Long Journey Diary

Before you can experience authentic Spanish tapas, piazzas in Rome or rooftop terraces in Prague, an important to-do list stands between you and your European vacation. The logistics involved in planning a trip to Europe may seem tedious or overwhelming, but the more prepared you are, the greater your chances of a successful trip that lives up to your expectations. That's why it's important to do a bang-up job creating an itinerary, arranging transportation and tackling the brass tacks before you're off to the Continent. The following simple steps will help you engineer a well-planned escape to Europe -- so you can spend less time worrying about your travel arrangements and more time staring at pictures of castles and men in kilts. 1. Get your documents in order. If you don't have a passport, it will take at least four to six weeks from the time of application for you to receive one. Expedited services can trim the process down to two or three weeks, but it will cost yo...

Ever noticed how some folks make the toughest trips seem like a leisurely walk in the park? We'll wager that nine out of 10 times, those travelers created a near-perfect itinerary before they even started packing. Modern itinerary-making tools, from websites to mobile apps, allow travelers to build colorful trip timelines and share their travel plans with loved ones. But the ability to engineer an effective, seamless itinerary requires more than just bells and whistles -- and well-laid travel plans are an integral component of any successful trip. So what's the secret to creating a great itinerary? After you've snagged a solid airfare deal, arranged for a car rental and even managed to  pack light , there are some less obvious -- but equally important -- tactics you can use to put together a seamless trip. Be Realistic Sure, you'd like to milk your trip for all it's worth by booking a red-eye flight and then scheduling a full day's worth of activities on day one...

Some people swear that travelling with no plan other than buying a one way plane ticket is the only way to travel. But if you’ve landed on this website it’s likely your interested in being a little more organised than that. Like us you like to have a plan, you like to know where you will be resting your head each night, what time the train leaves for your next destination and what are the main  things to see and do  in that destination. To do this you need to build yourself an itinerary. A rough blow by blow that will help ensure your trip goes smoothly and that you make the most of your precious time away. There are many online tools and apps around these days that allow you to put together an itinerary that I’m sure all work great. But today I’m suggesting you use our  Travel Planning Template  which you can get free by subscribing to our newsletter. Our  Travel Planning Template  is an Excel spreadsheet that we’ve been using to effectively plan our ...

Travel is full of major decisions -- like which country to visit, how much to spend, and when to stop waiting and finally make that all-important airfare purchase. But beyond the big picture, it's the little things that can make a trip easier and less stressful. Following are 10 simple but clever tips to smooth the way on your next vacation. 1. Park with your car nose out.  In the rush to catch the parking lot bus, it's easy to leave an interior light on; I'd guess that more travelers I know have had dead batteries at an airport than in any other situation. If you return to your car to find a dead battery, broken windows due to thievery or any other potential problem, you'll want your car to be parked nose out for easier access to the battery, or for an easier hook-up to a tow truck. 2. Leave time to get to economy lots. As airports expand, they need more parking spaces; those spaces are ever more frequently found in parking lots that are off-airport in every respect bu...

Chennai or Madras is home to many historic landmarks and buildings, ranks second to Kolkata of Indian heritage buildings. The city has many tourist places to visit and attractions such as Breezy Beach,National Art  Gallery ,Chennai Central Station, Chettinad Mansion,Valluvar Kottam,Besant Nagar Beach,MGR Memorial and Marundeeswarar Temple. Day 1 – Marina Beach On your first day, visit the world famous Marina Beach along the Bay of Bengal is the longest natural urban beach in India and world’s longest beach. Visit the near by historical White Town Fort St. George and famous Kapaleeshwarar Temple of Lord Shiva,located in Mylapore. Marina Beach Fort St. George Kapaleeshwarar Temple Day 2 – Parthasarathy Temple The Parthasarathy Temple is one of the oldest structures in Chennai city and the temple is dedicated to the god Krishna. Day 2 also include  city tour  of Chennai with San Thome  Basilica ,Vadapalani Andavar Temple and Valluvar Kottam. Parthasarathy Temple San Tho...

Traveling often seems like a series of to-do lists, from the pre-trip planning process (book flight and hotel, call credit card company, stop the mail, pack) to selecting the activities you want to experience once you arrive in your destination. But what about after you get home? Some of us do nothing but slump exhaustedly on the couch for a day or two after a trip, while others leap immediately back into their daily life as though their trip never even happened. Why not find a happy medium? The following list of what to do after traveling will help you save money, stay healthy and savor the afterglow of your trip for just a little bit longer. 1. Check your bank and credit card statements. While this is good advice for anyone at any time, it's particularly germane to travelers. As Ed Hewitt notes in 11 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft While Traveling, "Identity theft is a growing problem worldwide -- especially for travelers, who are very vulnerable, forced as they are to use un...

There's a smartphone app that generates a map of the nearest public bathrooms when you're desperate for a place to squat. There are countless travel review sites offering first-hand critiques of anything with a front desk and a bed. There's even a website dedicated to globetrotting canines,  BringFido.com , that features dog-focused travel guides and a compendium of dog-friendly beaches. In today's world of information overload and species-specific travel tips, it's easy to forget about the most fundamental (and free) means of improving our travel experiences. You don't need a smartphone or a computer to positively change the way you travel. Below are five refreshingly simple ways to make the most of your trip and pull off a more enjoyable, less stressful vacation.  1. Slow down. A surefire way to turn any vacation into an epic wreck is by crafting an itinerary with too many activities -- or by not making an itinerary at all and simply expecting to see and do wa...