Travel Thailand & Hotel Booking

After a long flight via Bangkok it was a delight to land at the small, sunny airport of Luang Prabang. This wonderful UNESCO World Heritage site is somewhere I’ve longed to visit and it didn’t disappoint.

Small streets with beautiful colonial architecture, stunning temples and enough restaurants to be able to eat dinner in a different place every day of the week. A real highlight - and not just because I’m a committed shopper - was the night market. None of the rubbish you find in other markets of this nature but genuine local crafts brought down from the villages each night and set out along the main street. A real delight but it did mean that I soon had no space left in my bag!

Another treat and well worth the early start was watching the monks walk the streets to collect alms. Although I did feel that some were not aware of the high regard in which Buddhist monks are held in South East Asia and were too intrusive with their cameras.

From Luang Prabang I travelled up the Mekong to Chiang Rai. Two days watching the world go by - the Mekong affords a tranquil easy life to those on its banks - and stopping at local villages en route. It was freezing in the mornings and I needed endless layers and blankets until the sun was high enough to take the chill out of the morning. We overnighted in a lodge on the banks of the river where a fresh, local dinner was served with plenty of Laotian beer. And then a second day relaxing on the boat before reaching Chiang

Here, I was reminded how lucky I am to work in travel: waiting for me was an a/c 4×4 to whisk me to the Four Seasons Tented Camp. Yes, it’s expensive but it is truly amazing. Permanent tents are scattered through the forest with outside showers and large terraces.

At breakfast the following morning (not wearing the most glamorous of Mahout’s outfits) I was greeted by the younger elephants who were delighted to be receiving treats from the thrilled guests. Then it was off for my morning’s Mahout training course. Learning to ‘drive’ an elephant was not something I had yearned to do but it turned out to be a lot of fun. For me at least - I am not sure how appreciative the elephants were of me clambering all over them without much thought to style or elegance.

Moving onto Chiang Mai and the Four Seasons which is located just outside the town. Another jewel in the Four Seasons Crown this has long been a Steppes favourite and again did not disappoint. The following day I was lucky enough to stay at the reasonably new and very stylish Chedi Chiang Mai which, right in the middle of town, is ideally placed for the night market (not quite the night market of Luang Prabang but the perfect place to replace broken sunglasses)! Some of the sights outside Chiang Mai have been rather spoilt by mass tourism however with a bit of insider knowledge and effort you can see elephants based at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre and it’s also worth the drive to see the long-necked Karon tribe at one of the smaller villages located an hour or so outside the city.

One of the main advantages of finishing a trip to Laos and Northern Thailand in Chiang Mai is being able to fly direct to Phuket in the South and from there to any of the outlying islands. I went on to the Sarojin in Kao Lak and the Chedi Phuket - both a wonderful spoiling treat to end with!

Paris being the “City of Lights” and “Romance” attracts people from all over the globe. Being one of the most visited and hot tourist destinations, Paris is considered quite expensive. But do not panic as it does not mean that you cannot dream of going to the most romantic city in the world.

It is very much possible to visit the expensive Paris within limited budget. For that you just need to plan your trip and follow some budget tips. Rest assured you will enjoy a fabulous trip of your lifetime.

Accommodation

If you want to save on accommodation, consider staying in smaller towns where it is cheaper. When you are planning to visit Paris, you can look out for Paris hotels which are located near or well connected to the Metro or the RER (the suburban train lines), or even have the option to stay in a near by city like Chartres which is just train ride away. It will save a lot on traveling as well.

You can also look out for star ratings of Paris hotels according to your budget and need. The Paris star-rating system is good and dependable. Even if you stay in one star less than your desired hotel, it will not make much difference in terms of comforts and facilities. You will find that sometimes even these lesser-rated Paris hotels are far better than their peers a notch up.

However, if you are planning to stay in a town for more than a week, it is advisable to stay in a vacation rental or serviced apartments than a hotel. You can save on eating out as you can cook on your own in the fully equipped kitchen. Your have the privacy and comforts of home in these vacation rental or serviced apartments. However, the only disadvantage of not staying in hotel is that you will miss the personalized service of hotels.

If you do not want to spend on accommodation you have the option of home exchange. It is possible if you are living in a big city which is also a popular tourist destination. While they visit your New York City Apartment, you can stay in a Paris couple’s Paris apartment.

For a change from your usual stay in hotels, you can consider camping in Paris. It can be a lot fun. With France’s government-regulated star rating system, even a pricy two-star hotel can be equivalent to four-star campground.

Rail

Get a rail pass if you are going to travel for long distances or for a few days of rail travel, as it is the best and only way to travel cheap.

How to Get Cash

It is advisable not to visit exchange companies as the rates are terrible and commissions high. The best way to get Euros is by withdrawing at an ATM in Paris or charging on a credit card. It is the most budget way to get Euro.

Eating Out

You can save on your hotel breakfast which is usually overpriced and consists of just few pastries and coffee. You can visit the local café and start your day with a breakfast and spend half or quarter the price for a pastry or croissant. You can also inform them when you are booking your room or checking in whether you want breakfast or not as you can be automatically charged for it. However, it will be much cheaper if you opt only for coffee in the room instead of full breakfast.

Instead of spending money on all three meals a day, you can indulge in one great big French meal and preferably lunch. You will be served the same food for dinner for lesser money. For a low price, you can have the prix fixe menu consisting of a starter, main dish and dessert, and sometimes even wine.

Having eaten much in lunch, you can go for cheap pastry and sandwich for dinner. Or if you prefer, you can go for the big three-course dinner and have sandwich lunch instead. Almost all over Paris, sandwiches are very good and usually cost around 3.5 Euros.

Transportation

Paris is well served by good transportation thus, making it easy for you to access to any part of the city. It is easy to get from one town to another as smaller towns in Paris are also linked by good transport system. If possible try to avoid hiring or taking taxis because it is expensive. However, if you are not sure or confident about your specific destination, you can always e-mail the tourism office to enquire about their transportation system.

Follow these tips and you need not ruin your trip or make it too difficult to enjoy your trip to Paris. So, do not miss the opportunity to visit Paris as you only live once.