Nkodas Travel site

Archive for August, 2009

In these days of long airport lines, increased security and carry-on restrictions, women travelers need be savvy to arrive at their destination ready for business. Pre Nine Eleven travel was already filled with delays, packed airplanes and inefficient and often surly customer service. Over the past five years airline travel has only become more difficult as security breaches, flaws and threats occur on a regular basis.

Now merely packing for a trip whether for a quick meeting or a four-day conference is a constant challenge. Ellen Hart, president of Careerbags shares how to de-stress your travel experience without compromising on style or your personal and professional needs.

Smart traveling begins with a laptop bags or business tote that also functions as a handbag.  Mary Repke, founder of Coakley Business Class and a designer featured on www.careerbags.com designs and manufactures laptop bags and business totes “that have a system including a clutch and easy access from outside the bag when it’s on the body.  I can easily unzip the bag without removing it from my shoulder and get cash to buy coffee, present my ID and tickets.” This removes the frustration of setting your bag down and rifling through it. “Having one bag that you can wear and easily access necessities frees women up to simply feel and look more together,” says Repke. 
Another idea is to try and find the smallest travel bag you can tolerate and challenge your self to pack within that.  You can find many small lightweight travel bags in our luggage and travel bag section. If you’re traveling more than three days consider sending a bag ahead via Federal Express or UPS. It just makes life so much easier to do that. To avoid time in security lanes put as many carry-on items as possible into Zip-lock bags for fast TSA access and scrutiny. 
Take those bulky power cords and chargers and store them in Zip-lock bags in your suitcase and save room for in-flight necessities to carry in your laptop bag. You can’t use them on the plane anyway. Since removing shoes is now standard operating procedure carry thin cotton travel socks in your bag’s side pocket so you won’t have to walk barefoot through grimy security check-points.  Read more...

Deciding to go on a vacation in the Philippines at the last minute need not be all hassle and stress. Last-minute travel is also a prime opportunity to get some astounding savings. Discounted last-minute airline travel, coupled with extremely low rates for Last Minute Manila Hotels, should provide not only the necessities but also added funds that you can put to good use while enjoying your vacation.

Although there are some people who prefer planning out every detail of their trips, there are those who live in the moment and prefer spontaneous decisions. Some prefer planning everything to cover every need and avoid unneeded stress. But unplanned last-minute getaways shouldn’t cause so much stress, so long as one is willing to be flexible with the arrangements.

Last minute travel involves having to do with the first available options. With the airline tickets, this entails center seats that may have a couple separated for the duration of the flight, simply because they have to make do with the leftover vacant seats.

For last-minute hotels, this means having to settle for the rooms that are not yet booked for some span of time. These are not necessarily shabby accommodations, but one risks not getting the best rooms of the hotel.

All of these factors, of course, can be offset by the aforementioned quality of flexibility. One could settle for what’s available if grandeur and luxury aren’t the primary determinants of one’s satisfaction. One could also wait for better accommodations to become available, so then flexibility goes hand in hand with patience.  Read more...

For many travelers dealing with a tight budget, one of the first decisions to be made is whether to book their own travel deals or take advantage of one of the many all inclusive packages that are available.

In most cases, the decision to go with an all inclusive resort will depend on the particular deal being offered. For instance, there are a great many excellent all inclusive resorts that provide considerable discounts in the off season and the shoulder season, so it is definitely worth checking out these options if you get the opportunity.

One of the best ways to decide if an all inclusive resort is really the best deal going is to create a spreadsheet listing all the various costs of a do it yourself vacation.

Be sure to include both obvious things like airfare, hotel, rental car, meals and sightseeing excursions, as well as incidentals like tips and gratuities.

Then start shopping for the best deal on all these things in the resort location you have chosen. Add it all up, and keep that number in mind as you start searching for all inclusive travel packages.

It is often possible to find all inclusive travel packages that match or beat the costs of a do it yourself vacation. That is because all inclusive tour operators are able to strike deals for substantial discounts with airlines and hotels by guaranteeing them a certain amount of business.  Read more...

Often called ‘the honeymoon capital of the world,’ Niagara is an attractive tourist destination. Home to beautiful falls and scenery, Niagara attracts travelers from around the world who flock in to enjoy their honeymoon and holidays. Moreover, the place is surrounded by some beautiful tourist attractions in and around Niagara Falls. Clifton Hill is a major tourist attraction in Niagara wherein travelers can find the Dinosaur Park Mini Golf Park. Travelers who like to enjoy fear can visit the Nightmares Fear Factory. Movieland Wax Museum allows travelers to enjoy photo session with the wax imitation of favorite movie star. Moreover, staying in cheap hotel in Niagara Falls can save lots of money which in return can be used for various other purposes. Various cheap hotels in Niagara in Canada intend to support backpackers and students and offer fine range of accommodation. Howard Johnson Express Inn is located near to the Factory Outlet Mall. It takes just 10-minutes drive from Niagara Falls to reach to the hotel which offers heated outdoor pool, free continental breakfast and an on-site restaurant. Moreover, the hotel is pet-friendly for a daily fee and all the rooms in the hotel are embedded with premium cable TV channels, high-speed Internet, free local calls, hair dryers and coffee makers, etc. Motel 6 Niagara Falls is another major accommodation provider in Niagara Falls. Located near to the IMAX Theatre, Clifton Hill District, Casino Niagara and Maid of the Mist, the hotel attracts travelers from around the world for its economical tariff. The hotel has an indoor pool, guest laundry facilities and free morning coffee for travelers. With 26-inch flat-panel TVs in all rooms, wireless Internet, free local calls, cable TV, as well a mini-fridge, etc. Motel 6 Niagara is a popular cheap hotel in Niagara. Located on the hilltop of Clifton, Travelodge Niagara Falls is an attractive option for travelers who have shoe string budget. Popular tourist attractions near to the hotel such as the falls, Festival of Lights and Maid of the Mist are just one block away. Moreover, the hotel offers comprehensive range of eating facilities; breakfast, outdoor heated pool, free local newspapers, free local calls and guest laundry facilities are available on site. Old Stone Inn with its more than 100 rooms serves traveler at attractive tariff. It is a boutique hotel which earlier used to be used as a flour mill. A traditional lodge provides cheap hotel accommodation to travelers. Located at the distance of half a mile from Niagara Falls, the Old Stone Inn offers a swimming pool, restaurant and even a wedding chapel to travelers. Backpackers and students can enjoy staying in Old Stone Inn at extremely economical tariff. Oakes Hotel Overlooking the Fall is a 21-floor tower a quarter-mile from Niagara Falls. The hotel offers multiple options to travelers in terms of accommodation as it has single rooms to multi-room suites at the disposal. Moreover, all rooms in the hotel are equipped with wireless Internet access and on-site exercise facilities, a restaurant and a 14th-floor observation lounge amongst others. More information can be gathered visiting the official website oakeshotel.com.

Everyone’s needs are different depending on their various lifestyles and living patterns. Therefore choosing an airline card from the various airline cards available will depend on your choice entirely. Eventually, it’s up to you as to how hard your airlines credit card will work for you. But by reading these simple tips, and asking these questions, you can definitely wedge out a few more benefits out of your airlines credit card.

What is an Airlines Credit Card Anyway?

With an airlines credit card, one can earn credits or points whenever one uses the airlines credit card. After a certain number of “points” have been accumulated from purchases made on the card, cardholders can redeem points for airline travel, just the way one might utilize frequent flyer miles.

Be sure to know how many points you need to accumulate on your airlines credit card so as to qualify for free air travel. It’s also vital to know when these points will expire if not put to use within a certain amount of time. Since most of the top airlines credit card reward programs are typically quite costly for credit card companies, any airlines credit card will usually come with an annual fee and will also have higher corresponding interest rates than other credit cards.

How Do I Select the Best Airline Card?

The first step in determining which airline card to select is to know which airline you frequent the most. If you have an airline preference for most of your trips, find out if the same airline has an airline card.  Read more...