Showing posts with label travel advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel advice. Show all posts

Sunday, December 5, 2010

如何买到廉价机票?!!!(转载)

在这里告诉大家经常可以去的几个订票的大网站,其实在很多时候的旺季都是可以买到一折的机票。主要是看你会不会善于利用这些资源。出行基本都是飞机现在是因为机票比火车票便宜哦 呵呵

首先,QQ财付通和南航有合作,基本上财付通的特价票都是一折以下的。http://qq.csair.com 在这里面,北京到海口和三亚还有海口三亚到北京的票是130元,广州到西安西安到广州广州到无锡和无锡到广州,南京广州之间,上海长春之间等等很多航线都是90块钱。这些价格怎样?腾讯QQ和南航总不会作假吧?

再给大家推荐个一折机票预订的贤贤网:http://www.xixii.cn  里面的一折的条件是要至少提前一个月预计,不到一个月的也有二三折的票。有一点很黑:他们要收五十块的手续费。我有次订到了南宁回海口80块和昆明回海口106块的机票。收五十块也认了,一折的票多五十块也没影响。

其次是针对上海的同学了,我去了四次上海,基本上都坐廉价的春秋航空:http://www.china-sss.com 这个航空是上海的,很多城市的价格都固定的,比如青岛和上海之间、武汉和上海之间等等都是99块的价格。我们海口和上海之间是299块。我很受不了这个航空公司,经常晚点,座位小,飞机小。更让我无法忍受的是,没有空姐养眼!所以就节省掉很多成本,机票就很便宜。上面的服务是自助的,但是便宜。我四次去上海,就是为了坐磁悬浮…四十块钱。

最后再告诉大家两个廉价机票的搜索引擎:http://www.qunar.comwww.kuxun.cn  在里面,你可以查到最便宜的机票时间和所有指定日期最便宜的机票。即使你不知道有什么便宜机票和我上面提供给你的网站你没有你想要的机票,你上这两个网站搜索,机票照样会有便宜。

大家都在花父母的钱,能帮父母省就省。多动动手,会帮你省很多钱。海航网也经常抛出便宜的机票:http://www.hnair.com 我曾经在上面帮我爸订了北京美国西雅图往返和西雅图纽约往返累计才2580元的机票和北京日本东京往返1000块的机票还有最近一次我爸去德国的北京柏林往返的3000块的机票。这些都是我在网上订的。我爸最近即将前往新加坡和马来西亚,我在亚洲航空帮他订了海口马来西亚吉隆坡往返136块的机票和海口新加坡往返的400块的机票。

所以我在QQ签名上说今年把新加坡和马来西亚都给去了,预算去这两个国家,机票价格不会超一千。

我最牛的一次,我朋友都知道,昆明到南宁又到湛江又到广州又到深圳又到香港又飞回海口,总共花了六百块。因为只有一折的机票我才出行,花最少的钱甚至比火车便宜的钱和我一起去旅行吧。

欢迎大家分享,让更多人可以分享到便宜的机票。还有,成功订到便宜机票请回帖感谢我,顺便请我吃饭。黎敏,我帮你省了一千块的北京飞海口,怎么说回海口也要请我吃黄金酒店88块的自助餐吧?

最后提醒大家:银行卡要开通网上银行,上面便宜的机票基本要求你在线支付。

很多人会问:在那些卖机票的地方为什么卖比网上贵?因为人家要赚你的钱。

睡了,用手机打得,打到手都麻痹了。

感谢一个在巴黎的同学提供一个很好的网站给我,在欧洲的同学可以用到:www.jetcost.com 在上面可以订到巴黎到法兰克福的一欧元的机票。欧洲去!

国内特价机票查询网站:

去哪儿http://www.qunar.com

贤贤网:http://www.xixii.cn

春秋航空:http://www.china-sss.com

http://qq.csair.com

http://www.kooxoo.cn

海航网http://www.hnair.com

PS:特价机票监视查询 ,如其名,帮你监视网络上出现的超级特价机票,

http://www.appinn.com/ticket-special-offer/

中国:

春秋航空:http://www.china-sss.com/

甘泉航空:: http://www.oasis-air.com/

非凡航空:http://www.flyvivamacau.com/sc/

航空公司网站

海南航空 www.hnair.com 

南方航空 www.csair.com 

上海航空 www.shanghai-air.com 

东方航空 www.ce-air.com  

厦门航空 www.xiamenair.com.cn 

四川航空 www.scal.com.cn 

深圳航空 www.shenzhenair.com  

=====================================================

以下列出个人所查询全球『廉价航空』公司网站及简介:

亚洲:

马来西亚

亚航: http://www.airasia.com/site/cn/home.jsp

泰国

曼谷航空: http://www.bangkokair.com/en/

Nok air: http://www.nokair.co.th/

泰东方: http://www.orient-thai.com/web/home.html

新加坡

亚洲捷星: http://www.jetstarasia.com

虎航: http://www.tigerairways.com/

惠旅: http://www.valuair.com.sg/

新航: http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/app/saa

印尼

狮航: http://www.lionair.co.id/

Ga-citilink: http://www.ga-citilink.com/

Garuda: http://www.garuda-indonesia.com/

Bouraq: http://www.bouraq.com/

曼达拉: http://www.mandalaair.com/mandala/ecms/index.cfm

菲律宾

宿雾太平洋: http://www.cebupacificair.com/

印度

Air Deccan: http://www.deccanair.com/

Express: http://www.expressindia.com/

Jet: http://www.jetairways.com/Cultures/en-US/HomePage.htm

印航: http://www.indianairlines.indiatimes.com/

=====================================================

美洲:

1. Jetblue:http://www.jetblue.com/(美国境內廉价机票)

2. Airtran:http://www.airtran.com/Home.aspx(美国境內廉价机票以美东为主)

3. Southwest:http://www.southwest.com/(美国境內最大、最知名的廉价航空公司)

4. Frontier Airlines:http://www.frontierairlines.com/frontier/index.jsp(美国境內廉价机票)

5. Flyted:http://www.flyted.com/index.html (美国境內廉价机票)

6. ATA:http://www.ata.com/home.html (美国境內及夏威夷廉价机票)

7. Spirit Airlines:http://www.spiritair.com/welcome.aspx(美国境內廉价机票)

8. Sun Country:http://www.suncountry.com/SCA/index.jsf(美国境內廉价机票)

=====================================================

欧洲:

德国

1,AIR BERLIN 柏林航空

http://www.airberlin.com/

以德国为基地,航线数量相当多,几乎能达到所有的西欧和南欧主要旅游城市和度假地,机上有供应免费饮料和报纸。经常推出减价活动.一般29EU起.

2,GERMANWINGS 德国之翼

http://www.germanwings.com/

汉莎控股,飞往欧洲各地,行李限重8kg,无儿童票。不过由于是汉莎的子公司,所以相比其他航空公司,Germanwings的服务,尤其是空中服务要更好一些。以科隆,斯图加特,柏林三个城市为基地,航线数量多,每周四打折19EU起,但是如果不提前订票和碰上打折,机票价格比较贵.

3,GERMANIA EXPRESS

http://www.gexx.de/

在德国大多数城市都有起飞的航班,目的地为意大利,希腊以及地中海度假区,值得一提的是有前往莫斯科的廉价航班.

4,HAPAG LLOYD

http://www.hlx.com/

德国最大廉价航空之一,航线繁多。主要飞往意大利,西班牙和地中海一些岛屿,每周二打折,价格一般19.99EU起

起飞的都是一些大城市的主要机场,离市区比较近,这个优点不错.

5,dba

www.flydba.com

以慕尼黑和杜赛尔多夫为基地,主要飞往德国各大城市和希腊,意大利,法国南部等地,价格一般,40EU左右.

6,LTU

http://www.ltu.de/

呵呵,LTU旅行社包机比较多,航班数量多,在德国RUHR区,有时候有特价票,不过数量有限,以前还有飞往中国重庆的航班,不知道现在还有没有.

7,LowFareJet

http://www.lowfarejet.de/

每日从Hannover飞往Luton and Glasgow 及Paris。是少数提供air miles program.的低价航空公司线之一,忘了说,前面的DBA也提供里程积分.

8,CONDOR

http://www.condor.com/

Thomas Cook 旗下的子公司。经常能找到非常优惠的价格。

经常提供两种价格的打折票,29EU的短途航线和99EU的长途航线,飞行目的地以度假区为主,99EU的机票一般从法兰克福出发,前往马尔代夫,曼谷,加拿大,美国等地,相当超值.

最大的缺点是,航班搜索系统做的比较糟糕

9,LUFTHANSA

http://www.lufthansa.com/

汉沙经常有100EU左右的特价票,前往欧洲各大城市,虽然比一般的廉价航空要贵,但是考虑到汉沙的服务以及飞的都是中心机场,也还可以了.

英国和爱尔兰

1,Ryanair

http://www.ryanair.com/

欧洲最出名的廉价航空公司,有很好的口碑,在欧洲机场数目也多,打折促销也很多,从英国和爱尔兰17个机场,飞往欧洲地区50多个城市,而且提供很多欧洲内陆城市之间的航班服务,优点是价格低廉,他的廉价票是最容易买的,缺点,他飞的几乎都不是城市的中心机场,大部分都是离他所称的城市几十到一百公里的小机场,一般从机场到市区需要再花费10到20EU.因为这个原因,我觉得RYANAIR反而不如EASYJET,HLX之类的,因为加上前往市区的交通费,往往比别的航空公司贵.

2,EASYJET

http://www.easyjet.com/

欧洲最大的廉价航空公司之一,有203条航线,飞往欧洲61个城市,遍布欧洲大陆主要城市和波罗的海沿岸,价格一般20EU起,提前订票一般都在30到60EU之间含税,飞的都是主要机场,不错,值得推荐!

3,AIR SCOTLAND

http://www.air-scotland.com/

苏格兰航空,飞往英国,西班牙,希腊的航班比较多

从Edinburgh、Glasgow及Aberdeen飞往 Palma、Barcelona、Tenerife、Alicante、Malaga及Fuerteventura。

4,JET2

http://www.jet2.com/

是家新的低价航空公司,从Leeds Bradford飞往欧洲10个城市。

5,BMIBABY

http://www.bmibaby.com/

英国三大廉价航空之一,主要飞往西班牙南部,荷兰,捷克以及英国国内航班,价格20镑起.

6,FLYGLOBESPAN

http://www.flyglobespan.com/

苏格兰廉价航空公司,主要从爱丁堡飞往地中海岛屿以及沿岸的度假城市,还有前往布拉格和瑞士的航班.20人以上有团体票提供.

7,MY TRAVEL LITE

http://www.mytravellite.com/

以伯明翰为基地,和FLYGLOBESPAN差不多,飞往地中海岛屿以及沿岸的度假城市(以西班牙为主).

8,THOMSONFLY

http://www.thomsonfly.com/

主要飞往德国,西班牙南部,意大利和巴黎,以及英国和爱尔兰之间的航班,机票15EU起.

9,BUDGET AIR

http://www.budgetair.ie/

爱尔兰的廉价航空公司,从都柏林飞往西班牙和葡萄牙南部,价格50EU左右

10,MONARCH

http://www.monarch-airlines.com/

英国的廉价航空,从伦敦等地飞往西班牙为主.

11,britanniadirect

http://www.britanniadirect.com/

英国各地往返Malta、Malaga、Naples、Venice。

12,AER LINGUS

http://www.aerlingus.com/

爱尔兰的航空公司,主要从都柏林飞往欧洲大陆主要城市,价格从十几欧到一百多欧.

13,Flybe

http://www.flybe.com/

Flybe前身为British European,从英国和爱尔兰20个机场飞往全欧及纽约,行李限重20kg。

14,Jetmagic

http://www.jetmagic.com/

以Cork为基地,飞往欧洲大陆,航线不多,10来条吧

15,Now

http://www.now-airlines.com/

Luton第二低价航空公司,2003年暑期开始营运,飞往7个城市,Manchester、 Hamburg、Jersey、Rome、Lisbon、Ibiza及Tenerife,票价约35~75英镑。

 选择廉价航空应注意事项?

1. 避免更改行程:『廉价机票』又称『计划机票』,因此,在购票之前最好仔细考虑行程,因为如果临时更改时间及地点,航空公司会额外索取『手续费』,有时『手续费』的价值便超过当初所购买的『一切费用』(机票及各项税款),所以能不更改儘量不要改,否则『廉价机票』也会变得『不廉价』囉!

2. 买了不能退款:大部份的廉价航空都没有『退款服务』,主要是因为这类航空公司本身所提供的机票价格已经低於『市场价』许多,有时甚至是『免费机票』(航空公司该如何退给你呢?),所以这类航空公司並不提供『退款服务』,当然也有些航空公司会要求将客户的『退款』,转成『客户信用额度』,下次购买机票时可以从裡头扣款(毕竟这是少数),如果真的无法继续计画行程,不是白白浪费,就是建议更改行程(只是额外增加的费用,还不如重新购买来得便宜),至於『机场税』、『兵险』等税务费用当然无法退还,这点是必须提醒各位的。

3. 提早办理登机手续:廉价航空的服务一视同仁,並没有『舱等』差异的服务,开放性选择座位方式,先进入先选择座位,因此,想要有个舒适的乘座空间,避免选择前面的位置,建议提早办理登机手续,通常后面的位置比较少人坐,飞机起飞后,只要旁边的座位没有人,就可以『躺平休息』一路睡到目的地了!

4. 行李限重:廉价航空最令人困扰的莫过於『行李限重』的问题了,行李限重在15-20KG上下(其实与一般航空公司大同小异,只是较无弹性可言),一旦超重了,就必须额外付费办理託运,所以行李的重量最好预做规划。

5. 网路购票安全性:绝大部分的『廉价机票』都是透过网路交易(航空公司降低成本的考量),因此网路购票的『安全性』是许多背包客所担心的,大部份的廉价航空公司对於『网路交易』都有一定妥善处理的做法,当然有会有意外(骇客侵入),如果真的担心网路交易的安全,个人建议亲自电洽(或电子信件)询问该如何现金付款,这样的作法相对无法得到网路订票的优惠价,只能说见仁见智囉!

6. 飞安事故:许多人对於廉价航空都会有『廉价』=『不安全』的迷思,严格说来这点恐怕是多虑的,虽然廉价航空公司为了降低成本可能採购较为老旧的机型,但是人命关天,没有任何一家航空公司会拿乘客生命开玩笑,飞安的问题不在於机型老旧与否,在於『安全维护』是否彻底执行,因此应该破除『廉价』=『不安全』的迷思。提供一个有趣的数值供大家参考:目前全球廉价航空失事率仅百万分之零点七(安全性无庸置疑),但是最近印尼『亚当航空』的空难事件(2007 01 01)却为『廉价航空』飞安蒙上一层阴影。

Friday, March 12, 2010

美国、加拿大的廉价航空

北美洲毗邻的美国、加拿大,都是地广人稀的大国,公共交通主要以航空业为主导,近几年来随着全球廉价航空的发展和崛起,美国、加拿大也迅速诞生了一系列的廉价航空企业,以服务各种不同的客户需求。最近,万维读者网记者就以18.88美金的机票价格,乘座了旧金山湾区奥克兰(Oakland)机场到华盛顿州贝林汉姆(Bellingham)机场的班机,再乘巴士回到了温哥华。

全球廉价航空起始于欧洲,1英镑、1欧元的机票曾经使欧洲的航空市场喧嚣一时,Easyjet和Ryanair等廉价航空公司,开启了一个航空业的新时代。廉价航空之风吹遍全世界,澳洲诞生了Tiger航空、亚洲诞生了Asia航空等许多的航空新秀,成为低端航空客户的钟爱。

目前服务于美国、加拿大的廉价航空大约有10多家,各有不同的服务区域和专攻方向,客人可以按照自己的地域需求来进行选择,由于主要的订票网站 Expedia等并不与这些廉价航空拥有代理关系,所以习惯了Expedia的客人往往并不知道这些廉价航空的存在。万维记者现对这些廉价航空企业做一个简单介绍,与热爱旅游的众网友共同分享:

西南航空(southwest.com):不保留座位,视Check-in早晚来定。服务不局限于美国西南,还包括佛罗里达和巴哈马。

Jetblue(jetblue.com):一家以纽约JFK机场为基地的廉价航空公司,飞行的目的地往往是大城市的二级机场,如洛杉矶的Long Beach机场,旧金山的Oakland机场。目前正在庆祝10年生日,单程机票价格曾低至10元。

Frontier Airline(frontierairlines.com):是一家总部设立在丹佛的航空公司,目的地包括了美国主要城市,主要服务美国西部,兼而服务墨西哥度假地。

Spirit Airlines(spiritair.com):飞行基地在佛罗里达的劳德戴尔堡和底特律的航空公司。

Sun Country Airlines(suncountry.com):飞行基地在明尼苏达州明尼阿波利斯市机场的航空公司,飞行目的地遍布全国主要城市

Vegin America(virginamerica.com):著名的维珍航空,主要经营以旧金山为基地的美国西海岸航线如拉斯维加斯、西雅图、洛杉矶等,也有横跨美洲大陆到纽约、波士顿、和佛罗里达的航线。

Westjet(westjet.com):以加拿大为基地,主要经营加拿大境内以及美加之间航线的航空公司,价格比加拿大航空Air Canada相对便宜。

除了以上航线较多的廉价航空之外,美加还有一些特价航空企业,经营着不定期的航线,但价格更加低廉,网友不妨关注一下:

Allegiant Air(allegiantair.com):似乎是联合航空的专门搞特价的子公司,主要经营渡假航空,机场一般锁定中小城市机场以降低费用,笔者 18.88从湾区奥克兰机场回温哥华就是乘座的这家航空公司的飞机。主要目标城市为拉斯维加斯、凤凰城、奥兰多、圣彼得堡等。

Go Air(Iflygo.com):一家经营夏威夷群岛之间的廉价航空公司。

USA3000(usa3000.com):服务美国中西部和东北部到佛罗里达、墨西哥、加勒比海航线的航空公司。

Vision Holiday(visionholidays.com/):经营拉斯维加斯及附近大峡谷的空中游业务。

充分利用好这些廉价航空的航线,往往可以节省不小的旅行费用,学生、打工一族,也可以充分利用自己的假期,周游北美各地了。

Thursday, March 11, 2010

10 Travel/Technology Obsessions

Baochi

Monday, March 8, 2010, 3:26 pm in Technology, Travel by Baochi  2

Recently, I asked several Boingo folks to each share one travel or technology obsession of the moment. Unsurprisingly, my colleagues had trouble picking just one. (I knew I was dealing with a bunch of geeks and dreamers.) In any case, I narrowed down the list to ten items, below. What is your current travel/technology obsession (and yes, it’s okay if you have more than one ;) )?

  1. The Apple iPad: “I’m excited that it will be the first e-reader in color.” Tim Fox, director of billing and reporting.
  2. Animoto:  “Animoto takes your photos and video and turns them into these amazing little movies that will make your friends believe you’re a budding Spielberg.  Free.” Dawn Callahan, vice president of marketing.
  3. Internet Radio App for Nokia Smartphones: “This is an all time killer app for me.  Clear digital stereo streaming of 100+ radio stations from across the globe. Works on wi-fi as well as 3G networks.” Kishore Raja, senior device engineer.
  4. SonyPlaystation 3: “Blu-ray, games, 3D Movies coming this summer, Wi-Fi, and Netflix streaming — what more do you need?”  Sush Wu, software test engineer.
  5. CNN App for Blackberry: This is my real-time “newspaper” fix during my bus commute to and from work.” Charmagne Drew, office manager.
  6. Audible.com: “This service provides over 50,000 audio programs (e.g., books, magazines, newspapers). It’s great for when you’re stuck on a cross-country flight and want to  pass the time with entertaining/educational audio books…learn on the go!” Eric Blue, director of systems applications.
  7. The Targus airplane laptop battery charger/adapter: “It converts a boring twelve-hour flight into a super-efficient time for getting through emails.” Luis Serrano, vice president of network strategy
  8. Belize Cayes: “I’ve been to these tropical islands twice and never was there a boring moment. The snorkeling and marine life are ten times better than Hawaii’s or Cancun’s.” Marco Lopez, network operations analyst.
  9. Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas: “When I go to Vegas, I always stay at Excalibur because of its location on the strip, the weekend rate deals, and the kid-friendly activities. I’ve also had some exciting times at the craps table there!” Cynthia Tarver, customer support representative.
  10. Boracay Island in the Philippines: “This captivating island (located south of Manila) offers fine  white sand, clear water, delectable food, and hospitable people.” Rammel Salazar, finance analyst.

    Friday, October 16, 2009

    7 Rules of the Road for Maximum Mobile Bliss

    By Kevin C. Tofel | Thursday, October 15,

    jkotr-logoJames and I have been involved in the mobile technology space for quite some time now. He’s been using mobile devices “since they weighed 30 pounds.” Those are the days when I weighed 30 pounds, but you catch my drift. Between the two of us, we have years of practical experience in this space. And while new gadgets, operating systems and software appear on a daily basis, there are still some common fundamentals that are useful — mobile maxims, if you will. While the specific tools supporting them might change, these mobile suggestions never go out of style.

    1. Always buy a second battery for your main device — This one is really simple. If you can afford it, buy a second battery for your main notebook or netbook upon purchasing the device. I do this for a few reasons. Doubling the battery life on any of my current — and presumably future — devices means that I have all day mobile computing. This frees me from having to work only in locations where I may be able to find an electrical outlet. I don’t have to be constrained to locations with electricity when I have two batteries. This also helps with leveling the “wear” in my batteries. Eventually, the batteries will hold less of a charge when full. By rotating batteries on a regular basis, I can even out that wear over time. If I don’t do that, I end up with two batteries that offer a wildly variable run time. Need another reason to buy a second battery at time of purchase? You don’t have to worry as much about battery availability in the future. There’s nothing worse than to have a device — and its batteries — become discontinued or hard to find when you really need a spare power pack.

    usb-flash-drive2. Carry a toolkit for drive restores – It helps to expect the unexpected. In the case of mobile computers, it could be a hard drive failure, file corruption or who knows what. While you can’t anticipate every issue, you can easily prepare yourself for disaster with nothing more than a small flash drive. I carry one around with me and make sure it has software like a partition manager, certain device drivers, portable apps and anything else I might need in the event of a major issue. These days it’s not all that hard to build up a collection of such tools and drop them on a cheap USB drive. Why not even carry an OS with you? Ubuntu can be booted and run off of a flash drive in a pinch.

    3. Have a backup plan for wireless connectivity — You can’t be totally mobile without some type of connectivity. So I pay for a monthly 3G plan with Verizon Wireless and use the very common USB adapter for it. This lets me use the connection with any Mac or PC, plus I can share that connection over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi in a pinch. But I also pay $10 a month for access to the Boingo Wireless network. I consider it cheap insurance and I often use it at a Starbucks or other location. I also have my iPhone set up for Internet Tethering, which is why I’m not upgrading beyond iPhone OS 3.0. I recommend having at least one backup connectivity plan, just in case your primary one goes on the fritz. It happened to me once before and because I was prepared, I was still productive.

    4. When not in use, turn off the juice — There are many strategies for this mantra and they’ll vary based on your needs and your devices. For me it means to turn off radios and put devices into sleep mode when possible. I often use this strategy with my mail and RSS feeds. Because I use Google for both services and Google supports offline use via Gears — except for Snow Leopard installs — it’s common for me to fetch mail or feeds and then shut down my Wi-Fi or 3G. Although idle radios today are more efficient than they used to be, why have them use power when I can work offline for a while thanks to Gears? I also reduce the screen brightness on everything to the lowest usable level that’s still comfortable. For me that’s around 30% or so, but of course for you it could be different. The point is: aside from using the built-in power management features of your device, reducing your power needs can help bring more run time during the day.

    Image 1 for post SugarSync app for iPhone: what Live Mesh for Mobiles should be?( 2008-08-28 14:10:10) 5. Invest in a useful web-based data storage and synchronization service (or provide your own) — I actually use several tools in this area, mainly because if one experiences a service disruption, chances are one of the others will be fine. The idea behind this mantra is to have your data available to you regardless of what device you have with you. And if your device itself goes bad, a web-based storage service like Dropbox, SugarSync, Box.net, or ZumoDrive (to name a few) can be used with a public or borrowed machine. Ultimately, you don’t want to have data only available to one local device. When you do, you’re limited to using only that device. If you can’t use that device because the batteries ran down or because you left it somewhere, you’re dead in the water with local data. The corollary to this mantra is to provide your own remote storage. I’ve done just that with my Windows Home Server project, but you don’t need to buy or build another machine. Installing remote access software or using a service like LogMeIn can get you back to the data on a computer at home.

    6. Consider using the “lightest” tool for the task at hand — Think about pairing the right tool with right task when it comes to mobile activities. For example, if I’m simply consuming basic content like email, I use my phone. Why? Because the phone battery lasts far longer than a laptop battery. It’s a “lighter” tool for the task and saves the battery on a “heavier tool” like my netbook or notebook for doing things I can’t easily do on the phone. I realize that it’s far more comfortable to reply or compose long emails on a larger device, so I often read my mail and mark items so I know I have to take action or respond. I later take action on those messages on the laptop if they require much typing. The same goes for checking a few items on the web. Why waste CPU cycles and battery life on a notebook or netbook if I can almost as easily hit them on a handset? Would I sit and surf the web for hours on a phone? Nope. But if I’m just checking the latest Techmeme headlines, browsing the most recent blog comments or something else that’s a bite-sized chunk of the web, why not do it on a “lighter” device? It seems a shame to waste precious battery life on a laptop for small, Internet morsels.

    Image 1 for post Plantronics MX203S stereo headset for mobiles( 2006-04-20 15:52:03) 7. Tote a headset -- I make sure to always carry a wired headset and mic combo. At first, this one might sound frivolous, but I’ve found it to be very useful. It doesn’t add much weight to your gear bag, yet it can reap big rewards. I still carry a Bluetooth headset from time to time, but you run the risk of a dead battery. With a wired headset, battery life is one less thing to worry about. It comes in handy when you’re trying to work in a noisy area or you simply want to hear some relaxing music. I can also hear much better on a headset when a call comes in because I can be in any number of situations. It could be noisy when that phone rings unexpectedly, but I’m prepared to have my conversation regardless.

    So those are my mobile mantras. Pick and choose to see what works for you. Even better — share yours in the comments so we can build up a nice useful list!

    How to pick the perfect holiday for your personality

    By Kate Schneide

    Bora Bora

    The key to finding your perfect type of holiday may lie in discovering your personality traits / Supplied

    HAVE you ever returned from a holiday feeling underwhelmed, or needing another trip away to recover?

    A city break that’s a bit too hectic or a holiday that’s too tranquil may be the result of not having chosen the right holiday for your personality type, travel booking site Expedia says.

    The key to selecting the perfect getaway lies in knowing both your and your travel companion’s personality types, Expedia Australia’s Marketing Manager Louise Crompton says.

    Researching likely holiday scenarios and considering these alongside practical elements such as time available, distance and budget, can help.

    “Choosing the right holiday is more than just picking a place or experience that sounds fun or interesting,” she said.

    “Travellers should carefully reflect on what makes them and their travel companions tick, and then research travel destination options and consult independent traveller reviews.“

    Dr Marylouise Caldwell, a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Sydney, says that a model called the Five Factor, which includes five broad domains of personality that have been found to include roughly all known personality traits, could aid traveller in picking the perfect holiday.

    Related Coverage

    The five personality traits include extrovert or introvert, apprehensive or relaxed, open or closed, conservative or eccentric, conscientious or non-conscientious.

    So which ones relate to you?

    Personality Trait #1: Extrovert v Introvert

    Extroverts are characterised by sociability, assertiveness, activity, talkativeness and the need for excitement and stimulation.

    Conversely, introverts are typically more reserved, and prefer to be alone or in small groups. They like to lead life at a more even pace.

    Holiday behaviour: Extroverts seek holiday experiences that provide high levels of stimulation, novelty, risk taking and social interaction. They tend to prefer big cities, restaurants and crowded bars rather than art galleries and temples or churches. They don’t like to rise too early – they are likely to stay out to the wee hours because they are night owls.

    Introverts are the opposite: they like activities that promote introspection, deep thinking and experiences that have an intellectual or mystical bent, like art-house film festivals or meditating at Buddhist retreats.

    Personality Trait #2: Apprehensive v Relaxed

    Apprehensive people tend to experience negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, disappointment, embarrassment, anger, guilt and disgust, while relaxed individuals tend to have an absence of these feelings.

    Relaxed people are not easily flustered, shocked or irritated and they tend to be even tempered.

    Holiday behaviour: Apprehensive individuals tend to seek destinations, cultural activities and food types that remind them of home, or past travel experiences. Although they prefer not to travel alone, they can find resorts or holiday experiences with high levels of socialising and activities overwhelming.

    Relaxed people are just the opposite. They are okay with trips involving unknowns, and deal with new challenges one at a time and take them in their stride.

    Personality Trait #3: Open v Closed

    Open people are characterised by vivid fantasy, attraction to art and beauty, depth of feelings, intellectual curiosity and flexible value systems. Very open people seek heaps of different types of experiences that are emotional, sensual, aesthetic or social.

    Closed people prefer familiarity over novelty and are resistant to new or unfamiliar experiences – similar to apprehensive individuals.

    Holiday behaviour: Open people will rarely go back to the same destination unless they have fallen in love with the place and wish to explore it further. They seek urban hubs that offer lots of variety, such as London, Paris, New York or Sydney – not smaller cities like Darwin, Cleveland or Birmingham.

    Closed people visit places they have fond memories of such as their hometowns. They will often go back to the same holiday destination time and time again.

    Personality Trait #4: Conservative v Eccentric

    Conservative types are cooperative, altruistic and easily fit in with others. They gravitate towards what is traditional or the norm.

    Eccentrics like to be different to others, staying clear of what they consider to be fads. They are often uninterested in others, let alone others’ opinions.

    Holiday behaviour: Conservative types will often do what is socially accepted and rewarded – taking holidays that others will be impressed by within their immediate social circles. Hence they love telling others where they have been and showing them their latest holiday photos.

    Eccentrics take holidays that might not win them much social approval, such as bird-watching in Siberia!

    Personality Trait #5: Conscientious v Non-conscientious

    People with a conscientious personality trait enjoy control, planning and order. They are always prepared and pay attention to detail, doing their best to control what’s going on around them.

    Non-conscientious people tend to be less disciplined and are inclined to be a lot more self-indulgent and impulsive. They often appear disorganised.

    Holiday behaviour: Conscientious people like to plan well in advance – way before a holiday even begins. They tend to have strict time and money budgets and will spend a lot of time researching on the internet, reading travel books and questioning their travel agents.

    Non-conscientious people are spontaneous, acting on their desires without planning or notice and will go along with the flow with whatever might come along in their travels.