• 16
  Jul
  2009

• Easter Island, South Pacific

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: Blog Contributor
  0 comments, add yours

The giant monoliths of Easter Island are worn, but they have endured for centuries. New research suggests that a compound first discovered in the soil of the South Pacific Island might help us stand the test of time, too. A lot is being mentioned about Easter Island these days, the reason being, Rapamycin, and the proposed, under trial drug for anti-ageing.

But there is lot more to this lovely island on the south pacific than Rapamycin. Easter Island is triangular in the South Pacific, with an extinct volcano at each corner. It measures 23 by 11 km, totaling 171 square km. The interior consists of high plateaus and craters surrounded by coastal bluffs. It is best known for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai, that dot the coastline. The early settlers called the island “Te Pito O Te Henua” (Navel of The World). Admiral Roggeveen, who came upon the island on Easter Day in 1722, named it Easter Island. Today, the land, people and language are all referred to locally as Rapa Nui.

Easter Island today, remains one of the most unique places you will ever encounter; an open air museum showcasing a fascinating, but unfortunately lost, culture. The Rapanui are among the friendliest people you will ever meet, and the landscape is truly amazing - with its volcanic craters, lava formations, beaches, brilliant blue water, and archaeological sites.

LanChile Airlines flies a Boeing 767 from Tahiti and Santiago to Easter Island twice a week. In the high season December to March, extra Santiago-Easter Island flights are added. From North America and Europe, LanChile has direct flights to Santiago from Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Madrid, and Frankfurt.

• 15
  Jul
  2009

• Expats and Recession

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: Blog Contributor
  0 comments, add yours

The economic recession has had an impact on expat communities across the globe. Dubai’s expats are fleeing, the American expats are being forced out for lack of work and the stock markets have sent expats in the Far East running for cover. Expats living in the Netherlands are having their contracts unceremoniously chopped as their employers feel the pinch of recession.

There is also a growing number of laid off expats in Singapore who are choosing to stay put rather than head back to their Western home countries. The reason: recession is global, and the prospect of a banker getting a job in New York or London is just about as slim as them landing one in Singapore. So, rather than uprooting and flying halfway around the world a second time, many are waiting it out. Also, this year has marked a significant decline in enrollment at more expensive expat-run international schools in Singapore. The laid-off have pulled their children out of the more expensive schools in favor of the more affordable ones.

While rents in both Beijing and Shanghai are dropping, foreigners are increasingly squeezed by layoffs, reductions in living allowances, and currency devaluations. Buying a house, once considered a good investment, is also dicey, as economic uncertainty affects both the price and the pool of potential buyers. Middle management expatriates who are new to China are getting a smaller housing package, down 40 to 50 percent from their predecessors. Even foreign managers who are already in China are facing cuts. A middle manager who had been receiving 30,000 yuan per month might be asked to get by on 15,000 or 20,000 yuan, he said.

• 14
  Jul
  2009

• Switzerland

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: Blog Contributor
  0 comments, add yours

Situated in the south of Central Europe, Switzerland is mainly a mountainous country. Its landlocked position, with no direct access to the sea and once a commercial disadvantage, is compensated for by its location in the very centre of the Alps and thus in the centre of Europe itself. The 4000 m/13,000 ft peaks of the High Alps and the lesser summits of the Pre-Alpine regions began to attract the first modern tourists - mainly British - during the 19th c. Since then Switzerland has developed into a Mecca for tourists of every nationality and age.

Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states, called cantons. Bern is the seat of the federal authorities, while the country’s economic centers are its three global cities, Geneva, Basel and especially Zürich. Switzerland is multilingual and has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh.

Known as a summer and winter sports paradise, Switzerland is where people first skied for fun. Illustrious names evoke all the romance and glamorous drama of the mountain high life: Zermatt, St Moritz, Interlaken, Gstaad, the Jungfrau, Verbier and more. The grandeur of the finest churches, such as the cathedrals in Lausanne and Bern, contrasts with sparkling but lesser-known treasures like the frescoes of Müstair or the abbey complex of St Gallen (both World Heritage sites). Whether visiting the remotest Ticino villages or sampling the finest of Valais wines, you’ll find Switzerland a chocolate box bursting with unexpected flavours. For all those tennis fans, its the land of Roger Federer.

For travel insurance related queries you might want to visit http://www.ivisitorinsurance.com/

• 13
  Jul
  2009

• Travelling without Insurance

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: Blog Contributor
  0 comments, add yours

“Penny wise, pound foolish”, that’s the simplest way to describe a tourist or a visitor who wants to holiday without insurance. Most people now realize the importance of a good travel insurance policy, but there are still a minority who trust their luck and hope for the best.

A new survey by Home & Overseas showed that over 1.5 million holidaymakers were likely to travel abroad this year without taking out any insurance, despite understanding the serious implications. The Home & Overseas survey showed that one in ten regular holidaymakers frequently travel abroad without travel insurance and six per cent of people admit that they never bother with travel insurance despite being aware of the high cost of medical treatment and the risk of theft abroad.

Although the group travelling without insurance is a minority, the group that does take insurance cover but inadequate at that is the more worrisome segment. Only one third of holidaymakers take out additional insurance to cover them for participation in dangerous sports, despite the fact that their existing travel insurance policy does not provide adequate cover. For example, six out of ten rock climbers admit they do not take out additional cover before embarking on an expedition and yet standard insurance policies do not provide cover for mountaineering or rock climbing. Almost half of all skiers and a massive 85 per cent of snowboarders don’t consider additional travel insurance to be necessary.

Although this minority group is pretty small in percent terms the damage that can happen to them is pretty sizeable. Inadequate policy cover is a bigger problem that should be addressed immediately. The travel industry and the insurance industry as a whole must continue to educate the public about the importance of travel insurance.
If you don’t want to make that costly mistake then visit: http://www.ztravelinsurance.com/  OR
http://www.ztourists.com/  OR
http://www.ivisitorinsurance.com/