Author Archives: Jeremy Albelda
Top Things To Know About Visiting Bristol
The top things to know about visiting Bristol are not only interesting, but can also help you prepare for your trip in West Country’s unofficial capital. Bristol remains one of England’s top tourist destinations, despite the devastating legacy of the war. And with its laidback vibe backed by great music, Bristol is a place you will definitely enjoy staying in.
Here are some of the top things to know about visiting Bristol, so pack your Carlton travel luggage, get your plane, train or bus ticket, and get ready to enjoy one of England’s most interesting cities!
Great music scene. If you’re into music, then Bristol is one of the places you should definitely visit. Some of the greatest acts in the music scene have their humble beginnings here in Bristol, such as Massive Attack and Portishead. While it was once the backwater of the British music scene back in the 80’s, it is now considered Britain’s most musical city in 2010. To date, its music scene is still as vibrant as ever.
Get free maps. If you’d like to travel around Bristol without joining one of those packaged tours, you can grab a free map from the Visit Bristol website, the city’s official tourism website. You can also get the distinctive Blue A3 tourist maps from the Tourist Information Centre, the library, shops and the Temple Meads railway station. These maps cover the city centre, the Harbourside and Clifton.
It’s a year round tourist destination. One of the top things to know about visiting Bristol is that it’s a year-round tourist destination with something to look forward to the entire year. There’s a great number of celebrations and festivals spread out the entire year, so you won’t miss out on anything when you visit the city anytime you please. There is also some beautiful countryside around Bristol to enjoy.
Watch out for drunken brawls. Friday and Saturday nights may not only mean a vibrant night life in Bristol but also a night for isolated drunken brawls especially during closing time. But thanks to the heavy police presence in the city centre, this has been significantly reduced.
Scammers and drug peddlers. While Bristol is generally a safe tourist destination, there are areas that need to be avoided especially during the wee hours of the morning. Stay out of Baldwin Street at around 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM.
In addition, watch out for people selling you drugs. Often, these people don’t have drugs with them and will instead give you a bogus parcel and run-off with your money. They also have knives, so it’s best to avoid them at all costs.
Cool Infographic About the Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi!
The Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi, Russia are still pumping and I just found this cool infographic Crystal Ski produced about Great Britain’s participation. Check it out, it’s pretty fun and has info about Olympic athletes, sports, predictions and some interesting facts.
Iceland’s Hottest And Coldest Tourist Spots!
Any unexperienced traveller might think that Iceland is a frigid wasteland. However, there’s more to it than a cold name. Its glaciers are contradicted by gorgeous volcanoes and thermal spots ideal for sightseeing and recreational activities. They are some of the country’s hottest attractions, literally. Iceland actually makes for a great active, romantic trip and it even made Expedia.co.uk’s list of great places to spend Valentine’s Day, http://expediablog.co.uk/valentinesdayhotels/valentinesdestinations.html trip to Iceland will never be complete unless you see all the natural sights it has to offer, whether they are hot or cold.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss or “The Golden Falls” is one of the top reasons to visit Iceland. It’s about 60 miles from Reykjavik. Gullfoss originates from Hvitá River which plunges down to create this double-cascading falls. A lot of people say it is the country’s most beautiful and romantic destinations.
Landmannalaugar
Also outside of Reykjavik is Landmannalaugar. To get to this region, you would have to take a bus or a 4×4. Landmannalaugar is an isolated highland with plenty of sightseeing opportunities, and some of the best in all of Europe.
Jökulsárlón Lagoon
The Jökulsárlón Lagoon is a glacial body of water on the southeast portion of Iceland. It is the remnant of Breiôamerkurjökull glacier which retreated from 1920 to 1965. Jökulsárlón is 190 meters deep and has icebergs all year round thanks to the ice falling off from the glacier.
Geysir
Geysir, derived from the English term “geyser”, is a geothermal hotspot 10 kilometers west of Gullfoss. While it is no longer active, it remains to be one of the most visited tourist spots throughout Iceland. Besides, Strokkur sits right next to it and releases steam every 5 to 10 minutes.
Mývatn
Mývatn located in northern Iceland is another must-see attraction in the country. It is a lake region whose shape it owes to volcanic craters in and around the lake. Two spectacular sights within Mývatn include Dimmuborgir, The Black City, and Smajfall, a desert which releases sulphuric steam off the ground.
Blue Lagoon
Probably one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland, the Blue Lagoon, is a spa located in Grindavík, southwest of the country. It is a short 13 kilometer drive from the Keflavík International Airport and 39 kilometers from Reykjavík. Blue Lagoon has an outdoor pool as well as a health center. It is set in the center of a lava field with surreal, milky blue waters.
Top Tips: Getting the right health insurance for your travel
There are many things that need to be checked, prepared and packed when getting ready to travel the world: passport, flight times, foreign currency, but not many are more important than ensuring you have the right medical insurance.
Medical insurance is designed to protect your health and well being wherever you are in the world. The quality and cost of healthcare provision varies greatly from country to country and as a foreign national you are unlikely to be entitled to free or subsidised care. By investing in health insurance you can ensure you will always have access to good quality healthcare without the risk of expensive medical bills. Here’s our tips for navigating the whole process.
Limitations of travel insurance
The most common form of medical insurance used by travellers comes as part of a travel insurance package. Travel insurance is designed to protect you from damaging expenses such as medical bills whilst on a short trip (generally no more than a month or two) and whilst it can be an effective solution it does have its limitations.
The medical cover provided by travel insurance is designed to get you well enough to be repatriated before flying you home for full treatment. This can be the ideal solution if you fall ill during a week-long holiday but can lead to extended trips being unnecessarily cut short by injury or illness. Moreover, travel insurance often has a maximum trip duration, which can be restrictive for ambitious expeditions.
What does expatriate health insurance offer?
Solutions for many of the limitations of travel insurance can be found in expatriate health insurance. These policies are designed to provide quality, affordable health cover for those travelling, living or working in a foreign country for extended periods of time. Unlike travel insurance, expatriate health insurance facilitates your treatment and recovery whilst abroad and has no maximum duration; policies can be extended for as long as you need them.
Moreover, policies are generally flexible and can be tailored to fit individual needs. Entry level policies will tend to include cover for hospital treatment and accommodation and may include some provision for cancer treatment and maternity care. Add-ons might include cover for emergency medical evacuation, a prudent option for extreme sports enthusiasts, and insurance covering doctors’ visits and prescriptions.
If you are planning an extended trip abroad, expatriate health insurance could be an excellent way to protect your physical and financial well being.
Welcome to Home Town Travel Guides.com , your source for travel guides written by locals and those who've been there and done that! ~Jeremy