Tips for smarter travel
Here are three little-noticed websites that can have a positive impact on your next trip:
Ethical travel
A group of good Samaritans preach the message that we can have a more rewarding trip if we travel to ethical nations. And what is an “ethical” nation? It’s a democratic country that values its citizens, provides them with good health and respect, promotes culture, social welfare, human welfare and human rights. It also protects its environment. And it is a developing country that does not automatically enjoy the resources of more-established nations.
Which nations currently are the planet’s most ethical? According to the Ethical Traveler organization, they are Belize, Chile, Costa Rica, Tonga, Uruguay, Palau, Mongolia, Samoa, Vanuatu and Cabo Verde. For further details and a justification of these selections, visit ethicaltraveler.org.
Cost-conscious cellphones
Most of us pay no mind to the proper use of our cellphones when we travel outside of the country. And the result is that we run up frightening bills that ruin our day when the first notice arrives after we have returned home. An expert in travel technology, Angel Castellano, who appears as a speaker at numerous travel trade shows, has spoken of the simple steps we can take to avoid unexpected cellphone expenses. (He also talks about the proper, costconscious use of other travel devices.) You’ll do yourself a whole lot of good by visiting his travel technology website, Angelstravelounge.com.
Using yoga to improve your travels
It may be that the current times (political and otherwise) are unusually full of anxiety and tension. Whatever the cause, journalist Erica Bray fervently believes that the proper use of yoga and meditation can work wonders with your travel. She cites, as only one example, proper breathing exercises that can assist you with hiking, climbing hills and mountains, and swimming. Go to your favorite search engine, type “Erica Bray,” and read of the many travel-related exercises of this astute observer.
Arthur Frommer is the pioneering founder of the Frommer’s Travel Guide book series. He co-hosts the radio program, “The Travel Show,” with his travel correspondent daughter Pauline Frommer. Find more destinations online and read Arthur Frommer’s blog at frommers.com.