For advice on selecting travel and your agent, check out George's Journal. Personal Safety Tips Drink only bottled or boiled water. Remember to boil the water, or add two drops of chlorine bleach or five drops of iodine to each litre of water (let stand for at least 30 minutes) or use a water purifier. Try not to wear expensive jewellry and watches that are visible while travelling or sightseeing. When driving, if you stop overnight, remove any suitcases or other valuables from the trunk. Do not sign bar or restaurant checks with your room number. Don't swim if you have been drinking. Over one third of people who drown have significant levels of alcohol in their blood. Don't be a target for thieves. Wear your cash and passport in a money belt or a waist pack instead of a purse. Learn a few words of the local language such as: toilet, police,restaurant, water and hotel. As soon as you are settled in your hotel room, make a point to check out where the nearest exits are in case of fire -- and mentally plan your escape.

Packing Tips Pack smart from the inside out. Don't forget the basics: shoes can be stuffed with socks and underwear. Pack anything liquid in plastic bottles and then close into ziplock bags as air pressure can cause almost anything to leak. Tissue paper can be used to keep wrinkles down in your finery. Then, you can use it to wrap valuables for the trip home. Make two copies of your passport, driver's license, traveller's cheques and credit cards. Leave one at home with a friend to fax to you in case of an emergency. Pack prints instead of whites, so as to disguise wrinkles and spots. Decide what you want to take, remove one half, then remove one half of that again. Don't take anything you can't afford to loose. Use a notebook to write out details of your itinerary and then you can use it to add the name a great new wine you tasted, or your new friends' addresses. ********************************************************** Travelling with Children Tips: Click here

Medical Tips Hand carry any medical prescriptions in your luggage, and photocopy your prescriptions in case your important medication is lost. Don't forget to pack sunscreen and wear it on a regular basis so that painful sunburn does not cause you to have to change your itinerary. Aspirin, taken immediately after sun exposure, can help relieve the pain of sunburn. Try to avoid walking barefoot -- infection and abrasion might occur, or you could pick up a parasite. Only swim and wade in the ocean or in pools with disinfected water. Wear light coloured clothing, non-perfumed cosmetics and reduce outdoor evening activities to keep away those pesky mosquitoes. Eat only well cooked hot or cold food ensuring that ground beef, seafood and shell food is cooked through. Remember that alcohol in drinks won't necessarily kill all bacteria. It will take your body a few days to get used to heat or cold…take it easy with exercise. Sweet Recipe for a Tiptop Tummy …if you contract Montezuma's Revenge · 1 teaspoon salt · 8 teaspoon sugar · juice of one orange or lemon · 32 ounces potable water · ˝ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda Adults should drink 12 ounces of this mixture after each bout of diarrhoea, children half the amount. Babies might not like the taste, so give them as much flat cola as possible.

Baggage Tips Label all pieces of luggage, inside and out, making sure the outside lable has a cover so it cannot be read by passers by. Remove old destination tags. Pack keys, medicines, eyeglasses, money, passports, and other items of value in your carry-on luggage. Hard-sided baggage is more protective than soft, but if you have to sit on it to close it, too much stress will be on the hinges and it could pop open. If your bag doesn't show up on the baggage carousel, chances are it was left at your last destination. Pack a complete change of clothing including your swimsuit in your carry-on bag, in case your luggage is lost and not returned for a couple of days. Remove batteries from electrical devices, Walkmans, shavers, etc. so that they don't get accidentally turned on during your flight.

Bell Travel Services- Providing Custom Travel Services for 24 Years.
Toll-free: 1-800-665-8488 Vancouver: (604) 535-2587 Fax: 604-538-6646 info@belltours.com
12894 - 16th Avenue, White Rock, BC, CANADA V4A 1N7

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