Do you consider your impact when you travel for pleasure, work or a combination of both – “bleisure”. Travelling employees go around different places several times a month for business seeing new places and relishing local foods, but do they actually have any idea of how much it would have impacted the planet.  Here are some easy to use tips for green business travel:

• Teleconference:
  Before you plan a business trip and decide if it is actually necessary, check with the client or customer in question if he is okay with a teleconference or a Skype call. If so, a simple tele-or video-conference call can save you a lot of time, expenses, while reducing the adverse environmental impact.
• Take the bus or train:
  If there is any chance of your taking a train or a bus instead of a flight to your destination? If so, it would have a positive impact on the environment.
• Fly non-stop
  When a train is not a choice, fly non-stop; with non-stop travel the emission is reduced by up to 50 percent.
• Schedule back-to-back trips
  If you need to cover a number of cities, try to schedule back to back trips. While this can be a bit taxing, you will save on time and resources by not flying back home halfway through the tour.
• Take public transportation to go around:
  Once you are at your destination, take advantage of public transportation to move around. In some cities, taking the metro or subway can prove faster than a cab dodging through the traffic. Public transportation has improved tremendously in most major world cities and it’s a fab way to travel.
• Get in an Ecocab:
  Most major international cities now have eco cabs and hybrid taxis. If you must hire a cab or taxi, check if it suits your bill.
• Share your ride:
  If you must travel with co-workers, you can plan your travel at the same time in such a way that you can share the ride, be it rental cars or taxi cabs.
• Go for a hybrid rental car:
  If the only option in hand is to go for a hybrid rental car, ensure the associated rental costs lies within a firm’s or organization’s per diem; also, you can substantiate savings claims with reduced gas costs.
• Stay in a Green hotel:
  Green hotels come as an excellent option for business or corporate travel.

Finally, always remember the three phrases that sums up green travel: “reduce, reuse, recycle”.

Hollywood, over the years, has given the world some of the best travel movies. From Home Alone movie series, the biggest and the most exciting travel movie made, to the Scent of a Woman, Hollywood has a few both poignant as well awesomely ‘off da heezie’ travel-related scenes. Here is a compilation of a few Hollywood movies’ cut-scenes related to travel:

1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
   Year of release: 1989
   Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeskbiJjCXI
2. Home Alone
   Scene: In the van with the polka band
   Year of release: 1991
   Director: Chris Columbus
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9wo1_xEuug
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y60bLuV6J8
   Year of release: 2000
   Director: Ron Howard
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLvvkTbHjHI
   Scene: Jack’s flaming sleigh ride
   Year of release: 1993
   Director: Henry Selick
5. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2pu0m9iTo4
   Scene: Two pillows
   Year of release: 1987
   Director: Henry Selick
6. The Polar Express
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cht63QybtiA
   Scene: Train on ice
   Year of release: 2004
   Director: Robert Zemeckis
7. A Christmas Story
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwF4qieecEM
   Scene: Flat tire
   Year of release: 2004
   Director: Robert Zemeckis
8. A Charlie Brown Christmas
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=tvwybofO7UY
   Scene: Flat tire
   Year of release: 1965
   Director: Bill Melendez
9. Scent of a Woman
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itr0jcR0S4s
   Scene: Blind guy driving a Ferrari
   Year of release: 1992
   Director: Martin Brest
10. Elf
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSx4r8Gayb4
    Year of release: 2003
    Director: Jon Favreau

Are we done with it? Definitely not.  We may have missed out on quiet of lot of travel-related scenes from the world of Hollywood. Add more to these if you want. Holiday travel and movies go hand in hand. The above mentioned collection is a starter in this direction.

Safety is the biggest concern when you travel to new places and being absolutely safe is the key. Thanks to a few safety apps that do everything from sending alerts, storing medical information to notifying whether a particular action is covered by insurance or not.

6. Red Cross

From earthquakes to hurricanes to floods, the Red Cross App stands out in terms of allowing one to be prepared for the unforeseen natural calamities.

7. SafeTrek

The App is designed to rescue lives. If you feel unsafe, but can’t take the risk of calling up the local police, you can simply launch the SafeTrek personal safety App, holding your thumb down on the app’s safe button. Release it and enter your security code if you consider yourself unsafe. If you feel safe, do not type in the code and the police will be immediately notified of your location. This app is functional anywhere in the US (at the time of writing).

8. TravelSmart

Built by Allianz Global Assistance, TravelSmart is free and available for use both by Android as well as iOS users. It is packed with a host of helpful features if you are a policy holder, as you can gain complete access to all the information on your insurance policy. This makes it convenient for you to refer what your policy cover and what it doesn’t. And if you are not covered by any insurance, you still have lot more information left to make the most of.

9. Crime and Place

An iOS-only App, the Crime and Place, a paid App, comes with an interesting “Crime Compass” that allows users on the move to quickly view their surroundings. Other features include completely interactive heat map, search capabilities and GPS tracking. Keep tab on the notifications as they would require running GPS on the background, thereby dramatically reducing your mobile’s battery life.

10. ICE

In case of medical emergency, ICE is the safest best. The app keeps a tab of your medical conditions, your doctor’s or physician’s primary contact details and information related to insurance that can be easily accessed even if your phone is locked. You will also gain access to translation in 10 different languages.

What really is certain during travel is uncertainty.  You are lucky if every little thing turns out as planned on paper, though that’s a distant reality. While travelling abroad, your smartphone can turn out to be greatest asset in case of mishap or emergencies. Therefore, don’t forget to load all or some of the apps discussed in the two-part series of the post during your travel.

If you are an employer entrusted with the task of carrying out travel programs for your organization or company, you really have a job cut out for yourself. Be it purely business trips, deal negotiation or attending conferences or seminars, any travel program should factor in the company’s size, culture and available budget and yes, there are some readymade hacks that help you in planning and organizing business trips all throughout the year.

Finalize the budget

You have to be absolutely clear and upfront on the financial side and come out with a realistic budget that will dictate the overall travel decision and planning. Having a planned budget ensures maximum security and that everything falls within manageable monetary terms. Therefore, planning a trip with a definite budget only helps you to travel without any hiccups and hassles.

Save money or tickets

Regardless of your mode of travel, you can save a lot on the ticket prices. This involves booking the tickets in advance so that you can save more by paying less in return. This can be achieved by meticulous, early planning so that you get enough time to book the ticket. Get in touch with us and we will keep you abreast of the best time and cheap travel deals.

Going for TMCs

There are several companies that approach travel management companies (TMCs) nowadays for a handful of cashbacks, reward points, deals, discounts, offers, tailored-packages, freebies and even complementary breakfasts. If you are a looking for a TMC, then make sure you research well and grab a few deals and custom business travel packages.

Keep your passports and paperwork ready

If you’re travelling abroad, ensure you are ready to fly with the updated passport and all the paperworks completed in time to steer clear of last minute confusion and needless hassle.  If you’re managing the trip, you need to keep a tab of the travelling employee’s expiration date and ask him or her to go for renewal if required. Also, ensure if the place the employees are required to travel needs visa or not.

All said and done, planning a corporate business travel program can prove tricky and you need to manage quite a lot of things to selecting the right travel agency, to fixing the date, to planning nitty gritty agenda — these, of course, in addition to making the trip a successful one and that everyone involved has a ball.

Travelling with companions can be rewarding in most cases and sometimes frustrating too. However there are a few things you can always do to make your journey together smooth and stress-free as planned.  So whether you’re travelling as a group or as a couple or volunteering an overseas trip with your kith and kin, remember the reason why you were there in the first place – you like each other, don’t you?

Communication is the key

Communication is the key, like anything else. It matters a lot in finding out your co-traveller’s likes and dislikes; intention of the trip; tour itinerary and changes, if any; planned budget, etc. Pre-planning what and what not to see, well in advance, can minimise surprises and heart burns leading to agony and conflicts. Always remember: no two minds are the same. Communication, and more importantly effective communication with a definite gameplan, can keep everyone happy, positive and comfortable throughout the journey.

Magic of Compromise

As we had already discussed, don’t try to impose your viewpoints on others, especially on the kind of activities people wanted to enjoy.  Have an open mind and embrace diversity, not as a condition or a rule, but something you can use to explore hobbies or unravel new passions. ‘Variety is the spice of life’; why not compromise a bit with your travel companion? Consensus is an important element when travelling with others. Give every touring member a fair chance and you will find him/her to be lot more involved and happy.

Similarly, conceding to go along with your travel partner that he/she is excited about is a good idea. Even if you aren’t interested and the other person is well aware of it, you may be appreciated for having agreed to come along.

Do your own spadework

It is OK to drag an unwilling individual or group to a tourist attraction you really want to go – after all it is a matter of compromise as well! But ensure you do the spadework properly: work out the cost involved, how to reach the destination, how long do you need to travel and how long you would be content spending time there. Hopefully, even the most reluctant audience will become curious and join the party; even if they don’t, ensure you stay positive. You can be a soft target if things don’t go well as planned having convinced people to the trip.

Mix & Match

Once the group is done enjoying your choice of activity, take a look around to see if you can halt somewhere else that others may be interested about. If you show genuine interest in the travel needs of others, your travel partner will appreciate your gesture and this will go a long way in making the travel mutually enriching and inclusive.

Caring for the needs of others

Any travel situation may either involve your close acquaintance (not every time, mind you) or a group of total strangers onboard, and how you deal with the known and the unknown is the key. For instance, if you find a chatty and garrulous passenger seated next to you, it can kind of irritate you. But it can be a good ploy to overcome nerves, especially during the first 10 minutes of take off and ensure the next 10 hours of travel is flattering.

Relax!

Finally, you are there to chill out, and don’t forget that. A lot of time and effort goes into the planning a tour and you must try making the most of it. Remember, it isn’t about showing your muscle; it’s about having an open mind and a positive outlook, and it’s about showing humility and empathy with your fellow traveller or travel buddy. Let trivial matters not take centre stage during travelling. Enjoy your personal space. Yes, by all means (of course) and share some space, when required, with others. How often do we complain about not spending quality time with our best pals? Don’t you think travelling can unite hearts, or may be even heal a broken heart?  Finally, the most memorable holiday experiences are those that come unrehearsed, free and easy. Be appreciative, considerate and optimistic, and rest assured, you’re off on the trip of a lifetime.

Travel folks, here is another bunch of travel blogs and websites for you to get some insightful and handy info and updates on the world of travel. Go on, keep reading.

 11. Fresh Off The Grid

Website: www.freshoffthegrid.com

Description: Founded by a traveller-couple, this is an excellent cooking resource for outdoor enthusiast.

  12. Carnets De Traverse

Website: www.carnets-de-traverse.com/blog/

Description:  Another creative outlet for travel photographers, travel writers and bloggers.

  13. Meraviglia Paper

Website: www.meravigliapaper.com

Description:  An online travel mag aimed at travellers interested in fascinating, unique places with collection of stories, articles and reviews.

  14. Jungles in Paris

Website: www.junglesinparis.com

Description:  Not just another blog on nature and culture. It explores planet Earth in all its glory and diversity covering themes such as culture, craft, wildlife and geography.

  15. Roads & Kingdoms

Website: www.roadsandkingdoms.com

Description:  An award winning website, it is an independent journal of food, travel, politics and culture.

  16. Petite Passport

Website: www.petitepassport.com

Description:  A collection of some of the nicest (design) places on the earth, according to its founder, to inspire travellers around the world.

  17. Huckberry Journal

Website: https://huckberry.com/journal/

Description:  Want to buy some of the coolest travel gear at the best prices online, as well as read inspirational stories, at the same time? Then check this site out to find lot more.

  18.  Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Website: www.mrandmrssmith.com

Description:  Excellent resource in the form of hotel guide books and a website that takes one on a virtual tour around the most sizzling hotels in destinations around the globe.

  19. Camels and Chocolate

Website: www.camelsandchocolate.com

Description:  A traveller-author chronicles the experiences of her extensive travel around the world, with the best of the lot coming from American South and Latin America.  20. Cup of Jo

Website: www.cupofjo.com

Description:  A daily lifestyle site; one of the best blogs for women, you can find everything from fashion, design, beauty, food, travel, motherhood, relationships to lifestyle.

Did we miss a whole lot of other good travel sites? We strongly feel so. The internet is as a big as an ocean. Why don’t you write to us about your favourite travel site? Also, let us know why you like the site; there, of course, must be a reason to do so. We believe you like our collection of travel sites in this two-part blog series, and don’t forget to bookmark them on your browser, so that you may keep reading and keep coming to those sites for more. We will be adding more blog posts to our site for you to make the most of our writings.

As we are approaching the end of another year, we will try to list some of the most popular websites and blogs in the world of travel this year, not in terms of traffic or popular votes, but by offering online audience infotaining and valuable content that would kindle the spirit of travel, adventure and creativity. These travel blogs have inspired travellers around the world to travel safe, smart and with a definite sense of purpose. The experiences shared by the bloggers, mostly hardcore traveller-writers, have proved more than useful in making travel decisions. Here they go… our favourite blogs no traveller can be without.
(Note: We don’t endorse, promote or intend to drive traffic to any of the blogs mentioned below)

1. Scandinavia Standard

Website: scandinaviastandard.com
Description:A unique blog to understand Scandinavian lifestyle in English.
2. Lost with Purpose

Website: lostwithpurpose.com
Description:Started by a backpacking couple travelling full-time, the site takes you to some of the offbeat world destinations.3.This Is The Place I Was Telling You About

Website: thisistheplaceiwastellingyouabout.com
Description:By far the longest web address any blog would have had, the founder-couples who started this blog share their travel stories, and pretty much endlessly!

4. Landcruising Adventure

Website: landcruisingadventure.com
Description:A traveller-couple takes you to the various corners of the world on their vintage Land Cruiser, an ongoing, 15-year long journey, to give readers some delightful stories and awesome photos.5. Culinary Backstreets

Website: culinarybackstreets.com
Description: Hear stories of a city’s foodways bent on a more traditional side of urban culinary life. 

 6. Roam Magazine

Website: roam-magazine.co
Description: A unique, creative outlet for travellers, photographers and travel writers that inspire readers to seize the fleeting moments of travel through words and photographs and explore the marvels of Mother Nature rich bounties.

 7. Melting Butter

Website: meltingbutter.com
Description: A Pinterest-esque layout capturing some of the coolest and gorgeous spots handpicked by curators with real taste.

8. Tiny Atlas Quarterly

Website: tinyatlasquarterly.com
Description: A photography-based lifestyle travel brand and niche social community for travel that is more than life: in their magazine, through products, events and on immersive adventures. 

 9. Our Wild Abandon

Website: ourwildabandon.com
Description: Started by two best pals, it documents their lives on the run and tells stories about the people in their journey.

10. Travel Fish

Website: travelfish.org
Description: An independent travel guide covering Burma (Myanmar), Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Though we have covered a handful of travel blogs and website in this post that we love, we promise to bring you some more in the next part series of the blog. Until then, it is happy travel time from us!

Folks, we promised last time to bring you another post on the most sought-after travel apps across the world to maximise your travel experience. Here are they, waiting to get downloaded or shared by users based on their experience:

 6. Google Translate

The Google Translate, as the name implies, helps you to translate mostly used phrases during travel: using it as a language training tool for serious learning is beyond its scope. Well, nothing can match the practicality of a language learning classroom. As with this app, if you hold your camera up to a text, for example, such as a menu or a sign, it will translate what is required in a flash, making it a much sought-after app for any traveller. Free, iOS and Android

 7. LiveTrekker

If you want to maintain a complete log of your travel details, this is it. You can maintain a detailed track record of your route, where you captured images or recorded a video,  where you were put up or create a micro blog for every trip of yours. Web: livetrekker.com; Free, iOS and Android.

 8. Wolfram Sun Exposure

Are you exposed to the sun’s harmful rays and excessive heat during travel? This app for iOS is just the thing for you to calculate how much sun is too much, with recommendations on which SPF level to apply. It can also help you in calculating the UV forecast based on where you are, or offer useful info on the UV levels for a five-day period. Paid, iOS

 9. Time Out

This is a fabulous directory of ideas of things you’d want to do in cities around the globe. This app covers almost everything you’d require to hang out from hotels, restaurants, bars, events and local attractions, whether you’re in Amsterdam, Accra, Edinburgh or Singapore. This means you don’t have to run around searching for the most popular concerts, cultural fests or one-off events going on around you in a particular place.  Want to tailor make a travel guide for your holiday or book a concert ticket or a restaurant table? This app is for you. Free; iOS and Android

10. Splittr

Are you someone using complicated spreadsheets to jot down and calculate travel expenses? Worse, you must be having a hard time splitting split group expenses on vacations with your friends, roommates or any other activity that involves a group. With Splittr App, you can go on adding your travel expenses that will tell you who is next in line to pay and who owes how much to whom. This app, which can also work offline, allows you to invite your friends, and anybody can enter his or her expenses using a Smartphone device.

We believe the aforementioned travel-related apps covered in this post and the previous one would help you make well-informed travel related decisions and plan your next trip perfectly. Happy travel; the sun is shining down.