Since many years, Yangshuo is considered to be a travelers gem. Even in the ears that China was a closed country and few, if any were able to travel in China, Yangshuo was the exception. In the early 80's, when traveling in China was almost like traveling to Mars, there were only a few areas for tourism opened. Most of those areas you had to travel with an official Chinese guide, who usually spoke little English and told you no more then the official story, written by the the Chinese Communist Party.

When I first visited China in the mid 90's, tourism was rapidly increasing. There were still plenty of officially closed areas but there were also plenty of options to travel independent through the country. Booking a train ticket or obtain a bus ticket could be a real challenge. I remember Hezhou, not far from Xiahe in north China where I could only obtain a bus ticket if I had a Chinese Insurance, but to obtain such an insurance you needed to hand over a bus ticket, proving you were traveling in that area.

Those days are over. China nowadays is just as difficult, or as easy to travel as any other Asian country. That is, of course, if you do your homework. One thing many travelers underestimate are the distances. Flying from west to east China take 3 hours, north to south, around 1.5 to 2 hours. So planning is essential.

Yangshuo is such an area that shows up on my "to be visited areas in China". It's not for nothing. There are few places in China, even in the world more scenic then Yangshuo.

The limestone mountains of Yangshuo

I have said it before, and I repeat it here: "If paradise have existed, it might very well have been here in Yangshuo". Of course there are plenty of other wonderful and magic areas to visit but Yangshuo has without a doubt one of the most famous and spectacular limestone karst rock formations.

Yangshuo is located in south China, about 600 km north west of Guangzhou and Hong Kong. With an international airport in Guilin, Yangshuo, at 66 km from Guilin is now easily accessible to the rest of the world. The Guilin airport has direct connections to Hong Kong and Bangkok amongst other international airports.

While flying in from the Hong Kong direction you might already get a glimpse of the limestone mountains. The airport, located west of Guilin city is also the north west border of the limestone mountain area. Traveling by taxi from the airport to Guilin gives you already an intro to what you will see later on.

The way to Yangshuo

There are two ways you can travel to Yangshuo from Guilin. One goes over land, the other via the Li Jiang river. Personally I like the river cruise, because that is what it is, as an entrance to Yangshuo. The start of the cruise is nothing much. But after some time the landscape gets more and more spectacular until it reaches its summit in Xingping where boats have a stop and you can enjoy a drink in one of the restaurants.

This doesn't mean the last part of the river to Yangshuo, another 20km or so, is not interesting. Contrary. This part is beautiful and I can recommend it in any season although, obviously in the summer months, when beautiful clear weather it's spectacular.

The road from Guilin to Yangshuo does not offer such spectacular sights, thus many people decide to come through the river and leave via the road.

There is another way to come to Yangshuo, from the south. Hong Kong and Guangzhou are not too far, a night bus ride away. The old road from Guangzhou to Wuzhou and then north to Yangshuo is no longer so much in use but it is a very nice and partly scenic road. However, as many travelers from Guangzhou or Hong Kong come with night buses, they won't see much of the scenery anyway. The newer road is much more scenic. Cyclists travel this road too but it's a busier road. There are several towns with some very scenic areas though nothing comes close to Yangshuo.

Travelers from south China, Nanning and Liuzhou usually take the express bus or the train to Guilin but there's another road, crossing the hills and come just south of Yangshuo together in Lipu. Cyclist usually take 2 days from Liuzhou to Yangshuo this way. There are sleeper buses doing this journey but it's slow and unpleasant.

The limestone mountains

Most people come for two reasons to Yangshuo: see the limestone rock formations and do some cycling, hiking, rockclimbing or other outdoor activities here. Moonhill is one of the most famous and most visited rocks in the area. It's located at the main road some kilometers south of Yangshuo town center. But there's plenty more to see.

Take a raft just north of Moonhill and drift westwards with the limestone mountains on both sides. More serene you can not get it. Or go to Xingping, another spectacular area with plenty of opportunities for rock climbing and hiking. But the best way is simply to take a bicycle and cycle in the area. With of without a guide, you will find small villages where time seems to have stand still.

Others come simply here to hang out, enjoy a westernized piece of China, where bread, coffee and pizza together with plenty of Chinese speaking English make life easy. True, in China these days there are more places where you find these western things. Yangshuo still has the name as a backpackers paradise and it's still worth the visit for a couple of days.

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Backpacking is a popular method of holidaying, enjoyed by all ages - from students to young professionals.

Whether it be trekking through Thailand, surfing the coasts of Australia or exploring the more spiritual side of India, these trips offer the opportunity to get away from it all and experience other cultures.

But travelling on a budget means that backpackers have an increased risk of crime and suffering some kind of injury abroad - from slips and trips to nips and bites from the local fauna.

It is important to ensure that suitable travel insurance is in place before setting off on such an excursion. Before setting off, travellers should be wary of the costs involved and also ensure they have the correct type of cover for their trip.

There are a number of different cheap travel insurance policies which are specially tailored to meet the needs of backpackers. These policies cover a wide range of factors associated with travelling, and can vary in timescales - ranging from a week to two years.

Backpacker policies can prove to be more affordable than single trip travel insurance policies. It is advisable that potential packers double check the policies and ensure that a number of factors are in place to help cover them through their trip:

Emergency Medical Cover - helps cover any costs in the event of you requiring medical assistance
Rescue and Repatriation - helps to cover costs in the event of a medical emergency rescue
Baggage and Possessions Cover - an essential part of your cover that helps cover costs of valuables should they be lost or stolen during the trip. Check that the policy also covers admin costs should your passport need to be reissued.
Personal Money - provides compensation cover for any lost cash or travellers' cheques, although the limit tends to be low
Personal Liability - legal cover for any accident or injury you might accidentally inflict on another person
Holiday Cancellation - should you need to cut your trip short early due to unforeseen circumstances, provides compensation for any monies lost as a result
Travel Delay - helps provide compensation for any money lost due to a delayed departure, although this may only apply after a certain amount of time

A wide range of special cover options can be selected to cater for the needs of a backpacking excursion - including protection to cover extreme sports such as bungee jumping and scuba diving, as well as winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding.

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Finally, you are able to relax on that long-awaited vacation. You stretch your arms above your head as your eyes take in the beauty of your surroundings. It is so nice to finally see the fruits of your labors. You take a step away from your comfortable chair, and step smoothly onto a piece of broken glass. Clutching your throbbing foot you sit back down and notice an official of some sort is trying to get your attention, apparently your luggage never arrived either. Your head starts to spin, and just as decide you have no idea what to do, your cell phone rings and your wife tells you that one of your children is terribly sick and needs medical attention now. This could have all been avoided.

Travel Insurance

If you are thinking about a vacation from the UK it is time for you to value travel insurance. Travel insurance allows you to have more confidence and calm while you travel, granting you an excellent rest instead of thinking about some unknown calamity that you could fall victim to. Before deciding on any travel insurance it is always best to consider three points first.

- Where are you going?
- How long will you be gone?
- Who are you going with?

When visiting foreign countries you should focus on researching worldwide travel insurance companies. Typically, these kind of insurance companies provide almost global protection to help you enjoy a safe trip. Such policies may have coverage for death as a result of an accident, disability, loss of credit cards or currency, identification documents, luggage, vehicle damage and other such incidents. Medical coverage for numerous sports, ranging from deep sea diving to rock climbing, also can be included based upon your need.

For those who travel frequently, multi trip travel insurance is a more suitable variant. Such policies also tend to cover sports accidents or medical emergencies, personal items and funds, travel delays and others. Trip duration for these types of policies tends to be from 45 to 90 days, but the usual total minimum coverage duration is at least one year.

Some like to travel accompanied by a large group of friends or with a group of co-workers, group travel insurance is designed specifically for this purpose. It gives the possibility to enjoy your travelling experience with fewer worries. Group travel insurance covers more than one person, but usually tends to offer less intensive coverage. While it may cover more people, it usually does not offer the same amount of coverage per person that a policy designed for one person would cover. Even still, this is the ideal choice for those travelling with a group of non-relatives of four or more people.

Family travel insurance is an excellent method to insure your family is safe during your travels. Of course, it is always especially important to be absolutely sure of the credibility of your policy when travelling with your family. Policies of all kinds can be offered for you and your family. The three questions above along with your budget will determine as to what kind of policy you will receive. Children tend to make travelling a little more risky due to their natures; luckily, it is not unusual for family policies to cover small children for free.

A variety of web sites allow busy people in the UK to find travel insurance online. You can arrange quotes from multiple companies and quickly compare the different policies to decide which will best fit your needs. Also, you can confer with a travel agent in person to help determine what exactly you need.

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Travel insurance policies are a great way for travelers to protect their investment and cover themselves financially while away on vacation or a business trip. Both travel and demand for travel insurance are ever increasing and cover is now available through many different insurers. This article will discuss a number of ways to save money on travel insurance which all you should know about if you are looking for a policy.

Start with a Basic Plan and Go from There

One of the first ways in which you can save money on your travel insurance policy premium is to start with a basic insurance plan and work your way up from there. Many insurance providers will offer basic travel plans and then provide options for adding on other types of coverage. For example, a basic insurance plan for travel needs may include trip cancellation protection and cover for lost or stolen luggage but the individual will have to add on additional facets of coverage such as medical expense reimbursement and personal effects coverage. By starting with a basic plan, you are able to pick and choose which additional benefits suit you. This will save you money in the end by keeping off benefits and features which are unnecessary for you.

Forgo Deductibles

Some insurance companies will have an excess or deductible amount attached to the policy in addition to the set premium. This is something which can cost the individual more should they need to make a claim on their insurance for some reason or another. Not all insurers will have an excess, therefore it is a good idea to shop around and look for policies with minimal or no excess for claims.

Consider Annual Travel Insurance Plans

Travel insurance policies come in many different forms. Some are single-trip policies whereas others will provide benefits and cover for an entire year. Although annual travel insurance plans are more expensive than single-trip travel insurance plans, they may save the insured money in the long run.

If the individual travels on a frequent basis, buying an annual insurance plan will often be in their best interest as it will cover them the entire year for all of the trips which they embark on. When comparing that to the price of paying for individual policies each and every time you travel, obtaining an annual travel insurance policy will often be the best way to save a lot of money and have peace of mind knowing that year-round coverage is present.

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While many backpackers have a relaxed attitude about travel insurance those that take the time to put a basic backpacker travel insurance policy in place can make their journey without the risk of high medical costs ruining a great holiday.

As a general rule backpackers are single, young and not keen to pay high insurance premiums for benefits they do not consider relevant to their circumstances. The reality is that backpackers have few concerns about traveling other than falling ill or meeting with an accident that leaves them hospitalized for a lengthy period of time and incurring huge medical bills as a consequence. As a result they are generally not seeking disability or death cover but rather unlimited overseas emergency medical assistance and hospital expenses. They may also want backpacker insurance to cover off a nominal amount for the loss and replacement of credit cards or travel documents and stolen luggage or personal effects.

Purchasing backpacker insurance online is often much cheaper than the travel insurance that may be offered by a travel agent. In Australia there is quite a lot of competition for online insurance and basic backpacker traveler insurance that provides adequate cover for young travelers is readily available at a cost that is within their budget.

Whether you are looking for backpacking insurance that covers you for emergency hospitalization and the medical bills that you might incur when you are traveling either internationally or backpacking locally around Australia, there is basic backpacker travel insurance available online at a very low cost. Cheap backpacker travel insurance does not have to mean compromised cover, it simply means that you are not paying for cover you deem unnecessary - luggage delay for example will generally be of little concern to a backpacker taking his or her time traveling the world - an extra day waiting for bags is of little consequence.

The beauty of travel insurance for backpackers is that it is designed with backpackers in mind: policies for single trip, multi-trip, or even annual trip travels insurance are also available but there will be a premium for this. There are insurance plans and policies to cover hitchhiking, trekking, road trips, boat trips whatever traveling you have in mind on your backpacking holiday. If you are planning more dangerous activities such as skiing then you can cover for accidents but again this will obviously increase your backpacker travel insurance premiums.

When you purchase a basic backpacker insurance plan you are not buying hidden extras which simply won't apply to you, you are not paying for add-ons that are more likely to suit some high flying tourist slipping on a spilt martini along glass tiles of the roof top pool of some ritzy five star hotel. No, with backpacker insurance the policy is tailor made for the type of risks and dangers a traveling backpacker is far more likely to encounter. A basic backpacker travel insurance policy will cover emergency hospitalization, hospital and medical bills along with up to say $2000 cover for loss of credit cards, stolen travel documents or lost luggage.

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In this article I will cover:

- Getting cheap or free web on your holiday / backpacking trip.

- Getting the cheapest but most comprehensive travel insurance possible.

- The cheapest international calls

- Cheap Accommodation

- How to find specific info for each city

Getting Free Internet on you Backpacking trip

When it comes to cheap backpacking, this tip will save you a lot.

I picked up an old Nokia phone with Wifi (EU75) from a gypsy market in Bulgaria two months ago, and I've been sponging off other peoples open wifi connections ever since!

The beauty of this is that each time I use my new free internet connection instead of paying Euro 2-5 (sometimes 10!), eventually that money saved means that I will eventually make the cost of the phone back and then start actively saving/making money.

I've also downloaded a nifty program called Fring, which lets me call others on Skype/Google talk etc for free or landlines/mobiles for a small fee when at a wifi hotspot. The fee is much less than what you can expect to pay with the normal 'cheap' international phone cards.

Working the system to get the cheapest travel insurance possible

Rule number one for having a cheap backpacking experience:

NEVER buy travel insurance from your travel agent! Until you follow the steps below first!

Buying travel insurance from travel agents is like buying Armani from a supermarket. It's just not cricket ~

Because it is a point of convenience, most people don't think about shopping around and just go for the first price they get. Which is always a rip off.

My first quote for travel insurance for a 6 month trip to Europe, Middle East and Africa was over AU$600 from my travel agent. No thanks.

I then did a search on the web for the absolute cheapest I could find with (and this is very important) comprehensive, unlimited health insurance, which is all I was interested in. I ended up getting a quote for AU$200 from a company backed by a major international bank. I then took that to my travel agent and they matched and beat it.

So I ended up paying AU$180 instead of AU$600 for the same product!

The cheapest international calls are not where you think

Most of us who are looking for a cheap backpacking experience know not to call home from hostel/hotel phones etc and usually buy calling cards.

Whilst this can be cheap, some countries don't have the cheap international calling cards, or if they do are not so cheap.

The other option is using a feature called 'Skype out' - this is part of the normal Skype program, except instead of just calling a Skype computer, you can call actual landlines and mobiles. For cheap!!: )

For example, I go to an internet cafe in Bulgaria and call home for the skype rate of AU 2 cents per minute instead of AU 26 cents per minute which I would be charged with a calling card/special internet phone booth.

That's 1/10th of the price!

Yahoo has an even cheaper option with their chat program.

Or if the person you are calling has Skype/Yahoo messenger, you can call for free obviously: )

Cheap Accommodation

The worst thing you could do when aiming for a cheap backpacking experience is booking a hostel through HostelWorld.

Having worked at a hostel I can tell you they own 80% of the market and can get away with charging you US$2 on top of the 10% booking fee.

Why pay the US$2 every time when you can book free at HostelBookers (dot com)? You get exactly the same thing without being taken advantage of!

Another thing that is handy to know is that that 10% deposit only goes to the website not to the hostel! Knowing that, why not Google the website of the hostel you want and email them directly, asking them if you can keep the 10% if you book through them directly? I've done this several times and its especially handy for long term stays

Specific info for each city:

Whilst the preceding four points are good general tips, one more thing that will save your hard earned money is to find blogs which cover cheap holidays for the city/place you are about to visit.

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As we grow older, many over the age of 65 enjoy extensive travel. In your golden years, you deserve to be able to travel to places you have never been, or visit those you enjoyed most in the past. Age Concern travel insurance may be the solution you need so that you can travel the world without added worries or stress. It often becomes hard to find travel insurance as you age, due to several factors such as medical conditions. Age Concern travel insurance takes a different approach to those of a certain age who want to travel the world.

Many insurance companies will not cover a pre-existing medical condition when you travel. Age Concern travel insurance will cover pre-existing conditions for those who qualify, and determining whether you qualify can be accomplished by answering a few questions. There are no upper age limit levels as there are with many travel insurance companies. Unfortunately, today many companies seem to view insurance as a luxury, when it is in reality a necessity for anyone who desires to travel either in their own country or to a foreign country.

Age concern travel insurance offers exceptional coverage for those aged 65 and older who enjoy traveling. While anyone wants to enjoy a trip to the fullest, things can and do happen. What if you were to be in an auto accident while you are in a foreign country? You may need to be hospitalized, which would bring up a whole new dilemma. All too often, people do not realize the jeopardy they put themselves in by traveling without purchasing insurance. Your bags may get lost or stolen, your trip may be canceled for unforeseen reasons, or an emergency may cause your trip to be cut short. It is a good idea to be prepared for anything when you decide to take off on holiday or a trip to Europe!

Many individuals are extremely active, even as they approach their golden years. Boating, skiing, and other activities do put you at greater risk of being injured, but life is not meant to be approached in an overly-cautious manner. If you are planning a trip that includes sports or activities that may be considered risky, many insurance companies will not cover you in the event that you are injured while participating in these types of activities. Be prepared for your trip by knowing what activities you will be engaging in, and whether you are covered if anything should happen.

Age Concern travel insurance was conceived over two decades ago, when it was apparent that people of a certain age were getting the short end of the stick when it came to travel insurance. Because everyone ages, you should not have to be stifled within boundaries concerning your enjoyment in life and things you want to experience. One of the most enjoyable things in life as you grown older is experiencing new places and new adventures. Age Concern allows you to travel and enjoy life, without the worries of what may happen or if you will be covered.

Always remember, this is not medical insurance. If an unexpected emergency does arise while you are traveling abroad, Age Concern travel insurance will cover emergency expenses, but not the usual expenses such as tests and medications that medical insurance provides.

For a worry-free trip you will remember for years to come, make sure you are equipped with the facts. It's always better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are visiting a strange country. Age Concern travel insurance takes care of many of those items you worry about, but other companies seem to disregard. Plan well in advance, learn more about what Age Concern travel insurance has to offer, and enjoy your travels no matter how far the fun and excitement takes you!

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