Be your own travel agent
The website of the Marriott hotel chain has been recognized as the best website in the hotel industry. According to a Customer Respect Group study, it scored 8.8 points out of 10 possible. The simplicity and convenience of navigation, prompt responses, and a high level of confidentiality of all customer data were highly praised. Through the website you can get the full range of hotel services: from car rental to booking rooms with a detailed description of the required service. Through marriott.com you can book a room in any of the 2,600 hotels in the chain worldwide, including Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn and Suites, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites.
How to preserve your shots
According to a study by the International Association of Photographic Materials and Camera Manufacturers (РIМА), at present, most international airports have installed scanning equipment that can damage film. The operation of the devices is based on two technologies: X-ray scanning for baggage and computed tomography for a more detailed examination of items. If any item arouses suspicion in a customs officer, he will turn on a powerful scanning device, the radiation of which can damage photographic film. How to preserve valuable shots? Do not put film in checked baggage and do not carry it through a metal detector. But the best thing is to carry cassettes in a special bag that protects photographic materials from damage.
What is all inclusive
In the papers you receive when buying a tour, you come across many Latin abbreviations that are understandable only to specialists. Here is what the international tourist terms mean:
OB (only bed) - accommodation only
ВВ (bed and breakfast) - accommodation and breakfast
НВ (half board) - accommodation, breakfast, dinner
FB (full board) - accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Al (all inclusive) - accommodation and meals on an all-inclusive basis (breakfast, lunch, dinner, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks of local production)
SGL (single) - single accommodation
DBL (double) - double accommodation
TRPL (triple) - triple accommodation
Suite - accommodation in a suite
Family room - accommodation in a suite with separate rooms
Extra bed - extra bed
Chi (child) - child
Ad (adult) - adult
SV (Sea view) - sea view.
Defects in exchange for concessions
If you want to rent a car, try to deal with large and well-known companies. If for some reason you had to turn to a small rental office, keep in mind that they may provide far from the best vehicle - with a scratched body, leaking air conditioner, and so on. You can demand another car or agree to this one, asking for some concession in return. Agree, for example, that the car be delivered to the airport for free (usually this costs extra money). If you are going to drive more than 100 km per day, and the car is provided with a daily mileage limit, arrange that excess mileage not be counted upon its return.
In Europe, it is better to take Hyundai cars, small, maneuverable and unpretentious cars like the Opel Corsa, Renault Clio, Fiat Panda. With a large car, it is difficult to find a parking spot and park, and maneuvering on narrow and winding streets of old cities or fitting into sharp turns of mountain serpentines is almost impossible.
Fourth deck at the price of the second
The price of a cabin on a ship going on a sea cruise depends on its location (the higher the deck, the more expensive) and on whether it has a window. The cheapest cabins are located below the waterline, above the engine room. The most expensive are on the upper deck, in the outer row, closer to the stern (it is believed that the bow rocks more). The price of a cheap and an expensive cabin differs by an order of magnitude. When purchasing a sea cruise ticket, you should know that you can always get an expensive cabin, but pay much less than it costs.
Travel agents rarely warn clients that the cruise company offers two types of reservation: booking a strictly specific cabin and ordering the best cabin at the time of boarding the ship. What is the second method? Suppose, at the time of purchasing a cruise ticket, you paid for a cabin with a window on the bow of the second deck. This means that you will get it in any case, but if, for example, a cabin with a window in the middle of the fourth deck is free, then it will be given to you for the same money. Firstly, on a cruise ship there is a certain "rubber" reserve, and secondly, any vessel must be manned in accordance with maritime safety rules. Of course, when ordering the best cabin at the time of boarding, it may not be available. But it is worth taking a risk.
Dry rations from the restaurant
The service of a self-respecting hotel (this does not depend on the star rating) includes a service that guests do not always know about. If for any reason (early departure to the airport, excursion, hike) you skip prepaid meals, you have the right to demand a lunch box at the hotel restaurant - a dry ration in the form of a set of products packed in a neat box. Indeed, why burden yourself on the road with finding food if you can get a ready-made lunch legally?
Do not give in to provocation
In the Emirates, one should always remember that a police officer in plain clothes may be next to you. Moreover, to fight crime, the method of provocation is used here on completely legal grounds. If a tourist is seen on the street with a bottle of alcohol during Ramadan, he will get a month in prison. Someone caught by an agent while trying to steal a ring or chain from a counter will get six months. For a sniff of cocaine offered by a secret guardian of the law, they give two to four years. An agent invites a woman of easy virtue to the room - and a lover of "forbidden fruit" gets three to five years in prison for this. Moreover, to convict a person, witness testimony is not required.
Tallinn by card
The most convenient and practical way to get to know Tallinn is to purchase a Tallinn Card - a guest card that provides the opportunity to visit museums, the botanical garden, the zoo, use public transport and participate in excursions for free, as well as count on discounts in shops, restaurants and entertainment venues.
First in line gets to fly
In some cases, airlines sell 3-5% more tickets than the actual number of seats on board. According to statistics, that is the percentage of passengers who do not show up for a fully booked flight. "Why run empty seats back and forth if you can sell them?" - this is the logic airlines follow. Maybe it's right, but what to do when all passengers, without exception, come to board?
Here the law of the sea comes into force: those who arrive last are left behind the plane. Of course, they will be sent on the next flight - but who will guarantee that this will happen the same day, and not tomorrow or the day after. In short, if you know that all seats on your flight are sold (you can check on the Internet or call the airline's information desk), arrive at the airport not two but three hours before departure - and immediately line up at the check-in counter. By losing an hour, you can save a whole day.
Urgency, Spanish style
If, while in Spain, you want to develop a film and print photos within an hour, do not believe the operator who promises to do it on time. Of course, he will take the cartridge and issue a receipt with the note "moment", but in an hour the studio door will be closed. It will not be opened at two or three o'clock - only at five in the evening, not earlier. Siesta is a sacred thing. In Spain, no one would even think of warning you that in the middle of the day everything closes for four hours - it is considered that everyone knows this. It is good if you are given the finished photos only by six. Also be glad if you are not charged double rate for such "urgent" work.
A ticket from abroad
A ticket of a foreign airline purchased abroad will cost about 15% less than the same ticket but bought here. Your foreign friends or relatives should go to the office of the chosen airline, issue a ticket in your name and pay for it. After about a day, information about the purchase will appear in the database of the airline's representative office. After calling and receiving confirmation, you can go for the ticket. To get it, you only need to present your international passport. This discount only applies to tickets purchased not at the point from which you are departing.
Based on materials from the magazine «Вояж и отдых».