Travel is such a large industry that in most major cities, a travel agency is probably no more than a 15-minute drive away. And when it comes to insurance, most of us can get covered for about the price of a pair of shoes. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe to grab the first policy that comes along. True, you should compare the market travel insurance rates for the day, but it’s also worth asking what these rates get you. All it takes is a stroke of bad luck for a ho-hum policy to become an expensive, stressful nightmare. Here are some things you should never scrimp on in travel insurance.

Medical cover: Consumer groups suggest about $500,000 worth of coverage for trips within the continent, and up to $1 million elsewhere. This applies to U.S. and U.K. travelers, and will cover illnesses and accidents that occur during the trip. Pre-existing conditions may cost you more. You must also have access to emergency services 24/7, whether for medical or non-medical reasons. European residents travelling around Europe can fill out the European Health Insurance Card, which ensures free or discounted healthcare in the destination; however, this should only be taken as backup coverage.

Personal liability: You may be sued for damaging property or causing injury, whether intentionally or not. Some countries, like Singapore, have particularly stringent laws on this. Personal liability cover will ideally protect you for up to $2 million.

Lost and stolen possessions: This will depend largely on how much you are bringing. Ideally you’ll be travelling light—not only does it make for a more comfortable trip; it also makes it easier to keep track of your stuff. Make sure to check for lost luggage cover: airlines lost 42 million bags in 2010, so the risk isn’t that far-fetched.

Cancellations and interruptions: Trips can be disturbed or cut short for several reasons, ranging from a simple change of heart to natural disasters and family emergencies. For an average overseas trip, you’ll need at least $6,000 in cancellation cover.

Single vs. multiple trips: If you spend half the year or more out of town, you may benefit from the higher premiums of an annual cover, if only because you don’t have to do the paperwork every time you leave. Just don’t forget to look up the limitations of annual cover—there may be caps on the length of each trip, or you may have to pay fines if you stay out of the country longer than agreed.

In most ways, older travelers have it good: they get priority boarding on planes, senior-citizen discounts, and all sorts of special treatment on the road. But one thing that’s often overlooked—and usually hits them in the face come summertime—is the higher price of travel insurance.

Travel insurance over 65 is expensive, not to mention complicated. If they are covered at all (as some companies simply turn down anyone over that age), the premiums can double compared to travelers in their thirties. After that, the prices go up further in ten-year increments, sometimes five.

Insurers point to the higher risk entailed by older travelers, particularly medical claims, which cost them the most. In other words, older people are more prone to disease and accidents. The insurance industry is concerned with averages—even if you can outrun your twenty-something niece at 70, they simply count you among the thousands of frail 70-year-olds in your country.

But we’re only talking big-name companies, who tend to dictate market prices much like oil companies. If you look further, you can find smaller but equally comprehensive insurers willing to cover you for less. It may take a bit more research as small companies differ more widely in terms of conditions covered, but a few hundred dollars can go a long way.

Start by deciding how much cover you need. This can vary widely from one traveler to another; for instance, a hang-gliding enthusiast and a museum-hopper will need entirely different types of coverage. Prices also go up the further you go; generally, once you leave your continent, insurers put you on a higher risk bracket.

Senior travelers often have to choose between single-trip and multi-trip policies. The latter is usually handy only if you travel extensively, say more than five trips a year. It will cover all the trips you make in a given period, and doesn’t need to be renewed for new trips. The catch is that it’s hard to find this kind of travel insurance over 65; some companies cap their coverage at 75.

Existing conditions should be an older traveler’s biggest concern. When you take out insurance, make sure to note all medical conditions you are aware of. If you need treatment for an undeclared condition, you won’t get any compensation, even if the condition comes up while you’re under an annual policy. Declaring it will increase your premiums slightly, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Africa is seldom a traveler’s first choice, not least because of the health and poverty issues we hear so much about. But the continent is rich with its own natural and cultural treasures, from the pyramids of Egypt to the beaches of South Africa. Even if you’ve seen Europe, danced across South America, hopped around Asia and driven through North America, Africa may still hold more than a few surprises.

The first thing that comes to mind is probably an African safari, and for good reason. Kenya offers some of the best safari routes with its diverse wildlife, untouched surroundings, and warm weather. It is also home to the continent’s most popular safari destination, the Masai Mara National Reserve. If you go in the peak season from July to October, zebra and wildebeest sightings are pretty much guaranteed. Sign up for a tour with one of the tribesmen to learn more about the culture and sample some cuisine.

Down south in Botswana is the Chobe National Park in the famous Okavango Delta, home to some of the most well-preserved ecosystems in the world. If you’re pressed for time, start your visit with the Savuti Marsh, which has one of the highest wildlife populations in Africa. With an elephant population of about 120,000, it’s a wildlife lover’s haven. The winter months of May to September are the best time to go, as that’s when all the animals flock to the park: giraffes, zebras, buffalos, you name it.

If you’re going to South Africa, there’s more than beaches, museums, and shopping malls. Although it’s one of the continent’s most developed countries, it also boasts its share of wildlife. The best place to go is Kruger National Park. Here you’ll find the “Big Five” of the animal kingdom: elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards, and the Cape buffalo. They’re not necessarily the biggest animals around, but they’re the hardest to catch—the term was first coined by hunters.

Zambia is a lesser-known but just as interesting destination. Safari enthusiasts will know it for offering the “walking safari” experience in South Luangwa National Park. Besides large packs of lions and rivers teeming with hippos, it’s also a birdwatcher’s dream. It’s home to more than 400 bird species, some of them endemic to the area and many already endangered. Come from April to October for the best chance of seeing the animals in their natural habitats, or gathering by the riverside to cool down.

Years ago, surround sound and La-Z Boys were the stuff of state-of-the-art cinema, not in-flight entertainment. These days, while you can expect to mull over your copy of SkyMall longer than you’d really like to, airlines are doing their best to catch up, and often with pretty good results.

In-flight movies and TV shows have greatly improved in the last few years, especially on major airlines. The difference is most noticeable in long-haul flights, where passengers naturally seek something to make the 15 or so hours pass more quickly. High-resolution screens, better sound, and more updated selections are among the more welcome changes.

Auditor David Taylor flies as many as 100,000 miles per year, mostly on the Air France and Delta airlines. He says that while it’s no home cinema and probably never will be, the movie experience has gotten considerably better. Overhead screens with VHS-quality video have been replaced with individual touch screens, complete with screen brightness and contrast adjustments. And although it’s a small perk, the ability to pause a movie is a great relief to travelers who’ve once or twice been torn between finishing the show and getting some shuteye before landing.

Delta’s premium cabins come with headsets designed to shut out ambient noise, Taylor added, so you don’t have to strain to hear over the buzz of the engine, snoring passengers, or the crying toddler two seats behind.

Things aren’t so sweet everywhere, however—some airlines still have those large central overhead screens with secondary drop-down screens for the side rows. But most major airlines have individual screens, at least for passenger flights. And the selections are wider, more varied, and more recent: one can find the latest Oscar winners alongside children’s classics and even a handful of foreign films.

Virgin America and JetBlue, although fairly new, consistently rank among the top airlines when it comes to in-flight entertainment. The former boasts 9-inch-wide touch screens with 25 on-demand films and live TV from 18 Dish Network channels—no wonder it topped Inc. Magazine’s list as the leader in airline entertainment.

Older airlines are also hard at work bringing their entertainment systems up to par. Delta, for example, expects to have individual screens in place on all its planes by 2013. One thing this can change is the editing of movies for in-flight use: since the movies are for individual consumption, there’s less of a need to cut scenes for general patronage.

Fresh from accepting a euro-zone bailout, Ireland is picking itself up in little ways, not least of which is a newly revived tourism industry. Hotels, attractions, and airfares are about 50% lower today than a few years ago, when the Emerald Isle was in its economic prime. And tourists have lost no time cashing in.

These days a shoestring traveler can fit a night at an Irish castle, fine dining by the sea, and a trek through the forest in one week for under $5,000—and bring the kids, too. This kind of purchasing power hasn’t been seen in Ireland for over twenty years.

Ireland has always fascinated Americans, who make up the biggest slice of its tourist population and many of whom share their heritage. In 2007, it welcomed 9 million visitors, twice its own population.

But getting there was always a complex affair, especially during the country’s economic boom from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. And despite the general tumble in hotel rates, hotspots like Galway and Kilkenny are still rife with tourist traps, especially on the pub and restaurant side. A pint of Guinness can cost three times as much as in the U.S.

Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s new tourism minister, wants to shake off that image. Last month’s industry survey shows that Irish hotels are the most affordable in western Europe, thanks (or no thanks, depending on which side you’re on) to the scale of its property bust. Basically, too many hotels were built during the boom, and now they’re forced to lower prices to compete with each other. Some 350 have been seized by the government.

But it’s not just about prices, says Varadkar: the industry itself has given itself a facelift. Hotel quality is up, the staff is friendlier, and choices abound in price range, dining, accommodation, and itineraries. Savvy travelers have only to look around to get sweet deals, even in peak seasons.

Of course, some things are still too good to be true. Foreclosed hotels are usually poorly located and maintained, and since they’ve changed hands, service may be shaky at best. Those that survived the bubble intact usually offer the best bang for your buck.

The trick, say experts, is research and haggling. Look up your location and read traveler reviews online. Confirm prices and haggle by e-mail—some say it’s the best way to get a hefty discount. Plan ahead like any good traveler, and you can have your Guinness and drink it too.

Take the scenic peaks of the Andes and the adrenaline rush of zipping through the Alps, throw in some of the world’s most beautiful scenery, and what you get is Queenstown: the cultural and environmental gem of southern New Zealand. Home to the Southern Alps and the picture-perfect Lake Wakatipu, it’s a place made for postcards, with views to be taken in from every inch and angle.

Many will agree that the best way to appreciate Queenstown is from up in the air, tucked into one of its famous gondolas. The Queenstown gondola ride from the city proper to the Skyline Complex on Bob’s Peak is said to be the highest, steepest ride in the Southern Hemisphere. From that height, you can see all of Queenstown and the natural scenery that makes it so famous: the calm lake, the lush greenery, and the Remarkables, a saw-toothed mountain ridge that cuts into the skies above the lake. Seeing it all spread out in a 220-degree panorama is an experience unlike any other.

Once you reach the Skyline, you can extend your viewing at one of the numerous decks in the complex. Different vantage points allow you to see more of the area’s lakes and mountains, punctuated only by the occasional road and bits of cityscape that add a nice contrast. The top terminal is almost 800 meters high, making for truly stunning photos.

You can explore the Skyline complex at your leisure and reboard the gondola back to central Queenstown when you’ve had your fill. The Skyline restaurant offers lunch and dinner menus featuring the best of local cuisine, including South Island salmon, roast meat, and a variety of desserts and salads. The tiered seats ensure good views anytime—definitely a welcome take on al fresco dining! There’s also the Skyline bar, where you can enjoy the same views while sipping your favorite cocktail or trying a local brew. Like most Queenstown restaurants, however, they get booked pretty fast, so make sure to reserve early to ensure a good spot.

Queenstown offers a good view any time of the year, so there’s no good or bad time to go. However, the warmer months in the first quarter tend to be the busiest. Early winter, from late May to June, is less crowded but still offers good viewing. If you want to avoid the crowds but still come in warm weather, December and March are usually comfortable enough.

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Dunedin, New Zealand is sometimes called the other Edinburgh, a reference to its Scottish roots. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic translation of Edinburgh, and city surveyor Charles Kettle designed it after the Scottish capital. Traces of this influence still permeate the city, and one of the telltale signs is the thriving microbrewery industry.

It’s no Cancun or Vegas, but what they lack in dazzle, Dunedin pubs make up for in culture and history. Many of Dunedin’s breweries have been around for decades, serving longtime friends and new patrons alike. The beers are a reflection of a carefree lifestyle and the locals’ penchant for turning the dullest of evenings into a good time. And quite simply, they’re as good as microbreweries go: their craft beers are known throughout the country, and the pubs are the first stop for visiting beer connoisseurs.

Easily the most popular brewery is Speight’s, an institution that has stood since 1876. Its Gold Medal Ale is a staple at student parties (Dunedin has a large student population thanks to the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic), although it’s technically a lager. Other popular brews include Speight’s Old Dark, a dark lager reminiscent of an English porter, and the Speight’s Craft line of ales in varying colors.

The 90-minute Speight’s Brewery Tour takes you through the halls that have made New Zealand’s favorite beer for well over a century, starting with how beer reached New Zealand from far-off Babylon to the beginnings and rise of Speight’s. You’ll get to see every step of the brewing process and even taste some of the ingredients. The tour naturally ends at the brewery bar, where you can sample six of the company’s beers.

The Speight’s building is an attraction by itself, not just because of its age but because of its design. Like most of Dunedin’s older buildings, it bears traces of the town’s Scottish origins. The nearby Captain Cook Tavern, a bar and restaurant, is also known as much for its architecture as for its microbrews.

Another famous Dunedin brewery, the Green Man, attracts a younger, edgier crowd. It takes pride in organic craft beers, which include lagers, stouts, strong whisky-style beers, and a few seasonal brews. There are also some unique brews for those with more curious taste buds, such as the strong, lime-spiked Tequila Beer. The award-winning Celt Beer, a half-dark mild and half-whisky bock, and Enrico’s Cure, New Zealand’s strongest beer, are also worth a try.

Just sitting here working in Santigo Chile, and felt the building move. I have never been in an earthquake before, and although I only just noticed it, and looked up to see the cutlery shaking it is very unsettling.

Just checked quake-maps.com and found out it was actually a Magnitude 5.3 in VALPARAISO, CHILE.

After witnessing all the damage in Japan. I hope that is all the earthquakes we experience while here.

Well, I have been travelling in New Zealand for 131 days now. During that time I have  snapped around 750 photos and of course I have seen pretty close to eight thousand sheep. All the things I have experienced so far, every city, town or place I’ve visited, every minute I’ve been working, and all the people I have met along the way, have all affected me in some how. Since living for almost four months on the South Island in Queenstown, it is time for me to move on and that has really made me start thinking.

The people you meet when you choose to move on from the everyday familiaraity of your home and the things you know well and start an adventure out into the world, are the kind of people that you will remember. Almost everyone you meet has a story to tell you, and although some people will move out of your life as quickly as they came in, they do still create a lasting impression. I find it amazing how easily how some friendships are made amongst travelers, and even though the time you spend together can be short before either person goes on to continue their journey  in their own direction, you will never forget that person. Remembering the many memories that make you smile as it will, even in 5 years time.

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It is an interesting study, Nepali transport. I have found it is quite simple and can be efficient but at the same time it can be frustrating and very hectic. To travel around you can use the usual ways, including cars, taxis, motorcycles and of course, walking.  There are also some extra means of transportation available in Nepal though, which include moto-rickshaws, normal rickshaws, micro buses and even travelling on the roof of a bus!

I have found that one of the best ways of getting around can also be the most dangerous at times… walking.  The reason is you always have to be alert, ready to jump out of the way of a motorcycle racing down a narrow street and even sometimes avoiding a taxi that tries to drive down a street it really shouldn’t!  You, and the people around you, end up being pressed against buildings so it can get past.  The other danger with walking is there are no crossings, so trying to cross the street is always dicey. Another worry is the drivers don’t look back when they are reversing so you alway have to look twice before walking behind a parked car.  It’s a good idea to walk with a friend if you can, so you have two extra eyes looking out for danger.

You do get to be in the thick of it all though, and while you are not looking out for your safety you can really see the sites, hear the noise and smell the aromas.