1. Zurich, Switzerland

(photo credit: whatleydude)

The shopping opportunities at Zurich’s international airport seem to be endless. There are numerous shops that sell duty-free cosmetics, perfumes, tobacco, alcohol, and excellent Swiss chocolate. You can even do your shopping online before reaching the airport and pre-order all of the bargains you want via its website. There are so many shops here that you’d think you were in a shopping mall not an airport.

2. Frankfurt, Germany

(photo credit: uggboy)

The shops in Germany’s Frankfurt airport would cover a total of four soccer fields. It’s the busiest airport in the country and offers just about everything you’d find in a major department store such as colognes, brand-name perfumes, tobacco, and spirits. There are also many discounts and specials throughout the year.

3. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

(photo credit: edbierman)

The lovely airport on Canada’s west coast is an ideal place to shop for Canadian goods. It offers everything from children’s toys to jewelery. One of the most popular shops is the Great Canadian Book Company. There are also some fine souvenir shops and classy boutiques such as Brooks Brothers and Hermes.

4. Incheon, Seoul, South Korea

(photo credit: alberth2)

This is Korea’s busiest international airport and it’s the third-largest in the world when it comes to duty-free shopping behind London’s Heathrow and Dubai. The biggest sellers here are cosmetics, alcohol, cigarettes, and perfumes. You’ll also find the world’s first Louis Vuitton airport shop located here.

5. Miami, Florida, USA

(photo credit: obvio171)

This is recognized as America’s gateway to Latin America and the airport’s been renovated quite a bit in recent years. It’s now spread out over 3,000 acres of total land. Of course, that means there’s plenty of room for shopping there. This is another airport that feels like a shopping center with its world-class stores such as Emporio Armani and L’Occitane. You’ll also find that Sound Balance is pretty popular for technology buffs.

6. Dubai

(photo credit: gadha)

Based on sales, Dubai International Airport has been recognized as the top retail-selling airport in the world for the last two years. The Sheikh Rashid Terminal sells a lot of gold, perfume, and alcohol to travelers. It’s open 24 hours a day for sales and offers over 15,000 square feet of retail space.

7. Amsterdam, Holland

(photo credit: livepine)

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport has long been one of the world’s best when it comes to shopping. It offers a lot of discounts and promotions and you can check out the sale on the airport’s website. The Dutch-related souvenirs are amongst the most popular selling items.

8. Johannesburg, South Africa

(photo credit: abibhattachan)

The OR Tambo airport is widely regarded as the best in all of Africa and that includes its shopping. You’ll find more than 100 outlets here that sell just about everything you could imagine. Some of the most popular items are top-class luxury leather products. The prices are generally quite a bit cheaper than in town.

9. London Heathrow. London, England

(photo credit: eguidetravel)

Heathrow is home to more than 150,000 square feet of shopping space and you’ll be able to find items here in all price ranges. Some of the most popular items are chocolate, skin care products, perfume, and alcohol. There are designer stores such as Dior, Armani, Cartier, and Gucci. There’s even a Harrods store now. Other popular British shops include Paul Smith, Mulberry, Smythson, and Links of London.

10. Hong Kong

(photo credit: coral)

Hong Kong airport offers the SkyMart and SkyPlaza shopping areas where you’ll find a wide variety of goods to buy before your flight. The SkyMart area offers a guarantee on its products assuring you that the prices are lower than the same product in the city.

There are several things you can do to try and keep your luggage as secure as possible at all times. It does not take long for thieves to strike; so you have to keep an eye on your belongings as close as you can.

You need to use your common sense when traveling. This means don’t ever leave your luggage alone. If a thief doesn’t get a hold of it, there’s a good chance the airport security time might and then confiscate it. Don’t allow anything to distract you at places such as airports. Thieves often work in pairs and while one of them is engaging you in a conversation or distracting you somehow the other one simply wheels away all of your valuables.

And speaking of valuables, you should really keep your most valuable items with you at all times and take them in your carry-on luggage if you have room for them. The same goes for medications and things such as eyeglasses, contact lenses, and wallets. If you’re traveling with somebody else, make sure one of you is watching the luggage at all times. Take turns going to the bathroom and other places. If you’re on your own, there’s no choice really other than taking your luggage with you to the washroom.

Even the most innocent of procedures could see you lose your valuables. For instance, when you place your belongings into the airport scanner, make sure you keep your eye on the conveyor belt when your items reappear. You should also make sure the person in front of you doesn’t scoop up any of your items while they’re waiting for theirs.

As well as locking your checked luggage you may also want to place cable ties or plastic strips around them for added security. Airport security will be able to cut through them if they need to check your luggage, but if they don’t, it’ll make it harder for thieves to get at your belongings and will hopefully deter them. You can also make things more difficult for them by shrink-wrapping the luggage. This is also an ideal way to protect your bags from damage.

Hard shell suitcases that lock with latches are generally more secure than cases with zippers. Crooks won’t be able to slash the casing either as they can with soft-style luggage. Your luggage may also be taken from a conveyor belt by mistake. This happens because many suitcases look alike. It’s a good idea to put something on your cases that make them easy to identify, such as a sticker or unique luggage tag.

If you are packing valuable items, make sure you hide them. For instance you can place a small camera inside of a show or sweater and small jewelry can be mixed in with your personal hygiene bag. If anybody’s looking through your suitcase quickly there’s a good chance they won’t find these items. Another good idea is to make an inventory list of your packed luggage. This will enable you to quickly identify anything that’s missing after being handled by the airport staff.

Baggage insurance can also let you travel with the knowledge that if anything does happen to your belongings they’ll be covered under the policy. Of course, suitcase locks can only help so much. If somebody really wants to get into your luggage a lock isn’t going to stop them as they can simply just take your suitcase with them. This is why it’s essential to never let it out of your sight.

Pack Less

Well, you have a lot more to handle besides your luggage! Your kids are your first priority to carry (incase of infants) so carry lesser or lighter bags. While you pack, stuff in only those things which you would really use on the trip. And pack your child’s stuff into another bag so that it gets easier to search things during an emergency. Your child’s luggage would certainly include many set of clothes, medication, food, toys, shoes and all his favourite things. You can’t afford to miss out on what your child needs, thus make a packing list before you fly.

Before you leave

Make sure you don’t leave any of your work pending. Pay off all your bills, consult the doctor about your children’s diet and medication, clear your doubts with your travel agency, register with an international calling company and last but not the least make time to say goodbye to your loved ones before you leave home.

Accommodation

Once you reach, it would be tough to find a hotel room if you haven’t done a prior book, especially if the place is a holiday spot. So plan your hotel well in advance with your travel agent. Check for it as per your budget and something in the heart of the city so that you can explore around easily. Remember to carry mosquito nets for baby beds as most hotels don’t provide you with the same.

Keep in touch

Once you have arrived with your kids, your family and friends would be concerned about you. Get in touch and give them an assurance that you are safe and so is your child. You should obviously have a international calling service that could help you to make free calls.

Activity list

Before you go, prepare a list of possible activities depending on the climate and length of time you have in the new place. Accordingly, take your kids to interesting places such as zoos, museums, entertainment zones etc. Don’t miss out the excitement and fun at amusement parks and gaming centers. Don’t bore them by shopping all day long or just sitting in your room. And yes, do carry their story books and board games to enjoy the same at night hours.

 Food and Water

 When eating in countries, always eat at busy places where the turnover of food will be fast. Else a healthy option could be, let your kids have packed food or take them to eat-outs which are immensely hygienic. Don’t take a chance when it comes to drinking water. Let your kids have bottled or boiled water only.

Stories of holding it in and the legendary length of hostel loo queues abound – not to mention cautionary tales of searching for the gents in the basements of Berlin nightclubs.

When you finally get to the ladies or gents, you might find yourself faced with something unfamiliar. While your bog-standard Western toilet is to be found across the world nowadays, there are still variations on the hole-in-the ground which are widespread across the water.

Before we take a look at the potty possibilities below, here’s a bit of advice that will always applies: make sure important documents and your travel money are secured somewhere, not just loose in your pocket. If those suckers fall into a foreign sewer, you’re not going to get them back – and better be privy to your travel insurance details…

Trough Toilets (Japan, China)

Sometimes no more than a gutter in the ground, sometimes with partitions for a semblance of privacy, this experience requires you to straddle the channel and go. Unless you get to the front, you’ll be party to other people’s effluence as it flows beneath you.

Squat Toilets (Asia, France, Turkey)

While they’re not common in the United Kingdom, this kind of commode will be familiar to Asians or mainland Europeans. Many people like them because they say it’s more hygienic than sitting on a loo seat; even if you’re sceptical about that, it will give your thighs a great workout.

Because using them requires a yogic mastery of muscles: you must suspend yourself over a shallow ceramic dip by gripping two handles, leaning back and suspending yourself in a semi-crouch. While your limbs must be tensed to support your weight, you must be relaxed enough to actually go. It can be very tricky for a first-timer; so make sure everything’s tucked out of splash range before you start.

DIY Flushers (Thailand)

Similar in some respects to its sibling above, the Thai toilet (or ‘thailet’) lacks handles, instead giving you enough room to balance in a crouch directly above the ceramic dip. It’s also recognisable for the trough of water and bucket that’s always in its vicinity: this is the flush mechanism. In order to push your waste down the delicate Thai pipes, you must pour a bucket of water down after it (handy tip – if you have something that won’t shift in a regular toilet, this trick will also work).

Splashers (Asia, North Africa)

These look deceptively like Western toilets – but they conceal a surprising secret that’s either unpleasant or pleasant depending on your outlook (and position). Rather than having you go to the trouble of cleaning yourself off after finishing, these hi-tech thrones double as bidets and will squirt a jet of water over your nether-parts. Sometimes it’s quite high-pressure, so forewarned is forearmed.

Wherever you’re going, remember to celebrate a unique toilet experience when you find it! Immersing yourself in a new culture is a huge part of the fun of travel – whether it’s learning a few words in a strange language, getting caught up in a national festival or doing the deed like the locals do, nothing highlights the beautiful, life-affirming diversity of the planet than experiencing small but pungent nuances in universal habits.

Hong Kong is speedily becoming one of the most desirable tourist destinations with its high-fashion shops and growing business reputation, and it has some fantastic hotels to match.

City Base Apartments offer a luxurious stay in the heart of Hong Kong’s sights and attractions; but this is definitely a city which needs to be seen from above.

So with that in mind, take a look at The Garden View Hotel, which features floor-to-ceiling windows in every room offering panoramic city views, breath-taking by day and by night.

Visiting Chicago? Well consider The Trump International Hotel and Tower; the ultimate in hotel luxury. With 92 storeys of stainless steel and iridescent-tinted glass;this hotel is built around its spectacular views, and they certainly won’t disappoint.

Situated smack-bang in the middle of all the tourist action, the Trump Tower is just a stone’s throw away from the best this city has to offer, making for some incredible sights.

New York has so many sights and attractions that sometimes, you don’t have time to see them all. Well, if you booked into the Mandarin Oriental, you’d see them all in one night. You can choose a room based on what it’s overlooking, so you can take your pick between the Manhattan Skyline, Central Park, or the George Washington Bridge. For an incredible experience, book a room which overlooks the Hudson River, and watch the sun fall down all whilst relaxing in the comfort of your own luxurious space.

There are Mandarin Orientalhotels all over the world, and they offer a truly magical experience in their Tokyo build.Their hotel rooms are some of the largest in Japan, and these are made larger still by their surrounding glass windows. You’ll feel like you’re suspended in air as you indulge in all this hotel has to offer; including its Michelin star restaurant.

No one takes city views as seriously as the Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel. Sitting high above the Marina Bay, the Pan Pacific isn’t a stay for those afraid of heights. This hotel features a glass lift which looks out over the city as you ascend, and remote-controlled drapes in every bedroom so you can wake up to the stunning city views every morning.

Staying in a hotel with panoramic views like these will ensure you see a side of the city that will astonish you, and create memories which you’ll never forget.

Traveling on a budget is a wise way to make sure that you won’t spend more than you can afford to. Nonetheless you shouldn’t take it too seriously. Traveling means nothing in case you can’t enjoy it.

On the other hand, it is always good to help the local communities by spending a little in every location.

There are some travelers who sleep in bus stations, buy nothing, eat boiled rice and prefer to travel on the top of the bus just to save money. Where’s the fun in that?

Giving money to beggars is also a common mistake made by tourists.

Although their majority wouldn’t give money to children at home, they feel some kind of guilt when being abroad.

Just as it has been presented in the movie Slumdog Millionaire, the chances for the children to see any use of this money are very small.

In case you would like to do something nice for the local society, you would rather make a donation to an organization that handles children through offering them food, shelter and some level of education.

Traveling for a long period of time doesn’t really seem to be wrong, but after a while you might see that the whole experience has lost its magic. You start to get annoyed by certain aspects of traveling and the language barrier can also gain importance.

In case you start getting really grouchy and you can’t remember the last time you said anything nice about the location that you were visiting, then it is a sure sign that you should be heading back home.

Is anything worse than a tourist or traveler that thinks that he or she knows everything? No matter how many lands you have seen, you may have to face cultural shocks, and before heading to a new location you should make some researches regarding the local culture.

There are some mistakes that people make unwillingly, such as not dressing accordingly or acting in a manner that isn’t accepted by the locals.

Although it is a good thing to respect the traditions of the location in question, never take things too far. It is alright to learn new customs, languages and ways of behavior, but it may be too much if you make the other culture your own.

For example in case of wearing a traditional dress there will be some rules that you have to respect, rules that you would have never encountered if you wouldn’t have worn the dress.

If you consider yourself an experienced traveler, then for sure you know that no matter how much work you put in planning the trip, things will never go according to plan. There are some events that will affect your plans and there is nothing you can do about them.

You don’t have to sit down with someone else and plan out a trip where you’re constantly having to compromise on every decision. There’s always something that gets left out of the mix.

It’s a very ambitious task because every detail and plan is totally up to you. You might want to think about keeping a planner or notebook to keep track of all of your flight info, destinations, names of hotels, and reservations. You have the added risk of forgetting something and slipping up but traveling isn’t about sitting at home. It’s about getting some much needed adventure and change from the hum-drum routine.

It doesn’t matter where you’re going. There’s always something to do. If you’re traveling to a city, go to its website and see what the place has to offer. The Web is the best tool for traveling because it can get you up to speed on all the exciting destinations and the coolest nightspots.

If you’re going on a cruise, then make sure you’re taking all inclusive holidays. Read the fine print because there are often many hidden fees with cruises like meals, entertainment, and tipping.

There are negatives to traveling alone. You’re more of a target or mark. No one else is there watching your back but don’t let it stop you. Just make sure you’re being careful and remember that if you’re ever in a situation where you don’t feel right about something, then don’t do it. Trust your instincts.

Traveling alone can almost be a religious experience. You’re given total freedom of the experience and you’re more likely to do things you wouldn’t normally do. Solo travelers are more adventurous because they’re not tempered by what the other person wants or doesn’t want. Don’t look at traveling solo as a negative. Consider it a freeing experience where you can taste life like you never have before.

There are things you need to consider before taking any trip. The flight company should be chosen very carefully. There are companies, which offer the very best for people that are mobility challenged.

For instance, before making any reservation, just call the airline and inform yourself about the offers. You also need to tell them that you will need a wheelchair, so they will have to meet you at the drop-off point outside.

Certain flying companies are allowing the so called escort passes for family members, who can accompany and help you. Don’t forget to request a manual security check from the company, in case your travel companion can’t walk through the security.

The modern companies are paying a lot of attention to people that are mobility challenged and you will probably be escorted by an airline employee, who will help you on your way to the plane. Usually people with disabilities are allowed to board first.

The experts recommend avoiding connecting flights, for they are usually a physical challenge. This is a good way to minimize the cancellations and the lost baggage.

The choice of the airline is one of the most important choices during your trip, so think well and find the most adequate flying company.

The hotels should be booked very carefully. Many hotels provide special care for the disabled people, but research online before making any reservation.

Going into another country is filled with challenges, so try to find the right hotel that can send an employee to pick you up from the airport and bring you to your hotel. Book a special disability room, for it will guarantee no stair climbing.

The elevator access is also important, so ask before booking the hotel. The room should be equipped with a bathroom with low sill. This way you don’t have to climb over a high bathtub rim.

The special assistance should be provided from the hotels and it should include a guide, an assistant or a special escort for your walks in the city.

Don’t turn your back on the U.S. Government program, which provides a special assistant for people with disabilities; so you can travel with your personal assistant. This will surely make your vacation better and easier.

Don’t take any trips, if you have medical issues and you didn’t consult with your doctor. If you are choosing to travel with an agency, make sure you are researching more info about the agency.

The travel insurance is a must have, no matter where are you going. Booking a hotel can be an issue too, because if you are doing it online, you should find a hotel with a good reputation.

Traveling in another country is a challenge, but checks well the hotels and the destinations. The first time travelers should avoid dangerous destinations.

Don’t turn your back on a travel guide book. It’s your first time as a traveler; therefore the guidebook is very necessary.

Flying can be problematic, if you didn’t choose well your flying company. If you are flying on a budget, choose low-cost carriers.

If you are using a travel agent, he is the one who should book a low-cost or discount flying companies. Don’t ignore the advantages of the package deals.

There are many affordable package deals that include air, hotel, sightseeing’s and shows. In case you are planning your trip at least two months before, you will get great discounts.

The last minute packages are very affordable, but they require ready documents and medical insurance. Travelling outside of the country is charming, but you need to get all the info about the destination you are going to visit.

In case you are heading to Europe, you need to know that some countries require Visa, otherwise you can’t enter them.

The general advice for first time travelers in another country is to choose a country, in which there is an American embassy. Don’t start your trip before taking the numbers of the embassy. The local police numbers are important too.

In Europe the number is 112, but if you are traveling in some exotic place you really need to find out the number of the police services. Don’t fly without having the numbers of your hotel and the flying company.

Taking a taxi in some country may be a dangerous experience, especially if you don’t know the language. Therefore, try to travel with the public transport in the country. This way your trip will be even cheaper.

Traveling to even well-developed regions around the world, particularly for several months or even years can be very challenging.

Certain events and experiences can possibly have negative impact on your health and make you suffer injuries when you are far away from home.

Here are few CDC recommended measures for students traveling abroad.

• Consult your healthcare provider and make sure that you take necessary vaccinations for infectious diseases like influenza, measles, etc. Know more about the most common infectious and contagious diseases at your destination and prepare well with essential preventive measures.
• Take necessary suggestions from your doctor to stay away from allergies and ensure that you maintain proper hygiene to prevent various health problems.
• Be aware of complications related to alcohol and drug abuse. Stay away from the bars and other susceptible places that can make you more prone to predators.
• Not only female travelers, even male travelers are not advised to travel alone at nights. Never leave your living place alone after it is dark. If it is very important, seek company of your friends or other safe persons. Always travel with crowd or at least pairs when you are going to a completely new place.
• Be aware of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like HIV and try to stay away from unhealthy or unsafe sexual activities to avoid STDs and related health problems.
• Learn more about the places you are going to visit or stay prior to your travel date. Make sure that you are aware of health risks at your destination and where to consult if you have any health problem. Ensure that you know what to avoid and what to include for staying safe at new place.
• Don’t forget to take medical insurance and ensure that you carry all papers along with you. Check with your medical insurance company regarding overseas coverage.
• Ensure that you are aware of local laws and customs of the destination and avoid being targeted for crimes. If necessary or in an emergency, contact that particular country’s embassy as soon as possible.

Students traveling abroad should follow these essential measures to ensure safety and make their trip successful.