Peace, sport and rock-n-roll!

Sometimes, things beyond our control happen to ruin what could otherwise have been a pleasant and memorable airline experience. It could be poor service, bad food, a mishandled luggage, or any other problem.

In such cases, it is always best to resolve these issues on the spot with the airline's customer service agents as calmly and with as much courtesy as possible. The ticket you hold is a contract of service between you and the airline. It covers your rights, and in turn informs you, the passenger, of the airline's guidelines.

However, it is understandable that sometimes, complaints cannot be dealt with on the spot. In that case, here are the pointers of making an effective complaint letter to the airline's customer service office at their headquarters.

Take notes of the details at the time the incident occurs. Remember to write down the names of the airline employees who have attended you on your complaint.

Keep all your travel documents such as ticket receipts, boarding passes, baggage check stubs, and receipts for out-of-pocket expenses incurred because of the complaint. Make copies of these and attach them as supporting documents to your complaint.

As much as possible, send a typed and signed letter. Make it brief and limit it to one page in length. Remember to include your contact details on the letter.

Keep your tone businesslike and stay focused on the matter at hand. Do not exaggerate, do not beat around the bush, and do not veer to other subjects unrelated to your complaint.

Describe what happened and give details such as dates, names of involved parties and flight numbers. Take note of the employees involved who were rude and made the situation worse, as well as those who were particularly helpful to you.

State clearly what you want the carrier to do regarding your complaint. Inform them if you have suffered any special inconvenience or monetary losses, as well as your estimate of these losses. Do not hesitate to demand for a monetary settlement or some other compensation or a letter of apology, but do make your demands reasonable.

A letter of complaint, if done properly, can make the airline take you seriously. It could also make them implement measures that would prevent the same thing from happening to other people, therefore improving the service they give to their clients.

Fethiye is a major town on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. It is situated in a naturally sheltered bay with little islands dotted around its stunning coastline. 6000 feet high mountains lie in the rear of the bay; they are a part of the southwestern spurs of the Taurus Range. The woody slopes are covered with refreshing sage, thyme, pine and laurel trees.
A 100-hectare incense forest is special feature of the Fethiye Resort. Balsam from incense trees is used to fumigate mosques and churches; it is also used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations. It is popular as a picnic spot as well as a campsite.
Fethiye enjoys the Mediterranean climate; its winters are warm and wet but summers are dry and hot. The temperatures are around 85 degreesF in summers and rarely lower than 55 degreesF in winters. Except for very few rainy and cold days, it is possible to enjoy the sea all the year round since the seawater temperature is hardly below 63 degreesF.
Fethiye Resort is close to many of the great beaches in the area. The famous "blue lagoon" beach of Olu Deniz is only 25 minutes ' dolmus ' (minibus) ride away. The famous Calis Beach is also just round the bay; here you can lounge in the sun soaking in your beers on the long stretch of sand and pebbles. Water sports like windsurfing and kite-surfing are available. Make sure you don't miss seeing the dazzling explosion of colors - pink and orange - in the sunset in Calis.
Don't forget to take a ' dolmus ' (minibus) ride Dalyan to see the nesting site of turtles. The beach here is one of the few nesting sites of the rare loggerhead turtles; they come up here to lay their eggs late in evenings; the beach is closed to public after 8:00 pm. You will also see the largest variety of wildlife in Turkey here; some of the bird species you see here will not be found else where in the world.

Overlooking the city is a fortress which was built by the Knights of Rhodes. It is well worth visiting it to see the fortress, and the elaborately carved and remarkable rock tombs for which Fethiye is known; these tombs were carved into faces of the cliffs by the Lycians and were intended for the kings. There is also a fabulous Roman amphitheater which is worth a visit.
There are a number of good hotels at Fethiye Resort. One of the popular hotels is the 1500 bed Club Letoonia Hotel situated at less than 3 miles from Fethiye center. All rooms are air conditioned, and are well appointed with shower, bathtub, TV and telephones, etc. Baby sitters are available. The general facilities such as Turkish bath, sauna, hairdresser and massages, shopping center, market, gift shop and jewellery shop are on the premises.
There are extensive sports and recreation facilities available. Children will be happy with the children's playground, children's swimming pool, water slide, etc. An outdoor swimming pool as well as facilities for pool games is available. Other recreation facilities such as volleyball, table tennis and football are available. Windsurfing, pedaloes and watersports are available on the beach.
Fethiye Resort is well connected to all major cities by three highways. Dalaman and Antalya International Airports are within 2 to 3 hours drive from Fethiye. It is well connected by the national airlines with all major destinations in the region. As such it is a convenient and enjoyable tourist destination.

From Venice Carnival to Nice Carnival, from Arco Contemporary Art Fair in Madrid to the Pancakes Race in London, or from the Chinese New Year in London to the Berlin Film Festival in Berlin you can take your pick!
With a passion for Cinema we suggest you include Berlin in your trip and be there for one of the film industry's most prestigious annual events: the Berlinale! The Berlin International Film Festival was started in 1951 as an effort to bring back some of the vibe and culture of the city during the Golden Twenties. Bringing buzz to town for two weeks in February, the Berlinale is today Berlin's largest cultural event. With a record of 150,000 tickets sold, 16,000 film professionals rocking up and around, 350 movies screened running for the coveted 'Golden Bear' award, this festival features the biggest audience of any film festival in the world! Superb cinemas across the city, including the Arsenal, CinemaxX and CineStar host the films.
Berlin is covered with the official poster series of graphic designer Antonia Neubacher. For this 58th Berlin International Film Festival the responsible for the artwork said that the poster series is a reduced variation of the necessary and the apparently random. One can see the series as a programmatic statement, in which the Berlinale Bear as a visual representative of the festival is in constant motion. The are all over Berlin since January 22, 2008.
If you wish to be on theme and get to know something about Berlin from your own tv screen here a small not exhaustive list of good movies you can deciede to see before you go.
Run Lola Run (1998) by T. Tykwer
The Sky Over Berlin (1987) by W. Wender
Bourne Supremacy (2004)by P. Greengrass
Schlinders list (1993) by S. Spielberg
Faraway so close (1993) by W. Wenders
Around the world in 80 days (2004) by F. Coraci
Beyond the Sea (2004) by K. Spacey
For more information on the Film Festival, with programme and the latest news, check out the Berlinale official website. To get a simple central accommodation in Berlin, there is an apposite section in the Berlinale website but no possibilities to book directly online. For other Berlin accommodation listings please see online: there are various bookers. A valid alternative are the Berlin apartments usually very cool and stylish at very affordable prices or consider the cheapest youth hostels.

Early morning mist rises from the Hoan Kiem Lake while elders perform the slow movements of tai chi in green parks, streets become filled with mopeds and cyclo drivers (three-wheeled bicycle taxis) clamour for people attention.
Although a city of historical importance considered to be the social and cultural centre of Vietnam, Hanoi is a far slower and less developed than Ho Chi Minh City. Luckily, this slow pace development has preserved the special vibe you will live in Hanoi, with old fascinating buildings, green views on treed boulevards and smiling local people. Especially the historic Old Quarter with its French style streets and arts and crafts bargains.
Especially in this area there are many recently refurbished hotels that kept an eye to the traditional architecture and design. Modest but with an unique charming environment some Hanoi Hotels are located in historical or colonial buildings. Just to mention some that you can easily find and book directly online are the Pearls hotel for example, the Old street Hotel, Hanoi Queen Plaza, the Ritz Hotel, Joy Hotel, Return Hotel, Y Van Riverside Hotel or Hanoi Plaza hotel. Most of them face the quiet Hoan Kiem lake providing guests with beautiful views from terraces and windows. Quite unexpectedly for the standard they offer, the room rates in Hanoi Vietnamese Hotels are modest in general, ranging from 3,5 euros per person up to 15 euros per person.
As a cultural centre, Hanoi has quite a lot to offer. In fact, during the year Hanoi guests many traditional events from water puppet shows, to music and religious festivals, dance performances and a lot more. Just to mention a couple of curious ones held in springtime, that will certainly worth a visit to Vietnam and Hanoi in particular, are the Whale Festival and the Elephant Race, both in March.
The former is a fishermen festival typical of Quang Nam Village in Da Nang province, where people worship Whales and their gods asking for prosperity; the latter is more traditional in the countryside in Don Village or in forests near the Sevepoi River (Dac Lak). The race track is large enough for 10 elephants running on even ground near the forest for 1-2 km. At the signal, the mahouts command their elephants to go to the starting line and will start running excited by the sound of the drums, gongs, and cheering from the viewers.
At the end of the race, the winning one wave to the viewers with its trunk and is offered sugarcane and banana leafs!

When you think of Rome, Italy you think of a nice romantic getaway. But the truth is that Rome is a beautiful city as well as fun place for the entire family. Rome is the capital of Italy and it is the most popular city in the country. Rome is a city that has excellent weather most of the year but the best time of the year is from May from October.
Rome has some of the most beautiful sites in the world. One of the most famous sites is St. Peter's Square and the Basilica. St Peter's has great history and it is also very beautiful to see. Another great site to see is the World Famous Sistine Chapel painted by the one and only Michael Angelo.
There are guided tours that you can take around the city or you can explore the city on your own. Rome is full of culture and history; you just can't help but want to take in its beauty. There are so many art galleries and museums that include the Capitone Museum, the National Gallery of Modern Art.
You will never have to worry about getting around Rome, you can travel by the Rome Metro, the Roman Tram or you can obtain a car for hire. Once you have spent the day sightseeing, Rome has some great shopping areas that you will love. If you are planning a vacation, choose Rome, they have the best restaurants and the best hotels in the world. The beaches are exquisite and the scenery is just breathtaking. Contact your travel agent and see how you can get the best deals.
Rome, for most people is a vacation of a lifetime. Not only is it a great honeymoon destination but it is also a great family vacation. Your kids will appreciate the history and the beauty of it all. If you have the chance, take a once in a lifetime trip to the beautiful city of Rome, Italy. It will be well worth it.

In the next few paragraphs, we will explore how fall traveling can be within your budget that may help you achieve your goal and decide what is best for you.

For most people, fall is the time of year when the evenings get colder, the days become shorter, the foliage change color and the year heads quickly toward the cold wintry weather months. The fall of the year is the time when the children are going back to school and eager travelers are no longer visioning of coastline resort towns.

For the clever budget traveler, however, the fall season provides some tremendous opportunities for reduced prices, tiny crowds and a whole better vacation price. The very items mentioned above make fall a wonderful time for budget minded travelers to go to some of the best known resorts and take pleasure in reduced prices on airfares, rental cars, restaurants and resort rooms.

Every vacation location has its own high and low season, but the fall of the year has the benefit of being the off season for both summer and winter locations. For instance, whereas winter is the high season for ski resort towns and other wintry weather destinations, the mountain locations of these resorts regularly mean that skiing and other activities are offered in late fall, while costs for lodging, meals and rental cars are still reduced.

As we continue, we will take a look at how this information can be implemented in ways to stay within your budget.

Likewise, resorts and travel destinations that benefit from huge popularity in the summer months are still rather pleasurable, and regularly more so, in the autumn of the year. For instance, fall provides such benefits as cooler temperatures and smaller crowds in addition to reduced prices. The same restaurant at which reservations were hopeless to come by in the active summer months may all of a sudden be obtainable in the fall, and that costly summer resort room may be rather affordable once summer has finished.

When looking for the greatest possible deal on autumn travel, it is important to carefully study your particular destination. Whereas fall is the off season for most locations, this is not valid for every destination. Be certain that there really are better values in the fall season before booking your trip.

It is also essential to assess the weather, including typical temperatures and typical rainfall levels, for your fall travel destination. After all, reduced fall prices will do you no good if rain or uncomfortable temperatures spoil your long anticipated vacation.

If the typical temperature and precipitation levels are to your taste, it is time to begin shopping for the perfect autumn travel deals. The apparent first place to begin researching for most people is the internet. There are a number of very good web sites and newsgroups dedicated to the best in budget travel, and they are a great place to begin.

It is also important to begin planning ahead of time for your fall vacation. While the warm of summer is still around, be certain to begin searching for the best fall deals. Airlines regularly begin promoting their reduced fall airfares while summer is still in full swing, and it is essential to act swiftly to get the most reduced fares. The same goes for rental cars and resort rooms, and those autumn specials are regularly snapped up very quickly by other budget minded travelers.

Find out more by reading our other articles on budget traveling and other subjects we have written related to it.

1. Free lodging!

Find a pen friend. Maybe you haven't thought of this. It's the best solution to your budget problems, but you can't have it overnight! Greek people are hospitable and so are other countries' people if you become friends with. It's the simplest thing to do if you like writing letters or just exchanging cards and souvenirs. I've done it and a lot of other people have, why not you? Your friend will probably be happy to put you up for a couple of nights and show you around as well. The other alternative is to exchange your house/flat with somebody else's abroad. There is a site online that will help you find a place . Try www.welcometraveller.org , they advertise 'exchange homes free of charge'. Try also www.bigworld.com for offers and discounts.

2. Low cost travel

Stay at campsites. The cheapest alternative to free lodging, at least in Greece. You save money and have fun . Find a campsite at
www.greecetravel.com/campsites

3. Invest on a bike.

If you like cycling, then you can do it. In Greece you can cycle to most places and see areas that are worth visiting. You can easily rent a bike , and if you are in Corfu you can try
www.mountainbikecorfu.com

4. Rent a room in a village or at the port

There are families who rent rooms in their own house ; cheaper than hotel rooms but you have to follow the rules. Where can you find them?
Watch the port area if you come by ship. There are people who approach you and tell you about their own rooms around the area, at low prices. Sometimes you can even bargain to get a better price.

Well, if all these don't suit you and you may own a caravan , you don't have to worry about lodgings. You can stay at campsites at low cost, at the side of the road or even in a field for free. You can also hire a caravan and share the expenses, if you travel with friends.

Don't know where to find one? In Greece you can try

www.greecetravel.com/carrentals

Greece is ideal for traveling at low cost. But you must be inventive and explore all the sources available. Visit www.google.gr
This is a search engine that will help you find all the info you want. Just type the word Greece and click on Search.

GOOD LUCK!

415 wds

Among the others, we've tried to make a list of some of the most attractive and special events in London during the next Summer.
Let's start with the Summer Swing at Kew (Kew Gardens, Kew, TW9 3AB).
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew host a rich programme of concerts in an enchanting spot. In fact, the chosen stage for Summer Swing is set up at dusk on the front steps of the Temperate House, the largest surviving Victorian glass structure in the world.
For 5 days between the 8th-12th of July, this gorgeous setting for concerts will attract many people that will be also rewarded with a firework finale at the close of each concert at around 10.15 pm. The official programme includes: the Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra on the first night. Followed by the Commitments/Sounds of the Blues Brothers on the 9th, by Lulu on the 10th and the Gipsy Kings on the11th of July. The final evening concert sees again the Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Each concert starts quite soon at 7.30 pm but you can get there one hour in advance to cherish the gardens. Tickets range from 30-40 pounds. You can easily reach the Kew Gardens with the tube or rail ( Kew Gardens station).
If you happen to be in London some days before this events, remember that on June 27th there is a unique birthday to celebrate with a huge concert. The Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday!
Held in Hyde Park, where he has decided to celebrate his 90th birthday, this revolutionary-turned-peacemaker has long regarded London as a second home. In fact, under Ken Livingstone's GLC, London was the starting point of the worldwide movement that free him during his twenty-seven years in captivity. You want to know who the guests are? Queen, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox, Dame Shirley Bassey, Simple Minds, Eddy Grant, Razorlight and Sugababes. A special guest will be the Soweto Gospel Choir, and more big acts are still expected to confirm. To attend to the concert, be prepared to spend 65 pounds for the ticket
If you are a fun of good food and world cuisine, well you can't miss a special week- end of June 19-22 where 40 of London's top restaurants will give you samples of their gastronomy and culinary handiwork. 'Taste of...' has become a nationwide phenomenon with events taking place in six cities this year.
To get into the most enjoyable Taste of London event you'd better go toRegent's Park. There is an entrance ticket to pay (either for lunch or supper) but you will be able to get sample-sized dishes, miniature speciality dishes, seven or eight small courses in a meal from small kitchens from restaurants like Le Gavroche, Gordon Ramsay's Boxwood Cafe, Tom Aikens' new chip shop, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Club Gascon.
While tasting and shopping for fine wines and gourmet foods the sounds of live jazz and opera fill the air and aid the digestion.
Regent's Park is easily reachable by tube: nearest Station: Regent's Park Tube. The venue is in Marylebone Green, Regent's Park, NW1 4NR. For all details and programmes you can see: channel4.com/life/microsites/T/taste/london.html.
Always in Regent's Park from 2nd June- 3rd September 2008 they organize the 76th season for the Open Air Theatre. Some of the biggest draws are 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Romeo and Juliet' and the 'Twelfth Night', under a darkening summer sky, surrounded by English parkland. For details of the programme, contact the organizers at 0870 601811.
Sleeping in London can be a nightmare for the cost of the accommodations! London hotels, B&B, guest houses and youth hostels starting from 15 euros per person per night are a good solution. You can try some hostels like the Clink Hostel, or the Smart Camden inn hostel, the Smart Hide Park Inn hostel or the Smart Hyde park View hostel.
In terms of Bed and breakfast, the typical lodging solution in London, good value for quality and rate is for sure the Apollo B&B in 43, Argyle Street in King's Cross, the prized Avonmore B&B, the Windsor house B&B in 12, Penywern Road, Arriva hotel B&B in 55, Swinton St King's Cross, the B&B Parkwood in Stanhope Place or the Airways Bed and breakfast 29-31, St. Georges Drive . If you wish to get an independent studio or apartment try the Warwik house studios, the Dylan House studios close to the major London shopping areas of Oxford Street and Knightsbridge as well as the world famous theaters of the West End.

I travel to Thailand 3 or 4 times per year and having a cell phone with a local number saves me a lot of money. Local calls are dirt cheap and long distance calls back to America are inexpensive.
All you need is an unlocked GSM tri-band or quad-band phone a Thai SIM card. A SIM, or subscriber identity module, is that little wafer chip about the size of your thumbnail under your battery in your cell.
You can get SIMs in almost every country you travel to and it only takes a couple of seconds to swap them out.
The problem with American cell phone carriers is that they lock the SIM to a specific carrier. So, you have to get it unlocked, a relatively simple task that will only cost a couple of dollars. You can try to get your service provider to unlock your SIM, but most likely you will have to be a long time customer with a compelling story to get it unlocked.
The easiest way to overcome this is to buy a cell phone in Asia. They are inexpensive and are not locked to specific carrier. New and second-hand phone are readily available and the prices are very reasonable.
The only real problem I have had is maintaining the same phone number in Thailand trip after trip. The way it works in Thailand, is you get your SIM, and then to add more money to it, you go to the local 7-11 or Family Mart, and buy a small, credit card sized, phone card. You scratch off a protective coating to reveal a series of numbers that you input into your phone. Whatever denomination of Baht you purchased is automatically added to your SIM. The company will also extend the length that your SIM is valid for.
In Thailand, for every 300 Baht (about 9 US dollars) added to your phone, you get one additional month of usage. My problem has been having enough months left on my SIM to keep my phone number for my next trip. My trips can be three months apart or sometimes six months. So I need to ensure that there is ample time on my SIM.
This trip I learned how to overcome this. I use a service called 1-2-Call and all that has to be done is to have someone with an abundance of months on their phone that they can transfer to you.
My girlfriend had a bunch of months on her phone, so she just called *140 and followed the prompts to transfer time a month at a time. I had her add 8 months to my SIM card and it only took a few minutes to conclude the swap. You can choose English or Thai and the instructions are very easy to follow. Just keep in mind that when they prompt you for "validity" this means how long the card is valid for.
I also found that I can use the same number to swap money from my phone to hers. I had a lot of money on my phone because I would try to increase the amount of months by adding about 1,000 Baht to my phone in hopes that I would have enough time to last me until my next trip.
In the past, I would buy phone cards for her so that she would have time and money on her phone to call me when I am back in America. This worked out even better. She got money added to her SIM and I got time. Definitely a win-win situation.

The central areas around the Palace Museum (Forbidden City) and city gates as well as the lakes - ZhongNanHai, BeiHai and HouHai - have been designated as protected landmark districts that retain the features of Old Beijing. The Forbidden City at the centre is surrounded in concentric circles by the Inner City and Outer City.
Also known as the Palace Museum, the Forbidden City is truly the spot to appreciate the might and grandeur of the Imperial Chinese court during the height of its power in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Get there when the gates open (around 8.30am) if you want to walk through the vast and spectacular courtyards in relative peace.
A good place to start exploring the city is Tiananmen Square, built by Mao to impress, is the largest square in the world and is the place where Mao Tse Tung declared the foundation of the People's Republic. It is surrounded by Soviet-style monuments and government buildings, and houses Mao's mausoleum on the opposite side of the Forbidden City entrance. Today, the Square is more closely identified with the suppression of the student-led pro-democracy protests of spring 1989.
The Lama Temple or Palace of Peace, was built by Chinese emperors who harboured a deep fascination for the Tibetan (Tantric) version of Buddhism. Over the years many Tibetan and Mongolian monks lived and taught here, and there are still monks in residence today. The temple is famous for its 18m statue of Maitreya Buddha carved from a single piece of sandalwood.
Winter Palace or Beihai is a good place to take a glance at Zhongnanhai, the heart of Communist China. The counter part of a beautiful white pagoda of 17th century and of a peaceful island in the middle of the park, is a skyline made up of giant Government buildings (PRC's Ministry of Defence and General Staff). Before you leave the park, visit some small but beautiful gardens on the north bank.
The Hutong Villages of Beijing most represent the traditional housing of Chinese locals and are the perfect place to get a glimps of Chinese daily life. Unfortunately, the majority of Hutongs have been demolished to make space for modern buildings. Better see these typical Hutong Villages with rickshaws that can weave in and out of their narrow streets.
Another interesting experience that will let you feel a vibe of China's ancient traditions, is an early morning visit to one of Beijing's public parks. This is when people indulge in their particular physical activities as Tai Chi, jogging, singing or even ballroom dancing.
Temple of Heaven, located on south east of the Tiananmen Square, is not only a beautiful sight, but also the greenest public park of Beijijng. The temple itself was the site where the emperor prayed every year for good harvests and fair weather.Very popular with local residents practicing tai chi, dancing and other activities in the mornings and on weekends, the Temple of Heaven is home to many ancient trees, peaceful woods and amazing solitude.
Fragrant Hills, in the north-western corner of Beijing, is a good place for weekend outings and picnics. Formerly a Qing imperial garden, today Fragrant Hills makes an easy short climb in the suburbs of Beijing. It's also home to the Fragrant Hills Hotel, designed by I.M. Pei (Louvre Museaum Pyramid).
Beijing Botanical Gardens, just steps away from the east gate of Fragrant Hill, offer acres of greenery and flowers for those tired of urban smog and traffic noise. Sir Johnston, teacher of the last emperor Puyi, had a villa in Cherry Glen, a silent and beautiful retreat in the Gardens. In the spring, the gardens hosts special exhibits of tulips, peach, plum blossoms and peonies.
Home to extensive gardens and ruins of palaces constructed by the Qing emperors, the enchanting Summer Palace lies 20 kilometres northwest of the centre of Beijing. It is the largest imperial garden in existence in China. The whole Summer Palace covers an area of over 290 hectares including more than 3,000 buildings, such as halls, pavilions, towers and so on. See the spots on the west bank and back hill areas where there are some secret ruins, caves, and other fun stuff.
For accommodation while in China's capital see the following hotels, guest houses ( or Bed and breakfast) and youth hostels available from 4 euros per person per night: Beijing Saga Youth hostel, Beijing 9 Dragons Youth hostel, Beijing Swan Inn BB, Beijing Hutongren, Beijing Autumn Garden Courtyard Hotel, Beijing Spring Courtyard Hotel, Beijing Feiying International Youth hostel, Beijing Meridian hotel, Beijing Hutong Inn, Beijing temple side Guest house, Beijing Perfect Inn Boutique hotel, Beijing Zhongtang Hotel, Beijing Xiangyun Apartments Season's Park, Beijing New Experience Courtyard hotel, Beijing City centre International Youth hostel.