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Planning a Vacation – Look For the Right Travel Agency

Formerly a British colony, Belize, the small yet magnificent Central American country, is breathtakingly beautiful with numerous activities to offer to its visitors.

This small land consists of inhabitants coming from diverse backgrounds ranging from Creole, Mayan, Garifuna, Hispanic, Mestizo and Middle Eastern. There is the world-renowned barrier reef, dense rainforests, beaches, mountains, along with island adventures, Mayan ruins, jungles, exotic wildlife and lots more to explore in Belize.

With so much to explore and experience in Belize, you would not want to miss even a single delight. Therefore you need somebody who can guide you throughout this enchanting country.

A travel agency well versed with Belize can easily arrange the accommodation, tours etc. for you. Travel agents can guide you throughout your journey, suggest the most exotic places to see and look after your needs.

But finding a good, reputed travel agency is not that easy. You need to check certain things before you let any travel agency to take care of your travel plans.

The following tips will help you in choosing a travel agency which can make your vacation productive and satisfying:

Check out the certifications

The travel agency should have the licensed certificates of some approved travel authority. Check out whether the agency is a member of the American Society of Travel Agents. An ASTA certified travel agent is reliable, as the world’s largest association of travel professionals. There are many stringent rules and requirements to become a member of the ASTA.

Contact Information

A reliable travel agent is the one who can be contacted physically and not just over e-mails. If the address of its office is not mentioned on the website, then it is a cause of worry.

No hidden charges

A reliable travel agency won’t charge you any hidden fees for their services. They would mention right in the beginning the entire expense of your tour and won’t ask extra money for the services they have not delivered.

Personal assistance

If you manage to find a travel agency which can assist you personally at your destination and throughout your journey, then you may have the agency you need. A good travel agency is one which not only provides impeccable services at best prices but also gives advice and adds value to your vacation.

Agents can put you in the right group

The kind of people who are traveling with you in a group make a lot of difference to your trip. For example, if an older couple is made to travel with a group of honeymooners, then quite naturally they would feel a little odd. Hence, tell the agents what your preferences are. They can help you join the people of the same age group and areas of interest.

Recommend according to your budget

Travel agencies typically enjoy a wide network of contacts with hotels, resorts, restaurants, companies offering snorkeling and diving gear and other equipment. They can recommend places and accommodation based upon your budget and requirements. Suppose you want do snorkeling or diving. A travel agent can guide you to the place, such as Ambergris Caye, Hopkins or any other place where you can indulge in your favorite activities set in your budget. Similarly, if offbeat tours such as Belize jungle vacations or adventure tours is what you like, it is always better to let the agency chalk out your itinerary according to your budget.

Plan early

The earlier you start planning, the better. If you wish to visit Belize and its popular islands (called cayes) during the month of Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Year, book as early as possible. The sooner you contact a reliable travel agency, the better accommodation you are likely to get. The peak season to visit Belize is between the months of December to April. Therefore, contact your travel agency and book in advance for your Belize jungle vacations or Belize adventure tours to avoid the rush.

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Outdoor Guide For Kids by Gerry Martin – Bangalore Camping

India’s first adventurer on National Geographic channel (remember Croc Chronicles or Snake Wranglers?), wildlife expert and herpetologist Gerald ‘Gerry’ Martin has been wild at heart since the time he was a kid. He grew up in a farmhouse, surrounded by animals and nature and at 17 started assisting the legendary Romulus Whitaker at the Madras Crocodile Bank. In fact, he was the bank’s youngest curator. From watching 31 baby cobras hatch in his room during a project to looking for crocodiles on camera, Martin has done it all.

Today he shares his love for adventure with children and educates them about nature and animals through camps and workshops. He tells MetroMela how parents can get city kids away from the TV and closer to nature and even shares some of his favorite outdoor destinations. Read on…Parents can organize all kinds of outdoor trips, instead of just visits to a mall or movie theatre. Even a walk in Cubbon Park, a trip to Bannerghatta National Park, sitting by any of the new lakes, doing stuff in the garden, making bird boxes, bird feeders, etc., could make a huge difference to children. The outdoors need not be compartmentalized into something you see when you’re out on a trip.

When you do go on a trip, Bangalore is surrounded by beautiful and magnificent wilderness, forests and hills. Explore! Kids are intrinsically allured by pets. All we need to do is to nurture that. If you have a pet at home, teach the kids to be responsible for it by example. If the pet brings joy to the parents, they need to share that with their children.

If you are taking the kids out on a trek, remember that kids need small stretches in their activities. There’s a fine line between adventure and misadventure. Ensuring that the end emotion is a positive one is imperative to the process of developing a strong interest and passion in children about the outdoors. Some areas around Bangalore could be great adventure trips for families with kids. I personally have a few favorites like Jungle Retreat in Masinagudi, Hunkal Woods in Chikmagalur and Geedee Farms right here in Bannerghatta!

Gerry Martin – BangaloreKids are often scared of insects, reptiles and even lizards. In my experience, most fear is conditioned and comes from others around them – parents, friends and others. All we need is to keep our fears to ourselves and not transfer them on to our kids. For those who are already afraid, it helps to do things slowly – short and gentle exposures to the animals that they fear. Building knowledge about the animals also helps a lot.

Gardening is a great idea to help kids connect with nature. It builds a strong connect, gives children a feeling of accomplishment, develops a commitment to something alive and helps them stay away from the malls, bowling alleys and other decadent hang outs.

Gerry Martin works with kids from the age of 9 to 16. His camps involve a structured introduction to nature and the wilderness, where city kids learn about survival, the dos and don’ts in the outdoors and get “hands-on experiences in nature and leave with a certain connect with the environment.” Activities involve tree climbing, trekking, camping, direction finding, birdwatching, among a host of others. For more information, call 09845437337.

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Grow Your Restaurant Business Today And Make It Awesome

Restaurants are the only places where people get to try out different and unique cuisines before trying to make one at home. Here, top-ranked people in the corporate world caught in tight schedules pass by when they need to console their bellies. Therefore, as a restaurant owner, upping your game will not only make your business boom in the industry but also retain a good number of customers. Growth is inevitable and if you do anything to help it, you will not make progress. These simple steps will guide you through a path of making your restaurant a one of a kind place for people of all kinds

· Monitor staff

Apart from mouth-watering delicacies that make a customer order severally, the other essential factor that are likely to linger in your customer’s memory is the kind of service he or she got while in the restaurant. This calls for well-trained and professional stuff with years of experience. Where do you get good deals for catering services if you do little to impress your customers? When your customers are fully satisfied with your services, not only with they flock your restaurant frequently but also call you in for ceremonies such as weddings, graduations, and anniversaries among others. It all starts with good staff.

· Reach to the society

Hard earned profits and success feels good to enjoy. Well, giving back to the society also makes these an amazing experience. For instance, part of your proceeds may go to foster home or assisting the underprivileged in the society in a number of ways. You may as well host a charitable dinner to appreciate your customers and staff. This will enhance good relationships between you, staff and your customers not to mention building of a good image.

· Twist and turn the menu

Variety is one of nature’s favorite tools when it comes to enhancing and emphasizing on beauty. Similarly, trying out different menus and finding out how your customers respond to them will build your restaurant name into a place of variety. This happens when you bring the best delicacies ever unheard of to the table. So, do not stick on to your usual stuff and anticipate it to do some magic for you.

· Mingle a bit

How is your social life? Are you the kind of owner who shuts himself or herself in the office and let everything happen? A small hello, a little mingling here and there helps you familiarize with your business world. From this you can know what needs to change and what should remain the same. It also keeps your staff alert and attentive to all their duties. Therefore, do not shut yourself up all the time. Take some time to walk around and chitchat a little.