Balkan Tours and Travels

Archive for June, 2007

India is called as “The Country for everything”, it is a dramatic land of superb historical sites and royal cities, misty mountain retreats, colorful people, rich cultures and festivities. Its fascinating beaches, cloudy hill stations, historical monuments, golden deserts, serene backwaters, pilgrimage sites, rich wildlife, and colorful fairs capture the heart of every tourist. India’s exhilarating beauty has been attracted to visitor since long years. It is the reason behind, the stunning beauty and overall history that it holds.

If you want to see the abundant beauty of nature then there are lots of other Destinations in India such as Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Mysore, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra, Khajuraho, Tamilnadu, etc which are also the famous for the heritage and cultural beauty. You will find the experience unique and offbeat to other naturally blessed places of the world if you visit these places on tour to India. All these destinations are the preferred destination of nature lovers, honeymooners, travellers, holidayers and many others.

The world renowned Delhi, Mughal cities of Agra, Rajasthan and Kerala are really incredible attractions of India. Agra is famous for barely credible monument Taj Mahal & Agra Fort. Taj Mahal is one of the seventh wonders in the world. Delhi has monumental wonders like Red Fort, Akshardham Temple, Lotus Temple, Humayun’s Tomb, India Gate, Jama Masjid, Old Fort, etc. There are lots of tourism opportunities in this country as like: Wildlife, hill station, beach, ancient Ayurveda, backwater, Adventure, Cultural, monument, village pilgrimage, monsoon, etc are predominant tourism options available in this country.

The states like Kerala and Goa are globally famous for holiday and tourism destinations in the country. Both states have some of most excellent beaches in the world. Goa has also some of the wonderful monument attractions like churches, temples, forts, palaces, colonial homes, etc. A well-designed Goa tour package gives tourists incredible wonders & attractions of the state in organized way. Kerala is also recognized for superb nature beauty and lush greenery. Beaches, backwaters, hill stations, ancient temples, etc are prime attractions of Kerala. Backwaters in Kerala are truly incredible wonder of India.

Rajasthan is also renowned for its majestic monuments and historical palaces. Every part of the state has something to offer a visitor. The people of the state are known for their colorful outfits and festivals. It also houses some of the world’s beautiful monuments and heritage, Luxury Palaces.

Now days, India has positioned its name in the world tourist map, which has always been a major attraction for tourist. A visit around the country will bring to you this diversity in our costumes, cuisine, in our magnificent monuments, majestic forts, opulent palaces, pious temples & mosques. Surly you will be fall in love with incredible wonders and attractions of India. If you’re looking for a convenient vacation and a memorable trip to India with a reasonable cost, you’re in the right place!

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Greece also known as the Hellenic Republic is a truly spectacular country located in Southeastern Europe on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. Greece shares its borders with Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, The Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea. Greece is a world renowned country which is extremely popular all around the world for its cultural heritage, golden history, wars and friendly people.

Many people come to this place from all across the globe. So, if you are also planning a vacation here then you must book your hotels in advance. In this article I would mainly tell you about some hotels which you can reserve in Greece.

1. Galaxy Hotel

Galaxy Hotel is a world class hotel located in Crete. It is a world luxury hotel which is very near to the international airport. The hotel has 120 rooms and all are fully equipped with computer terminal, balconies, bathrooms, direct phone line, mini-bar and a fridge. Other facilities that you would get here include a cozy lounge area with fireplace, a large swimming pool, conference rooms, central air conditioning, sauna facility and sun terrace. An outdoor restaurant and a bar can also be located at this place.

2. The Hilton Athens

This is a luxury five stars hotel which is truly world class. This hotel is located in Athens and provides a truly modern environment to the guests who come here. The hotel has 524 spacious rooms including suite, deluxe rooms and executive rooms. The lavish facilities that are provided over here are a private reception area, a private restroom, an exotic restaurant serving mouth watering food and a good bar area where drinks and cocktails are served.

3. The Hotel Amphitryon

This is a lavish hotel located in Nafplion, one of the most beautiful old towns in Greece. Here you would find 42 well decorated rooms and 3 suites from where you can admire the isle of Bourtzi. Many famous celebrities from all around the world have stayed in this luxury hotel. General facilities here include restaurants, bars, swimming pools, fully equipped meeting rooms and a library lounge area with a fireplace.

4. Hotel Katikies

This is a small luxury hotel with 21 suites, studios and rooms located in Oia village, Santorini. From this hotel you can admire fabulous sea views and landscapes. The hotel is built according to the traditional architecture of the island and the staff members here are extremely cordial and amiable.

Well theses are some very good luxury hotels located in Greece that you must surely reserve for a world class experience in this attractive country.

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A NYC house sewer for a property works on gravity, the principal that water runs downhill. As a matter of fact a pressurized house sewer is not legal in NYC unless it has prior approval due to very special circumstances.

A house sewer in NYC is installed using extra heavy cast iron pipe and should have a minimum of 1″ of pitch for every 5′ of sewer run. The pitch of a sewer line is limited to no more than 1′ of pitch for every 4′ of run. A sewer from a property connects to the public sewer system typically in the roadway and at a point above the flow line of the public sewer. A typical house sewer line is 4″ in diameter from the house to the property line, then 6″ from the property line to the NYC sewer connection. Commercial properties require 6″ pipe the entire run.

Installing a larger diameter pipe than what is required has no benefit and as a matter of fact will actually slow the flow of water in the sewer line. Because no mechanical device such as a pump is required for a house sewer line to function properly a house sewer should work without any maintenance whatsoever for well over 50 years. Routine cleaning or treatment is not required unless a sewer line has some sort of defect or is being misused.

Because a sewer line in NYC must have a double vent house trap large or unsuitable objects placed in a house drain are usually caught before they can cause a blockage in a NYC sewer. Some municipalities outside of NYC do not require a trap. A double vent house trap also creates a water barrier in the bottom of the trap to prevent gases from entering into a property.

It is important that the sewer trap have tightly fitting plugs to prevent leakage of waste or gases. In some cases where the public sewer system tends to back up during heavy rains a backwater check valve is recommended. Installing a sewer check valve in some cases can save thousands of dollars in damage when a NYC sewer backs up.

All sewer line work in NYC must be performed by a licensed master plumber. NYC D.E.P. permits are required and typically NYC DOT permits are required as well. All NYC sewer work must be inspected by a NYC D.E.P. inspector prior to backfill of the excavations. In some cases a NYC DOT representative is present to monitor the backfill and compaction of the excavations.

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Tour Operators & travel Agents are different in Malaysia! And the public have had the wrong perception for long time. In Malaysia, Tour Operators and Travel Agents are different and play different roles. In a factory scenario, a Tour Operator is like the production department and the Travel Agent is like the Sales Department…

A Tour Operator is the organizer and provider of package holidays. It is often referred as the Ground Handler. The Tour Company will make contracts with hotels and resorts, airlines and ground transport companies like private cars, buses, vans, ferries and trains & etc. With all the necessary pricing and information compiled, the Tour Operator will draft detailed tour packages and distribute to Travel Agents in Travel Agent Directory in Malaysia and even overseas.

The roles & responsibilities of a Tour Operator are booking and arranging:

- Transportation: Chaffered Car, Chartered Bus & Van, Air Ticket, Train Ticket, Ferry Ticket, Cruise Ticket, other transit modes and even special vehicles like trishaw.
- Tour Guide: All Tour Guides must be licensed by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia after attending and examined in a professional Tourist Guide Courses.
- Sight Seeing: Entrance for tourist destinations, eco-tour, adventures tour, jungle trekking, snorkeling & scuba diving, island hopping and even handicraft or cultural & living experiences.
- Food & Beverage: Breakfast, Tea Time or Tea Break, Lunch & Dinner, whether by set, buffet or packed food.
- Accommodation: Hotels, Resorts, Service Apartments, Camping Sites, Dormitories, Training Camps, Chalets, Tree Houses or traditional houses & habitats that accommodating travelers.
- Activities: Tele-match, treasure hunt, paint ball, team building, outside office meeting…
- Special Events: Company dinner, karaoke contest.

On the other hand, Travel Agents do not operate tours. Travel agencies gives traveling advices to travelers, promote and sell the tour packages that they have from various Tour Operators, then administer the tour bookings. Travel Agents usually are set up in prime locations with heavy traffic such as beside the main roads, inside crowed shopping malls or at the ground floor of a landmark building.

The roles & responsibilities of a Travel Agent are:

- Selling ells travel related products and services, particularly package tours to end-user customers on behalf of third party travel suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, tour operator and tour companies, and cruise lines & etc.
- Most travel agents have a special department devoted to travel arrangements for business travelers, while some agencies specialize in commercial and business travelers.
- Some also serve as general service agents for foreign travel companies in different countries.
- Act as an agent for tour packages:
- Buy tour packages or tour services at discounts & sell with profits.
- Get commissions from suppliers & other tour companies.
- Act as a ticketing agent for transportation (e.g. airlines, ferry, bus, train & etc).
- Other commercial operations are undertaken: insurance, travel guides, car rental, Bureau de change, private tour guide & etc.
- Offer impartial travel advice to the customer.

Next time, if you traveling in small group less than 10 travelers, it is advisable to engage a Travel Agent. Do not try to find the best travel agent in Malaysia. There is no such myth! Just go with the travel agent that suit your traveling needs and budgets or the tour agent that you trusted the most. However, if you are organizing a group tour like company tour, a Tour Operator will be able to provide you a more suitable tailor-made service.

The above information are guidelines and advices that 88Holidays provided to its Corporate Clients in organizing group tour. It is simple but useful information to help organizing a successful company tour with many years experiences.

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