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Travel responsibly with these 9 simple travel planning tips.

1. Know what responsible travel is. Responsible travel simply means traveling with not only your own needs in mind, but also the needs of your destination. Responsible travelers realize that when they travel, they are entering someone else’s home, whether they literally visit someone or not. Responsible travelers treat others as those people would like to be treated, and they care for the environment in their destination as they would care for their own home and community.

2. Think: What exactly do you want to experience? You’re about to travel, and you’re looking at an array of possibilities: new people, intriguing places, and the hope of memorable experiences. What are you interests? What do you love to see, feel, do, taste? Why have you chosen your particular destination? Whom would you love to meet? What would make this trip really memorable for you? Once you know that, you can create ways to get the most of those very special experiences out of your trip.

3. Go surfing – and read! Do some searching online for resources specializing in sustainable travel, or responsible travel, in your destination. You can seek out resources on ecotourism, too; just be aware of the pitfalls of “greenwashing.” (See Number 4, below.) Some guidebooks can be very helpful in your planning, as well. Rough Guides and Lonely Planet guidebooks (as well as others) are oriented toward sustainable travel, and they give you a great overview and starting point for your planning.

4. Reach out and ask key questions. Once you know where you’d like to stay and what you’d like to do, get in direct touch with the people providing the services. It’s ok to tell them sustainable travel is important to you, so you’d like to learn more about their service. Have they received any eco-awards? Do they have an eco-rating? What is their environmental policy? You can also ask if they’ve received any “green” certification. There are several certification programs such as Green Globe and the EcoGreen Award; many more have been created by communities and countries around the world. The standards of these programs vary, and as yet, there are no universal “eco” standards. However, just by seeking out a hotel, restaurant or tour operator who has taken some steps toward sustainability, you’ll be making a better choice. But watch out for “greenwashing,” the whitewashing of goods and services that are not environmentally sound to make them look as if they are. Remember: just because a tour operator may take you to see rain forests or sea tortoises doesn’t necessarily mean their practices are ecologically or socially sound. You can find out whether a business is environmentally and socially responsible by doing a little research — and asking questions.

5. Choose carefully! Your decisions are important. The collection of all the big and small choices you make before and during your trip will make or break you as a responsible traveler. Choose carefully. Some businesses are certified, and some are not. Even without certification, they can state their policy on responsibility and sustainability.

6. Plan with the environment in mind. As much as we travelers love the call of the open road, we also know our transportation, if powered by anything other than ourselves, is contributing to excessive CO2 in the environment, and thereby to global warming. Responsible travel is your priority. So think about offsetting the carbon emitted by your trip by purchasing carbon-offset credits. In fact, think about offsetting the energy you use in everyday living. You”ll be supporting programs that neutralize our use of fossil fuels, thus helping to reduce global warming. One such well-rated program is My Climate. Others include Native Energy and terrapass. Check them out and see which you prefer. For more information on carbon offsets and how they work, visit the FAQ page of Sustainable Travel International by clicking here. You can also give some thought to the local environment you’ll be visiting. For example, will you be hiking through natural areas? Of course, you’ll want water to drink. How about bringing just one water bottle and a supply of water purification tablets? They work just fine, and your thoughtfulness will be a significant help to a local area that may not have the infrastructure to take care of the thousands of plastic water bottles left by visitors.

7. Prepare yourself: Learn some lingo If you’re visiting another place, whether at home or abroad, you’re visiting someone else’s home. That’s the fact. And the more you remember that, the easier it’ll be for you to make friends and contacts. So learn some expressions in the local language. You don’t need to be fluent. But there’s no doubt that your trip will be far more exciting, and people you meet will be far more interested in you, if you speak some of their language. For tips on learning language for travel, check out my 5 Sure-Fire Tips for Learning a Foreign Language, available at www.peacethroughtravel.net.

8. Prepare yourself: Learn the basics of the local culture How do people prefer to be addressed in the country you’re visiting? Do they shake hands? Do they bow? Do they drink alcohol? How do women carry themselves? How are you expected to behave toward a woman? These are all questions that are worth taking the time to answer. Your understanding of how local people behave and interact will add fun, adventure, and plenty of social interaction to your travel experience. A note on clothing: We all like to be comfortable when we travel, and as Americans we’re particularly used to dressing as comfortably as we like. Abroad, however, responsible travelers keep local mores in mind. As a rule, particularly in developing countries, dress conservatively. If you dress like those around you, you’ll find local people more likely to approach you; they both scream “Tourist!” Wear lightweight shirts (not T-shirts), lightweight slacks, and comfortable walking shoes, instead. Women, for travel in rural developing areas, think long skirts and covered shoulders. At the very least, be sure to have a shawl. It’s important to balance comfort with respect – and avoid the blatant tourist tip-offs.

9. Prepare yourself: Rev up your sense of adventure! Use the web, use your books, contact professionals – and then tap into your own passions and creativity. Venture off the beaten path. Get yourself thinking the way local people think. Leave your usual routine at home. After all, that’s why you traveled, isn’t it? And always expect the unexpected! Yes, the a/c might break down. You may not like the meal you ordered. You might get lost. But if you’ve done your homework – you know the lay of the land, you know what safety precautions to take, you have your maps and books, and you know what to expect from the people you meet – you’ll be fine.

Planning a trip is almost as fun as the actual travel. All the excitement, the brochures, the talking late into the night . . . I love travel planning! Make sure that your journey has the same excitement from beginning to end, and that you come home still speaking to your travel companion!

Here are my top 7 tips on enjoying your travels with your spouse, family or friends whoever your travel partner may be:

Understand different travel styles

Different people like to travel in different ways, even if these people have been married for many years. One person may like a planned-ahead itinerary while the other may just like to wing it. Know these differences ahead of time so that you can plan with both of you in mind. And if you’ll be traveling on a long trip with someone you’ve never traveled with before, a test overnight together may be a good idea.

Plan an Agenda

Make a list of what each of you would like to do or see while on your trip. Then look at the days and fill in the time with items from each of your lists. Leave open time for opportunities that come up that may be more interesting or fun than what you had planned for.

Budget for the Trip

Outline what the trip will cost (airfare, hotel, transportation, food, tips, events, and of course shopping!) and determine who will be paying what. This eliminates a lot of discussion at dinner tables on who will pick up the tab. When traveling with others outside of your immediate family, talk ahead of time about paying for such things as alcoholic beverages or more expensive events, as everyone may not want to partake and have the same budget. Nothing can ruin a trip faster than money disagreements so plan in out ahead of time.

Be Flexible

Be willing to compromise and be flexible during your trip. Do something your travel mate wants to do, then plan an event you want to do. Travel with an open mind to look for new adventures that you couldn’t imagine planning for.

Have Some ‘Me’ Time

Traveling together doesn’t mean spending every moment together. Make time for some quiet reading, journaling, spa or other ‘me’ time and offer this same enjoyment to your travel companions.

For my husband and myself, my ‘me’ time is sleep time, his is photography time. He wakes up early to catch a beautiful sunrise while I enjoy my time under the covers getting more sleep. It works perfectly for both of us.

Laugh and Enjoy Your Travels

It’s easy to get stressed with the unfamiliarity of your locale, language struggles and money issues. Focus on the enjoyment and fun of your trip, rather than let these disagreements put a dampen on it. Go into each day with the challenge to find new fun things to do. At the end of the day, talk about the enjoyment you had and you’ll have even more fun the next day.

Bring Back Great Memories

Whether you enjoy picking up souvenirs, postcards, journaling or taking your own photos, it’s great to reminisce about a wonderful trip when you see the items that you brought home.

I collect magnets for our refrigerator and Christmas ornaments and my husband updates our screensaver with a few photos of every trip. We can sit in his office for hours (with a bottle of wine, of course!) watching these photos scroll by and they evoke very special feelings about each fabulous trip. Memories are wonderful.

I hope these travel tips help you create fantastic, memorable journeys with even stronger relationships!

The World Wide Web has revolutionized the concepts of trade and finance and has literally redefined the way people purchase and sell goods.

One of the landmark evolutions of the recent time has been that of Online Marketplaces. Online marketplaces, or e-markets as they are popularly called aim to create efficient platforms to bring together buyers and sellers at a massive scale.

Internet takes a business to a global scale and presents it before and international audience. Experts predict that more than 85% of the computer literate population of the world use the Internet to purchase goods. Hence, it offers tremendous business opportunities for buyers and sellers both.

Online market places are excellent venues to find potential service providers and sales leads and further profitable business endeavors. Let us examine some special features and highlights that makes online marketplaces so appealing to the business population.

Buying at the Best Prices
Who doesn’t like a good bargain? And especially when you can pick the best out of the lot. Online marketplaces give service providers and businesses an opportunity to strike a great deal with one another. This is because online marketplaces have a huge database of service providers which one can browse through and select the one that offers the most cost effective rates for the particular services.

Online marketplaces are highly popular in these times of recession and credit crunch. This is because people are trying to reduce costs and seek the cheapest rates possible for quality services. Thus they are embracing the services of the Internet.

Global Pool of Service Providers
Internet is able to extract value from otherwise unreachable areas. Web based marketplaces act as a global platform where buyers and sellers from across the world can come together and further profitable business endeavors. This helps in creating a online free market environment where businesses and service providers can interact profitably with one another. Because of the visibility of the deal, both the parties of the deal have power. Buyers who fail to make payments or service providers who fail to deliver can get negative rankings on the website and can even be removed from the site altogether.

Variety of Choices
Everyone like to be in control of things. Online marketplaces offer buyers the luxury of browsing through a variety of potential solutions for their requirements. Buyers can check out several options before making a choice. This gives them a sense of power and control and they are more convinced about the decision they make. Also, this make them spend money more readily.

Security Policies
Because there is huge amounts of cash involved in online marketplaces, these portals have strict security guidelines and privacy policies. All the information that is exchanged and all the credit details are secured and processed safely. This minimizes the risk of fraudulent transactions and deals and ensures safe processing.

Extensive Array of Products and Services
Online marketplaces generally cater to a broad range of industries. There are certain portals that specifically cater to certain segments but others generally include a variety of products and services. All one needs to do is post the requirements and place a Request for Bids and there will be vendors who offer the same and would submit Bids.

Online marketplaces create value addition for a business as it facilitates information sharing about products/services and their pricing. It matches buyers with corresponding sellers and improves the speed and accuracy of transactions.

Disclaimer: Sabra Easterday is the owner and founder of MatchB2B. Sabra is also a lawyer with a special interest in business issues and e-marketplaces. Notwithstanding that Sabra Easterday is a lawyer, nothing in this article and no services of MatchB2B or its website are legal services and no attorney-client relationship exists between any reader of this article or user, customer or potential customer of MatchB2B, and MatchB2B, its website or Sabra Easterday.

International trade involves international financial transactions because different countries have different units of money. When your nation wish to buy goods from other nations, they usually must pay for the goods in the currency of the exporting country. In other words, Japan will probably demand yen, France will demand francs, West Germany will want deutsche marks, Great Britain will insist on pounds, and Mexico will demand pesos in payment for the goods they sell. Foreign currencies are called foreign exchange, and they are bought and sold in foreign exchange markets, which are markets that deal in the buying and selling of foreign currencies. Some banks specialize in financing international trade, and they are the major participants in foreign exchange markets. If an American importer wishes to buy automobiles from a Japanese manufacturer, the importer will go to a bank that specializes in financing international trade, and will exchange dollars for yen.

Exchange Rates: The foreign exchange rate is the price of one currency in terms of another. For example, the British pound might be worth 76 times more in Indian money. Historically, there have been two major types of foreign exchange rates: fixed exchange rates and flexible exchange rates.

Under the fixed-exchange-rate system, the price of one currency was fixed in terms of other currencies so that the rate did not change. The advantage of such a system is that importers and exporters know exactly how much foreign currency they can purchase with a given quantity of their own nation’s currency today, next week, or six months from now. Foreign exchange markets operated under a fixed-exchange-rate system from 1944 until the year early 1970. Prior to 1971, the value of the United States dollar was tied to gold at the rate of $1 equals 1/35 of an ounce of gold. In other words, one ounce of gold was equal to $35 in American money. Since the value of other currencies was also fixed in relation to gold, the dollar price of each foreign currency remained constant.

The disadvantage of the fixed-rate system was that it did not make allowances for changing economic conditions in various countries. For example, if the developed country like United States of America was experiencing high inflation at a time when Japan or China was experiencing little or no inflation, American-made goods would become increasingly expensive in relation to goods made in Japan or in China. As a result, Japan or China would purchase fewer American-made goods while Americans would tend to buy more goods made in Japan or in China. This in turn would lead to a serious imbalance in imports and exports between the two countries.

With a flexible-exchange-rate system, the type of system under which world trade operates today, the forces of supply and demand determine the value of a country’s currency in terms of the value of other currencies. Therefore, under this system, the price of a country’s currency can fluctuate up and down daily in response to market conditions.

The supply and demand for foreign exchange usually are largely determined by the supply and demand for goods and services. For example, if United States of America importers wish to import increased quantities of goods from a country, suppose from Japan, there will be a strong demand for the Japanese yen. This could force the price of the yen up substantially unless Japan was at the same time providing a large supply of yen in order to increase their imports from the United States of America. The demand for goods and services is not the only factor that determines the demand for a nation’s currency. Political or economic instability in other countries may cause people in those countries to exchange their currency for a more stable currency, such as the dollar of United States of America. In addition, high interest rates in a particular country may cause foreign investors to convert their currencies into the currency of that nation. This happened in the United States of America during the early 1980s. Interest rates became so high in this country that many foreign investors were prompted to exchange their currency for American dollars for investment purposes. This increased demand for dollars caused the value of the dollar to increase in terms of other currencies. The “strong” dollar made American-made products more expensive in world markets. As a result, Americans bought more foreign-made products, and foreigners bought fewer American-made products.

Balance of Trade: The amount of goods and services that a nation sells to other nations, and the amount it buys from other nations, are not always equal. The difference between the dollar value of exports and the dollar value of imports is called the balance of trade. If the United States exports more goods to foreign nations than it imports from foreign nations, it has a trade surplus. However, if the United States of America imports more than it exports, it has a trade deficit.

In 1971, the United States recorded its first trade deficit of the century. In all the years since then, except in 1975 when there was a modest surplus, the United States has imported more than it has exported, and the trade deficits of recent years have been so large that they have caused major concern among some economists.

However, not all economists agree on how serious a problem the trade deficits are, or even on their causes. Some believe that, in the long run, market adjustments will correct the problem. Others are not so sure. Some economists believe that the high trade deficits are linked to the large deficits in the federal government’s budget in the past two decades. They argue that heavy government borrowing to finance high budget deficits helps to keep interest rates high and encourages foreign investors to exchange their foreign currencies for dollars. However, so many things influence the trade deficits that it is not always clear which factors are playing the biggest role in the deficit at any specific time. The one thing that is clear is that the United States must increase its competitiveness in world markets. Like it or not, the world is moving rapidly toward a global economy. The volume of international trade is bound to grow rapidly in the decades ahead. Competition is still the name of the game, but the number of players has increased.

Balance of Payments: Economic relations between nations involve much more than just imports and exports. There are many different kinds of transactions that involve the exchange of money between nations. For example, American businesses invest funds in foreign nations, and American banks make foreign loans. In addition, the United States government spends money for foreign aid and to support military personnel stationed abroad. Americans spend money for goods and services when they travel abroad, and American citizens often send money to relatives living in other nations. On the other hand, money flows into the United States from other countries when foreign citizens travel in the United States, when foreign businesses make investments in the United States, when Americans receive dividends on foreign investments, and so forth.

Each nation keeps an accounting record of all its monetary transactions with other countries. This accounting record is called the balance of payments. A nation’s balance of payments account includes all payments that it makes to other nations, and all payments it receives from other nations during a year. A country’s balance of payments includes imports and exports, flows of investment funds into and out of the country, loans between nations, and all other transactions that involve payments between countries. The balance of payments is a broader measure of the financial transactions between countries than the balance of trade.

Here are some things to consider when putting together your low voltage outdoor lighting plan:

The first thing to consider is whether to choose low-voltage, LED or go with solar lights. Do you want to try using solar path lights in your garden or landscaping project? Solar path lighting options can be simple to set up and do not require much upkeep. They also don’t require an outlet. Solar lights have also become much more inexpensive over the last decade. These lights can can be a solution but there are some drawbacks. Solar lights do not work in shade or during cloudy weather and, although lighting technology is getting better, the light may be dimmer depending on the amount of sun the panel received that day. One thing to consider is to use solar light fixtures for accents or to mark the edge of a driveway or path, where you don’t expect them to light something critical to navigating the area.

Metal lighting. Low-voltage landscape lighting consists of a transformer, sometimes called a power pack, a cable and light fixtures. The transformer is used to reduce house current to a safe 12 volts and to control the lights. The cable is typically strung along the ground or can be buried. The cable connects the light fixtures to the transformer. The light fixtures are usually staked into the ground and attached to the cable with a clamp that makes the electrical connection. Kits with 50 feet of cable and six metal fixtures – enough for about 40 feet of path can cost between $120 to $200. Expect good-quality metal lights to last several years.

Plan ahead. Installing your first outdoor path lighting system can take as little as 90 minutes including unpacking, reading and understanding the instructions, measuring cable and doing the math to make sure everything is put together properly. On a dark night, use several flashlights to work out a plan before shopping for a system. Make sure your transformer and cable have enough capacity for all the fixtures you buy.

Lay out the cable first. The initial fixture should be 10 feet from the transformer and you must allow a foot of cable at the end. Install the transformer first then lay out the cable on the ground before marking the positions of the fixtures along the length that is available. It’s very important to measure these out and not just eyeball it. Lights look much better at night if they are spaced evenly and poles are vertical. Once you are thoroughly satisfied, connect the lights to the cable and cover the cable with mulch or bury them about an inch under ground.

Be safe. There are some things to be aware of when installing a low-voltage lighting system. In addition to the transformer, you will need an outdoor ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet, one that automatically cuts off if there is an anomaly in the electrical flow or a surge. If necessary, find an electrician to install one. It is important to run low voltage landscape lights from an outlet and not from an extension cord – and be sure not to overload the outlet. If you plan on running cable across a path please be sure to bury the cable rather than running a cable across a path where it can be tripped over.

Upholding financial statistics in an appropriate and precise manner is enormously necessary for the progress of economy and the company’s reputation. This basic prerequisite has been believed to be a tedious affair as it requires a lot of hard work and time. Therefore, companies are now engaging finance accounting firms to sort out the financial problems.

With the assistance of an outsourcing firm a business house can gain an edge above others. Outsourcing offers various benefits and renders the customers with lucrative and expert means to handle the finances. Finance accounting outsourcing has always proved to be a good decision. With this the energies of the companies can be directed to other important sectors comprising in marketing, and promotion among the various others. Outsourcing is a means of achieving a manpower which is immensely productive at a diminished price which makes it a reasonably profitable. It also enables in saving ample office area as the facilities required for performing these tasks is not essentially to be housed inside the office. Outsourcing ensures enhancement of the business and also saves time and money. These reasons are impressive enough for the owners of the companies to hire outsourcing firms as the only aim of any business is to make profits.

Finance accounting outsourcing keeps in consideration that there should not be any discrepancies that can impede the business relationships, vital monetary decisions and the concluding statements of the company. A single mistake in calculation or an inaccurate transaction entry can be evaded easily by taking the essential assistance from an outsourcing firm. These firms are fully equipped with numerous skilled and competent accountants, who know about the minutest detail pertaining to this field. They are well versed with the fact that keeping up accounts is a vital task for each and every business. Besides this the owners of the companies can take suggestion on matters related to effectiveness of cost, management of the capital and other related issues from these professionals whenever they face troubles. This process of attaining the facilities of outsourcing is carried out with the backing of online services. This also renders an opportunity to the client to communicate easily with the experts.

Companies who have taken the help of finance accounting outsourcing have made an exceedingly wise decision as this will also assist in enhancing the overall competence of the company. Massive workload can hinder the development of your production so it becomes imperative to correlate yourself with a consistent service provider who can handle the monetary tasks with great efficiency. For laying your hands on this golden opportunity all you are required to do is browse through the Internet and garner all the indispensable information about the firms offering these services. Apart from this you can also check with your social group who are already cashing in profit with the support of outsourcing firms. An owner of the company will no longer have to worry about disorganized finance department as the finance accounting outsourcing experts have the skills and experience to handle it in an intelligent manner.