One question I get asked regularly are my thoughts on the different tour companies like Contiki, Travel Talk, G Adventures, TopDeck, and Intrepid.  The following are my thoughts on each from both a traveller’s perspective and a marketer’s perspective (from a positioning standpoint).

G Adventures

G Adventures focuses on giving back to the communities where they offer tours, which comes straight from the top from its founder, Bruce Poon Tip (great guy by the way!).  It puts ethical and sustainable travel ahead of anything else.  As the name states, many of its trips are adventures more than tours where travellers come out at the end feeling like they accomplished something and made a difference.

G Adventures is great for singles, couples, and families looking to take a trip that would normally be difficult and risky to plan on their own.  It makes the impossible, possible for many people, but still provides the feeling of accomplishment at the end.  Overall, some travel experience and good level of fitness is recommended for many of their trips.

G Adventures’ strengths are in South America, especially Peru and the Inca Trail.  According to its website, it fulfills over 80,000 tours a year.  See G Adventures current deals here.

See my G Adventure related posts here (Galapagos) and here (Inca Trail/Machu Picchu).

Contiki

Contiki offers tours on most continents for the 18-35 y/o crowd.  For the most part, they are slightly higher in price than the other tour companies, but offer the traveller more comforts like a hotel room versus a camp site.  In other words, you get what you pay for.

The general consensus in the market is that (regardless of if this was its intention or not),  Contiki is known to be the ‘party’ tour company where people come to travel hard during the day, and play hard during the night – not that there is anything wrong with this, but more a personal preference.  Most tours include accommodation, transport, and some meals.  Great for the beginner or inexperienced traveller.

From a personal standpoint, I found that the company takes great pride in ensuring that each tour is executed properly and accurately, while maintaining its superior products/services.  As an example, the vehicles are cleaned daily.

In my opinion as a traveller and marketer, Contiki’s strengths are in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.  According to Wikipedia it fulfills over 150,000 tours a year (as of 2007).  Surely this number as increased since then.  See Contiki’s current deals here.

See my Contiki related posts here.

Travel Talk

Being avid travellers themselves, Travel Talk know what is essential to creating that perfect trip, and have tried to combine all of these elements in each and every one of their tours, from exotic destinations like Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and Jordan or Russia, to the sunshine and sea of Greece and Sailing Croatia, or their festival tours like La Tomatina, Anzac and Oktoberfest. With their fascinating destinations, enthusiastic and experienced guides, the likes of people you will be travelling with, premium accommodation and travel – not to mention competitive prices; Travel Talk believes that they have ticked all the boxes to create that unique and authentic travelling experience.  See their latest 50% off deals here.

Topdeck

Topdeck offers tours to North America,  Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Australia/New Zealand.  Slightly more affordable than the others, and ideal for budget conscious travellers.  Similar to Contiki, it focuses on the 18-39 market, with slightly less tour options, which can make it easier to choose.

Positioning wise, it seems like Topdeck is the prefect balance between backpackers and those looking for a full-service tour.  It offers plenty of time to do your own thing at each location, yet provides the comfort of travelling with other like-minded individuals.

Topdeck’s strengths are in Europe, with recent expansions into Australia and New Zealand.  It has been in operation for over 40 years.  One noteworthy point is that tipping is not required to the Topdeck team on any of their tours.

Intrepid Travel

Intrepid’s focus is on price and for the most part offers the lowest cost per day of all the operators covered here.  It should be noted that the prices sometimes do not include any meals and should be factored into the decision making.

The focus seems to be on group size (about half of the other operators) and control for the traveller with the comfort of being in a group, yet the flexibility to eat and experience what you want at each stop.  In a ways, it’s a premium form of backpacking.

Intrepid offers tours on all continents, including Antarctica,  and travels to the most individual countries of all the tour operators listed here.

*If you click on one of the links below and purchase/book we will receive a small commission. You won’t pay more, but will be supporting Rain Travels.  Thank you!

So you want to become a travel blogger. Where do you begin? Where does one start?  Here’s a basic guide to get you started and what I’ve learned to-date.

1. Choose a focus or strategy.
Are you going to write about travelling on a budget? Focus on a particular continent? This is something I failed to do myself and am now trying to refocus after the fact (which is really hard!).

2. Choose your URL and email.
Having your own URL makes your site look more professional than a free site like www.xxxxx.wordpress.com and if you choose wisely it’ll probably be easier to remember as well.  Same goes with email.  What looks better and more trustworthy? firstname@gmail.com or firstname@raintravels.com?

Think all this is too expensive?  You can get your own URL for $4.99 to $9.99 a year through sites like Go Daddy.  Once you have a URL, setting up your email is relatively easy.  If you want to use Gmail as your email client, it’s only about $6/month.

3. Choose a theme.
Go to sites like WooThemes and Theme Forest to pick a website WordPress template.  Don’t worry, you can change the colours, add your own logo, and even customize it to your liking.

4. Get web hosting.
Your site has to live somewhere right?  Just like a domain, it’s pretty cheap to get shared hosting through sites like Go Daddy, Media Temple and Hostgator starting at $5/month!

It is recommended that you get CPanel with your hosting (usually included in the monthly fee) and sites like Hostgator offer tools to help you install WordPress themes quickly and easily.

5 (Or Maybe it should be 1?). Start writing.
Posts don’t have to be a specific length.  It can be long, short, just pictures, etc.  Get into the habit of posting as often as possible and writing (or at least coming up with ideas) during your downtime.

6. Spread the word.
Join the conversation online on Twitter and Instagram (don’t spam!) or go out and meet other travellers at local events like Travel Massives.  The only way people will find out about your blog is if they get to know you first.

For more in-depth advice, be sure to check out Will’s Travel Blog Breakthrough blog for some really great insights!

One of the hardest parts about going on a trip is worrying about the safety of your house while you are gone. Far too many times, people take a vacation and come back to a home that has been ransacked with valuable items stolen. Often, all the police can do is take a report and hope your stuff turns up somewhere along the way. Don’t worry, however, because there are steps you can take to help ensure your stuff and house stays safe and untouched while you are away.

Leave on Some Lights
One of the biggest things a would-be thief looks for is the lack of light for several days, especially in the evening when people are home and watching television. Head to your nearest hardware store and pick up a timer and set some inside lights on it. Have them turn on in the evening when you would normally be home, and turn off at a set time. This small action will deter more thieves than you realize.

Don’t Leave the Porch Lights On
It might seem counterintuitive, especially with the last paragraph, but make sure the porch lights are not the set of lights you leave on, unless you have a timer. People typically don’t have their porch lights on all the time; so it’s a sign to the would-be thief that you are out and are looking to get home late at night.

Have Someone Maintain the Outside of the Property
If you are going to be gone for a long period of time, invest in a groundskeeper to come give the lawn a quick mow and to park their car in the driveway every now and again. This will give the illusion that the property is being lived in because it’s still being taken care of. Also, either stop the mail and newspaper service or have someone bring them inside for you. Nothing says you aren’t home like a pile of flyers in the mailbox.

Never Post Where You Are Going on Social Media
It may seem like a fun idea to share whatever fun destination you’re headed for on Facebook and Twitter, but all it really does is give people access to your personal lives that they might not have had. Do you really trust all of your Facebook and Twitter followers? What about the people who follow them? All it takes is one person sharing your status or retweeting it, and then suddenly a whole mess of people know that your house is going to be vacant for a period of time.

Invest in a Webcam
By having a webcam handy, you can catch anyone that enters your house while you are not there. It can be set up so it only comes on when there is motion, and you can have the results instantly emailed or texted to you. Technology has come a long way, so it’s relatively easy to set all of this up, and it will give you some great peace of mind. Be warned, however, if you have a pet, you’ll probably end up getting lots of pictures of them.

Think like a criminal
At the end of the day, think like a criminal without being one. Where are the most likely ‘break-in’ points around your home? How visible is the inside of your home and belongings? Is there a security system sign on your lawn (regardless of whether you have a security system)? Where is the least visible section along the outside of your home?

Taking the extra time and effort to secure your home will not only reduce the likelihood of a break-in, but give you additional piece of mind on your well-deserved time away from home.

Save Travels!

One of the best ideas I’ve seen lately.  So simple, yet so beneficial!

Not Just Tourists is an organization that collects new medical supplies from around Ontario to pack and send to areas in need.

Their ask is simple.  They need regular travelers going to areas in need (Caribbean, South American, Africa, etc.) to take an extra suitcase with them full of these supplies (suitcases are pre-packed).  Once there, all that is required is to drop off the suitcase to the pre-determined drop off point (usually a medical clinic or hospital).  That’s it!  Some airlines won’t even charge you for the extra bag if you let them know ahead of time it’s full of humanitarian supplies.

Other ways to get involved include volunteering to pickup and/or pack these medical supplies or donate medical supplies, suitcases, or cash.

So the next time you go down south, please seriously consider taking an additional suitcase with you.  It could save dozens of lives!

Not using a travel agent because you think prices are lower online? Think again!

Over the years, a large misconception has formed that booking travel online is always better and cheaper. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Depending on the type of booking, travel agents can save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars compared to what is available online.

How is this possible?
Travel agents are highly commission and sales target based. This means they have different incentives and pressures to ‘make the sale’, which usually means lower prices for the consumer. Here is a list of ways a travel agent can help you get more for your money, including an example on a $3,000 tour from a major tour operator like Contiki or G Adventures:

Commission – Travel agents can ‘sacrifice’ part of their commission to lower the overall price. Note: the commission for travel agents is usually not above/beyond the pricing you see online, but is included (or accounted for) in the posted price. So if a travel agent’s typical commission on a $3,000 trip is 12%, but the travel agent is willing to only take 8%, this will be a 5% or $150 savings for the traveller.

Travel agent incentives form the supplier – Suppliers regularly provide travel agents with two kinds of incentives; agent incentives and consumer incentives. Agent incentives are ‘freebies’ that travel agents get (free flights, hotels, additional commission, gift cards, etc.) for hitting different sales targets for a given supplier within a given timeframe (usually monthly) so if the timing is right they will be more willing to negotiate to meet these targets. Consumer incentives are additional discounts/incentives that the supplier offers to help travel agents make a sales for the supplier (versus say its competitors). This can include discounts, upgrades, and freebies (everything from airport transfers to free connecting flights between multiple tours). Additional savings $25 – $300.

Travel agent incentives from the travel agent company – Assuming the travel agent is part of a larger agency network, the company itself offers its agents incentives similar to the supplier incentives based on its sales needs. Additional savings $25 – $100.

Bulk and returning traveller discounts – Both the travel agent and suppliers usually provide additional discounts for returning customers. Usually in the range of 5% or $150 savings in this example.

Other – Since travel agents live and breathe travel each day, they are always in the know of where additional savings can lie. Also, they may be inclined to provide a bigger discount upfront for a chance at selling additional services like travel insurance, car rentals, etc. Additional savings $25 – $100

Total savings for this example: $375 – $800!

So what can you do to help them help you save?
Make it easy for them – Do your homework and know what you want. The more specific the better as the less work the travel agent has to do, the more likely they will be to lower their commissions.

Send them the small stuff – For the most part, flights and hotels have a low markup so the travel agent will only be able to match what you find online. Even though it might be easier to book these one-offs online, sending these to your preferred travel agent will help them meet their sales targets and build goodwill for future larger bookings. Don’t be afraid to ask your travel agent if it’s worthwhile booking the small stuff through them – they will appreciate it a lot!

One more thing!
If you live in a country with a strong currency, be sure to do some research on some credible travel agencies outside of your country. This will allow you to take advantage of cost-of-living and FX imbalances to save you even more!

Traveling is an eye-opening, rewarding experience, but getting to your destination can be quite a pain. Airlines have many baggage restrictions for carry-on luggage, which may make it seem impossible to travel for a couple of weeks without a few bags. However, with a few tips and tricks, you’ll see that you can easily pack for a two-week trip using just a standard size carry-on suitcase.

But first, why bother with just a carry-on? You will not have to wait at the luggage carousels with a crowd of tired travelers after you land. Plus, waiting on luggage could make you late for your transfer to your final destination—for example, a private car or a bus that’s waiting to take you to a hotel. In some airports, you may have to go back through security at one of your connections, and you may have to wait on your luggage before you can go back through security. If your first flight was delayed, and now you’ve only got 45 minutes to make your next flight, waiting on your luggage can cost you precious time and may make you miss your next flight. It’s always easier to just have your luggage by your side at all times.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website, the largest carry-on size allowed is 45 linear inches. Great, you’re thinking. What are linear inches? This means the total height, width, and depth of the bag must be 45 inches or less when you add the three numbers together. If you’re shopping for new luggage, most now come with a tag that note if the suitcase is carry-on size.

On your flight, you’ll be allowed to take one carry-on piece of luggage and one “personal item” with you. The Transportation Security Administration defines “personal item” as a “laptop computer, purse, small backpack, briefcase, or camera case.”

Now that you understand what you’re allowed to take on board, for your two-week trip, the next step is to think about your destination. Are you going somewhere tropical? Cold? Rainy? Check the weather forecast for your destination for several days before you leave to get an idea of what the weather is going to be like. For purposes of this article, let’s say you’re going to France in March. It tends to be fairly chilly this time of year, and, should you head out to the coast, it can be wet, cold, and rainy.

Next, see what your hotel provides for you. Is there a hairdryer in the room? Will there be an ironing board? What toiletries are provided? Is there a business lounge with computers? Go online to see what you’ll have in your room (or cruise ship, or wherever you are traveling) and it will help you better plan for what you need.

If you’ve planned a two-week trip, you’ve got 14 days and 13 overnights for which you need to pack. Guess what? You don’t have to pack a new outfit for each day. With the right planning, you can mix and match a few pieces to create new outfits throughout your trip.

Since we’re planning for a chilly destination, plan to wear your heaviest shoes and your thickest jacket on the plane. This will free up a great deal of space in your suitcase. You can easily have the flight attendant hang your jacket for you once you board, and you can kick off your shoes and relax.

Plan to take 3-4 pairs of pants that you can rotate. Plan to take neutral colors that match most other colors, such as jeans, black pants, or khakis. You can save a tremendous amount of room in your suitcase by rolling your pants instead of folding them. Ladies, you can also pack 1-2 skirts. In this photo, I’ve got two pairs of jeans, one pair of black pants, and a black pencil skirt rolled up. Place your pants along the edges of your suitcase.

Next, think about the tops you’re going to pack. Pieces like cardigans, sweaters, scarves, and long sleeved shirts can be used in a multitude of ways. Pack 4-5 cardigans and sweaters, and you can add several long-sleeved shirts, blouses, and even a scarf. Pack fewer of the items that take up the most space—this is why I recommend packing fewer sweaters.

Most shirts will fold nicely into small rectangles that you can stack in your suitcase. For women, you can pair a single black cardigan with several blouses and have a different look each day. Gentlemen, if you pack a couple of crewneck sweaters, you can alternate button-down shirts underneath for cold days. If the weather is fair, women, you can perhaps get away with just a light sweater and jeans, and men, you could wear a button-down shirt and slacks. Grab your scarf and carry it along in case the weather turns cool. Here, I’ve got four sweaters and nine shirts folded in my suitcase.  I’ve also got two dresses folded neatly in the bottom right corner. I’ve got some space in the bottom left corner reserved for my bigger shoes.

A great trick is to lay out a few “heavy” pieces such as your sweaters and cardigans on your bed. Next, look through your closet for pieces that match the sweaters, and place them around the sweaters on your bed. This allows you to quickly see how many different looks you can achieve with a single sweater.

Now, it’s likely that the pair of shoes you wear on the airplane is not the pair of shoes you’ll wear every single day. Plan to take another pair or two of shoes, and try to take shoes that are as small as possible. This may be an easier task for women, as ballet flats are much smaller than men’s loafers! If you’ve got a lightweight pair of sneakers or walking shoes, throw those in. Ladies, a small pair of ankle boots is a good idea as well, and for men, a pair of loafers will work. For this demonstration, I’ll be packing a pair of Toms and some ankle boots. I slid one ankle boot under the stack of lightweight shirts, and the other is in the gap I left in my suitcase. The Toms flatten easily along the sides of the suitcase.

As for socks and underwear, stuff as many pairs as you can inside your shoes! You’d be amazed at how many pairs you can fit into a pair of sneakers or boots! Men, roll up your boxers as small as you can. Tuck any remaining pairs in between your sweaters and shirts, and along the edges of your suitcase.

Now, it’s likely that you’ll want to go out to a nice dinner or show at least one night during your trip. Women, pack a dress that’s made of a stretchy material—these will not wrinkle nearly as much in your suitcase, and they are easy to fold into a tiny rectangle or roll, whichever provides more space. Men, you can easily fold a dinner jacket, and you can roll up a tie or two and place them inside a shoe.

Now for the fun part: liquids. TSA guidelines mandate the 3-1-1 rule, which means that liquids, gels, aerosols, creams, and pastes must be 3.4 ounces (100 mL) or less per container. Additionally, they must be placed in a quart-sized, transparent Ziploc bag. One bag is allowed per traveler.

You may be thinking, this is impossible! It’s not! First, think about solid versions of liquids you can take. For example, instead of packing a small tube of sunscreen, look for sunscreen sticks. Ladies, instead of liquid eyeliner, pack a pencil. Instead of gel deodorant, pick up a solid stick. These do not count as liquids, and you’ve just freed up some space in your small bag!

Look for travel-sized bottles at your local drugstore, Wal-Mart, or Target. You can put your face wash, shampoo, and conditioner in these travel bottles. Or, if you really want to save space, you can plan to use the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash at your hotel (or wherever you’ll be staying). In addition, most places sell small sticks of deodorant, small cans of shaving cream, miniature cans of hairspray, and other toiletries you may need. Look around for these. As you shop, ask yourself if you REALLY need each item. Do you really need three brands of hair gel? No. Ask for sample sizes of your favorite liquid makeup at Sephora or Ulta, and for your perfume or cologne at your local counter. You can see in this bag I’ve managed to pack two 3-ounce bottles, foundation, contact solution, mascara, toothpaste, lotion, nail polish, extra contacts, and a couple of other small items. For this demonstration, I’m planning to use the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash at my hotel.

Once you’ve packed your liquids, they need to be easily accessible as you go through security. It’s a good idea to have these in your personal item—in your briefcase, backpack, or purse. This will allow you to quickly access your liquids without having to dig through your suitcase. This keeps security moving quickly and the TSA agents will appreciate it! Also, remember that prescriptions do not count toward the liquids rule! If you’ve got a 4-ounce jar of prescription face cream, just tell the agent as you go through security. The agent may ask to see it, but you do not need to cram it into your Ziploc bag. If you have any concern, get a printout of your prescription from your local pharmacy.

If you’ve followed these tips and are still a bit short on space, guess what? We haven’t taken up much space in your personal item yet. You can toss a few items in this bag, and still have room for your reading materials, wallet, keys, sunglasses, and other items you may need along the way.

There has been some buzz lately of a startup called Yore Oyster. Here is a summary of what they do.

At present, Yore Oyster offers tips and tricks (presently only for Canadians) on how to get up to 80% off flights using a combination of loyalty points and strategic airline selection when using these points. An easy to read (and free!) PDF is the first step to getting started.

The guide offers some basic, but good insights into flight pricing and the suggested strategy to get the lowest prices. They recommend using a combination of Aeroplan points collected through American Express‘s loyalty cards and using those points strategically on other non-Air Canada airlines (they recommend Delta as one of their top picks). They also offer a concierge service to those looking for additional help implementing the above strategies.

One note: Their American Express links on their webpage are affiliate links (similar to what I’ve used throughout this post) so each time someone clicks-through and signs up, they get a small kickback form American Express ( I on the other hand only get bonus Aeroplan points each time someone signs-up). Personally, I have no issue with this as startups have to make money somehow, but more of an FYI as to why they might be pushing the American Express card over say TD’s Aeroplan card. From personal experience, I find that Amex isn’t as accepted as MasterCard or Visa, which might explain the ‘first year free’ promotion. For those of you looking for a great card, I highly recommend the CapitalOne Aspire card (no affiliate links).

Traveling around the world is an adventure, no doubt about it; but one of the worst parts of visiting a new time zone is the accompanying jet lag. The last thing you want is to arrive at your destination and not be able to have fun because you are just so tired from the plane ride. The good news is there are some things you can to in order to stave it off.

Hydration
Drink water. Lots of water. It sounds cliché, but it really does work. It helps keep your body going and can help avoid the lethargic, tired feelings. Make sure to avoid caffeinated beverages; the perk helps for a few minutes, but you will ultimately crash and feel worse off than you did before. Also, avoid alcoholic drinks, because they serve the exact wrong purpose. They will only dehydrate you more, making you sleepy when you arrive.

Act Like You are in Your New Time Zone
As soon as you get on the plane, figure out what time it is in your destination and set your watch accordingly. If it is in the middle of the night during your ride, try to sleep on the plane and wake up refreshed. You might want to think about taking a mild sedative in order to help get you nice and rested. On the flip side, if it is daylight where you’re going, do the best you can to stay awake so you will sleep at night when you are there. Bring movies or puzzle books, or something else to stimulate your brain while you are on the long haul flight.

Get Outside
If you arrive and it’s in the middle of the afternoon where you are, but you’re still so tired, stay outside. Sure, go ahead and drop your stuff off in your room, but avoid looking at the comfortable bed for too long. Instead, find something to do that will keep you moving, but will not push you beyond your limits. Find a park with a nice view and people watch, or go to one of the smaller museums and walk around. This way you are still enjoying your destination, but you aren’t trying to take on one of the big “must-sees” right off the bat.

Stick to the Meal Times
One of the biggest mistakes people make is avoiding eating because they are tired. In fact, not eating will make you feel worse in the long run, because your body will be using up its energy trying to keep you going. You can even start this a few days before you go, by catering your meal times to your new time zones; at the very least, make sure you do this on the plane. When you notice it’s dinner time, have a little bit of protein; if it’s breakfast, have a light pastry. It doesn’t have to be a huge, elaborate meal, but something akin to what you would normally be eating around that time.

By following these few simple steps, you can mostly avoid the jet lag after a long day of traveling. This way, you are refreshed and ready to experience whatever adventures await.

Light Exercise
Keeping your body in motion is a vital component of not succumbing to jet lag, but be careful not to overdo it. During your flight, just stretch your legs and walk up and down the aisles every now and again. When you arrive at your destination, take a quick walk around to familiarize yourself with the area or take a dip in the hotel swimming pool. Don’t run a marathon or try to do 1000 sit ups; all you need is just enough to keep our body alert. On the flip side, don’t do anything too relaxing, either, such as tai chi, yoga, or mediation. Just some light motion will help keep your body awake until you are ready for bed.

Plan Your Flights Accordingly
Now, this one might be a little tricky, since travel websites and ticket prices may not be so flexible, but if you can, try to schedule your flight so you arrive in the early afternoon at your destination. This way, you have time to see one or two things, have dinner, and then head on back to the hotel. Also, it will be daylight when you arrive, so your body won’t think it’s time for bed yet. Anything you can do to help trick your internal clock a bit is a good thing on such a long trip.

Do Not Over or Under Sleep
A common mistake people make is trying to stay awake the night before a long flight, so they will sleep on the plane. While it sounds good in theory, often people find they can’t doze off on the flight and end up being overtired when they land and tempted to fall asleep as soon as they see the hotel bed. Conversely, some people think that sleeping twelve to sixteen hours before they travel will keep them awake and focused until they are ready to go to bed. What they don’t realize is traveling is tiring. You may think that it’s easy sitting on plane for six hours, but really, you’re constantly worried about luggage, children, connecting flights, or whether or not you’ll like the in-air movie. It’s stressful. Instead, just try to get the normal eight or so hours of sleep. If you can, try to sleep the same hours as your new time zone for a few days before you go, but if that’s not an option, don’t try to overcompensate.

Don’t Stress
As mentioned, traveling can be a stressful experience, but it doesn’t always have to be. The more you relax, the easier time you’ll have resting on the plane and feeling like you can enjoy the time on your vacation. Pack ahead of time, so you have time to squeeze in all of the last minute items. Plan your flights so you have time to look around the airport between connections and you don’t have to rush from one gate to the other. Anything you can do to take even a small load off your mind will help.

Safe Travels!