It doesn’t hurt to ask someone.

Also, as we were just mentioning about asking, make sure you know how to speak common words and phrases in other languages! If you are travelling abroad somewhere and they speak another language… learn how to ask common questions in the language of the place your visiting. For example, what time does this train/bus arrive? How can I get to this place? Knowing common words and phrases will go a long way and will make your travels far easier, so spend some time before you go understanding these!

            However, don’t just learn how to ask the questions, but learn how to listen to the answers! This brings us onto our next point…

Listen. Yep, that’s right! Listen more. When your using public transport and especially in areas you don’t know, make sure your listening to what’s going on around you. Especially in train stations and airports as they often make announcements on the loud speaker that may be helpful for you to hear. Even if this means you’ll have to ditch the headphones, make sure you do as you won’t want to miss any important announcements!

Finally, if it’s possible buy your tickets in advance. This saves you from having to do it on the day and means you can pre plan the times as you will know your departure and arrival times!

That’s everything for today, we hope you enjoyed reading our blog and have picked up a few tips to help in your travels! Have fun!

Now, we understand… travel insurance isn’t the most exciting thing to talk about. But it is a must have for anyone looking to travel. It offers you that peace of mind which allows you to enjoy your travels without the worry of ‘what if something went wrong’.

What’s the point of travel insurance?

Travel insurance is a great way to offer protection on your vacation. It can protect you against cancellations, lost luggage, illnesses and health problems. In short terms, it’s a must have!

Different types of travel insurance?

Family Insurance – This is great if you are travelling away with your family! Maybe on a family getaway. Either way family travel insurance is often a cost effective way to make sure everyone has liable cover rather than buying it individually for everyone.

          Also, sometimes insurance companies can offer extra cover compared to standard travel insurance so be sure to check out the full terms and conditions! 

Single Trip Insurance – This is a very common travel insurance policy as it covers you for the single trip your going on which is perfect if your going for a week away somewhere.

          The bonus to this policy is it only covers you for your one trip so you don’t pay more for time you don’t need it.

          However, the policy will only cover you for a certain amount of days so make sure to check the limit otherwise you may get caught out if you decide to stay on vacation for another few days!

          This type of policy can often be referred to as ‘Short Stay Travel Insurance’ so don’t get mixed up because of the names!

Long Stay Single Trip Insurance – If you’re heading away for a longer period of time, then long stay insurance could be you best bet! This offers valid insurance for far longer than any other policy… most Long Stay Single Trip policies will cover you for up to 18 months! Perfect if your taking a gap year!

Annual Multi-trip Travel Insurance – If your a keen traveller, and you plan on travelling more than a couple of times per year then this could be the best policy for you!

          The way this policy works is through paying a one time fee, and then you are insured for as many trips you make during a 12 month period. If you want to travel around and visit lots of different countries in a year then definitely check this one out!

Adventure Sports Travel Insurance – If your an adrenaline enthusiast and plan to take part in some extreme activities, make sure you check the cover in the different policies as lot’s of standard insurance policies exclude extreme activities so you may need to have specific insurance for that extra fun you might want on your time away. Things like quad biking, bungee jumping and rock climbing are all extreme actives that some insurance providers might not cover for!

Now we’ve listed a few different types of insurance polices. We wanted to mention a few things to look out for.

          Firstly, what your actually covered for. Make sure to read through the terms and conditions and ask if you are unsure.

          Secondly, the excess. The excess if the amount of money you will have to pay towards a claim. Make sure this is the same when comparing quotes otherwise it won’t be a fair comparison as your quotes will often differ based on how much the excess is.

That’s everything for today! Make sure to refer back to this when sorting out your travel insurance to ensure you find the right policy for you!

Local Travel Agent Continuing to Find Creative Ways to Serve Clients In the Era of COVID-19

The travel industry has been one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, but that isn’t stopping agents like Sharmanta, who are now a critical source of advocacy and up-to-the-minute travel information for anxious travelers in a continually-changing global crisis. 

Overnight, it seemed, the bottom fell out of the travel industry. Planes were grounded. Resorts and borders closed. Bookings vanished. Suddenly, all the plans people had made had to be cancelled.  

For many travel agents, this time has been understandably stressful. But even in the midst of a worldwide health and economic crisis, agents like Sharmanta are finding that their expertise is needed now more than ever. 
For starters, Dartiguenave says, agents are still booking travel. This occasionally comes as a surprise to clients, who assume all booking is halted. But in reality, says Dartiguenave, now can be a great time to plan travel.

“Some resorts are opening back up slowly and in limited ways, as it’s deemed safe to do that. There are many excellent deals to be had. And it’s possible to book well in advance, so people can begin planning their dream vacations for 2022 and even beyond, while taking advantage of great prices.”

In addition, agents like Dartiguenave are finding that their roles as consultants and advocates have become even more important. They can help travelers understand their rights, navigate the “fine print” of legal documents and waivers, understand the risks of travel, and can be a knowledgeable go-between with airlines, hotels, and resorts. When bookings collapsed in early March of 2020, for example, those who had booked with agents had someone in their corner to negotiate refunds or re-booking. And as the situation is constantly changing, Dartiguenave is also serving as a source of valuable and reliable information from health experts, industry leaders, and the hospitality industry. 

“Yes, travel has changed,”Sharmanta says. “But I want my clients to know: I’m still here. I’m open for business, and I can provide the clarity, stability, and unique expertise they need in uncertain times.” 

To learn more about Charm Travel’s range of services and to schedule, a consultation, visit http://www.charmtravel1.com. Once on the site, Please make sure to subscribe for emails. This will keep you informed of all updated travel information and perks.