Travel Archives - GUJRAT INDIA

Travel Insurance Doesn’t Always Mean Coverage

It’s that time of year again where the sun smiles upon us, school is out and the wide, wide world of travel is just a flight away.

So you do some research on vacation options. You book a flight. You reserve a hotel room. And last but certainly not least, you call an insurance agent for an appropriate travel policy.

“Ah,” you think to yourself. “I’m covered from all angles.”

Not so fast, sir or ma’am!

While others like yourself may view the insurance they purchased as a ticket to peace of mind, it’s not always so.

Not every loss scenario that you can envision occurring will be covered.

This articles deals with issues that may arise as a result of not planning ahead or educating yourself properly about insurance issues.

Some Instances when Travel Insurance does not Cover Losses

1. If you think you are smart by buying travel insurance when you hear the radio tell you about a future storm, think again. A travel policy will not cover the cancellation of your trip following publicized storm information.

2. If you imagine that travel insurance will provide compensation for ordinary problems, stop dreaming. Your insurance will not compensate you for common inconveniences or lack of enjoyment.

3. Do not plan on getting covered for losses you cannot prove. You will need to show a sales receipt so that your loss can be substantiated.

4. Be aware that your insurance policy will likely not provide coverage for incidents that occurred while you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

5. Get your doctor involved before you go on your trip or you may not receive medical coverage under your travel insurance. If you cannot prove you were in good health prior to getting on the plan, you may run into coverage problems if you need medical care while on vacation.

6. Do not assume every activity you participate in is covered under your travel plan. If you get hurt while engaging in something that the insurance company considers dangerous you may not see reimbursement. Review your policy to ascertain which activities your insurance provider includes and which are viewed as perilous.

As in any form of indemnity, travel insurance has limits and deductibles, as well as exclusions. You owe it to yourself and your vacation to do the proper research ahead of the game. Speaking to an experienced independent agent will help you decide what policy is best for you and how to avoid getting denied for a related claim.

Discover the African Art of Adire Dress Making When You Travel to Nigeria

Lagos is regarded as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria. It is known for its hustle and bustle, as well as an intricate blend of cultures – both local and foreign. Many residents in fact refer to it as no man’s land because indigenes from all parts of the country (and outside) have made it home.

The result is a breathtaking kaleidoscope of cultures evidenced – in part – by the regular display of different attires by each cultural unit. One of the most prominent cultures in Lagos is the Yoruba tribe. They are able to lay claim to being the sons of the soil in Lagos, but are accommodating to outsiders.

As a key component of South Western Nigeria, Lagos also shares fashion and cultural trends with adjoining regional states. And one of the most distinctive facets of the Yoruba culture is the Adire art form. From the earliest days of the arrival of foreigners in Nigeria, history has shown that one of the greatest attractions tourists and visitors have found in Nigeria, has been the Adire.

Adire is a unique traditional textile made by the Yorubas, using hand knotted cloths that have been dyed in indigo. The art of making this patterned cloth has been passed down across generations, even though at a time, it suffered a decline in popularity amongst practitioners and its patrons.

Efforts by some celebrated practitioners of this elegant age old art form have however helped to launch a recent renaissance in this field. Most prominent amongst those involved in this re-awakening of interest in the Adire, locally and internationally, has been Nike Davies Okundaye, a strong advocate of African Arts, with a mission to export it to the rest of the world.

She has achieved worldwide recognition for her exceptional artistry in making Adire cloths over a three decade period, and up till date. Her website http://www.nikeart.com provides extensive resources that offer insight into her work – including offering links to other websites which reflect the international appeal she enjoys. This exceptional lady was featured on the cover of The African Courier magazine, in its February/March 2010 issue, with six pages dedicated to a review of her work, including excerpts from an exclusive interview she granted.

Today, Nigerian fashion designers in the 21st century also creatively employ the Adire in evolving a unique range of very fashionable and trendy African designs, which are regularly showcased in fashion show catwalks across Africa and even beyond. This is one of the great benefits the Adire affords – it is highly adaptable for use in various forms, for various purposes – decorative or otherwise.

If you are a lover of African art, the Adire dress making process is definitely one to be explored. More importantly, especially if you feel you cannot spare the time to visit a place where these unique creations are made, look out for the many shops where beautiful Adire cloths are put up for sale. Be sure to get informed opinion about how to purchase the types that are durable, and will not fade when washed, at reasonable prices.

It would interest you to know that quite a number of good hotels in Lagos, and other western states often have gift shops with sections dedicated to the sale of artworks – including Adire. Note however that these shops can be a bit pricey, and that you can get much better bargains buying directly from the less pretty stalls of the local people or residents, some of who actually make it themselves. It is well known that the best places to buy well done Adire dresses include Abeokuta in Ogun State, and Osogbo in Osun State – where Nike Davies Okundaye runs one of a number of her galleries in the country.

So, don’t forget, when you visit Nigeria, to make out time to explore the world of Adire cloth making, picking up a few souvenirs to take back home with you. If the news we have heard from other visitors to Nigeria is anything to go by, you and those you share your artistic gifts with, will be raving about and showing them off with pride!

Travel the World of Freelancing

Do you need extra income?

Are you a mother looking for ways to earn at the comfort of your home? Or a father who would like to use his talents, hobbies and interests to make money at the same time? Or an educator who would like to share his knowledge and expertise? Or a mere student who would like to be independent to support his studies? Or a team of experts with the goal to gain for value and profit? Or someone who wanted to set up a home business, a micro entrepreneur and who would like to be his own boss? Or are you the one who would like to change his career path or would like to have some sort of career break? Or simply someone who would like to have additional work and bonus income?

In this eon of high technology and social media proliferation, earning through freelancing is one of the ways to increase household or individual income.

Earning by freelancing can be your chance to achieve your vision, your dream and a decent way to gain extra income. This can even become a source of your full time earnings.

Why not read on and let us traverse the world of freelancing…

What is freelancing and freelancer?

Before, freelancing work is not so popular and not given any worth at all. Others perceive freelancer as person with no stable job and who do job hopping and hunting from one place to another. In short, no value.

Nowadays, in electronic media and eCommerce development, freelancing is already a “word of mouth”. There is a better connotation today when a freelancer says he belongs to this category. Freelancing is in stratum to compete with corporate giants earning competitively in a blink of an eye.

Others term it as outsourcing skilled and talented people in the project needed by client or buyer. The people in this kind of work are labeled as freelancer, freelance, freelance worker, independent contractor and the like.

The freelancer, the person who is doing freelancing activity, is a self-employed status and has no employee-employer relationship. This is based on mutually agreed arrangement and can be done either verbal or written form stating the requirement of the client including:

the type of work to be done

the deadline

the payment of a certain piece or specified work

the ways to pay the freelancer

and other specific details of a sale or contract

Other freelancers may even require proposal with quotations and deposits from the clients before pursuing the project. They may charge by the hour, day, on a per-project basis, or per piece rate. Some freelancers tried a value-based pricing on the perceived worth of the outputs to the client. It is a common practice to pay fractional fee on the onset as a downpayment or lump sum amount upon finishing the project. For longer period and complex projects, a payment schedule based on results is used which is most common in consulting jobs, where a phase by phase billing is more applicable.

Freelancing in a way is selling skills, talents and expertise with the desired result for a certain buyer or client. Freelancing can also be illustrated as the freelancer providing solutions to client’s problem/s. To optimize the freelancer’s results, one should focus on his own specializations in order to be effective and efficient.

Freelancers are represented by the organization like Freelancer to negotiate on their behalf who at the same time resell their capabilities to the potential clients.

The influence of internet revolutionized the word freelancing into a much detailed explanation, highfalutin terminologies in corporate world such as telecommuting, online outsourcing, offline outsourcing, crowdsourcing and business process outsourcing.

Where can we apply freelancing?

Freelancing has a wide array of applications, vast field, unlimited opportunities and through the advent of internet and uprising technology anything is possible and accessible.

Freelancing can be useful in the following works:

1. Blogging

2. Book Publishing

3. Journal Publishing

4. Magazine

5. Newspaper Publishing

6. Journalism

7. Technical Writing

8. Report Writing

9. Academic Writing

10. Tutoring

11. Article Rewriting

12. Business writing

13. Sports Writing

14. Feature Writing

15. Poem Writing

16. Literary Writing

17. Editing

18. Proof reading

19. Copywriting

20. Ghost Writing

21. Song Writing

22. Consulting (ISO 26000 Corporate Social Responsibility, ISO 9001 Quality Management System, Integrated Management System, ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System)

23. Public Relations

24. Photojournalism

25. Photography

26. Full Marketing Collaterals Designing (from making of company logo, letterhead, business card, tarpaulins, stickers, flyers, billboards, signages, and several marketing and promotional items like corporate giveaways)

27. Photoshop

28. Graphics Designing

29. Logo Designing

30. Illustrator

31. PSD to HTML Making

32. Magazine or Newspaper’s Lay-out Designing

33. Website Development

34. Website Designing

35. Web Scraping

36. Indexing or Market Surveying

37. Content Creation

38. Content Management System (Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, Blogger)

39. Hacked Site Recovery and Protection

40. Coaching

41. Communication (Chat, SMS, Email Support)

42. Language Translation

43. Designing and Conceptualizing Content for PowerPoint Presentations and similar Open Source Presentations

44. Medical Transcription

45. Video Production

46. Flash Production

47. Video Editing

48. Sales and Offline Marketing

49. Telemarketing

50. Online or Internet Marketing

51. Customer Help Desk

52. Tour Guiding

53. Event Planning

54. Event Management

55. Speech Writing

56. Social Media Management

57. Computer Programming and Product Integration

58. Script Writing

59. Film Making

60. Film Reviewing

61. Music Composition

62. Accounting

63. Auditing (Finance and Quality)

64. Researching (Engineering, Mathematics, Science, Technology)

65. Training

66. Recruitment Advertising

67. Virtual Assistance

68. Data Encoding

69. Data Processing

70. Data Mining

71. Interior Designing

72. Gardening

73. Landscaping

74. Home Designing

75. Building Architectural Designing

76. Advertising

77. Open Innovation

78. Mobile Phone Programming

79. Cellular Phones Repairing

80. Game Design and Development

81. Games Installation

82. Operating System and Specialized Software Application

83. Social Media Optimization and Management

84. Search Engine Optimization and Inbound Marketing

85. Link Building

86. Software Architecture

87. Website Administration and Management

88. Finance and Loan Consulting

89. Legal Consulting

90. Business Consulting or Entrepreneurship Mentoring

91. Sports Coaching

92. Business Plan Making

93. Product Sourcing and Manufacturing and a lot more

94. E Commerce

95. Shopping Carts

96. Entertainment

97. Logistics and Product Sourcing

98. Toll Manufacturing and Packaging

99. Food Service Management, Canteen and Catering

100. Public Speaking and Hosting

101. Voice Talent Management, Broadcasting/ Radio Announcing

102. Health Care Management

103. Beauty Care

104. Hair Care

105. Janitorial Services

106. Manpower Services (Bartender, Waiter)

107. Medical Advice Services

108. Metal and Plastic Fabrication

109. Painting/ Repainting, Floor Coating

110. Waterproofing Services

111. Real Estate Development and a lot more…

The prospects and projects are countless. In the internet world, we can get projects and works from Freelancer.com’s website.

Why freelance, what are the benefits?

The client and the freelancer are both in a win-win scenario when they get into freelancing activity.

Essentially, freelancing is a planned action of the organization to focus on their core capabilities and transfer other processes or work to third party such as the freelancer. This aims to expedite work, to increase quality of the product or service and to save fund. In short, this will make the company become more productive and effective as an enterprise. At the same time, the receiver or the freelancer will gain income and experience, too.

Freelancers are paid commensurate to the services rendered to the client and to the negotiation process undertaken.

They can also earn money faster and more frequent than permanent or regular employees in a given period with the same kind of work. This is also dependent on freelancer’s competence, capability, marketing ability, connections and track record.

Flexibility in time or even time freedom to choose the work schedule made freelancing even more attractive to freelancers. They work at their own pace.

Freelancers can choose the place to work. It can be at home or a place conducive to them. It can even be more exciting and inspiring space or an “on the go” mood as it can be mobile too using the latest technology of Apple iPad or Samsung tablet.

Freelancing offers variety of works or projects. So, there’s no place for boredom. Having freelance works at hand, freelancers can earn more!

There could be times that perks may be offered specially for consultants, such as free travel and accommodation! Freelancing is available not only in your community or local market, but also nationally and internationally.

So, freelancing is a very satisfying experience as it gives the freelancer more agility to profit, has the option to work on his choice or market niche and perform at his own time and space.

How to become a freelancer?

There are several ways to freelance as there are also numerous websites regarding this matter. Just be mindful that there are genuine and bogus sites and so it is always necessary that we only negotiate to trusted sites. A newbie freelancer must choose a freelancing site which is known for integrity, reliability and if possible with huge clients’ base. It is no doubt to utilize the website of Freelancer Dot Com with its user-friendly interface.

Freelancer Dot Com is a site with reputation, experience and regarded as one of the top searched website as buzzed by influential world bloggers and SEO practitioners.

In http://www.freelancer.com, it is as easy as, A, B, C. The basic steps are:

A. Sign in

B. Bid

C. Get Hired

Freelancers can sign up for free in http://www.freelancer.com and can bid on the freelance works posted by the buyers or clients or companies.

The numbers of projects and the total amount is so huge and we can get the share of the market most specially if you have the knowledge, skills, talent and attitude.

So, what are you waiting for, let us travel the world of freelancing! This is your time to shine and get more income.

Just try it and who knows you will be surprise how this piece of information can get you going and in turn your time to share this post to all your friends. You may feel free to comment and tell us also your experience about your journey in the world of freelancing…

Continue learning and keep on coming back to our site as juicier and interesting information is in the offing!

Business Opportunities in the Travel and Tourism Sector

Are you bored of your current job and want to start a business, but are unable to figure out the most beneficial business opportunity? If your answer is ‘YES’ and you want a flexible work environment, the comfort of working at home, as well as flexible working hours; this article is going to help you. The article discusses the best business opportunity in the travel and tourism sector. Travel and tourism is among the world’s largest industry, and it is growing every day. Almost everyone is interested in travel. Who doesn’t love traveling to new places and exploring the natural beauty and adventure offered by the hottest tourist spots around the world? Opportunities are endless for tour operators and other companies within travel and tourism!

Business Opportunities in the Travel Industry

The travel industry offers numerous business opportunities for people interested in being their own boss. It offers an equal opportunity to start a home based businesses without the cost of a conventional office. You can start your own travel agency with minimal investment. Then you are on your way to becoming an excellent travel guide.

There are also possibilities in the online world. You can start your own online business in tour and travel by becoming an online affiliate of world famous tour and travel operators. People with an interest in photography and travel journalism can try writing travel blogs and publishing photo blogs along with other online and offline travel based businesses. Travel publishing also offers great opportunities for you and your franchise based business.

What People Need to Start Travel Based Business

The travel and tourism industry undoubtedly offers many wonderful business opportunities. However, in order to be successful in the travel business, people need to have certain skills and interests. The most basic trait is a natural interest in tourism along with the salesmanship and the drive to start a business in the travel & tourism sector. In addition, one also needs to have competitive and entrepreneurial spirit to excel in the travel business.

3 Cutting-Edge Blog Directories With FREE Submission That Can Help Your Blog Travel in SEO Space

A good way to get your blog out there in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Space is to use blog directories. Blog directories are websites which will categorize your blogs under many different categories. Usually the best blog directories are human edited, meaning that each submitted blog is reviewed by a person, not a robot, who will decides whether our blog belongs in their directory or not.

Now not only will blog directories help get your blog to people who are interested in the topic you write about but they will also provide strong back links and can help your posts get ranked in search engines. Also, note that many people search blog directories to research blogs that are similar to their blogs.

Did I hear someone ask “Whats a backlink?

A backlink is a link that one blog site gets from another blog site or static website. Backlinks can make a big impact on a website’s ranking in search engine results. This is why they are considered so important for improving a blogs SEO ranking. Search engines will use their own methods to calculate rankings using multiple factors to display search results.

One of the many methods that can help your rankings is to submit your sites to blog and article directories. I am only going to focus on three directories I have recently submitted this blog to. In another post I will talk about article directories and perhaps other blog directories..

I am only listing those sites that I recently submitted to in June of this year and have a easy user-friendly portal. So, check them out for yourself. As I continue with my research I may post about others later after I submit my sites.

Ontoplist

The site is easy to navigate. It does not make you feel like it is a “spammy site”I was quite surprised that the site I listed was indexed so quickly. So I am encouraged to submit more sites.

Blogflux

Blogflux lets you know on the first page that they currently feature 157,056 blogs. So you get excited about adding your blogs to the number. They stress the type of blogs they WILL NOT accept. It is an easy submission process.

Blogarama

Is also stupidly easy to navigate. It has been around for a long time so their is a high level of reliability. Their blog directory tab when clicked does not allow you the opportunity to search the categories. But I they make it easy to contact them. So I will let them know that this boomer is concerned. I am sure it will be corrected.

I used one of my handy forms from the Blog Management System to record the name of the directory, user name and password plus the specific blog I submitted.

If you have other favorite blog directories please share.

5 Uses Of Travel Expense Management Software

In today’s competitive era, a lot of organizations still manage their travel expenses in a very unorganized manner. The traditional way wastes employee time and productivity and increases the stress of Account payable and Finance team in managing the process manually. To gain competitive advantage, organizations need to move to travel expense management platform that integrates travelers, approvers, travel desks, travel agents, accounts payable and finance on one portal to reduce miscommunication and streamline the process. Unnecessary trips and wasteful cancellations are decreased, travel is only with authorized vendors and travelers function within the recommended procedures and systems. This saves both time and money. Below mentioned are few benefits of an efficient Travel Expense Management Software:

Structured Travel Policy

Earlier when accounting for travel expenses was done manually, it was difficult to keep track of all the expenses and cost incurred. With the travel expense management software, the travel policies will be very clear and erroneous payments can be highlighted. Common travel expenses including hotel and food ought to be written down clearly. This helps in preventing issues in the future.

Expense Visibility

The finance and accounts payable team can get a clear visibility on the spend made. They will have all the related information available in the system with details of the same. They can easily know which department is spending how much and can put budget control wherever needed.

Efficient Processes

Entering expenses manually into a spreadsheet can be really tedious and can tend to be inaccurate. It becomes difficult for the accounts payable and finance team as well if you have several hundred employees in an organization. This is where the travel expense management software comes into the picture. The software allows employees to report their expenses in the system which automatically follows the workflow and goes for approval. Post approval it goes to the relevant department for authenticating and processing the payment. The entire process is seamless, automated and quick for employees and internal departments.

On-Time Employee Reimbursement

If you take too much time to reimburse your employee, it will lead to growing resentment. It could also lead to employees hesitant to go on business trips and maybe even flat-out refuse, which would ultimately affect the business. The software allows the employees to report their expenses on the go and it immediately goes for approval and payment. The entire process is quick and automated which saves a lot of time and helps to reimburse employee expenses on or before time.

Employee Travel Expense Trends

With a spreadsheet, it is difficult to say if a particular employee’s expenditure is atypical to the normal pattern. The software helps to capture data and analyse the trend based on historical data. Management can run multiple reports and get analytics to help them make business decisions. For ex. It is easy to look up different trips and find out whether inflation is bringing up the expenses or if the employee is skirting along the edge of allowed expenses. Both the Travel Expense Management Software and the Procure to Pay Software helps bring financial control in the organization saving a lot of cost and time.

Must-Have Features in the Travel Business Portal

Gone are the days, when one used to invest days and months to design a perfect traveling plan. Today neither you need to go and stand in queue for transportation tickets nor roam here and there to find the best hotels for the stay. The travel industry has already shifted from offline to online mode, a few years back. Now travellers are ready with their list of traveling wishes, and it’s the responsibility of travel agency business to make their wishes come true.

To run a successful travel agency business, one must need travel booking software. Your software must be smart and advanced to ease the process of booking transportation tickets, hotels, restaurants, etc. However, who would like to travel somewhere with the responsibility of looking after other activities?

If you are planning to start your traveling agency, here are the must-have features for your travel agency software:

Profile Creation and booking process

The profile creation process on the travel portal should be easy. Allow the multiple profile creation options like creating using email id, through social media, or from mobile number. The profile creation will be the first action taken by the user on your society to book tickets.

The booking process should be easy and short. Make sure you are not asking for too much detail in the ticket booking form, as it can divert the user to other travel agency portals to save their time.

If your booking process is smooth, the customer will come again and again to book their tickets.

Customization packaging option

For traveling, tour packaging is one of the important features. Today people are very particular about their travel accommodations, activities, food, etc. Offering an option to add and subtract few activities from the travel package, will help the customer to buy the best travel package as per their requirement.

Providing limited tour packages will not give your customer the vacation of their dreams. Gone are the days, when people used to make travel plans as per the availability of travel packages in travel agencies. The personalized experience will drag them to visit your travel agency software again for the best traveling experience.

Also, offer them multiple packages of a particular destination by making changes like a number of days, stay in the hotel, participation in any local and cultural activities, etc. While buying travel agency software, make sure you are hiring an experienced company.

Payment method

Keep in mind the payment process is the last step of buying your product and services. Provide your customer’s payment flexibility. Offer multiple payment options like third-party payment applications, payment apps, usage of credit or debit cards.

As everything is digital and fast now, make sure your payment process is fast and secure. The customer will be adding her personal and bank information, the transaction should be safe for you and the customer both. Keeping multiple payment options will even help international travellers to book tickets or hotels without facing any issues.

The more options you will give, the more area of the audience you can attract. Either you can hire software development services to build your Travel agency software from scratch, or buy a white label travel solution like MakeMyTrip from them.

Multi-lingual and currency

How frustrating will it be to convert each word into a local language? While running a travel agency, you will have a wider audience. Your travel agency must be for people from different corners of the world. It is your responsibility to provide a personalized and rich experience to all the visitors.

To attract an international audience, your travel agency software must have multiple languages and currencies supporter features. These features will help you to serve customers of different countries and your revenue will be more.

There are many countries where people speak their local language. While booking any travel package or ticket, for sure they will check the prices. What if you cut the step of transferring the mentioned currency into local currency? It will be a huge deal for them. Reading content on your software will help them to understand your services and they will visit your software over again.

Search Option

Today, we are just one search away from the required information. The customer will not have enough time to go through your software, in brief, to find what she is looking for. Make sure your travel agency should have the search option feature. It will give the liberty to all the customers to directly find the information they are looking for.

Also, you can make it a predictive search. When the customer types the keywords to find the information or services, a drop-down list will be automatically popped up below the search option. This is a great way of eliminating the long list of search results and help the customer to find the relevant information instantly.

Gallery

Will you blindly buy the product without seeing any picture? No, right! For the Travel agency business, the gallery plays an important role. Visuals are the best way to communicate with your audience. Your customers must be looking for breath-taking pictures of their vacation destination. Moreover, it will assist them while choosing hotels, vacation destinations, restaurants, etc.

Make sure the gallery has the best pictures. Try to provide multiple pictures for a single destination or service. Also, you can ask your customers to provide their vacation pictures for the credibility of a customer’s travel agency.

Conclusion

Traveling is not merely a way of taking a break from regular life, now it has become a profession. People look for the best and affordable packages to travel. These features will help you to build a safe and secure platform for all travellers. Prefer buying the pre-build travel software to avoid the huge investment and last-minute rush. White label travel solutions like MakeMyTrip are the best for people who are new in this business.

What Business Travelers Should Know About a Multiple Entry China Travel Visa

For the business traveler that needs a visa to China frequently and on a regular basis, applying for a single entry China travel visa means unnecessary expense and stress. Thanks to the multiple entry option, business travelers are finding the entire process of obtaining a visa to China far easier. Now, a single application process with a slightly higher fee gives access to the country for 180 days after the date of issue.

What Is A Multiple Entry China Travel Visa

This option is only available to business and corporate individuals who have held a visa to China prior to the multiple entry application. With it, visitors can enter the country multiple times prior to the 180-day deadline and can stay for a maximum of 30 days at a time. This will cover return trips and visits outside of the mainland including Guangdong.

They are provided only to those who are visiting, lecturing, cultural exchanges, investigations, and business activities. Those entering the country for scientific or technological reasons can also apply for this type as well as those taking advanced studies and intern practice for a maximum of six months.

Forms And Paperwork Needed For A Visit To China

A formal invitation is the first thing required for a multiple entry visa. The Chinese business you are working with will contact their governments and have a formal invitation issued by the Foreign Ministry of Affairs. However, like single-entry visas, the consulate has the final say on what they will accept. You will need to send a passport that has six months left before it expires that contains a minimum of one blank page.

Those who were not born in the US will need to provide all of the original documentation such as a Green Card or Work Visa in order to apply. Chinese born applicants must supply their Chinese passport. Once the paperwork is gathered, travelers can then fill out their application form and take it along with all of the supporting document to the consulate or have a special visa service submit everything for you.

Things To Consider

A multiple entry visa to China costs more than a single entry China travel visa. It seems like a lot at the time, but when you consider how many times you will need to pay for a single version, there is a huge savings of both time and money. Multiple entrance papers will allow you to enter the country in either 12 or 24 months.

A multiple, double, and single visa are all three very different things. You can only get into the country once with a single visa and twice with a double entry. With a multiple application, you can return to China several times since it is offered in 12 or 24 months.

Business travelers who are working in close partnership with their Chinese counterparts will find the multiple entry China travel visa a welcomed relief. For a slightly higher fee and little more paperwork, visitors can get a visa to China that will give them the freedom to satisfy all of their business and travel needs.

Key Factors to Consider When Buying a Travel and Tour Franchise

If you are considering investing in a travel and tour franchise, it is likely that you have many questions. For many people, the idea of setting their own business can be incredibly daunting experience, but also one of the most liberating experiences of their lives. In this article, we will look at some of key considerations which you should factor in when making this decision.

The travel and tourism industry is literally booming globally – now contributing over two trillion pounds to the economy. More and more people are thinking about how they can get involved in the travel and tourism industry, recognising the explosive and exponential growth. Starting your own travel business from scratch is one option that people often consider, however starting without a network of contacts or even a base starting point can be extremely tricky. A huge number of start ups will fail within 12 months, so always try to avoid this pitfall.

The more popular market to success within the travel industry is the travel, or tour franchise market. What this essentially means is instead of setting up a travel business from the beginning, you can buy a travel franchise which actually gives you a firm starting point to begin your business. There are quite a few travel franchise businesses online, however there are probably only a couple of established businesses. If you do choose to purchase a tour franchise, make sure to do your research and pick the franchise company which is the best fit for you.

So what can you expect in terms of support when you buy a travel franchise? When buying a franchise, there are always different levels of support. Think of this a three-tiered membership: platinum, silver and gold. The more initial investment that you are willing to put up, means the greater level of support and guidance that you are likely to receive. Nonetheless, there are some common levels of support which you should expect from all travel franchises.

The first thing you should expect is a fully comprehensive training or induction programme. Lots of franchise operators will actually offer a residential training course, so this is likely to be an intensive course over a number of days or weeks. This can be a great opportunity to spend significant time with the franchise tour operators and really pick their brains, whilst trying to soak up an incredible amount of information.

It is also likely that they will be inducting a number of other new franchisees at the same time. This is also a fantastic opportunity to meet some like minded people who are also at the beginning of the same journey that you are on. If you can take the opportunity to spend time with them and get to know their motivations behind setting up a new franchise, you can increase your knowledge but also begin to build up your travel network. In the travel industry in particular, your network and who you know can really be a determining factor in how well you do.

You can also expect some of the more practical tools for setting up a new franchise. This might include a laptop, hopefully pre-loaded with any specialist software and templates that you might need. This may not always be included as a standard support tool, so you should always try to make sure that you fully understand everything that is being provided. A functional website, which is branded towards your company name and logo, is also something which you expect.

Finally, you might also receive some branding materials, such as leaflets, tri-folds and business cards. Remember when you meet potential clients, handing them a business card can be a great way to exchange your details with them and keep in touch.