GETTING YOUR TICKETS CHEAP

The era of low-priced travel is gradually  going over. These days air fares represents the biggest fraction of trip expenses, and somehow finding a cheap deal can be very difficult. Below are few tips that i have found to work for me:

BE REALLY FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR TRAVEL DATES

If you're rigid with your dates, you might not be able to get cheap fares. Ticket prices always fluctuate depending on day and time of the week. For example its always cheaper to fly mid-week. Flight prices also drop a bit on Tuesday nights. Since more people fly and book during the weekend, airlines raise prices, then drop them down mid-week as they all compete for weekend fliers.

Early morning or late-night flights are also usually cheaper, as fewer people want those flights. When searching for flights, be flexible-you'll definitely catch better deals.  Flying out very early in the morning can save a few hundreds or even thousands of Naira.

FLY TO MAJOR AIRPORTS WITH LOW-COST CARRIERS

Most major cities have a smaller, secondary airport. This is the airport most low-cost carriers (LCC) fly into because its cheaper and helps keep costs down. Airports charge landing fees, and smaller airports charge smaller fees, which helps keep prices down for you. Check out which airlines fly into these smaller airports.

In America, there are over 20 different LCC's. In Europe, there are even more and competition has kept prices there very low. In Asia, Air Asia has led to a huge drop in fares and is a great budget airline to fly. Flying the budget airlines is a good alternative to flying the 'majors' whenever possible. You get less perks, but you can save a bundle in ticket costs. Be sure to check out how far the airports are from the city centre, sometimes transportation from the airport to the city can make a budget airline more expensive. However, low-cost carriers are a good deal most times.

BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR ROUTE

Not only does it help to be flexible with dates, but try being flexible with the route you take too. Sometimes, its cheaper to fly to London and take a LCC to Amsterdam rather than flying directly to Amsterdam. There are so many low-cost carriers around the world that taking advantage of a good deal to another city and then hopping on a LCC to your destination is sometimes the best way to go. Moreover, direct flights are always more expensive than connecting ones depending on the airline. Just by picking a connecting flight route, you might be saving money.

BOOK EARLY

What used to be the best booking window was 6-8 weeks before your flight, but now I think its better to book as soon as you  know when you're going. You can bet that if  the aviation oil keeps going up; fares will keep rising too. It''s important to book as soon as you know when you want to go instead of playing the waiting game.

MOI SAFARI....(II)

While planning to go on your safari trip, you’ll need to pack loads of things from your international passport to making sure your visa is in place etc. Just make sure there won’t be any  unpleasant surprises on your holiday.

The golden rule here is to pack as lightly as possible. You don't want to be stuck with a lot of heavy baggage that you might not use anyway.

This safari packing list is based on the advice and recommendations from all the trip reports over the years.

Don't leave home for your holiday without  these things…they are very important

• A warm jacket as the nights can be surprisingly chilly

• The right clothes: Light clothes for the day, also avoid bright colours- they alert the animal so you might want to stick to neutral colours like beige, khaki, brown etc, 

• Swimming costume: most hotels around have pools

• A wide-rimmed hat to shade you from the sun   

• Sunglasses: To protect your eyes from the sun and from dust

• Insect repellent or anti-mosquito sprays, Mosquito nets too

• Good walking shoes very important  for the adventure moments

• Drugs: Malaria tablets, Pain killers, Allergy remedy, antibiotics, If you are dependent on any drugs please take extra

• Wet wipes/hand sanitizer

• Pocket Knife

• Small first aid kit 

• Books to read in the evenings and may be deck of cards for fun

• Day bag /back pack: To transport the items you need while driving or walking round the safari

• Binoculars

• A small bottle for taking water on your trips

• Flashlight 

• Camera with extra memory, films , batteries and battery charger, you’ll sure want to save wonderful memories of your holiday

• Protective Sun screen lotion to prevent your skin from UV rays and sun burns although dark skin people get rarely burned

With all these, I’m sure you are ready to go on your trip, Enjoy!

MOI SAFARI....(I)

All over the travel platforms safari packages keep popping up and people keep asking me what a safari vacation package is, it’s obviously not the Apple web browser. It’s a trip, a simple timeworn trip to the jungle.

A safari really is a trip on land, usually in a jungle or savannah scenery, the trip used to be planned for the  purpose of viewing or hunting animals, but in the modern days a safari trip would involve viewing, photographing, and experiencing animals in their natural habitats. Won’t you ask why safari trips no longer involve hunting? The simple reason is this: the law for the preservation of many animal species is getting passed and enforced by many governments today. It’s a good way to prevent our animals from going into extinction.

Safari is a Swahili word, which was originally gotten from the Arabic word ‘safara’ meaning travel. Most people think safari trips can only be taken in Africa but there are actually loads of safari destinations throughout the globe. For instance, safari trips can be taken in India, Peru, Bangkok, Brazil, Thailand,and Alaska etc.;everyplace one can spot animals in their natural habitat.

 

Safari trips are regularly taken to loads of places around Africa especially East Africa, places like Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and not forgetting our own very Yankari game reserve in Bauchi State, Nigeria. There is just something about African Safaris…may be the blend of our culture gives it the ‘true’ experience.

Most trips into the jungle are done by Trucks. It is simply just too dangerous to walk around lions and elephants…and tigers and all sort of deadly creatures. A view from the safety of a truck allows one to see the animals closely with less danger. People also take some trips with legs, escorted with armed guides around.

The peak of the safari experience is the camping out in tents on the grassland; adventurous people like me will love that. And if you are too fearful or mystical to sleep in tents ,lots of huts and apartments have been built around these reserves to add some twist of home to your experience.

Today there are many operators throughout the African continent and worldwide offering diverse levels of safari package.

The pictures and stories I have heard say so much about what a safari trip could be, and I really don’t want to be left behind…so am planning my own safari trip, are you?

SLEEPING ON THE PLANE...ZZzzzzz

I am blessed with the gift of being able to sleep easily ;even my friends envy me cos when its time to sleep, I'm always the first to Zzzzzzz. I sleep without the help of drugs unless I am down with fever or bored, sleeping on the plane or on any moving object can be very difficult especially when the personal space on a plane is about 18inches by 33 inches...no matter the difficulties or limitations, I still think sleeping is one of the most useful skill anyone can acquire....lol.

Sleeping on the seat can be one of the most uncomfortable positions you can ever put your body, and sometimes its painful too. There are a few things that can help sleeping especially on the plane, just make sure you create a conducive environment.

Avoid aisle seats because its always difficult to lean to one side; people are constantly walking up and down, you can't also lean to the other side unless you want to sleep on your neighbours shoulder. Now, if you are travelling with a friend, its okay to lean on them. Sleeping aisle-sitters are always a sight to behold...they usually have their heads, arms or legs  fall into the aisle, sometimes they are draped over the arm rest like clothes on  a cloth line.


No matter the reason for your travel, please be in a relaxed mood, being in a relaxed state always makes  it easy to doze off. Remove your glasses and your contact lenses especially because plane air is dry and sleeping with contact lenses is never fun. Get earplugs to block out noises from crying babies, endless announcements and gisting partners. If music is your thing you might want to create a playlist on your iPod or your media device. Sleep mask is the way to go if you are easily distracted or if you light rays affect you. Window seats are also cool you could lean your head against the window to sleep so your neighbour wont be disturbing you when he/she wants to get up.


Loose fitting clothes is always better because the body expands at high altitude, and the temperature can be very inconsistent, comfortable breathable clothes is best. You could even pack a change of clothes for long journeys, it can be very helpful.

Pillows are stuffs you can bring along on your trip:

• Neck Pillows: This pillow is worth it because it allows you to lean to either side and still keep your head to yourself.

•  Travel pillows: You could find a small tray-table sized pillow (throw pillows) that can be folded into a bag, put it on your tray table and off you go. you could also lean forward on the table like you would on a desk, and catch some Zzzzs. Sleeping this way is much like elementary school nap time, its not the most comfortable position but I think its one of the better ways to stay out of your neighbours way.

Its not rocket science, but falling asleep on planes can be challenging for some people. Hopefully these tips will help you drift off to slumber land and put an end to enduring your air travel. Your mileage may vary, and I can't guarantee that you''ll be sleeping like a log the way I do, but utilizing some or all of these suggestions should help you get comfortable and sleep through any flight if you want to.


Do you have your own methods for falling asleep on planes/or any transporting object? Any tricks worth sharing? Drop a line in the comments.

CHINA oh China! 中国/中华

I have always loved beautiful scenes. Natural scenery especially always appeals to me.  While looking at pictures on the internet, I came across these beautiful pictures….and the places were in china…china oh china!

Beautiful architecture they’ve got, they have a superb political geography as the second largest country in the world by land area, they have the largest land borders in the world. China has lovely porcelain pieces and research shows that one-fifth of the world’s population is of the Chinese nationality.

Ancient Chinese people are responsible for pioneering several technological inventions like paper making, needle compass, blast furnace etc. China has the largest number of phone users in the world and world’s largest number of internet and broadband users. Officially the People’s republic of China officially recognises 56 ethnic groups, and they have loads of Hong Kong cuisines and American Chinese food.

Reading about china just makes me wanna go there, you know. I know a lot about how people go there to shop, the many trade fairs and all. I know all the popular places Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou etc

There are a lot of must see places in china, and one of them is Beijing. The great wall of Beijing and the forbidden city are places to see in Beijing.

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA : Beijing happens to be the capital of PRC and it is unarguably the political, and cultural heart of the country. The great wall of china is one of the greatest beauties you’ll see in the world, the amount of human effort that was sown into that building cannot be overemphasised knowing it was built when there were no mechanical equipments. The wall runs 373 miles, 827 city platforms , 71 passes and countless towers. The wall is over 2000 years, however it’s still one of the world’s greatest grandeur. It’s definitely a site to behold

THE FORBIDDEN CITY 紫禁城 : I’m sure you are all wondering  why this city is called forbidden, lol…well it is called forbidden because  it was forbidden for commoners and even nobles to enter the city uninvited. Nowadays, the Forbidden City is open to tourists from home and abroad. It used to be the imperial palace of the emperors, a royal architectural wonder, grand and deluxe halls and surprisingly magnificent treasures .It was listed as a world cultural heritage site in 1987 by UNESCO. The city has 980 buildings and 8707 rooms. It is currently the home of the palace museum, it houses extensive collection of artwork and artefact from the royal collections of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It’s now one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide and a place you’’ll want to see.

...So I blog

I have always been an avid traveler and writer, so I decide to blog about my ideas, experiences and all.

Wish you all happy reading.