How to Build a Travel Web Site

If you love to travel or love the idea of traveling, you can expound on your passion by building a travel website in which you share your knowledge about travel destinations with visitors from all over the world.

1 Decide what your website will be about. You already know it will be about travel, but you need to decide on what kind of travel---European travel, safaris, travels to a particular country, travel within the United States or travel within a particular state.

2 Decide who will do the writing. If you are well-traveled and like to write, chances are you have all the knowledge you need to create your travel website. If, however, your travel experience is limited, you can hire writers to write about their adventures. Although you won't pay for their travel expenses, you should pay them for their work and let them know they should write off part of their travel expenses as business expenses (and should see a tax specialist about this).

3 Purchasing a domain name and hosting plan in which to create your site. If you have no knowledge of HTML or other website-building languages, you can purchase templates that will help you build your site with a few clicks of your mouse. Go Daddy has a program called "Website Tonight" for beginners, and---as the name implies---most users can get a website up and running within a few hours (see Resources).

4 Include photos on your website. Readers of travel articles like to see photographs in order to determine if it's the type of destination they would like to visit.

5 Monetize your site by registering with affiliate networks. These are free to register for, and by placing text links or banner ads on your site, you can earn a commission if a reader clicks on your links and purchases something on the merchant's site. Examples are links for rental cars, flight deals, hotels, luggage and travel pillows---anything related to travel (see Resources).

How to Book Train Travel from Chicago to New York

The train trip from Chicago to New York may be long and tiring, but booking it is easy, especially if you give yourself enough lead time. Amtrak's online Fare Finder is an excellent tool for landing great travel deals and suitable accommodations.

1 Call Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak's web site in the "Resources" section below. On the web site, you can book your train reservations via Amtrak's Fare Finder. You can also navigate the site if you have a PDA, Blackberry or other handheld device.

2 If you ordered your tickets online or by phone, pick them up at a ticket agent or at one of the Quik-Trak kiosks that can be found at many Amtrak locations (you'll need to enter your reservation number). If you've booked your trip far in advance, you can also request that your tickets be mailed to you.

How to Arrange Travel

Arranging travel can be a daunting task, especially if you have never done it. It involves making preparations to get to your destination of choice, where to stay when you get there, and what to do once you're there. Not sure how to begin? A good starting point is deciding where you'd like to go, and how much you'd like to spend.

1 Decide on a destination. Which state or country would you like to visit? Do you want to travel to a warm climate or a cold climate? Do you like seeing historical sights, walking though museums, lying on a sunny beach, try your luck in a casino, get a thrill at an amusement park, walk or hike beautiful landscapes... The choices are endless, but they can only be made by you.

2 Decide when you want to travel. Do you want to travel during the winter, spring, summer or fall? Destinations, such as Las Vegas and Miami can be more expensive to visit during the winter months. Conversely, a trip to Disney World in early January can be the most economical time to visit the amusement park. If you want to keep your travel costs low, consider your time of travel carefully.

3 Choose your mode of transportation. Will you drive, fly or ride the train to your destination. Consider the total costs of transportation. Does your rental car have fees for going over the mileage? Does the airline assess baggage charges? Is driving to your destination faster than taking the train? How much will you spend on gas? Check fares on-line to get an idea of your travel costs and decide if it falls within your budget.

4 Choose a hotel. What type of hotel do you prefer, budget or four-star? How many rooms will you need? Do you need a non-smoking room? Again, there are countless travel web sites to assist you in making these choices. Orbitz.com, Expedia.com and Hotels.com are three popular choices, but there are many more. Use these sites to check availability and compare rates.

5 Make your reservations. Once you decide on where and when you'd like to go, how you'll get there and where you'll stay, book your arrangements, either on-line or by phone. Be careful when making airline or train reservations. Many of the low-cost options are non-refundable, so if you're after the best price, be sure you'll actually be able to go on the dates and times you choose. Hotel reservations are usually more flexible with their cancellation policies, however many offer "Web-only" rates that may be non-refundable. Make sure you know what you're buying before actually buying it.

How to Avoid Bedbugs While Traveling

Bedbugs are tiny insects that can infest accommodations of any level, from hostels to expensive hotels. They feed on human blood and leave uncomfortable bites that can last for weeks. Bedbugs must be introduced into a new place, and generally ride on luggage or used furniture. When you're traveling, avoid bedbugs by examining your accommodation carefully and taking care with luggage and clothing.

1 Read online reviews. Before you book or pay for a room, check out reviews of your hostel or hotel. Bedbugs can spread easily and are hard to get rid of, so if a review within the last two months mentions them, cancel your reservation. Most travelers will not take the time or effort to post false reviews about bedbugs, so it pays to take them seriously. Sites like TripAdvisor and HostelBookers are good places to start.

2 Know the signs of bedbugs. If you recognize the signs that indicate the presence of bedbugs, you'll be more likely to avoid the bugs. The most common indication, besides the live bedbug, is fecal matter. It appears as brown or black spots; they are difficult to clean. Other signs include blood spots, discarded bedbug skins, a sweet almond smell, and white bedbug eggs.

3 Check the room before agreeing to pay. When you arrive at your hotel or hostel, ask to see the room before you check in. Use a flashlight and plastic gloves, and search the areas on and around the bed, advises the integrated pest management program at Cornell University. Check the headboard first, and look at the sheets, walls and pillows for any signs of bedbugs. Also look around the mattress piping, bedside tables and box spring. If you see any signs of bedbugs, ask to be moved to a different room or switch hotels.

4 Keep belongings away from the bed and walls. Bedbugs travel on clothing and luggage, so if you suspect the presence of bedbugs, keep your possessions far from the hotel or hostel furniture. Do not place bags and clothing on the bed, or use closets and drawers to store clothing. Try to keep your bags on a luggage rack that is not attached to a wall; this reduces the chance that bedbugs will crawl into your clothing and suitcases.

5 Use bug-safe packing methods. Although it is not a foolproof method, you can use airtight plastic bags to protect your clothing and other items from bug infiltration. Many outdoors stores sell large zip-top bags intended for kayaking, which you can use to pack clothes and other items. Also consider using a product like PackTite, which encloses your suitcase and kills bedbugs with heat.

How Does Light Travel From the Sun to Earth?

Electromagnetic Waves

To understand how light travels from the sun to the Earth, you have to understand what light is. Light is an electromagnetic wave--a wave of electric and magnetic energy oscillating very quickly. There are many different electromagnetic waves, and the type is determined by the speed of oscillation. For example, radio waves oscillate more slowly than light, while X-rays oscillate much more quickly. These electromagnetic waves travel in small packets called photons. Because light travels in both waves and photon packets, it behaves both like a wave and a particle.

Traveling Through Space

Most waves require a medium to travel in. For example, if you drop a rock in a pond, it makes waves in the water. No water, no waves. Because light consists of photons, however, it can travel through space like a stream of tiny particles. The photons actually travel more quickly through space and lose less energy on the way, because there are no molecules in the way to slow them down.

The Atmosphere

When light travels through space from the sun, all of the frequencies of light travel in a straight line. When light hits the atmosphere, however, the photons begin to collide with gas molecules. Red, orange and yellow photons have long wavelengths and can travel right through the gas molecules. Green, blue and purple photons, however, have shorter wavelengths, which allows molecules to easily absorb them. The molecules hold onto the photon for only an instant, then shoot them out again in a random direction. This is why the sky looks blue. Many of these scattered photons fly toward the Earth, making the sky appear to glow. This is also why sunsets look red. At sunset, the photons have to travel through a larger layer of atmosphere before they reach your eyes. More of the higher frequency photons are absorbed, leaving layers of red, orange and yellow

How to Become a Travel Agent for Royal Caribbean Cruises

When you are a travel agent, you can maximize your sales by specializing in a certain type of travel or certain companies. If you decide to become a travel agent, you can carve out a niche selling Royal Caribbean voyages. You must align yourself with a legitimate host agency and obtain training in Royal Caribbean's ships and destinations. This will allow you to become a travel agent for Royal Caribbean cruises.

1 Find a host agency that will take you on as a travel agent. You don't need any specific degree or license, although most legitimate agencies will want you to have some knowledge of travel and cruising as well as past sales experience. However, many will let you learn on the job.
Royal Caribbean cruise lines require a Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) or International Airline Travel Agent (IATA) number for bookings. Your host agency will provide you with the number.

2 Enroll in Royal Caribbean's online training program for travel agents. You must already be working as a travel agent to sign up for this program. The training covers Royal Caribbean's cruise ships, itineraries, and booking tools for agents. You can achieve various levels, such as a Cruise Apprentice, Cruise Specialist, or Cruise Expert. By the time you have completed it, you will have an excellent working knowledge of what Royal Caribbean can offer to clients.

3 Take a Royal Caribbean cruise. You cannot speak knowledgably to your clients unless you have firsthand experience with the product. You may have already taken Royal Caribbean cruises before you decided to become a travel agent. If that's the case, you can skip this step. If not, you may be able to get a discount on your cruise, if you have completed a Royal Caribbean training program.

4 Emphasize your special expertise in Royal Caribbean cruises when you advertise your services. The Internet allows clients from across the United States and international locations to use a travel agent located in any state. This means you will have a large potential customer base even if you specialize in one particular cruise line.

How to Start an Online Travel Agency

For next to nothing, you can start a home travel agency in most states. A home-based travel agency is financially and personally rewarding. However, it can be a lot of work. If you can manage time and schedules, starting a home travel agency maybe right for you. Read the information below to find out how to get started.

1

Fill out business license applications as required by local, state and federal agencies. (See warning below.)

2

Select your target market and decide which travel category to specialize in. For example, baby boomers tend to travel the most and enjoy taking cruises. Therefore, baby boomers might represent the target market while cruises represent the specialty category.

3

Learn as much as you can about your specialty category. Avoid taking expensive courses. Ask suppliers what type of free training they provide.

4

Set up a website where people can book their own flights, hotel or cruises directly from providers. Spend time online researching the best website hosting deals.

5

Visit the QuickBooker website and sign up for an affiliate account (see Resources below). Set up travel and hotel booking with their system directly on your website for free.

6

Look for travel and cruise suppliers that offer the same service as QuickBooker.

7

Join the National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA) if you can afford it. They offer members a list of suppliers and training resources.

8

Advertise by handing out fliers and business cards. Submit your website URL to search engines. Buy magnetic signs for your vehicle or place stick-on vinyl letters with your website URL on your rear window.

9

Use your website to allow customers to book their own flights and to get help directly from suppliers. Provide a customer service number for questions or help with booking.

10

Spend most of your time advertising. Take your home-based travel agency seriously and start living the American dream.

How to Choose a Travel Pillow

1 Determine your needs. Will you be traveling by air, train, automobile, boat, backpack or canoe? Are you looking for a very small item that can easily be stored in your luggage, or would you prefer something more substantial that you can sleep on? Do you need something that is waterproof? Do you have any particular physical issues that might determine the type of pillow you need, such as allergies? Is the pillow for an adult or child?

2 For children, pillows come with an array of characters and animals, with built-in speakers and little pockets. For the allergy-prone, there are hypoallergenic pillows. Inflatable pillows help when you're packing light, and for those who want luxury, cashmere-covered pillows should do the trick. A massaging pillow can make those aches and pains disappear. Temperpedic pillows are very popular, as well as the U-shaped microbead varieties.

3 You can choose from two kinds of orthopedic pillows: displacement or supportive. Memory foam travel pillows are referred to as displacement pillows as they can conform to the shape of your head or neck. Other displacement pillows available are filled with water or air.Supportive pillows are most likely made of a combination of foam and fibers and do not mold to contours, but offer a firmer support for those who need it.Some versatile foam travel pillows are on the market now with interchangeable cores, from mild to extra firm.

4 Inflatable pillows are available for both the neck and lumbar region.

5 Read a detailed comparison of the many foam pillows available to determine which s right for you. This site (see below) offers comparisons on size, composition, firmness and other special features