Discount Travel Insurance Center

I have a tendency to think that “Planning” and “Road Trips” are something of an oxymoron. Road trips, by nature, are an adventure — just a group of family members or friends, maybe a dog or two, and the open road. But there are a few things that I would suggest to anyone embarking on a road trip.

Invest in a good road atlas. There’s no harm in getting lost — that’s part of the adventure — but a good atlas does more than show you the way. National Geographic and Rand McNally both put out wonderful vacation-oriented atlases that list popular (and not-so-popular) attractions along the way.

Pack yourself lots of goodies. Road trips are conducive to munchies — candy, cookies, or maybe celery and carrot sticks if you’re health conscious. Buy yourself a nice sized cooler bag. The Styrofoam variety are inexpensive and easily found in your local supermarket during summer months. And if you don’t want to spend the money on chemical ice packs, freeze water in self-sealing sandwich-sized plastic bags. These work great — they stay frozen for hours. Buy bottles of soda, water, or juice instead of cans. This way you can close them up when you’re done.

Don’t forget the music. Make sure there’s a variety. Even if you adore Metallica or The Beatles, if you’re on the road for a long time, you’re sure to get bored. Bring something to sing along to. And make sure you bring something for everyone’s musical tastes. No fighting, now…

When you’re loading up the car, be sure to arrange things wisely. Put the things you might need (sunglasses, snacks, CDs, maps) where a passenger can easily access them. You won’t want to have to pull over constantly to find things.

Invest in a few travel guides for the places you’re planning to stop at en route. They might cost you a few extra dollars, but they’re sure to be worth it. There are so many sights that you’d easily overlook without a good travel book. “Eyewitness” books are great for the major cities, and both “Rough Guides” and “Moon” travel books are great for someone on a limited budget.

Browse your local bookstore’s general travel section. There are some great, quirky sightseeing books on the shelves. Interested in factories, try “See it Made in the USA”, which lists numerous manufacturing plants that offer tours, including Crayola. There are many books geared towards specific interests such as zoos, amusement parks, tombstones, the Civil War, etc. There are books on small museums, small art towns, festivals, and trains. You’ll be amazed, so feel free to browse. Along those lines, Discovery Channel has out a series of books which are wonderfully original for someone planning a vacation — including books on dinosaur digs, American safaris, whale watching, and haunted locations.

And one serious note — if you’re going on a long road trip, make sure to have your car checked out thoroughly before you go. You certainly wouldn’t want to be stranded out in the middle of nowhere. If you have a cell phone, charge it and bring it with you (charger as well). But don’t talk while you’re driving. It’s just bad manners in addition to being a great hazard, and in many areas it’s also illegal without a hands-free headpiece.

Most importantly, bring your sense of adventure. Inevitably you’ll forget to pack something, but that’s what stores are for. Stopping to buy toothpaste isn’t the end of the world Just enjoy, and be open to what the road brings. You can’t fully plan a road trip — but you can take the driver’s seat when it comes to enjoying it.

Lisa A. Koosis is an author on Writing.Com
which is located at http://www.Writing.Com/ and is accessible by anyone.

Share This

Bukoba is fast becoming an area of Tanzania to visit; however it is easier to access from Uganda and Kenya than it is from Arusha or Dar es Salaam. Below are a few options for travel to this area from within East Africa.

If you travel from Uganda and land at Entebbe airport (EBB) then travel the short distance to Kampala, where you can get a bus to Bukoba; this journey takes about 5-6 hours. Dolphin Bus Company has a bus to Bukoba every day and the ticket should cost less than US$10 per person.

You can also travel trough Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar or Nairobi. Fly to Mwanza with Precision Air or Costal Aviation - the flights leave at noon and it is about a three hour flight and then get a connecting flight to Bukoba. From Dar es Salaam there are four flights everyday to and from Mwanza. Bukoba airport is on Aerodrome Road near the lake. However, be warned that the cost will be well in excess of US$200 per person from Dar to Bukoba.

Precision air agent office in Bukoba:
Ms. Rose Kajilita,
Tel: +255 28 2220545
E-mail: bkmachinery@twiga.com

Precision air office in Dar es Salaam:
Tel: +255 22 2130800
Fax: +255 22 2113036
E-mail: information@precisionairtz.com
Website: www.precisionairtz.com

There are two boats between Mwanza and Bukoba. The night ferry and the fastboat. The Night Ferry leaves Bukoba on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9.30 pm (after the horn sounds twice) and arrives in Mwanza the next morning around 8 am.

From Mwanza on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at about 9 pm and arrives in Bukoba the next morning around 8 am, the boat stops first at Kemondo Bay, so make sure you don’t get off too early. Book tickets in advance (at the Bukoba tourist centre, Kiroyera Tours or at the harbor) it is essential to book in advance as tickets quickly become sold-out. I must say that I do not recommend the Nigh Ferry for tourists as the boat can become overcrowded and there have been several tragic accidents in recent years.

Ferry between Bukoba and MwanzaBukoba - Mwanza
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Departure time 21.30 hours
Boarding from 20.00 hours
Arrival time 6.30 hours
The harbor is about 3km out of Bukoba town on custom road.
The ferry makes a stop in Kemondo Bay an hour after departure from Bukoba Port

Mwanza - Bukoba
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday
Departure time 22.00 hours
Boarding from 20.00 hours
Arrival time 6.00 hours
Mwanza Harbor is in the north of Mwanza.
The ferry makes a stop in Kemondo before arrives in Bukoba Port.

Prices for First Class [cabin]are about US$25, Second Class [seat] US$19 and Third US$17

The fast boat between Mwanza and Bukoba leaves daily.
Bukoba - Mwanza, departure 10:00, arrival Mwanza 14:00
Mwanza - Bukoba, departure 14:00, arrival Bukoba 18:00
The price is about US$35 per person.

Trains for this route again are not recommended. The Train from Dar goes only as far as Mwanza. The journey by rail takes two days and is notoriously unreliable. Not recommended.

Book busses at the tourist center Bukoba, Kiroyera Tours (+255 28-2220203) or at the bus stand.

The bus stand is in the centre of Bukoba town. Jaguar/ Gateway / Dolphin Bus Services (+255 744786364) runs from Bukoba to Kampala everyday at 7.00 am (US$10). A bus from Kampala to Bukoba runs everyday at 11.00 am.

Tawfiq Executive Falcon (+255 28-2221683) runs every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to Nairobi (US$28) and Dar es Salaam (US$45).

Tashrif (+255 282220427) have a bus that does the central line to Dar on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from Bukoba via Kahama , Nzega, Singida, Dodoma, Morogoro, to Dar es Salaam (TsUS$35).

Scandinavia runs from Kampala to Arusha and Dar es Salaam, via Nairobi. You can board it from Kampala through Jaquar Bus Services. All Scandinavia booking can be done through Kiroyera Tours.

See the Tanzania information page at http://www.tanzania-info.co.uk or for more specialized safari information see http://www.betheladventure.co.uk use responsible tourism to change lives.

Share This

An increasing number of European travel agents say they’re beginning to see the start of a pick-up in sales for summer holidays. Tui, Europe’s largest tour operator, has announced that its revenues from tourism are expected to increase this year from 14.1bn Euros to 15bn Euros. It said it expected the market to grow by between 3 and 5%. Tui believed sales in its three major markets - the UK, France and Germany - would increase this summer, particularly after the FIFA World Cup, to be held in Germany in June.

Some travel companies are suggesting prices for destinations other than Germany in June might actually be lower than last year - precisely because of the World Cup. Tour operators generally dislike global events such as the Olympics and World Cup because a higher number of people prefer to spend their time at home.

Manny Fontenla-Novoa, the Chief Executive of Thomas Cook, said he believed the Eastern Mediterranean would be his company’s holiday hotspot this summer. “Over the past two years, Spain has had a declining number of visitors from the UK. We thought this was to do with Spanish hoteliers putting up their rates, which made Greece and Turkey look cheap by comparison.

“Now the Spanish have dropped their hotel prices, so it’s back in favour. Sales of holidays to Majorca are 5 per cent up, for example, so we think Greece is where the bargains will be,” he said.

ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, announced in April it expected record numbers of travellers to head off to European and worldwide destinations over the Easter break - a record 2.4 million people. That number is substantially ahead of the figure for the same period last year, at 2.2 million passengers.

Overall, however, although the number of people booking traditional package holidays has increased over the last ten years, they make up smaller proportion of the total holiday market. And packages have in fact declined this year for the third year running. Across the board, bookings for packages are down five per cent over the year, though it’s believed this figure is more than offset by the number of people who are constructing their own ‘DIY’ holidays - buying flights and accommodation separately, particularly in Spain.

A spokesperson for Thomson said, “Spain is doing very well, but that is largely because we are putting more no-frills flights on. You can fly from Gatwick to Alicante for

Share This