Travel To South America: How To Start

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Travel To South America: How To Start

You set your mind and you’re ready to travel to South America, a magical place of immense beauty where myth and legend continue to walk hand in hand. I’ve traveled 18 months in South America and can give you some tips on how to prepare yourself for an unforgettable adventure.

Common Sense

We all hear the unpleasant stories and South America has a fame of being dangerous. I traveled thousands of miles traversing cities, jungles, islands and mountains. I survived 6 weeks in a street child care center in the favelas of Salvador da Bahía (Brazil) and had the party of a lifetime during carnival. Nothing, I repeat, nothing happened. Use your common sense. Avoid badly lit streets at night and if your sixth sense is giving you the “something is wrong” sign then take a taxi to your destination.

Travel Guide Book

The first thing that you will need is a travel guide book. It will be your best companion in your search for adventure. I can highly recommend Lonely Planet´s South America on a Shoestring
to get you started. The book covers all you need to know to get the most out of your trip and is ideal to plan your journey ahead. I’ve used the guide extensively during my 18 month adventure. They offer excellent separate travel guides of all the countries (besides using the Lonely Planet Shoestring I’ve used their separate travel guides of Peru and Brazil). Their guides are the most popular among backpackers.

Other popular guides are The Rough Guide to South America and the South American Handbook. Ideal, but not practical because you want to travel light, would be to enjoy the adventure with a Lonely Planet and either the Rough Guide or the Handbook.

Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese

The most rewarding thing for me was the fact that you can travel in a huge continent like South America with only 2 languages. Spanish and Portuguese. If you plan to travel just for a few weeks you can invest in a Spanish and/or Brazilian Portuguese Phrase Book. English is not widely spoken and even a basic knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese makes the trip so much more rewarding (they’re extremely willing to help you, so don’t worry, be happy).

If on the other hand you’re planning to travel for a few months I can highly recommend taking a language course. Ideal would be in a school in South America (I took lessons in Quito, Ecuador, and had a private teacher for .50/h).

Walking Shoes

South America’s nature is overwhelming. You’ll walk for many hours day after day. It would be a shame to walk in the footsteps of the Incas with blisters on your feet. My biggest recommendation is to invest in high quality walking shoes with Gore-Tex.

Health Vaccinations

Yellow Fever (if you plan to go to the Amazon Basin), Typhoid (consists of two injections taken 4 weeks apart), Diphtheria-Tetanus, Polio, Cholera (only when necessary), Smallpox

Medical Kit:

Depending on what you plan to do you can include the following:
Antiseptic cream, aspirin, lomotil for diarrhea, antibiotics, throat lozenges, ear and eye drops, antacid tablets, motion sickness medication, alcohol swabs, water purifier, lip salve, foot and groin powder, thermometer (in a case), surgical tape, assorted sticky plasters, gauze, bandages, butterfly closures, scissors and last but not least, first-aid booklet

Note: malaria pills are required in the amazon basin, please be aware that those pills are very b and you should check with your doctor before departure

Traveling Gear

Backpack:

Obviously a high quality backpack is a must. Choose the type that has different compartments that can be opened separately. Very handy if you need something quickly. Travel as light as possible. A heavy backpack is destined to undermine your traveling pleasure.

Clothing:

Depends on where you go. If it’s the mountains and the jungle, get some quality clothing from home. If it’s the beach, buy your t-shirts there (cheap).

Camping and Climbing Gear:

You can rent camping and climbing material in South America but the quality may be questionable. Always check the material. Bring your own gear if possible. I traveled 18 months with my own tent and various camping utensils.

Photography

Pictures are something personal. Some people just want some snap shots, others want to publish in the National Geographic. All my pictures were taken with a cheap Nikon F50 camera. Have a look at some amazing photographs at www.travel-amazing-southamerica.com.

I had two zoom lenses, a 35-80 mm. and a 70-210mm. I also dragged a tripod and an excellent flash with me. I used FUJI slides (100 ASA) but you definitely need 200 to 400 ASA if you plan to go to the jungle. A polarize filter enhances the colours tremendously on sunny days.

Conclusion

South America will embrace you with open arms. It’s nature, people and history are overwhelming. With the right preparation and set of mind you’re ready for an unforgettable adventure.

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Cheap Travel Insurance: How To Save Big Time On Coverage… Starting Now!

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Cheap Travel Insurance: How To Save Big Time On Coverage… Starting Now!

When you plan to travel abroad nowadays, you might be totally surprised how abundant cheap travel deals are being offered both online and offline. That is, if you haven’t contacted your travel agents lately or if you have been hibernating in your own country for years or simply don’t feel the need for traveling. Anyway, the bottom line is that traveling abroad today is not very expensive as it was before.

Surely, it can be the reason for a celebration. But before you start contacting your travel agents for a quick booking of your trip, you have to realize that when travel is being offered at cheap prices, more and more people are traveling. And when people travel, it increases the risk for people getting involved in an accident. It should not be a problem if these traveling population buy travel insurance to protect them in case things would not go as planned. But the bad news is, travel insurance is neglected – the very reason why people lose their appetite for traveling in case something happen.

Normally, when people talk about travel insurance, they are speaking about wings falling off in mid air or plane unable to properly secure its landing gear. Although these kinds of scenarios are possible during travel and need to be taken into consideration for buying travel insurance, there are more minor incidents where you need to be prepared with and be covered like trip cancellation, trip interruption or delay, medical emergencies including doctor’s fee, hospitalization, and emergency evacuation, and property damages and losses.

In addition, the general perception of the travelers with travel insurance is that it is expensive. This causes travel insurance to loose its appeal to travelers. But this thing would stop because like travel fares becoming cheap, insurance are getting the right price it deserves.

And to know more on how to maximize you trip while providing you with peace of mind here’s how to get cheap travel insurance you need:

1. Check online for your cheap travel insurance. Usually, the Internet has more to offer when you are looking for cheap travel insurance. One great advantage of searching here is that you can compare instantly the quotes, different cheap travel insurance sites offer. You can check all the available coverage and single out your best choice. With a little time and work, getting cheap travel insurance is not a hard task.

2. Avoid buying cheap travel insurance directly to travel agents. Instead buy it directly from insurance company. Since travel agents earn big commissions, the cheap travel insurance you though was cheap, it not cheap at all. One more point: you can get travel insurance from travel agents twice as high compared to travel insurance companies.

3. Check your existing insurance. Usually, your home insurance would cover your trips abroad. If it does, identify the coverage you need to have that is not included in your existing insurance. This would give save you a lot.

4. Ask for the cheapest rates. Oftentimes, people tend to settle for the insurance that is suggested by the representative of the company. To get the cheapest rates, all you have to do is ask for it, chances are it would be given to you.

These are some of the best ways you can do if you are shopping for cheap travel insurance. But of course, there is no better way to save is to be careful all the time.

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Travel Deals

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Travel Deals

The world is full of stunning and charming locations which every traveler wants to explore. People generally love to travel with their families, friends and other near and dear ones. So they always put prime importance on the cost of the travel as they always seek to cover a lot of places with a limited budget. Many of the online tour operators arrange discounted travel packages for the benefit of the tourists, especially for those who travel in groups.

Getting information about various tourist spots, tourist operators and their tour packages is very essential. Website like vacationsbesttraveldeals.com facilitates this task. It provides extensive information regarding important scenic locations in Europe, Asia and Africa. Tourists can also gather information about traveling on cruises to various locations which are very cost effective now.

In their quest to earn livelihood, people are hardly getting any spare time to rejoice. Whenever they get any leisure time, they want to utilise it properly by leaving for a trip to tourist destinations. Destination holidays are the perfect one to bring joy and solace to your minds. But sometimes planning and affordability play a major role while determining a place for your destination holiday. There are many destinations all around the world to fulfil your desire. No matter which country you belong to, the communication was no more a problem for you. English is now a global language and is understood and spoken by a large proportion of world population. Till now, people undertake their travels by air.

But we can’t deny the significance of cruises while going from one place to another for our purpose. Many of us love to glide through the ocean on a cruise for their destination holiday when time is not a constraint. On one instance, you may feel that it’s wastage of time to travel for places on a cruise. But on the other hand you enjoy the nature’s real beauty and can enjoy your time while cruising along a luxurious ship.

Many of the shipping companies have introduced their luxurious cruise to the world. These machines are perfect for someone to enjoy the holiday time in a secure and inexpensive manner. You can access those websites online and book your tickets through safe Internet Payment Gateways.

The vacationsbesttraveldeals.com contains guidelines about group travels particularly in Asian regions. Certain groups contain people from different cultural backgrounds. They are unknown to each other at the beginning of the travel. At the end of the trip, you will not only understand a whole new culture, but you will also make new set of friends. Other people choose to travel to Asia in groups of friends. This is especially true of backpackers, where groups of friends travel together. As Asia has so much to offer in terms of learning and traveling, it is a hot spot for group travels.

The website lists some of the important places in Asia for those group travelers. The list includes Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Other less popular areas, like Vietnam and Cambodia, are beginning to climb up the popularity scale with many travelers, including groups.

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Opportunities for Youth Group Travel Tours with Prep Traveler

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Opportunities for Youth Group Travel Tours with Prep Traveler

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
~St. Augustine

Travel can bring you the most memorable experiences, regardless of whether it is just a church outing or a boy scouts romp; or a student tour, and sporting event. Travel is a learning experience, and the best thing to be found in our expeditions, is an honest friend to share it with. Traveling is a quest, which you wouldn’t want to accomplish all alone. Travel, especially for young students, is all about exploring the world together!

Youth group travel fulfills the need felt to isolate oneself from family and companions and go to new places, to be open to new influences and changes. Group travel is all about tapping into the collective intelligence of other like-minded travelers, to take truly memorable trips. However, for a group travel experience that you want to cherish for a lifetime, vacation-planning is necessary. To do all the arrangement and scheduling for your travel group, Prep Traveler is a great pick!

Prep traveler is an online community that acts as your guide, a comprehensive one stop resource for destination information; an open-source portal, where travelers can edit and add information about different destinations, according to their personal experiences. Have a favorite sight, restaurant, or hotel? Irked about long lines, lousy food, or bad service? Express yourself or find out what others think before you go.

Prep traveler tells you about the not-to-miss attractions, facilities, nature trails, adventure spots, shopping arcades to get best deals, cheap travel and accommodation, restaurants and clubs, and anything else, a youth group would be interested in. Prep Traveler will also work with you to structure a fundraising program to make sure that your group receives an excellent value, and achieves desired results. Prep Traveler offers personalized version of travel planning, which is becoming increasingly popular!

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The Tour de France: A Beginner’s Guide

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The Tour de France: A Beginner’s Guide

The Tour de France is an incredibly exciting event that is followed by fans all across the world. However, the Tour de France can also be intimidating to those who aren’t familiar with the sport of cycling, or the race itself. Let’s go over some of the basics, so that you’ll be able to follow this year’s Tour de France with a better understanding of the events taking place!

First of all, the object of the Tour de France is, of course, to finish the overall race with the fastest time. What complicates things is that the Tour de France is a race that is divided up over a period of about three weeks. It’s important to know that the race itself is divided into different parts called stages. Each stage lasts one day, although the stages can be quite long. There are a total of 21 stages, and the complete race is usually well over 1,800 miles (or over 3,500 km) long!

Although the object of the Tour de France is to win the overall race as a whole, each stage is treated much like its own individual race. Winners of stages receive prize money, and winning a stage of the Tour de France is often regarded as a bigger accomplishment than winning other single-day races. The stages themselves can be flat, mountainous, or anywhere in between, and often there are individual time trials that serve as stages. Competitors generally get a couple of days to rest during the race, as well.

If you’ve seen footage of the Tour de France before, or heard others talk about it, you probably want to know what the yellow jersey is all about. The famed yellow jersey is one of four different jerseys that designate that the rider wearing it has achieved a specific feat. The rider wearing the yellow jersey is the overall leader of the race. To determine who has earned the yellow jersey at any point in the race, officials merely take the lowest overall combined time from all the stages.

The green jersey is awarded to the points leader in the race. Points are earned according to passing order at the finish line or in intermediate sprints. For this reason, riders who specialize in sprints are generally those found wearing the green jersey.

The distinctive polka dot jersey goes to the leader of the “mountain classification”, with points being earned according to passing order on mountain stages. Therefore, it is often said that the rider wearing the polka dot jersey is the best climber of the race.

Finally, the white jersey is only worn by riders aged 25 years or younger. This jersey is intended to spotlight the rising stars of the cycling world and the Tour de France. Many riders who wore the white jersey have also gone on to win the coveted yellow jersey in their careers.

There are other awards given during the Tour de France as well. The combativity prize is also known as the fighting spirit award and is awarded by a panel of eight cycling specialists. There is also a team award called the team classification, which is given after adding the times of the top three riders for each team for each stage to get a total time. Riders in teams often assist each other by “slipstreaming” behind one another for better speed, or using other team tactics. Teams are grouped by common sponsors.

It also bears mentioning that finishing straight stages in the top three can earn you bonus seconds, which help you shave precious seconds off of your total time. Also, the final mountain climb of the Tour de France is for double points, which is a great incentive for climbers. The double points were added to the official race rules starting in 2004.

Now that we’ve addressed the basics of the Tour de France, you’ll be better prepared to enjoy one of the world’s most prestigious and historic sporting events. Make sure to pay attention to what’s going on during the races, and you’ll find that it’s not nearly as complicated as it may have seemed. Before you know it, you’ll be cheering your favorite rider on towards the yellow jacket!

PPPPP

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Seeing The Country With Cheap Train Tickets

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Seeing The Country With Cheap Train Tickets

I know that rail travel isn’t fashionable anymore, but I still really enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong – when I have to get somewhere quickly, I prefer to take a plane. Nonetheless, for most of my trips I’m in no particular hurry. I’d rather get a cheap train ticket and take my time getting their than to pay an arm and a leg to travel on a plane.

The great thing about cheap Amtrak tickets is that you can find them at the last minute without a significant increase in price. I travel between San Francisco and Portland a lot, so this is pretty important for me. If I have a long weekend to take a trip down there, I might not be able to find a cheap airline ticket at the last minute. Sometimes, I can save over a hundred dollars on travel by taking the train. Although it takes longer, I still think it’s a good deal. I can relax and read a book on the train, and don’t have to worry about the hassle of security and canceled flights.

You can find cheap train tickets almost anywhere. There are third-party vendors in most regions that will give you discounted tickets if you know where to look. They vary a little bit from season to season and route to route, but often you can get where you need to go for about 50 dollars. In a time where airline tickets can cost 10 times that or even more, this is no small bargain.

Another thing that people don’t think about is, for short distances, buying cheap train tickets makes more sense than flying on an airplane. With the airline, you have to get there two hours early, wait in line, check in your baggage, check out your baggage, and go home. This may sound strange, but flying from Portland to San Francisco only takes a few hours less than taking a train there when things run badly at the airport. Flights sometimes get cancelled, leaving you stranded at the last minute. Trains can be pretty slow, but they always leave in the end. Planes, on the other hand, don’t.

One of the perks of cheap train tickets is sightseeing. I’ve always loved the coastal trip up and down from Seattle to Las Angeles. Sometimes I just take the train to ride it. It can be a great way to spend a week or so, taking short stops along the way and just enjoying life.

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The World Poker Tour – Texas Hold ’em Excitement In Your Living Room

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The World Poker Tour – Texas Hold ’em Excitement In Your Living Room

The World Poker Tour may be best known for its close up, table level views that show the viewer what each player is hiding in his hole cards. It adds an excitement to viewing poker that’s as close to actually playing with thousand dollar hands as possible. But possibly the true excitement is knowing that you can turn off the television at any moment and enjoy your own poker thrill. Whether you’re anteing with one thousand dollars, or one, you can get juiced up over a few hands of poker yourself.

That’s the beauty of poker and of the WPT. Poker is every man and woman’s game. Anybody can learn to play it, and anyone can learn to master it with a little natural talent, an inkling of smarts, and a lot of practice. In fact, many people playing on the WPC started in their basements or parents’ garage, first learning to take money from their friends and neighbors. They eventually worked their way into the casino circuit, or online these days, and then they found themselves under the bright lights of television.

The World Poker Tour is now part of the whole poker phenomenon that is sweeping the country. It airs every week on the Travel Channel on cable TV. It follows the ups and downs of 14 super high stakes poker tournaments, which are located around the world in some of the most famous gaming spots on the planet. The show even has special features like Ladies’ Night and celebrity contests.

The game of choice for the WPT is no-limit Texas Hold ‘Em. This may be far different than the Texas Hold ‘Em that you play at home or watch at casinos. This style of game heats up the action, since the players can bet as much as they like during any part of a hand. The biggest payoffs, and collapses, happen when a player goes “all in,” wagering his or her bet on one hand. Sounds exciting, right. The World Poker Tour is betting that you’ll think so and tune in.

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Taking A Vacation Without Being Taken In By A Travel Agent

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Taking A Vacation Without Being Taken In By A Travel Agent

The travel industry reports profits in excess of .4 trillion worldwide. Travel agents earn a large amount of this money by receiving commissions on flights, hotels, cruises and even rental cars from coastal vacations. Consumers pay these travel agent commissions through hidden fees or other costs for their coastal vacation.

The high costs of travel ground many people who dream of taking a coastal vacation to forget their troubles and everyday life.

Eliminating the commission paid to a travel agent can make a vacation more affordable and attractive to almost anyone. A consumer can save 10 to 25 percent on a coastal vacation if they do not use a travel agent.

Most major airlines eliminated travel agent commissions in recent years. Many travel agencies now make money by charging for their advice for coastal vacations. This “advice” costs anywhere from to an hour.

Yet most consumers still choose this costly option when planning a coastal vacation. According to the American Society for Travel Agents, travel agents book:

* 87 percent of cruises
* 81 percent of tours
* 51 percent of airline tickets
* 47 percent of hotels

Consumers seeking coastal vacations can find an affordable option on their own, without using a travel agent. With money and time, consumers beat travel agents at their own game and enjoy a great coastal vacation!

1. Good research equals good coastal vacations. The adage, “Location, location” rings true when traveling. A room with an Oceanside view means different things at different hotels and travel agents know this. A travel agent knows the best hotels for travelers seeking coastal vacations.

The consumer who looks out his or her window with a clear view of beautiful beach during his or her coastal vacation will return to the hotel annually.

If litter, nudist, dirty water or other unsightly views cloud the vision from the hotel, the consumer remembers this about their coastal vacation (and not too fondly) and will tell the travel agent. Travel agents do not want to hear this kind of news.

Consumers can research their destinations for their coastal vacation and their hotels without paying a travel agent. Online travel sites provide detailed information about destinations, hotels and attractions and these sites do not charge consumers. Consumers act as their own travel agents for their coastal vacations save money.

2. Money means everything! Unfortunately, most people lack the resources to take the coastal vacation they really want and should not give any of their money to a travel agent. Many airlines, hotels and online travel sites list great deals on vacations around the world on their websites. Anyone can take advantage of these coastal vacation deals without calling a travel agent.

3. Travel agents do not know consumers as well as consumers know themselves. Would a conservative Christian want to visit a nudist beach for his or her coastal vacation?

Would an avid angler prefer a beach where that prohibits fishing? Travel agents often make crucial mistakes when booking coastal vacations for consumers because they do not know their clients.

4. Consumers can take advantage of travel agent business opportunities. Consumers with a home-based travel agent business receive discounts they pass on to friends and family.

This gives the consumer the opportunity to take a dream coastal vacation and explore a new career. A home-based travel agent business gives a consumer financial and personal freedom to take as many coastal vacations as they like.

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Real Travel: The Difference Between Traveling And Going On Holiday

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Real Travel: The Difference Between Traveling And Going On Holiday

Now, more than ever, we travel. We pack our suitcases, make sure we haven’t forgotten the sunscreen, stick our passport in our back pocket and head for the door. But so often we take our own little world with us. Working all year round for those precious couple of weeks in the sun, we barely leave the poolside at the hotel where a scrambled egg breakfast is a must and all the other guests speak with the same “normal” accent as we do. What, I ask you, is the point of crossing continents to live life exactly as we do at home?

So what does it mean to really travel? What is the difference between going on holiday and traveling? More than anything it comes down to your state of mind and the reasons you are going in the first place. To travel is to experience, and to have new experiences you must be open to them, invite them. Sometimes this can be difficult, frightening even, as it means stepping out of your comfort zone. It means awkward moments, strange places, strange food and customs and ways of life that seem odd, and often the complete opposite of your own belief system. But isn’t that what makes the world interesting?

So why do it? What is the reward for making all this effort? Why do people go out of their way to travel to strange, hot, dusty, freezing or rainy places to taste odd delicacies made from parts of animals they’ve never heard of, put themselves in uncomfortable, sometimes even dangerous, situations, dealing with the jet lag and the culture shock? The reward is education. The reward is life itself. You might decide you like some of those odd delicacies. You might make some new friends. You will no doubt have some stories to tell, and you will definitely learn something. Your reward will be self discovery, growth, and knowledge. It will be the fact that you braved the world and found out it isn’t so scary after all.

Lonely Planet estimates that by the year 2020 1.5 billion people will be on the move each year. That is over a 6th of the world’s population. The world has shrunk to the point of being a single global suburb. For the more adventurous, this can make travel more difficult, in that cultures are blending at a rapid rate. Countries import not only goods and services, but customs and beliefs. Therefore the human race might eventually become just that: a single race. Great for tolerance, but it would be a less interesting world. So before this happens explore, learn, experience. As the late author James Michener once said: “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home”.

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Cheap Airl Tickets – Flying On A Shoestring

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Cheap Airl Tickets – Flying On A Shoestring

1. If you fly frequently, consider joining a frequent flyer program.

Frequent flyer programs can offer long-term discounts, so don’t always buy the cheapest ticket. Once you factor in the free tickets that you eventually qualify for, you could end up saving money. This is an especially good strategy for those who often fly overseas – how many trips to Singapore would it take to accumulate enough frequent flyer miles to get a free domestic ticket?

2. Check the airlines’ own websites

Don’t restrict yourself to the major airlines. Some regional and national carriers offer cheap airfare. China Airlines, for example, might offer cut-rate airfare to Beijing.

3. Check the online travel agencies

Expedia and Orbitz are among the most popular. Travel agents purchase air tickets at a discount by buying in bulk from the airlines, so they can often offer you cheaper rates than the airlines.

4. Be flexible.

Cheap airfares are often available only on certain days and require you to stay a certain minimum time.

5. Try the small agents in ethnic enclaves.

If you live in a big city and want a ticket to Japan, for example, go to Little Tokyo and check out the small agencies. If you want to go to Rome, check out Little Italy. I have purchased round trip tickets from Los Angeles to Tokyo for as little as US0.

6. Book in advance.

Tickets booked in advance are normally cheaper than last minute purchases.

7. Buy from an air courier service.

Air courier services are companies that buy your luggage allowance in exchange for discounted tickets. Although they are the cheapest tickets available, they are usually reserved for international travel. Please note, however, that you may only bring carry-on luggage.

8. Become a student.

An International Student ID Card will get you lots of places cheap.

9. Offer to pay your way aboard an unregistered cargo plane by cleaning toilets and mopping the deck (bring along a parachute and you can stop anywhere you like – for the very adventurous only!).

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