What is an Independent Traveler?
There is a certain philosophy that the independent traveler adheres to. While the tourist looks for comfort, convenience and a home away from home, the independent traveler prefers to become part of the culture as much as possible. The independent traveler likes to leave home behind.
There are many different terms in use to describe independent travelers. A hobo, in this sense, is someone without a home, spends very little or no money, and travels to work. A backpacker is a traveler on a budget who’s luggage is usually a single backpack. A flash packer has more money to spend than the hobo or backpacker, but still prefers the lifestyle of independent travel.
Regardless of the term used, independent travelers share a common philosophy.
The Independent Traveler:
1) Does Not Like to be Pampered
Independent travelers have a distaste for typical, over-priced packaged tours. They avoid rigid itineraries, instead preferring to plan their own trips. Rather than being pampered during their travels, independents feel more comfortable on their own. When one is told when to eat, where to go and how long to stay, it is like putting a noose on experience. Independents rely on their own judgment, they do not let others think for them or tell them what to do.
2) Spends Less Money to Enjoy More
The less money an independent traveler spends, the more he or she enjoys the trip. Big spending tends to isolate the traveler from new, vibrant experience. Rather than getting caught up in the consumer trap of buying expensive souvenirs, paying for useless accessories and the “convenience” of doing what you are told to do on a tour, independents do more of the things they enjoy doing, rather than buying things that distracts one from the experience of the trip.
3) Travels Light
Traveling with lots of luggage is a huge inconvenience that costs the traveler time, money and worry. All those things that tourists take with them on vacation actually impedes the trip, rather than enhance it. One of the purposes of travel is to enjoy what is there, not what is at home. Traveling light provides more freedom for the traveler and instead of baby-sitting all those “important” material possessions one can focus on experiencing life.
4) Becomes Immersed in the Culture
It is very difficult, even impossible, to experience a new place or culture when you are sheltered in a tour bus, or in a fancy hotel. The only way to maximize the experience of new things is to step into them and participate with an open mind. One travels to a foreign place to experience the foreign. Yet, too often the tourist erects shields to become isolated from the foreign experiences sought. The independent traveler does not fear what is foreign, but seeks it out and slowly, courteously, attempts to let it become a part of his or her life.
5) Goes with the Flow
Worry kills enjoyment. Time schedules, tasks and material things contribute to worry. When worry pounds away in your head you cannot truly experience what is there. It is easy to see with the eyes, it is an art to understand with the mind. The independent traveler knows that not everything always goes to plan; a flight might be canceled, a bus could be delayed, the weather may not be ideal. With a tight schedule these things could ruin a trip. With flexibility one can actually learn to enjoy them. Sometimes things happen for a reason. Sometimes you can find without seeking.
6) Believes that a Vacation is an Education
When one continues to do the same things one has always done, he or she will continue to receive the same results. Travel to the independent is more than a vacation, it is an education. Independent travel allows the individual to try new things, to see beyond one’s mental and cultural background, to experience, to learn and to grow. When one travels with an open mind learning becomes a delightful activity. Acquaintances learn from the traveler, the traveler learns from them, and therefore learns more about his or her person than otherwise would be possible. Learning extends beyond the four walls of a classroom to include the world.
7) Enjoys Freedom
To achieve freedom one does not need more. One needs less. The independent traveler has very few time constraints, material possessions, itineraries and lists of things to do. The independent is free to take advantage of any opportunity that comes along. The independent may stay up late to watch the sun set, wander into an isolated village, discover healing rituals of a disappearing culture, enjoy extra time with old friends and accept the gracious hospitality of new ones. The independent traveler understands that baggage should be left at home.
Leave things behind to take the world with you.

Introduction to Travel Health, Safety and Security Benefits
When it comes to travel risk management and the benefits of travel health, safety and security, this is what every travel, human resources, risk and general manager should know. In this article we will cover workplace health and safety standardization, productivity, efficiency and safety that complies with the company’s social and legal obligations. By reading this article you will be able to identify the main business benefits of enhanced travel health, safety and security for business travelers and determine if you our your company have a demonstrable travel risk management system that support workplace health and safety and fulfills your social and legal primary duty of care objectives.
After all, why would you exclude business travel from your overall business health, safety and security strategy and objectives?
Workplace Standardization: Travel Health, Safety and Security Benefits
Travel Risk Management Benefits
Have you ever seen or visited a worksite/office where they proudly display the amount of hours or days since the last significant incident that disrupted work progress or endangered employee safety? Most likely. Have you ever seen similar or specific information displayed and communicated relevant to the last significant incident that disrupted business travel or endangered business traveler’s safety? Probably not.
Travel risk management is not, and should not, a stand-alone or extra-ordinary risk mitigation system. It is merely a standardization between the more traditional or know workplace, office, and site health and safety requirements and expectations for employees. It is simply an extension to include all mobile and traveling personnel by means of concern, planning, resourcing and support to maximize business performance, efficiency and safety as it relates to business travel.
Any business that does not have a universal approach, that is inclusive of business travel, is sending mixed messages to their employees and most likely exposing them unnecessarily to compliance and litigation issues.
While the primary motivator for travel risk management by way of health, safety and security enhancements, should not be compliance and litigation avoidance, embracing the objective of improved and acceptable workplace health and safety for all employees will certainly take a step in the right direction to meeting both of these outcomes.
Improved whole of workplace health, safety and security
The war for talent is far from over and one of the considerations by high value talent is the demands and support associated with business travel. Awareness of business travel health, safety and security has risen significantly in recent years but is still significantly more advanced than the supporting travel risk management systems and processes. Employers of choice and those maintaining competitive advantages in the market have been the first to adopt the principles with both tangible and intangible benefits.
Creating false class or safety standards within a company is never an advisable strategy, however failure to adequately support and care for you business traveling population results in exactly that. There should be no noticeable difference to travelers of all levels of experience and status in the company’s workplace health and safety mechanisms and planning, when transiting from a fixed office/workplace to that of a mobile business travel workplace or journey.
A simple standardization for those yet to implement a working travel health, safety and security strategy is advisable. Those with existing systems and processes need only ensure they remain extant and consistent with the overall company business travel objectives and social or legal expectations.
Improved Productivity, efficiency and safety
Standardized and effective business wide health, safety and security systems have proven and measurable business benefits.
Productivity derived from managed business travel can increased dramatically when inclusive of travel risk management. Lost hours, delays, disruptions, reduced work capacity and cost containment are all by-products of travel health, safety and security via travel risk management.
Given that multiple overlapping departments support and manage business travel, the total amount of wastage and efficiency management is rarely visible in a single report or budget review. Significant efficiencies can be realized when the entire system is standardized to support travel administration, planning, health, safety and security. Compounding savings and harmonized expenditure can result in thousands of dollars in working capital saved or re-injected back into the business.
Conclusion: Travel Health, Safety and Security Benefits
The benefits of travel risk management relating to travel health, safety and security should now be apparent to any business owner or manager. While workplace health and safety compliance does apply to business travel it will also result in sizable business savings and cost efficiencies if undertaken correctly, while meeting or exceeding any compliance or company’s social and legal obligations. Objectively review your current travel health, safety and security systems specific to travel risk management and use this advice as a guide to make comparisons or rectify any omissions to your processes immediately.

Family vacation gatherings and out-of-town adventures are the usual activities that most children and their parents enjoy during summer or semester break. These are the moments that they are able to spend each other’s company and have more time to interact to each other.
Even adults enjoy these times by taking a time-out from busy office work and away from the daily noise and on-the-go ambiance of the metropolis.
A busy life at school or in the office makes us feel stressed most of the time. Whenever we are given the chance to unwind, let’s take this opportunity by thinking better ways to make our vacation productive and enjoyable. Sometimes, staying at home is boring and limiting.
Indoor routine like cleaning your room, sleeping, or watching your favorite DVDs may somewhat be ordinary. Surfing the net, chatting or calling a friend may not be enough to spend a memorable vacation. Why not go somewhere? Visit your ideal resort or any place that you like? If you have the budget, grab your bag and do the packing. A variety of choices are available in the net. All you have to do is pick a location closest to your heart.
If you are looking for a sunny location with a desert-like atmosphere, Phoenix, the largest city in Arizona, may interest you. Its location in the central part of Arizona near the Salt River Valley makes the city popularly known as the “Valley of the Sun.”
Phoenix has an estimated population of almost three million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, along with other cities such as Scottsdale, Glendale, Tempe and Mesa, making it the fifth largest city in the U.S.
For first timers who would visit the place, don’t worry it is very easy. The frequent visitors who come from the east or west take their car using the Interstate 10 as their common route. If you still need guidance in planning your route or in taking other possible routes. Don’t forget to bring your water jars while traveling, especially during summer months or hotter days to avoid dehydration.
Traveling by air is also fun and fast since Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is made available to service 20 airlines, especially visitors from UK using British Airways with six times a week nonstop flights.
Other airlines include Air Canada and Aero Mexico. All you have to do is to visit these airlines’ websites and make early bookings to make sure that your vacation will be set to your planned date.
Information about on-going flight schedules in San Francisco is available by calling the hotline number at 602-273-3321.
Rail terminals in Tucson and Flagstaff can also be used as means of transportation when visiting Phoenix. When you are already in the place, hotels, resorts, museums, restaurants and other places can be reached using several bus routes. For customer care concerns and other queries, you can call 1-800-872-7245 for specific details.
As a customary practice for foreigners in Phoenix, tipping is made for taxi drivers and staff of hotels, restaurant and others in U.S. at 15% rate.
In Phoenix, the sunny days from November to April are the best time to visit the place. During these months, resorts are full of vacationers in the valley and enjoying the popular outdoor activities like golfing, hiking, hot air balloons and scenic sightseeing in the deserts and mountain towns.
Other lovely places to visit are the world-class restaurants, hotels, museums, shopping centers and sports arenas. With all these things to look forward to, you will never miss to consider Phoenix as your vacation destination.

Those who love to travel try to visit as many places as they can during their travel. During their travels it is best if people take advantage of insurance so that they can be protected while they are in transit. The kind of insurance that avid passenger may need is the multi trip this insurance compared to purchasing for each trip.
This multi trip travel insurance can be applied to numerous travels, so instead of having a separate one for each flight, this is more sensible. Insurance for multiple trips is also referred to by agencies as annual this insurance or yearly this insurance because all your traveling for this entire period will be covered. No matter how many trips you take, this policy will still suffice.
Any trip you will be taking in the span of one year can be insured with the multi trip insurance. At least now you will not have to worry about anything when you travel like emergencies and accidents. You should look into this kind of policy if you are a person who travels more than three times a year.
There is an added bonus when it comes to annual travel insurance when you are used to traveling with your family. When traveling with children policies of this kind typically provide free coverage for up to four children. This insurance plan is inexpensive and can provide the needed coverage for the whole family.
The need for this insurance might still be questionable to some. People may be in a weak position at this time. Being away from home, this will give travelers the security and protection they need.
Paying for medical expenses in another country can cost a lot of money so it is best to get travel insurance. One other purpose is when accidents may happen that are out of the travelers hands. It is also essential that you have travel insurance so that when you lose some belongings you will be covered.
It is essential that travelers get annual this insurance. Aside from being able to have insured travels for up to a year, there are still a lot of advantages travelers will receive from multi trip travel insurance. Sometimes, there are companies who give out free ski insurance along with the coverage already included for the four kids under the age of 18.
Yearly travel insurance has both international and domestic travel insurance and a traveler can get both. A travel will spend less if he gets the multi trip travel insurance. This is also much saving when a person takes more than three trips on a year with all the coverage that the trip would require.
There is a lot to gain from multi trip travel insurance by contract workers and those who always travel. The jobs of these people require them to travel a few weeks each time for a project. This insurance plan will allow them to save a lot of money.
Remember that if you travel often, never go for those separate insurance policies because they amount to a lot of money. As a cheaper substitute, have a look at multi trip travel insurance. With all the free coverage in store for you and your whole family you will also get the chance to save money.

The Taxi Medallion of New York City
The New York City Taxi Medallion is an interesting form of property. It represents a transferable right granted by the City to pick up passengers, but through regulation the dollar value of this right is now nearing a million. In Fact, Some of the Richest Workers In America are Taxi Drivers In New York City.
Trading in the price range of $600,000.for the individual medallion, and almost three quarters of a million for the coveted corporate or “mini” fleet medallion, the New York City Taxi industry has seen its overall value increase by almost five-hundred percent since the turn of the century.
The Taxi Medallion is a special license plate affixed to the hood of a New York City Yellow Taxi cab. It represents the license for picking up passengers from the streets. No other transportation service has this right.
The medallion system began in the 1930’s. In the 1960’s all medallion taxicabs were required to be painted yellow.
The medallion number is must be clearly visible on the taxicab roof light, license plates, as well as on the door exterior, and in the vehicle interior.
There are different types of “Medallions”. The individual, the corporate or fleet medallion, and the Handicap Access Medallion.
The individual medallion requires the owner (post 1990), to operate the yellow taxicab 210 nine-hour shifts per year. This underlying requirement guarantees the availability of taxi transportation. It is not unusual for two taxi drivers to form partnerships and share the medallion, or for an individual owner to lease out the taxi for the shifts he is not working.
The corporate or fleet medallion does not need to be operated by the owner. In fact, the owner need not have a NYC Taxi operator’s license at all. The fleet medallion can be leased, and often is on a shift-by-shift basis, twice per day, for as much as $140 per twelve hour rental.
There is a network of brokers and agents who manage and lease taxicabs and medallions to independent taxi drivers under daily, weekly, and long-term arrangements for investors.
As an investment, the most interesting aspect of the New York City Taxi Medallion is the anti-cyclical valuations. In2009, as the US and world economies are shrinking, medallion value is soaring.
When banks and stock brokerages, construction companies and retailers lay off workers, one of the first places the unemployed workers seek income is in the taxi industry. So, as the general economy suffers the number of available taxi cabs shrinks as more people seek them and those already working are forced to work more shifts as competition for fares increases.
There are a limited number of medallions. Currently just over 13,200. This number was constant at 11,787 for more than sixty years when in the 1990’s then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani approved NY City Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Christopher Lynn to conduct three auctions, selling four hundred medallions.
The sales netted the City approximately one hundred-million dollars. The politics behind the sales was very intense and telling, as shortly after the sales were completed the industry applied for and received a rate of fare increase. After a few short years another proposal for new medallion auctions was approved by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The successive medallion sales created slightly more than one thousand-forty new medallions. During these auctions the Handicap Access Medallion was introduced at a substantial discount to regular market prices. This was to entice owners to pay the extremely high price of retrofitting vehicles with automatic ramps to accommodate wheelchairs. They were all sold, and on a percentage basis have risen in value more than other medallions.

Riding a school bus to school in the mornings and the afternoons has been a tradition for many years now. It has always been a concern for parents on the first day their put their child on the bus because they worry about whether or not they will be afraid or if their safety should be a concern. Usually after the first couple of weeks it becomes routine and most parents never give it much thought after that.
However, in recent years there are a number of reasons that parents are having to be cautious when they have children that ride a school bus to and from their schools. This is because in recent years especially, there has been an alarming increase in the number of children that fight on the bus even as the bus drivers watch in their rear view mirror. There have been many serious incidents where children have been ganged up on by several other kids at one time.
Another concern that has just recently came to light is the risk of a child being molested on the bus by other children on the bus. Older students have been found guilty of molesting smaller kids as they ride to or from school. This is such a serious concern and fifty years ago such a thing occurring on a school bus would have been unthinkable.
There have also been incidents where small children have been accidentally left on the school bus in the morning after the run has been made. It is the responsibility of a bus driver to walk the entire length of the bus after each route has been finished to make sure there is no one left on the bus. Evidently this is not a practice all bus drivers care to make sure they do because when the bus is taken to a temporary parking place until the afternoon route, they were surprised to find a small child had fallen asleep in the morning and had been left on the bus all alone for the entire day. This can be a very dangerous and scary situation when a five or six year old wakes up all alone and is made to sit for hours in hunger and sometimes cold or very hot temperatures in a closed up and empty bus.
Even though the aid of cameras have been installed in many school buses around the country, these types of incidents are still continuing to rise overall. Parents need to take the time to get to know their child’s school bus driver and find out how responsible they might be. Be sure to ask your child about what is going on their school bus and if there are any suspicious things happening that they tell you about, take it to the school principal or even the school board to make sure your child’s bus ride is as safe as possible.