Tuesday 24 April 2012

Cheap Travel Insurance - What You Must Know and do before buying a suitable Travel Insurance


   Vacation is a time when we unwind ourselves, we just want to forget everyday’s worry and want to soak ourselves in a new experience to create a sweet memory for future.


So what can ensure the peace of mind in a strange land? Yes the answer is Our “Travel Insurance”
Travel insurance can help cover medical expenses or financial losses you might incur while travelling. It's often pitched as the best protection for those travelling domestically or overseas. Here we are helping you to understand the travel insurance concept in a better way and find out what type of policy would be suitable for you. How you should prepare yourself before actually start paying for protection against the unforeseen and unpredictable.
Video on Travel Insurance Advice 


The Five Main Category of the Travel Insurance

  • Trip cancellation
  • Travel medical
  • Major medical
  • Emergency medical evacuation
  • Accidental death/flight accident
Trip Cancellation Insurance

As its name says, trip cancellation insurance or sometimes known as trip interruption insurance or trip delay insurance, covers you in the event that you or your traveling companions need to cancel, interrupt or delay your trip.Policies differ in terms of which reasons are acceptable, but it's fairly typical for this insurance to cover cancellation or interruption for the following reasons:

  • Sudden business conflicts
  • Change of mind
  • Delay in processing your visa or passport
  • Illness or injury
  • Weather-related issues

Some policies may include additional coverage, which would insure you against one or more of the following events:
  • An act of terrorism
  • The vendor (cruise line, tour company, airline) going out of business
  • An accident on the way to the airport
  • Fire or flood in your house
  • Jury duty
The insurance pays the difference between the refund you get from the vendor and the amount you originally paid for the trip. Make sure the insurance you buy is not from the same carrier you purchased the trip from; that way, if the carrier goes out of business, you'll still be protected if something goes wrong during your trip.


Travel Medical and Major Medical Insurance

Both of these types of insurance provide medical protection if the policyholder becomes ill or is injured while travelling. The difference between these two types of insurance is the duration of coverage:

  • Travel medical insurance provides only short-term medical coverage; the duration can be anywhere from five days to up to one year, depending on the policy.
  • Major medical insurance is for travellers who are planning to take longer trips of six months to one year or longer.
These types of insurance can help you cover medical expenses and locate doctors, hospitals, healthcare facilities and foreign-language services if you become ill or injured while travelling overseas. Whether you purchase medical insurance separately or you already have it, find out if you will need prior approval from your insurance company for any type of medical care. Check to see what pre-existing medical conditions, if any, are excluded before you sign up. Make sure you read all the fine print and know what the policy covers and what it doesn't.

Emergency Medical Evacuation Insurance

This type of insurance provides coverage for medically necessary evacuation and transportation to medical facilities. This becomes extremely useful should you become stranded in a remote rural area without easy access to needed facilities. Paying with cash overseas can lead to unexpected problems.

Accidental Death and Flight Accident Insurance

These types of insurance pay benefits to a traveller’s surviving beneficiaries, as with life insurance. Benefits are paid out in the event of an accident resulting in death or serious injury to the traveller.

Specialized Coverage

There are also more specialized forms of travel insurance. For example, some focus on the needs of business travellers, extreme athletes or expatriates. So, if you are planning to participate in high-risk or extreme sports while away, selecting an insurance that is made specifically to cover you in case of a sports-related injury might be more cost-effective and needs-specific than selecting an insurance policy that provides more general coverage.

Common exclusions in many type of the travel insurance policies.

Like most insurance policies, travel insurance has many exceptions. Here are some common ones. So check well what they have included before proceeding
  • Prior medical conditions
  • Pregnancy
  • Sports activities (including scuba diving, rock climbing and organized sports)
  • Self-inflicted injury
  • Suicide
  • Mental illness
  • claims arising from war (declared or undeclared)


Purchasing Travel Insurance



What type of Travel insurance you need?

There are several questions to ask yourself when trying to determine whether to buy travel insurance or deciding what type of insurance you'll need
  • Will you be travelling overseas?
  • Are you planning to participate in extreme sports?
  • Can you afford the cost of the trip back home if an emergency arises and you need to get back?
  • If you or someone who is travelling with you gets sick, will you be able to afford medical care?
  • Your general health condition.
  • Where are you travelling.


You can purchase travel insurance in three ways: 

  1. Per-trip coverage is the most common type of travel insurance. This policy is for travellers who don't travel as often, and it provides protection for a single trip.
  2. Multi-trip coverage provides protection for multiple trips during one year, but none of the trips can exceed 30 days.
  3. The annual policy is for frequent travelers; it provides coverage for a full year.

Preparation before purchasing the insurance policy.

When deciding whether to purchase a policy, think about the  as many scenarios as you can which can ruin  your vacation . 
  • Get familiar with the cancellation policies of hotels, tourism cruise lines and other travel service providers.
  • Review existing policies and agreements with credit card companies. In some cases, credit card companies already cover issues, such as lost luggage or car rental liability.
  • Become familiar with price schedules, terms, conditions and exclusions of the insurance you choose. 

Finding Travel Insurance

Here are some tips to get your search started:
  • Research your current coverage by checking with your existing health insurance provider and your credit card provider. American Express offers travel insurance to card members.
  • Ask your travel agent.
  • Explore the web.
Compare Features

Weigh your needs against the types of coverage offered. Remember to read all the fine print. Consider:
  • what's covered, and what isn't
  • the cost
  • the deductible

How to buy cheap travel insurance

After analysing your situation and need, go to the below listed website to compare and get the cheap deal in travel insurance .Some of the website also provides you the personal consultation to find out the best value for your money.



Read some good tips on Tescocompare.com


Leave the worry behind and enjoy the holiday !




Monday 23 April 2012

Romantic Barcelona , Spain - Fun Food Football and Architecture


Talk about Mediterranean Sun , Shiny beaches , Catalan food , grand architecture , European urban lifestyle and of course best Football and the first city  in world which come to the mind is Barcelona.


It had been established as a roman city but sooner it  had acquired  the status of a medieval trade centre . This city not only has the flair of trade and urban colourful life but also enjoy the presence of the greatest concentration of the Gothic Architecture in Europe.
This city has always been a harbinger in Art , Architecture , life style  and culinary.

Barcelona City Map With Tourist Attraction


Main Attractions

1.La Sagrada Familia -

La Sagrada Famillia is the masterpiece of the famous architecture Antoni Gaudi. He worked on it on 43 years. It’s a beautiful slender architecture devoted to geometric perfection and sacred symbolism.
Gaudi played an active role in directing the construction of the Sagrada Familia until his death in 1926. He would often request that work be modified and adjusted until it was exactly what he had in mind. However today, because of the nature of the existing designs, his work is partly open to interpretation. Interpretation of the ordinal designs by present day architects is particularly challenging because the actual construction stones are irregularly shaped.

Must Watch in La Sagrada

(a) Nave Principal
(b) Pasaaion Facade – Angled Columns
(C) Nativity Facade (Fechada Del Nacimiento )
(D) Model of Colonia Guell
(E) Side Nave and Nativity Transport

Address:
La Sagrada Familia
Calle Mallorca, 401
08013 Barcelona, España
Opening hours:
October - March: 09:00 - 18:00
April - September: 09:00 - 20:00;
25 and 26 December, 01 January and 06 January: 09:00 - 14:00.

2. La Rambla









La Rambla is the most famous street in Barcelona. The wide boulevard connects the Plaça de Cataluña, a busy square, with the Columbus Monument and the city's waterfront.
It is approximately 1.2 kilometres long with Port Vell (near the cruise port terminal) at the Southern most end and Placa Cataluña at the northern most end.
The Rambla was originally a small stream flowing just outside the city walls. In the 16th century convents and a university were built along the river. In the 19th century the city wall was torn down and buildings were erected along the now dried up river. The original buildings were demolished but they are remembered in some of the names of the five different parts of the Rambla. Even though it is one continuous street, the Rambla actually consists of five 'ramblas'. That's why the street is also called Las Ramblas (Spanish) or Les Rambles (Catalan)

Must watch in La Rambla

Attractions along the Ramblas including live performances, human statue art, artists that will draw your portrait or caricature, as well as established attractions like:

Wax Museum

Erotica Museum (Museu de l' Erotica)



Christopher Columbus monument


Modernist Boqueria Market.

The place to find Mirós' circular tile mosaic can be found very close to both the Liceu Theatre and the Liceu metro. Look for a large circular coloured mosaic tiling right in the middle of the Ramblas. If you look carefully you will also find one tile that was signed by Miró.

Safty –

-Beware of the Prostitutes, Pickpockets, Thieves and Fake police.
-Avoid going in a dark street
-Keep minimal valuables at night and have them guarded properly

3. Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter )




The Barcelona Barri Gotic area is also known as the Gothic Quarter and is the area in which the old town of Barcelona is situated. As you will see from the following photos the streets vary considerably in style but the old quarter is generally characterized by narrow cobbled streets with tall old buildings.
Picasso lived and worked in Barri Gotic from 1895 to 1904 and Joan Miró was born and lived here during his youth.

Barri Gotic is situated on the right hand side of the La Rambla as we look toward Placa de Catalunya. For those of you who are new to Barcelona, La Rambla is the famous 1.2 KM pedestrianized walkway that is consider to be the very centre of Barcelona.

4. Museu Picasso -


The Picasso Museum in Barcelona is a key reference for understanding the formative years of Pablo Ruiz Picasso. The genius of the young artist is revealed through the more than 3,800 works that make up the permanent collection. Furthermore, the Museu Picasso, opened in 1963, also reveals his deep relationship with Barcelona: an intimate, solid relationship that was shaped in his adolescence and youth, and continued until his death.
The Museum is very rich in regard to work from the training periods in the life of the artist; we could say that it is practically exhaustive up to the Blue Period, of which the Museum has a priceless group of works. Furthermore, the Museum houses an important representation of works from 1917, and the series, Las Meninas (1957) and a very large Picasso’s prints collection, now displayed in the rooms opened in the beginning of 2008.


Barcelona by walk -

 Bring out a Tourist Map and Mark these sites and cover it by walk. Believe me it’s Fun !!!
1. Placa  de Catalunya – Leisurely wander down la Rambla
2. Mecat De La Boqueria – For break fast
3. Gran Teatre del Liceu – Grand Opera House
4. Palau Guell – Gaudi’s Work
5. Placa Reial 
6. Placa de Sant Jaume – Has been the political heart of the city for 2000 years
7.Museu d’Historia de Barcelona  - Must visit . keep atleast one hour of your visit for this site.
8. Barcelona Catedral
9. Museu Frederic Mares
10. Roman Walls
11. Esglesia de Santa Maria gel Mar
12. Museu Picasso
13. Marcat the Santa Caterina
14. Palau de La Musica Catalana – World Heritage Site

Other Atrractions

1. Fundacio Joan Miro
2.L’Aquarium
3. Temple Roma D’ August
4. Casa Amatller

Festivals and Events

1.Dia De Sant Joan – Midsummer festival on 24th June. Celebrated with the lovely bonfires and fire works.

2.Festa Major De Gracia – Around 15th August . Concerts , Decorated Streets and Dancing

3.Festes De la Merce – The Cities biggest party . Around 24th of September.


Paradise for the Foodies – Eating in Barcelona

Cava , Vermut , Bocalillo , Chocolate con Churros ( Donuts dipped in Chololate ), Tapas . Must treat yourself with all the Spanish dishes . eat in some roadside food stalls on the places like Marcat De la Boqueria . Eat in small portions and test in different houses rather than having the full stomach in one place.
Lear more about Spanish Food

Some places for Food and Drinks

For Food
Bar Pinotoxo
Aguts
Can Lluis
Inopia
La Llavor Deis Origens
Tapac
Barcelta

For Drinks -
Boadas
Oke
Soul Club
Marula Cafe


Entertainment in Barcelona


Pick up a copy of the weekly listings magazine “Guia Del Ocio” from news stands  for the events and entertainment in the City.
A stay in Barcelona can be replete with fun and excitement as the city promises a host of attractions to entertain the ones staying here. Entertainment in Barcelona spans a wide variety to cater to every taste and interest. While the historic theatres feature classic works and concerts to fill the ones with an aesthetic bent of mind, the younger crowds too have numerous cinema halls and casinos for hanging out.

Theatres in Barcelona -

The theatres in Barcelona are an intrinsic part of the city's entertainment. A number of theatre halls are scattered across the city to provide the dwellers here with an entertainment steeped in the city's culture. Most of the theatres in Barcelona share a legacy which dates back to the period to which they belong.

Some Famous Theatres

- National Theatre of Catalonia

- Grand Theatre of the Liceu
- Palau de la Música Catalana


Cinemas in Barcelona -

The evenings in Barcelona are packed with options to entertain the city

Famous Cine Halls
- Cines Verdi
- Cines Verdi Park
- Icaria Yelmo

- Renoir-Les Corts
- Filmoteca de la Generalita

Casinos in Barcelona -

Entertainment in Barcelona is an exciting chapter as the city holds in store much more than cultural events and aesthetic experiences. The nightlife here brings with it a different phase of entertainment as the casinos across the city throb with life and activity. A number of casinos operate across the city allowing their guests to unwind with an exciting game and a refreshing drink. The casinos are lined with a variety of slot machines to give the players a number of options in their gamble. It is indeed difficult to resist the casinos as they draw the visitors in with their luring neon signs and the promise of a prize. The most crowded casinos of the city are:

- Gran Casino de Barcelona

- Vila Olimpica
- Casino de Cataluna

Flamenco , Music Clubs and Performance

Harlem Jazz Club



Sport

Camp Nou
Tour to Camp Nou


FC Barcelona has one of the best stadiums. The 99000 seat Camp Nou in the City’s west . Tickets for national league games are available at the stadium, by Phone or online. For the latter two non-members must book 15 days before the game.

The Tourist Information –

The Tourist office
( Oficina d’Informacio de Turisme de Barcelona )

Le Coolfor weekly events listing , Subscribe for free

Barcelona Yellow
Link for everything from Gaudi to gourmet dinning
Ruta Del Modernisme
Routes, monuments and events related to modernism

Getting Around

The metro is the easiest way of getting around . You may need to take FGC suburban trains and buses on some occasions. You will get the Rout Map of the metro trains  and  from the Tourist office, the map is called “Guia d’Autobusos Urbans de Barcelona”
For the public transport information call 010


10 things you should know about Barcelona




Tickets and Travel Passes (Targetes )

Targetes  are multitrio transport tickets.You can buy that on most of the city centre metro stations.Children below four can travel for free.

For Travel zone one

Targeta T-10 – 10 rides ,(each valid for 1 and quarter Hours) on metro , buses and FGC trains.
Cost -7.85 Euro

Targeta T-DIA – Unlimited travel on all transport for one day
Cost – 5.90 Euro

The Day Tickets (according to the number of days )–Unlimited on all transport except the Aerobus. -
Two Days – Cost – 11.20 Euro
Three Days – Cost – 15.90 Euro
Four Days – Cost – 20.40 Euro
Five Days – Cost – 24.10 Euro
Website – www.fgc.net

Taxi and Trixis

Taxis are available but the cost comes higher than the public transport. They charge 1 euro for the bigger luuggege of certain measurement. You can pay by credit card in many Taxis.
Trixis – Three wheeled Taxis . For more information visit – www.trixi.info

Things to be noted -

1. Museums and galleries remain close on Monday, although most Gaudi sites open Seven days.
2. Football – Tickets to Barcelona games – Must be booked 15 days before the match.
3. Avoid going to the dark and lonely places.
4. Check the “Spanish for the Tourist” the language Guide in my Blog.
5. Guard you belongings well.
7. Instead of filling your stomach in one place, eat in small portions and try the different places.
8. Beware of the prostitutes, pickpockets and the fake police in certain area.

Why not enjoy this summer in the colourful city Barcelona 

FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA SANTANDER 2012


For Cheap Tickets

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Salisbury Cathedral - Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary ,UK


  Salisbury known as 'The city in the countryside', the magnificent medieval city of Salisbury has it all: historic streets and alleyways, charming half-timbered buildings, traditional English eating houses and colourful shopping streets, not to mention a superb range of attractions like beautiful gardens , farms ,  Salisbury Cathedral and The Stonehenge.



Salisbury Cathedral -
Salisbury is unique amongst medieval English cathedrals having been built in just 38 years (1220 - 1258) in a single architectural style, early English Gothic. The tower and spire (Britain’s tallest) were added about 50 years later. The building itself is remarkable, a testimony to the faith and practical skills of those who erected it.

View Larger Map
But it is much more than a historical monument. It is a living church and a place of prayer. As the Cathedral Church of the Salisbury diocese it is Mother Church of several hundred parishes in Wiltshire and Dorset. It is also a centre of pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.



Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, and is considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture.
 The cathedral has the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom (123m/404 ft). Visitors can take the "Tower Tour" where the interior of the hollow spire, with its ancient wood scaffolding, can be viewed. The cathedral also has the largest cloister and the largest cathedral close in Britain (80 acres (320,000 m2)). The Cathedral contains the world's oldest working clock (from AD 1386) and has the best surviving of the four original copies of Magna Carta (all four original copies are in England). Although commonly known as Salisbury Cathedral, the official name is the Cathedral of Saint Mary. In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration in 1258.


The foundation stone was laid on 28 April 1220.Much of the freestone for the cathedral came from Teffont Evias quarries. Due to the high water table in the new location, the cathedral was built on only four feet of foundations, and by 1258 the nave, transepts and choir were complete. The west front was ready by 1265. The cloisters and chapter house were completed around 1280. Because the cathedral was built in only 38 years, Salisbury Cathedral has a single consistent architectural style, Early English Gothic.

The only major sections of the cathedral built later were the Cloisters, Chapter house, tower and spire, which at 404 feet (123 m) dominated the skyline from 1320. Whilst the spire is the cathedral's most impressive feature, it has also proved to be troublesome. Together with the tower, it added 6,397 tons (6,500 tonnes) to the weight of the building. Without the addition of buttresses, bracing arches and anchor irons over the succeeding centuries, it would have suffered the fate of spires on later great ecclesiastical buildings (such as Malmesbury Abbey) and fallen down; instead, Salisbury remains the tallest church spire in the UK. To this day the large supporting pillars at the corners of the spire are seen to bend inwards under the stress. The addition of reinforcing tie beams above the crossing, designed by Christopher Wren in 1668, arrested further deformation. The beams were hidden by a false ceiling, installed below the lantern stage of the tower.
Significant changes to the cathedral were made by the architect James Wyatt in 1790, including replacement of the original rood screen and demolition of the bell tower which stood about 320 feet (100 m) north west of the main building.

Main Attractions:-
(A). Original Magna Carta

(B). Salisbury cathedral clock - The dating from about AD 1386 is supposedly the oldest working modern clock in the world.

(C) Organs

(D) Glass Arts on the windows


(E).The Baptismal Font - Perhaps the most significant addition to the fabric of an English Cathedral in recent years, it has been designed by William Pye, Britain’s most distinguished water sculptor, and is the Cathedral’s first permanent font for over 150 years. Cruciform in shape and with a three metre span to allow total immersion baptism, it is a beautiful green patinated bronze vessel with a Purbeck Freestone plinth and brown patinised bronze grating. The Salisbury Font has been specifically designed to combine both movement and stillness, with living streams of water flowing from its four corners whilst a perfectly smooth, still surface of water reflects the surrounding architecture of the cathedral.


(F) The Chapter House -

(G) The Cathedra -


How to Reach Here
Salisbury Cathedral is situated in the centre of the historic city of Salisbury, just 1½ hours journey from London .
The postcode is SP1 2EJ.

Train
There are frequent train services from London, Bath and the West Country. For train timetables visit the National Rail website: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
Regular services (usually every 30 minutes) from London Waterloo take only 90 minutes and the Cathedral is less than a 10 minute walk from the station.   

Direct trains run from London, Basingstoke, Plymouth, Exeter and Yeovil by South West Trains www.southwesttrains.co.uk

Direct trains run from Cardiff, Bristol, Bath, Westbury, Portsmouth and Southampton by First Great Western

 Bus

Wilts and Dorset bus company - telephone 01722 336855

National Express Coaches

National Express coaches have regular links to Salisbury Bus Station. For timetable details visit their website at: http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx
or telephone 0990 808080

Car

From London, take the M3 then the A303 and the A345, approximately a 1½ - 2 hour drive.
From Swindon take the X5
From Dorchester/Weymouth/Blandford take the A354.
From Bournemouth take the A338.
From Southampton take the A36.
From Bath take the A36.
From Stonehenge take the A303 and the A345 (approximately 25 minutes).
From Old Sarum A345 (approximately 10 minutes).
Car parking: Please use city centre car parks. The closest to the Cathedral Close are Old George Mall or Crane Street.

Salisbury Cathedral - 
Video Documentary in 6 parts


Some useful websites 


http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/

Online Salisbury Cathedral Gallery
http://www.salisburycathedral.co.uk/gallery.php

Salisbury Cathedral Services and Events -
http://www.salisburycathedral.co.uk/services.php

http://www.cathedralsplus.org.uk