September 23, 2009

Long Distance Driving Tips

1. Get a map and plan your trip in advance

Quality road map is a must have for everyone even if your car comes with built-in GPS. Because a map is always on, it’s portable, it’s cheap and it’s the best trip planning tool in the World. Get yourself a map and become familiar with your route.
You may print out the route from Google Maps or Yahoo Maps.
Got map? Make notes of the departure and destination points. Calculate distance and travel time. Determine how much your trip will cost. Include the following expenses in a budget: fuel cost, food and drinks costs, and payment for a night’s lodging.

Many websites calculate distance and travel time.

Find out where gas stations, hotels and outlets are. Calculate distance between gas stations and places you want to stop by. Make sure you’ll have enough fuel to reach all points.

Make sure your accommodations are arranged. Nothing can spoil a trip like the “No vacancy” sign.

2. Prepare your car

It’s time to prepare a car. Refuel your car before a trip. Wash and vax the car – it increases the aerodynamics and affects the fuel consumption. Check car oil level. Without the proper level of oil car’s engine is put under risk. Check the tire pressure and add air as needed.

3. Plan your outfit and pack a bag

Unfortunately people forget about travel outfit, but comfortable dress and footwear can turn long distance driving to dream travel. And don’t forget sunglasses.

Make some healthy low-nutrition snacks and buy water for your upcoming trips. Avoid burgers and soda. They are not good for your stomach and will cause additional stress. 

Pack a bag. Don’t forget toothpaste, toothbrush and deodorant. You may also take a small towel.

Charge your mobile phone, GPS, iPod, laptop, and other gadgets. Pick car charger with you.

4. Sleep and eat well

Driving is stressful. That’s why you have to sleep and eat well a day before your trip. Avoid parties at all costs. Don’t drink and do not smoke too much. Your mind has to be clear. Don’t take sleeping pills. Remember, they may cause dangerous side effect - sleep-driving.

Bon voyage!

September 8, 2009

7 Cyprus car hire tips



  1. Cypriots drive on the left side of the road. Be ready to face challenges if you drive on the right side in your country.
  2. Find several car hire firms. Compare prices and services before renting. Usually small local family car rentals offer better prices, good cars and full insurance.
  3. Always ask about discounts, coupon codes and special offers. Many car hire firms have agreements with airlines, hotels, water and amusement parks.
  4. Inquire about pick up locations. Usually Cyprus car rentals operate everywhere in the island. Some major companies have offices at Larnaca and Paphos airports. And mostly all companies can deliver car at the hotel or other location.
  5. Ask if car you want is available. Sometimes booking websites contain obsolete info.
  6. Inquire about car and life & health insurance. It's better for you when insurance covers everything.
  7. Never rent convertible in Cyprus. You will be burned.
Photo by mamchenkov

September 1, 2009

Things to consider when choosing car rental service


The car rentals are used by a lot of people for various reasons. More often than not, people require the car leasing for a substitute motor vehicle for a small period of time. For this reason, group doesn’t in point of fact rent cars on a normal basis and are thus ill-mannered of the pros and cons of the car rentals.

There is essentially no requirement of having whichever personal auto insurance if you want to a car. On the other hand the car rental services typically ask if you are attracted in buying the insurance for the time you rent the car. But if you previously have a personal insurance policy, you need to confirm with the agent in order to see if you are covered for the car rentals. If you do possess coverage, there is absolutely no need of buying some another plan from the specifical car rental company.

It is obviously necessary to possess a valid driver’s license when intending to rent a car. There are in addition several companies that set aside your vehicle with a key credit card at the same time as you can compensate with cash if you prefer that. Another thing to remember when you approach the car rental services is the fact they don’t rent any car to a person that is not yet 25. Consequently if you are immature, you will need to have an older relative or friend to sign the agreement on your behalf.

Pay attention at confirming their rates in order to know the period of charging. It is at all times a good alternative to make some research and compare more than a few car rental services in order to find out the best deal. At the time you pick a car, be certain that you have your private formalities and the auto policy with you. Read the contract and clear any reservations before signing it.

Photo by rockinfree

August 29, 2009

Convertible Rental Tips


The convertible cars, with tops which are supposed to be folded down or even removed, have at all times been connected with glamour and they are very fashionable in the middle of celebrities. When it comes to day by day life, an increasing number of people are searching for convertible car rentals when on holiday. The feeling of enjoying the sun and the wind blustering through your hair is truly amazing.

When speaking about renting a convertible car you need to search a car rental company which will offer these kinds of cars and put your name down for in advance of your journey. There are an amount of conventional car rental companies that are providing these kinds of cars, but you need to look around and be certain that they have your favorite car on offer. Keep in mind that more luxurious models of cars might have stricter obligations on the persons that can drive them, such as higher insurance premiums or your age.

If you are a person that is driving the rental car for the very first time there are a lot of car rental companies that transport straight to the hotel or airport where you are staying at. On the other hand, you might find that there exist more reasonably priced deals as you go out of the airport and try to book at a leasing company in close proximity.

Speaking about paying for your car, you might be charged a set fee for the amount of days you are renting the car, in addition to a payment for going over the set boundary of miles. Doing some research online may help you to finding great deals, so try to do some searching ahead previous on booking. Selecting convertible car rentals will guarantee you having the most relaxing and enjoyable trip ever.

Photo by hisgett

August 26, 2009

Luxury Car Rental Tips


A growing amount of people travel today as compared to the last decades. The competition amongst the companies in order to achieve the business purposes resulted in improved heaviness on the executives for traveling. To effectively manage their money and time, a lot of executives choose to rent a car while they are traveling from one city to another. The majority business executives and the leisure travelers search for safety and comfort. The luxury car rental companies offer the answer to those needs.

There are several car rental companies that may help the clients rent any vehicle model of their choice. The rental cars are obtainable as a substitute for a charge for a set number of hours or even days.

The price range for the luxury car rentals is truthfully extensive and it depends on the car model the brand value of the cab rental company, the price and demand for the model. An effort is made below to wrap example trends existing in the cab rental marketplace. The car rental agencies offer superb cars ranging from Volvos to Hummers on rent for persons who are searching for exclusive vehicles.

It is highly recommended that the clients make use of the yellow pages the online web sites in order to locate a dependable luxury car rental company. It is necessary to make sure the luxury car rental agency that you have chosen has accessibility of their favored car model and at the preferred price range. The majority of car rental companies necessitate for their customers to be over 25 years of age and to possess a valid driver's license. At the same time as individuals under 25 years of age can in addition rent a luxury car, their day by day rates will be superior, if they are accepted as clients. The car rental companies distinguish theirs age group as a high-risk category.

Photo by julie3jax

August 24, 2009

Travel tips for pregnant women


For the majority of pregnant women, as they gradually advance into their pregnancy even a simple thing may become a project. Travelling is one of these things. It is extremely significant at every phase of the pregnancy that if you desire to take a trip by train, car or even plane to talk to your physician and get his or hers opinion. You may not believe that wandering while expectant is an important thing, but it can be so because your body requires particular things while you are with child. Here are some hints on traveling while pregnant.

One very imperative thing is to carry water with you at all times. The pregnant women need to drink plenty of water in order to be proper hydrated. Sometimes when we take a trip we don’t keep in mind that but at all times carry extra juice or water with you. If your trip is long, make certain that you at all times have an extra water bottle as backup. Another good tip for pregnant women is related to this. Be certain you know where all the bathrooms are. Depending on the stage of your pregnancy, you will have more heaviness on your bladder and you will need a bathroom more often.

Pregnant women need to eat more often than others. You should carry some snacks with you, particularly if you are in your first trimester. The morning sickness can happen at any time so you should keep some crackers on hand or perhaps gum in order to fight off the nausea. You have to maintain your blood sugar at a regular level during your pregnancy and it is significant to keep up your vigor.

If your trip is long, it is at all times a good idea to take a copy of your prenatal checkup records. It is a measure of security and you want to be ready at all times. Most expectant women don’t think about but it is really a good idea.

Photo by jefield

August 19, 2009

10 Tips For Safe Driving


Although travelers are anxious typically about crime, poor driving skills create the maximum danger when travelling. Luckily, safe driving skills may be learned quite easily.

It is rather harder to unlearn the bad habits, but by following several driving "rules" you can move into the expert class of self-protective drivers that avoid both traffic fines and accidents. This safe driving techniques may indeed save your life.


1. You should keep the eyes continuously moving

Most drivers build up a nearly magnetic stare at one point on the road in front of them. Some others stare at the line located between the lanes. As a substitute, your eyes should be continually moving on the road and to the both sides.

2. Keep the eyes to the rear view mirrors

You should keep your eyes moving down and up the road in the back of the car. A driver must at all times know what is happening following the car and its sides.

3. You should always leave yourself an out

At all times, try to lay your vehicle in a place where your safety is not determined by any other driver. Take control over your safety.

4. Be certain that all the other drivers can see you

You should on no account suppose that another driver will do something unless you are certain he or she will do so.

6. Maintain the average traffic speed when on freeways

A car going slower than the other traffic sets up too numerous opportunities for crashes on the highways. Use another type of road if you like slow driving.

7. Respect the weather

People from the cold countries are aware of the importance of caution in snowy or icy conditions. In many cases, they have the knowledge of handling these.

8. Sleep well

You need to remember that your time of reaction and driving skills get worse when you are tired or when you get older. Driving with no previous sufficient sleep is extremely dangerous.

9. Sunglasses

Wear sunglasses when the weather is very hot and the light powerful.

10. Baby seats

Remember to always use the children seat while travelling with babies. In no situation you should keep a child under 12 in the front seat.

Photo by crincon

August 17, 2009

How to entertain children while driving


Traveling by yourself with your children is by no means an easy task. Regardless you're driving in a car or you are waiting for a flight at the airport, you need to make a plan ahead about entertaining your kid. Here are some tips in order to help you.


1. Get your own snacks

This may save you relatively some money. For every day that you will spend in the car, try to pack some snacks in plastic bags. Preserve in a bag or cooler within the reach of the oldest kid. Thus you won't have to turn around for passing out the goodies at the time you're driving.

2. Entertainment

Your children will need something to occupy their time when you're driving. If you own a DVD player for your car, it might be attractive to pop in the child’s favorite show, but remember that watching TV for a lot of hours may dazzle the kid. Break up the movie with activities like puzzles or books.

3. Toys to entertain the kid

Before a long trip, visit the toy shop in order to get something interesting for your child that would keep his mind occupied.

4. The picture books

Have an abundance of picture books handy for younger children to look at during a trip. You may yet want to pack several titles that your older children might read to the smaller siblings when you're driving.

6. The books on CD

Another excellent choice is the audio books. Children enjoy listening to stories, and the audio books offer a great occasion to fortify your kids' mental picture. Pick some classics like the Witch, Charlotte's Web or The Lion, or the Wardrobe and talk about it together while you drive.

7. The activity pads

This is an additional interesting tool for occupying the kids' time during a long ride, or whilst you're waiting for your flight. Select something age-appropriate in order for the child to work the activities by itself. You may find some excellent inexpensive activity pads at your local dollar store. For something different, look for activity pads that use invisible ink or write-on, wipe-off pens.

Photo by kessiye

August 14, 2009

The top 10 green cars


If you do not wish CO2 discharging massive car, but do you still want to drive comfortably and stylish this can be done: here are the top 10 green cars that will not destroy the environment.



1. Honda Civic 1.3 IMA Executive

Honda needs to be congratulated for the engineering of an environmentally better-quality fusion car, the IMA that combines an electric motor with a petrol engine for improved fuel efficiency.

2. Toyota Prius 1.5 T3

The Toyota Prius is now the most economical car that you can buy. It is able to do an imposing 66 miles per gallon and it in addition has the lowest CO2 emissions available on the market today.

3. Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTI 16V Life

The Vauxhall's Corsa is a genuine green champion. This car owns an innovative generation diesel engine powerful yet with enormous fuel use savings.

4. Daihatsu YRV Premium

Daihatsu YRV is quite tiny but with a Vauxhall sized interior. It is perfect for people looking for an economical, car compact where you won’t feel boxed in.

5. Ford Focus C-Max 1.6 TDCI LX

The C-Max is perfect for families that prefer to have spacious storage and luggage space to having seven seats.

6. Daihatsu Charade 1.0 EL

This wonderful city car is very difficult to rival. It has the quietest engine of all the cars presented here and it is also the most inexpensive one.

7. Smart Pure Fortwo Coupe

The Smart car is ideal for city driving, so it is great for driving around the town and it is very easy to park. Its trendy, modern and innovative design makes it very hard to dislike.

8. Volkswagen Touran 1.9 TDI S

The Touran is not the cheapest MPV available on the market but you will certainly get what you are paying for reliability, high quality badge as well as superior drive handling.

9. Peugeot 407 1.6 HDI S 110

If you are searching for excellent performance and a spacious car to go with your dedication to the environment, then this Peugeot is the model for you.

10 Honda Accord 2.2 I-CTDI Sport

The Honda Accord has a recently invented engine that will not disappoint you. It combines efficiency and performance as only Honda can.

Photo by gocardusa

August 11, 2009

10 car rental tips and tricks

From time to time you necessitate a car for a short period of time, but not as much as necessary that buying a car to be an option. If you find yourself in this situation, you will be certainly searching for car rental. Though, is it likely for you to obtain the best arrangement when you call for a car? You don't have worry about his when you pursue these tips for rental cars.

  1. You should always look for any hidden fees or extras that come with rental cars. For instance, if the rental company is supposed to fill up the remaining of the tank after you deliver the car, they will make you pay more money on top of the regular gas price.
  2. Try not to rent a car when in an airport because they will always charge you an extra airport fee which might get up to $15. The handiness of renting a car when in an airport comes with a very high cost indeed.
  3. Save money by renting a car from a company after you look online or in the local newspaper ads.
  4. At the moment the rental company asks you if you want insurance, you can refuse it. The rental companies make nice money on the insurance policies and the representative you are talking to is trained to offer insurance.
  5. Look for the really good deals and attempt renting a car during the non-busy times. When you are in a touristic city, renting is cheaper in the winter.
  6. Book early if you want to really save money. The rates depend on the number of vehicles a company has at a certain moment, so sooner is better.
  7. Think again about the prepaid gas. It is a bad idea if you are not certain you will use the full tank.
  8. Do not upgrade to larger vehicles, because they burn more gas. Even if it’s free, you will end up paying more.
  9. Bring your own child sit if you have a baby.
  10. Join a club. Many companies offer membership plans where you can pay a yearly fee for certain privileges.