Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Tips For Keeping Your Rental Car Safe On-Road

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

Travellers put their Santorini rental car to almost every use imaginable: as a place to eat meals, hide things, take shelter from the elements and even live in.

Since your car rental can be like your home away from home when you are travelling, you must take some care of it and the things inside it. Ideally, you wouldn’t leave anything valuable at all in your car, but the reality of travel is that your car is going to serve as much like a safe deposit box or luggage storage closet as transportation. Especially during the day when you’re between beaches. Read on and discover nine tips to help you protect your rental car while having your vacation.

1. Load and hide your valuable items

By the time you pull into your parking spot, everything you plan to leave in the rental car should be hidden. Parkin your spot, and take your most valuable items and pack them in the trunk. You shouldn’t broadcast to anyone within view exactly where to focus their attentions if they want to rip you off. The best approach is to put your things in the trunk or other safe space before you even get into the car at the beginning of your trip.

2. Unload your stuff away from your parking spaces

Similarly, if you are planning to return to the same parking area, you will want to take your items out of the car away from the lot if possible. If you open the trunk and take out all the valuable items each time you return to your car, eventually someone will notice. Best case is to be able to pull over somewhere safe away from either your home base or destination and get your items then.

tips-for-keeping-your-rental-car-safe-on-road

3. Choose your parking space wisely

Here are our recommendations for your best parking spots when travelling:

A) In airport lots, we recommend parking in view of the exit toll booths or parking office if possible, or just as well within view of a shuttle pickup location or kiosk. The increased foot traffic and eyeball count will discourage potential thieves. Well-lit areas are next best; most airport lots have surveillance cameras in place, so making it easier for an attendant to see your car on a grainy camera will help.

B) Park “trunk out.” If you are storing items in your trunk, you will want to point the trunk out into the lot aisle, where more people can see anyone trying to break in. Don’t give thieves the opportunity to use your car as cover while ripping you off.

C) When parking on the street, try to park within sight of a busy store or hotel entrance, under a street lamp, near a busy corner or out in the open away from things that might provide shelter to a thief (like thick or low-hanging trees). The busier the street, the better.

4. When in doubt, use a parking garage

Parking on the street is the most vulnerable place to be, so if you are uncomfortable with your street parking options, by all means, use a parking garage instead. Although you are safer in a parking garage, that does not mean that you are invulnerable; certainly, enough travellers get ripped off by garage personnel everywhere. Remove or lock up any really juicy items — GPS units, accessories for your cell phone or MP3 player, a loose E-ZPass apparatus — in order to remove temptation. All of the same precautions above apply; no matter where you park, make it as difficult and uninspiring to potential thieves as possible.

tips-for-keeping-your-rental-car-safe-on-road

5. Self-park when you can

Most attendant or valet parking garages are safe on the whole — but if you make it too easy, the temptation to steal can be too great for a person working at or near minimum wage.

6. Assume thieves want to steal your car

It turns out that most thieves will try to steal a car outright rather than break into a car; if there is anything valuable inside, they can take it and dump the vehicle, and certainly, there is a market for hot cars as well. For this reason, parking your car in a well-lit place where there is likely to be some foot traffic is always a good idea. Similarly, visual cues that might deter a thief can be critical — even if they are just for show. Things like a steering wheel lock or a blinking alarm system light will inspire thieves to move on to the next vehicle, even if you don’t have the alarm activated.

7. A neat car is less likely to get robbed

A car that is filled with jackets or beach towels that appear to be covering items of value, or that has wires sticking out here and there suggesting that electronic devices may also be bestowed, are much more likely to attract interest. If a potential thief sees nothing but car upholstery, he or she is less likely to be curious about what might be hidden in the car.

8. Check for your valuables as soon as you return to your car

Notwithstanding our second rule above, if you have any suspicions, you will want to make sure nothing was stolen before you pull out. If your car does get ripped off, you want to figure it out at or near the location it was robbed, in case you have to file a complaint. When surveying your vehicle, keep in mind that thieves know what to take — often items you won’t notice until you are long gone. For example, a common tactic is to take a camera out of a camera bag, but leave the bag behind; it looks like it was undisturbed so you won’t figure it out for hours or days.

tips-for-keeping-your-rental-car-safe-on-road

9. Rent wisely

When renting a car, keep the following tips in mind:

A) Rent models that are not easily exposed or broken into and that has a trunk big enough to store anything you need securing. A hip and tiny convertible sound like a great idea, but it could not be harder to hide stuff, and easier to break into.

B) The more modest and nondescript the rental model, the less likely to attract the attention it is.

C) Don’t leave your rental contract in the car, as this document has just about all the information you will need if the car is stolen — and also all the information a thief will need to evade detection if he or she is stopped for any reason before you report the vehicle as stolen.

Remember that as a traveller or tourist, you are a mark. Making the time and effort to take a few precautions with your vehicular home away from home can help ensure that you and all your stuff return home intact.

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The 39 rules of Santorini

Sunday, March 29th, 2020

On the one hand, May Day is just around the corner with Santorini tours suggesting we combine tours with travel.

On the other hand, the weather was finally reminiscent of summer, but we didn’t want our excursion to soar. Santorini is more than ‘one of the most beautiful islands in Greece’. It is one of the most beautiful islands in the world and we are very proud of it.

The 39 rules of Santorini

So proud to have compiled the list of 39 rules for the next time you enjoy it.

Destination: Santorini – what else? Whenever this is the case, it is true that:

  1. If it’s so nice to walk on Santorini, think how nice it is to run it.
  2. On the donkeys, you were in your 10s. Now you can go on foot, no one will misunderstand you.
  3. If you haven’t had a sunset in Oia then, you have NO idea what to say sunset.
  4. No matter how many times you see it, you never get bored of this sunset.
  5. Why aren’t those who watch the sunset taxed? What does the tourism ministry do?
  6. At sunset, it’s nice to sit on the faces of tourists whose jealousy was not born in this place
  7. Before the instant of the setting sun, take a stroll from the Chili Bar to Perivolos. They may brew beer and maybe stink, but it’s worth it.
  8. Volkan or Crazy Donkey? These are dilemmas. These are beers.
  9. The old five days, then the buccaneers, then the models, then the basketball players, then the Chinese. Santorini belongs to its people.
  10. Do not quarrel if it has a better view of Firostefani or Imerovigli. Everywhere is beautiful.
  11. You never forget the first time you see the Red Beach.
  12. A kids beach, a beach.
  13. Yes, Santorini has no beaches. Underneath your apartment building in Zografou is golden sand stretching from the Maldives eh?
  14. The uphills are difficult but the reward of running with this view is even better.
  15. Fava, tomatoes, white eggplant, capers, wines. These are the things that tourists should normally applaud. Try everything, in all possible and unlikely combinations (see fava ice cream).
  16. Santorini tomatoes should be more famous than the volcano.
  17. The best food awaits you at the Tower. No, it’s not a beach, but a village. Authentic and honest. Discover it.
  18. Every corner of Santorini hides beauties. From Exo Gialos to Pyrgos and from Emporio to Megalochori.
  19. Sandwich for lobster macaroni and crepe bread (indicative time of arrival: 08.00).
  20. All roads lead to Oia. Growing up I mean. When you have a permanent relationship or family. The Fira Gingerbread is exclusively for bakery friends.
  21. As you head for Oia, take the new road – unless the turns and cliffs make you.
  22. It’s ridiculous to stink at the only tree in Oia (a small one in the square). I tell you I have it.
  23. A selfie with a newly married Chinese couple to get the season going.
  24. Quota # 1 should normally be entered. Of the 100 tourists, 60 places for Chinese, 20 for Europeans, 10 for Greeks, 10 for others.
  25. Normally you should get a quota of # 2 Sandwiches 0.02% of your monthly income, 0.08% beer, 0.2% pork. Then let me see you rich.
  26. Gift yourself the Caldera Tour with sailing. Experience life on the BBQ at sea, next to the volcano.
  27. There is so much wine with the best views.
  28. And yes, that’s how I imagine paradise.
  29. It’s so beautiful you can’t enjoy it.
  30. If you’re tired of classic shows, don’t forget the free-runners you can see rooftop rooftop.
  31. If the volcano were active, we wouldn’t be talking about a lava, but a lava biose.
  32. As you know, Mykonos and Santorini are like penguins in love.
  33. 25% of the magic of Santorini is to arrive by boat at dawn and cut off as you approach the port, not believing where you are.
  34. The other 25% is to breathe again when you board the bus from the port of Fira.
  35. The other 50% is the caldera, your eyes getting lost in the sight of a long lounge at Franco’s.
  36. The historic pub Two Brothers ends every night that respects itself.
  37. In Fira in August, the road is more congested and morning to morning at the University.
  38. And no no, it’s not too early to talk about Santorini. At April’s Imerovigli dawn – I’m not saying it, Christos Kyriazis says it. You must visit Santorini!
  39. Whatever the question, the answer is Santorini private guided tours!

The 39 rules of Santorini

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The most scenic Santorini Tours for you!

Wednesday, October 9th, 2019

Even one of the most seasoned traveler can not be but aid seduced by Santorini. The island’s caldera rises out of the Aegean Sea in a collection of towering multi-coloured high cliffs, creating an absolutely dramatic technique by boat. Obviously, its amazing beauty makes Santorini a very popular traveler destination; run away the crowds as well as experience the island at your own pace, on an exclusive Santorini trip with a regional overview.

Ancient Thira was the site of one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in modern background, which struck during the elevation of the Minoan human being. Proof of the Minoans, together with Hellenic, Roman and also Oriental ruins, can be located around the island. See the famous whitewashed towns of Oia and Akrotiri (your overview will locate you the best regional cuisine to sample along the way) and be sure to watch the sunlight set over the ocean from the edge of the caldera.

Your guide enjoys to create an exclusive Santorini scenic tour that shows your special rate of interests in this sensational Cycladic island.

Extraordinary sunsets, pearly white buildings decorated with bougainvillea, blue-domed churches, and attractive windmills make Santorini a popular destination. This Greek paradise attracts couples and pairs from around the globe eager to witness its well known sunsets of Oia, swim in thermal springs, savor its cuisine, and also indulge in lavish resorts.

Whether you fly in or take the ferry from the various other islands, it’s impossible to miss the striking sight of the mainly immersed caldera (volcanic crater) visible from quaint negotiations atop lava-layered cliffs. The whitewashed settlements of Firá and also Oia are the island’s most alluring destinations. In between both towns, small towns cling to the clifftops, offering quieter and more loosened up settings for your holiday.

Santorini has more to offer than multi-colored coastlines as well as incredible views. Get on your own an ATV or a smart auto and set concerning experiencing the tough island on undulating roads.

For concepts on just how to spend your time, see our checklist of the top traveler destinations in Santorini.

Also the most seasoned tourist can’t aid however be attracted by Santorini. Of program, its amazing charm makes Santorini an extremely prominent tourist location; leave the crowds and also experience the island at your own rate, on a private Santorini trip with a local overview.

Santorini has more to supply than extraordinary panoramas as well as multi-colored beaches.

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