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travel tips

Travel tips and suggestions to ensure that your trips are trouble free.

Visa information

Holiday & Packing tips

During your hotel stay

For the women travellers

Tourist guides & shopping

Planning your Holidays

Cruising tips

Flying tips

Visa information

Validity of your passport: Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months/180 days period from the date from the last date of your return journey. For example you are completing your trip on 12th Dec 2005, while applying for your visa you should check if your passport is valid till 12th June 2006. Else your visa may be denied by the respective country's consulate.
Photographs: Some countries need latest photographs taken with specific rules like white background, face only etc. It is always useful to adhere to those rules.
How soon should you apply?: Though some countries process visas in 2 working days, calculate the time for sending passports, endless queues, local holidays, courier delays and unforeseen events. We advise you to keep a week in hand for these unexpected delays.
Documents to attach: Send all documents with an additional set of photocopies to your agent who is applying for visas.

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holiday & packing tips

What to wear: Check about the local weather at the destination you are heading for. This will help you inn deciding what to wear whether it is light cottons or heavy woolens.
Conservative dressing: Some countries expect you to dress conservatively in sync with the local culture. Check with your travel agent or the local guide about the customs.
Carry On/Hand Baggage: Have a pair of clothes, pajamas, toothbrush, essential medicines, copy of all your tickets, hotel vouchers, important telephone numbers valuables (if any) some cash in your hand baggage. These will come handy when your baggage is delayed or lost. If you are on a business trip, have your business cards and all the important documents you need for your meeting in the hand baggage.
Car Rental: If you are planning to rent a self-drive car, check if your driving license is valid and leave a photocopy of your driving license back home just in case you forget your driver’s license in the car you have rented.
Sharp items: If you are carrying a Swiss Army Knife keep it in your checked in baggage not in the hand baggage.
Mobile phone chargers: Always carry your mobile phone charges with you if you are carrying your mobile phone. The ones available at the hotels may not be compatible with your phone. Also check for the voltage at the destination to see if your gadgets are compatible.

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During your hotel stay

Breakfast: Normally most hotels offer a complimentary breakfast during stay. You have to go to the designated coffee shop or restaurant of the hotel to have breakfast. If you wish to order breakfast in your room you may be billed for the breakfast service or a tray charge especially while you are in London.
Telephone calls: Avoid using hotel telephone to make calls as they bill 100% extra as a surcharge plus taxes. It is always advisable to purchase a telephone card to sue it in a public telephone booth.
Meal plans: Some meals plans offered by hotels are confusing. Please check carefully while booking. If the hotel stay is on EP basis or European Plan which means no breakfast in included during your stay. CP meals continental breakfast is included, BB means buffet breakfast is included. MAP or Modified American Plan means Breakfast and one major meal either Lunch or Dinner is included and AP or American Plan means all meals i.e., breakfast, lunch and inner are included in your room rent.
Minibar: All items consumed from the minibar are billed to you. Normally a minibar price list is provided in the room. Check this before you consume any items.
Drinking Water: water kept in a jug in your room is safe for drinking, however, if you are particular about hygiene ask for bottled water for which you will be billed.
Towels & bath accessories: If you wish to re-use the towel after bath for the next day you may hang it inside the bathroom. If you want your towels to be replaced with fresh ones for next use, you can leave them on the bathroom floor. Do not take hotel towels with you when you checkout, you will be billed for the same.
Do Not Disturb sign: Most hotels offers this. Please note that when you put this sign to your outside door knob you may still get telephone calls connected to your room if someone is calling for you. In order to avoid this inform Hotel reception not to connect any calls to ensure absolute privacy.
Laundry: Normally a paid service, however, some business class hotels offer at least one free service like ironing a suit free of charge. Please check with your hotel. Normally an ironing board and iron box is provided free for usage within the room if you wish to do your own ironing. This is done by housekeeping department.
Complimentary services: Most hotels offers some freebies in the room like a fruit basket or a bottle of champagne depending on the hotel standard.

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Travel tips for women

Before leaving, eat light

Wear loose clothes because the low pressure inside planes causes your tissues to expand by around 20%.

With less than 10% humidity, aeroplane cabins are drier than the Sahara. That’s why you should drink lots of water to hydrate your body before departure.

It will help applying a hydrating facemask 4-5 hours before you get on the plane. Your skin is will be moisturized and will remain supple throughout the trip.

Before you put on your makeup, apply Hydrative or moisturising cream over your face. For those long flights, opt for light makeup and switch to lip gloss instead of wearing lipstick. If you must wear a moisturising lipstick to keep your lips supple all throughout the flight.
For shorter flights, go for comfortable makeup that moisturises yet stays put throughout the flight.

Treat your body with a deep moisturising body lotion before you board the flight.
Choose soft and sensual fragrances for a delightfully cosy trip. Or, opt for a citrus based fragrance to keep you smelling fresh throughout the flight.

Drink lots of water. Steer clear of tea, coffee and alcohol – they’re too diuretic and hence dehydrating.

Eat light and healthy on flights – Opt for vegetables, salads, fish or poultry. Avoid fried food on flights.

Go for a walk every hour to reactivate your blood circulation. If you’re seated be sure to wiggle your feet around and stretch your legs regularly. Stretch your arms, neck and back every so often to avoid stiffness.

To stave off jetlag, during take-off, set your watch to the destination time and try to adjust your behaviour (meals, sleep) to the arrival time. This way, you’ll be mentally prepared for the new time when you land.

On long flights, take time to cleanse your skin with eye and face makeup remover, switch to nude look with moisturiser during the flight. You can re-apply light make-up if you must at end of the flight. While removing make-up on flights always stick to alcohol-free toners with extracts of moisturising plants, to avoid dry skin.

Carry a hand moisturising lotion with you on flights.

Just before landing, during descent, chew chewing gum or suck on a candy to re-balance the pressure inside your ears.

When travelling from West to East (shorter day), go to bed at midnight at the latest. Be sure to do some relaxation exercises to help you to fall asleep. When travelling from East to West (longer day), take advantage of the extra time, so you’ll be even fresher the next morning.
When you arrive at home or at the hotel, the first thing to do is to take a nice, relaxing bath.

All our recommended hotels have a private bath and shower. Some hotels even offer SPA treatments. Call Concept Voyages representative to suggest you with some good SPA packages.

Take advantage of your bath-time to give your body a scrub down with a massage glove. This will stimulate your blood circulation and get rid of any dead cells due to dryness.

Tourist guides & Shopping

Seat-in-coach tour: Normally when you book seat-in-coach tours from a travel agent, they arrange for an English speaking tourist guide included in the tour pricing. Private tours may not always include a tourist guide. In such cases the driver or chauffeur acts like a guide for you. You have to note that a driver is not a trained tourist guide unless your travel agent tells you. However, it is necessary that you tip the driver and the guide at the end of your tour.
Shopping assistance: Your tourist guides can help you in shopping and bargaining for prices especially if language is a problem. They are quote helpful if you want to find a restaurant or any other place in specific as they have a good local knowledge.
Hiring a guide: If you have not hired any tourist guide don’t worry. There are guides are available at the monuments or major sightseeing places especially in India. You can use their services at the sightseeing place and tip them after the tour. Always hire a qualified tourist guide. Normally the Destination Tourism board offices provide tourist guide services. You can call them and ask for a guide. The guides provided by the tourism board are certified in guiding services, know the places to see very well including the history and also charge a minimum fee. Beware if someone voluntarily offers to be your guide at new places. As a tourist you are easily recognisable, no matter how much you try to blend in, you can be robbed enroute by a total stranger posing a guide. Hire tourist guides from reliable sources like your travel agent, local tourism boards and hotels where you stay.

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Planning your Holidays

Rule No. 1: When it comes to holiday travel, it's never too early to make reservations. Book your flights, accommodations, rental cars, and other holiday activities as early as possible. Furthermore, if your schedule is flexible, plan your travel days around off-peak periods to elude the largest crowds. When it comes time to pack, keep it light. Check our packing tips for more info.

Be flexible: Avoid the Holiday Rush though it will be nearly impossible to avoid the rush altogether, we can provide some helpful advice on how to make your holiday travels as stress-free as possible. Being flexible, organized, and prepared are the most important things to keep in mind when travelling during this hectic holiday season, as well as other busy travel times.
Re-confirming flights: Always reconfirm your flight schedule and seat assignment 24 hours prior to departure. If you think weather conditions may cause last-minute delays, call the airline frequently. Since your flight number, departure time, and routing can change at any time, it helps to keep on top of your schedule.
Reaching airport on time: Most airlines recommend that passengers arrive at the airport an hour to two hours before their departure time during peak travel periods. To help expedite the process, avoid driving to and parking at the airport. Instead, take public transportation, a cab, shuttle service, or have a friend drop you at the curb.
Marking your baggage: And as with any flight, make sure your baggage is clearly marked and identified with your name, telephone number, and address. Once you arrive at the counter, have your tickets out and a photo ID ready for the airline representative. You'll also want to keep a close eye on your luggage and carry-on items as thieves routinely step-up their criminal activity during frantic travel periods. During the hectic holiday rush, many airlines strictly limit the number of carry-on bags allowed for each person. As overhead-bin space fills up, airline representatives may ask late passengers to check their luggage. Again, arriving early helps thwart this problem.
Picking your baggage: Once you've touched down in your final destination, head straight for the baggage claim carousel and keep a watchful eye on your luggage. Thieves, sensing plenty of holiday loot, may crowd the area around the chute and dash off with a package or two before anyone suspects a thing. After you've successfully secured your luggage, check for your tour escort holding a placard at the waiting lounge. Normally the drivers and escorts from the tour companies wait at the lounge or at the designated waiting area.
Relax-you are on a vacation: Just take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy that fateful slice of fruitcake. Happy holidays!

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Cruising tips

Causes of Sea-sickness: Basically, seasickness, or motion sickness of any kind, is a battle between the senses. When you're on a ship, your vestibular system (the inner ear's balancing mechanism) tells your brain that your body is moving along with the swell of the sea. Your eyes, however, look about the cabin of the ship and tell your brain that you are not moving. This conflict causes an imbalance in the body, resulting in fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and possible vomiting. When you book your cruise, you can reduce your chances of becoming seasick by requesting a cabin as close to the middle and bottom of the ship as possible. Though the top floor suites offer fantastic views, they also pitch and rock more than their inside counterparts. Before setting sail, check out a few over-the-counter medications and natural preventatives.
Remedies for Seasickness: Non-prescription antihistamines such as Dramamine, Marezine, and Bonine can be found at most drug stores and offer relief to many seasickness sufferers. Unfortunately, they can also cause severe drowsiness and should not be mixed with alcohol. Another natural remedy is ginger, said to have a calming affect on queasy tummies. Chewable ginger tablets, ginger tea, and crystallized ginger can be found at most health food stores. . Remember to check with your doctor before taking any medications.
Food precautions while you are sick: Remember to use caution when approaching the sprawling buffet tables--while the bacon, eggs, and mimosas at brunch would be perfectly tasty on land, they're not exactly what you want to consume when you're feeling ill. Caffeine, alcohol, and greasy or acidic foods are tough to digest and may add to your nausea. Crackers, dry toast, and flat soda are better bets. And don't forget to drink plenty of water, as dehydration lowers your body's resistance to stress.
Food on board: while most cruise liners offer meals included in the package. Please check with your booking agent about the meals included in the fare. Normally if meals are included the package, it is advisable to check with the restaurants where your meals are served. Some cruises charge for alcoholic beverages
Captain’s Dinner: Most cruises offer one theme dinner with the captain of the ship. This is considered as an exclusive sit-down dinner for all passengers. Please dress appropriately for the same as per the cruise liner rules.
Using on board facilities: Some facilities like gymnasium, sauna, swimming pools are free for usage for all passengers. When you book a higher category cabin, you may get some additional privileges like a free massages, special dinners etc. If you travelling on the basic category cabin, check with the on board pricing for all others services.

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Flying tips

Requesting a seat: You can request for a window or an aisle seat while making your reservation at the travel agency. You can also ask for the seating preference while checking in. Depending on the seat configuration of the aircraft, it can also be a good idea to request a seat assignment in the centre section toward the back of the plane, since the side sections of seats near the front fill up first.
More legroom: If your legs get cramped, you might volunteer to sit in one of the emergency-exit rows, which provide more leg room and often have one fewer seats than a regular row. Be aware, however, that seats in emergency-exit rows sometimes do not recline. The emergency-exit row is a safe haven for those who prefer a kid-free flight experience, as children are not allowed to occupy these seats.
While flying long haul wear comfortable shoes. Walk around the aisles once the seat-belt sign goes off. This will help the blood circulation and reduces the swelling of the feet. There's no way you'll be able to sit comfortably in a cramped space if you're not properly dressed. Wear loose garments like sweatpants, track pants or comfortable jeans, and wear a T-shirt under a button-down shirt or zip-up sweater, so that you can adapt to changing climates quickly and easily. Whatever you do, remember that layering is key. And since the temperature tends to drop while in flight, make sure you have warm socks handy (if you're wearing sandals). Earplugs and chewing gum are very helpful in regulating the air pressure at high altitudes, particularly during takeoff and landing. And if you're hoping to snooze onboard, bring a neck pillow for some added support or ask the flight attendant for one. As well, keep some moisturizer in your carryon to combat the effects of drastic temperature changes (the air in planes can get very dry).

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Flight etiquette: Many people often overlook the importance of maintaining a harmonious and stable travelling environment in order to avoid disrupting the flight crew or other passengers. Proper etiquette includes using the armrest on your right (unless there's no one sitting to your left, in which case you can use both) and keeping the noise levels down.
Behavior towards flight attendants: Be courteous to the flight attendant. Remember that you should stay on their good side if you want extra special service. Some airline stake very stringent actions if you misbehave with flight attendants.
Relax and enjoy your flight: Once the plane takes off, it's crucial that you maintain a positive attitude. Don't think about outstanding bills, the work waiting for you when you get back home or the strange, albeit normal noises the plane makes; you'll get all worked up for nothing. Besides giving yourself a migraine, there's very little you can do once you're 30,000 feet in the air.

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