Learning how to travel safe and travel smart is almost effortless, once we have the correct information. The same information that seasoned travelers and those on the inside use every day.

With the world now virtually at our fingertips, each of us can be our own vacation travel planner or business travel consultant.

With only minimal command of a keyboard, we can book a flight, rent a car, or reserve a hotel room.

But the quality of our overseas vacation - or international business trip - can increase exponentially once we know how to travel safe and travel smart.

It's the subtlety of using the right words, with the right knowledge, to get what we want. And what we need.

It's the confidence of knowing the basics of our trip are covered, so we can do the job - or enjoy the experience - we worked so hard to plan.

It's our ability to roll with the punches when things go bad. And they will!

Yet knowing how to right our personal travel ship by turning a mishap into an opportunity, and creating the very travel adventure we can't wait to tell our friends about!

It's planning ahead, doing our travel research, and taking charge of our unfolding travel plans.

In short, it's learning how to travel safe and travel smart.

There are hundreds of online travel sites and thousands travel articles on the web.

They offer discounted airfares, independent Europe travel packages, and a mind-boggling array of escorted vacations to anywhere on the globe.

There are travel guidebooks, local maps, hints on how to pack, and tips for getting a passport.

• But do we know if it's really necessary to buy travel insurance? Which kind should we purchase? How much does it cost? Where do we get it?
• What are our rights if the airlines involuntarily 'bump' us from our flight? Or lose our luggage? What if our flight's cancelled due to bad weather? Or our checked luggage doesn't arrive when we do?
• Is it possible to spend two weeks or more in Europe with only carry on luggage? How much will the airlines charge us to check a bag? Or two?
• Has the TSA relaxed any of the in cabin carry-on rules? Will we be safe in foreign airports? How do we travel with our medicines? Our valuables? Our travel papers and documents?
• How do we find the best travel guides and information for our trip? Are they reliable and up to date? How do we choose our travel itinerary?
• What do we need to know to book a good hotel on the web? What are precautions for staying safe in our hotel once we get there? How do we complain if our room isn't satisfactory?
• What's the best way to get cash overseas? Should we take a credit card? An ATM card? Where do we get the best exchange rate? Are Traveler's Checks still a consideration in our electronic world?
• How much will we pay for gasoline? How big is a litre? How far is a kilometer? Do we need an International Driver's License? Will we be able to drive a manual-shift and drive on the left side of the road?
• What is a prix fixe menu? What is table d'hote? Should we eat in our hotel or venture out in unfamiliar areas? And how concerned should we be about drinking the water?

If your goal is to have the most unique and memorable travel adventure you can... if you want the best possible value for your travel dollar...if you want to experience the most you can from your time in another country, you can do it all. Your adventure begins with the planning.

Whether it's choosing your destination, learning about another culture, or deciding your travel budget, planning ahead is the most important step in your vacation planning process.

And learning to travel safe and travel smart is the glue that holds all of your travel plans together.

As you move around this site you'll find information, facts, and practical travel advice to help you plan an international trip.

Whether you feel the best way to travel Europe is to join escorted European tours or to travel Europe on your own, you'll find strategies, tips, and first hand travel advice to create your Europe travel plan.

As your writers, we've been around the world - and around the travel industry - for years. We have both professional and personal insights to help you make your European trip the best it can be.

Most importantly, we're passionate about overseas travel and the discovery that comes from the traveling experience.

Travel is a gift we give ourselves. Of awareness, of growth, of knowledge - about the people and places we visit.

It's memories built for a lifetime.

It's new friends and new experiences we don't find in our everyday routines and surroundings.

So come. Travel with us. And learn how you can travel safe, travel smart, and have your best trip ever!

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Travel Tip: An ancient Chinese philosopher once said:

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With a Single Step.
Lao Tzu - 6th Century BC

Begin your journey here on these pages. And may the steps you take in your travels fill your world with fabulous memories!

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