Tag: GPS

Traveling Morocco Solo Or With A Tour Operator

Morocco is a hot destination. It has a very strong tradition in arts, trades and culture. The natural scenery is very varied from rough dried terrains to the silky soft sand of the Sahara Desert. The landscape of proudly standing mountains Atlas, Sarhro, Riff Mountains presents many hidden beautiful Berber villages where life continues unchanged by our civilized world. There are many green oasis and deep gorges that offer great trekking trips. And lets not forget the great coast that is lay with perfect beaches for windsurfing or even swimming with blue sea color of the Mediterranean.

Can Morocco be explored solo, without any tour operator? Sure, it can. The country is very modern with great road system and safe. However, note that traveling independently might offer some advantages, but traveling Morocco by a tailored tour offers many more pros.

Major Moroccan cities of Casablanca, Fes, Rabat, Marrakech and Tangier are connected by a railroad system that runs frequently, is safe, clean and affordable. The bus system can be little trickier, especially when traveling to the magical South of Morocco. You will not be able to find direct buses from Marrakech to Merzouga (to visit the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi). It can be quite tiresome if you would like to stop and visit as many places, markets and hidden treasures. It can be also time consuming to work on the bus schedule and bit inconvenient to get you to your riads/hotels.

Renting car is another possibility how to explore Morocco. The roads in Morocco are paved; the signs are in Arabic and French. However, please note that the roads crossing the High Atlas Mountains are curvy. Especially if you are planning to travel via the Tizi and Test, please be cautious as there are no ramps along the deep mountains and the road is very narrow. Some parts of the country you will require to have GPS or guide especially if you are planning to venture to the sand dunes of Erg Chigaga.

Also driving in the cities especially in Marrakech is extremely challenging. You share the road with donkeys, cyclist, mopeds and pedestrians. This is not driving for amateur. Renting car in Morocco can be quite expensive too.

Therefore even if you like to travel independently booking a private Morocco tour with local operator is a good and wise idea. The tours to the Sahara Desert with camel trekking are a lot of fun and offer authentic and great adventures. While traveling Morocco on a tour you are accompanied by a local Moroccan driver that adds little spice to your tour, as you are able to learn somewhat about the culture, history and lifestyle of Morocco. Many of our clients are still in touch with their drivers and fond of each other.

On your tour of Morocco you do not have to worry about navigation and GPS. Your driver will know the roads and therefore you will be able to enjoy the scenery and not worry which way to go. You will be able to benefit from some of the beautiful off road driving in your 4×4 WD that gives very authentic and unique voyage of Morocco. Not to mentioned you will be very safe.

Lets not forget the expertise tour operator company can offer to you. They can give you advice for local travel, accommodations, customs and traditions. Morocco tour to the Sahara Desert is the way to go.

Can Smartphone Apps Help Travelers

Are you a frequent traveler and love to visit places? This is a digital era and you no more have to lug around with heavy guidebooks. Just download certain applications in your Smartphone and you have the best digital guidebook!

There are several useful Smartphone apps for travelers and voyagers. Such apps let a traveler with just about everything they might need for their travel translating apps let you understand and speak foreign languages to GPS apps that let you find the nearest public toilets or restaurants.

In many places around the world you get free Wi-Fi connectivity. So, you can just stop in a Wi-Fi enabled zone, log on and use your mobile apps and know about all the details of the place you are in. Through the Smartphone travel apps you can do the following things:

There are Smartphone apps through which you will be able to keep track of the flight status and updates. Now, information like – scheduled departure, landing times, and keeping track of flight cancellations and changes are available to you through your Smartphone.

There are translation apps that let the travelers to record voices, translate languages, and provide them the right pronunciations for those. If you are driving in a foreign land, the Smartphone apps will help you to read road signs and phrases used locally.

There are certain applications that inform you of the places and locations of tourist interests. So, you do not have to wait for a travel guide to plan your trip.

There are also some Smartphone apps that help with currency conversions. You can convert more than hundred different types of currencies and will be able to keep up with the currency rate changes. Such applications come in handy when you need to keep a track of your budget for the tour.

If you are travelling to a distant place, make it a point to add such an app which will allow you to track the nearby hotels with prices, descriptions, and photos. It will also provide you necessary information regarding car rentals and can also connect you with hundreds of travel websites. It will also help you to create the perfect itinerary.

Traveling to Montreal

Montreal is a great city and it attracts thousands of visitors each and every day! People come into the city by flight, car and even train. However, a large sum of the visitors comes in by flight. For those coming in by flight; hotel accommodations are not a problem at all. The main airport for Montreal is known by, -Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport-. The airport is located in the west-end of the city in a small region called Dorval. Dorval is another city, but it is mainly part of Montreal. The Dorval region is home to over four crown hotels, which is more than enough for anyone’s lodging needs. The prices are fair, and the services offered are exceptional. The other visitors, who travel by car, usually come in from other Canadian cities or from the states. Downtown Montreal houses over a dozen hotels and they all offer parking services as well as food/pre-booking. The train service that connects to Montreal is called ViaRail, which is located at the Bonaventure Place at the corner of University Street and Rene-Levesque Boulevard. The Queen Elizabeth Hotel is located in the same building as the ViaRail train station. Booking a hotel in Montreal is quite easy if you have a credit card and internet access.

Exploring the downtown area is quite some fun. Saint Catherine is home to over 400 stores and the largest shopping center in Canada. The McGill Mall (Eaton Center) is a four story mall with over 300 boutiques and restaurants. Shopping can be an extravagant idea in Montreal’s downtown district. For the guys, downtown Montreal has several strip bars. For the ladies, there are dozens of night clubs, for an all night clubbing experience. Ladies usually receive VIP treatment at the door before midnight.

For something more family orientated, you can visit the south shore of Montreal for a visit to the Montreal Biosphere. The Viau region offers the Olympic Stadium and Biodome. The Olympic Stadium was built for the 1976 Olympic Games which took place in Montreal. Museums, national parks and regional activities can be found throughout the city. The Cote des Neiges/NDG region is mainly known for the Saint Joseph Oratory. It is one of the largest churches in the country, which rests on a mountain. Frere Andre is known for a great connection with the church. The church is located on Queen Mary Road, right off Autoroute 15 southbound, at exit Queen Mary. If you do not have a vehicle, you should not worry at all! The Montreal transport system (STM) connects you to all the sectors of Montreal. You will be able to purchase tickets at any Metro station. Transport passes are available on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Make sure to pick up a metro map while you’re in the metro, it will come in handy. Every metro station is located beside a bus stop, for a better transport experience.

If you are traveling by car, you might have difficulty reading the French signs, but you should be bale to navigate with the highway signs. If you do not have a GPS (global positioning system) you can rent one from a rental company. Usually Hertz Car Rental offers a GPS system.

If you need help with finding a location, booking a hotel in Montreal, asking a taxi driver or at a local gas station will help you out. Voyage Montreal provides a lot more detailed information regarding a trip to Montreal.

Improve Sea Travel With Modern Navigation System

The common navigation tools when traveling by ship or boat are charts, compass and maps. These traditional equipments were useful since they were invented. Travelers are common with these tools and adept at using them. Technology did not just update the navigation methods but also transformed the way sea navigation is done. New marine equipment and electronics are now available for consumers. When at sea, GPS electronics like Garmin marine GPS are used to determine your location. People operating boats don’t have to panic when lost at sea. The term “lost” can be eliminated when knowledge of location is easily determined. With the advancement in marine communications, it is also easier to be in touch with the local authorities to let them know of your location.
The sea is a vast area that unlike roads on land, it doesn’t have street signs that will help readily determine where you are located. So a GPS Garmin marine system is like a virtual map that can provide location information and routes to take. It is can also provide nautical information and charts.
Many have already installed this type of systems for their own boats and vessels. When traveling, they achieved a new sense of control and manageability of the ship. More advanced technology that has an auto-guide function were used by other ship owners to help in choosing a route to a particular destination. Alerts and warnings can be provided by the system when there are approaching ships, other types of vessels or natural obstacles like a small island.
When traveling by ship, safety must be initially ensured as this is vital in keeping everyone away from life-threatening dangers. Reliable navigation equipments can provide information on routes to avoid so the ship can also avoid any natural disaster. Fishermen and all boat operators can lessen the risk that comes with sea navigation.
It is important for consumers to choose a reliable manufacturer or retailer of modern marine electronics and equipment. They can choose popular and well-recognized GPS systems like Furuno, Raymarine and Garmin marine GPS. A lot of retailers and manufacturers can provide exceptional quality of modern marine equipment and products that can enhance navigation experience.

Traveling with Bluetooth Devices

Traveling is always easier if you take as little with you as humanly possible. It’s always the intention while traveling to carry only to what is most necessary. This is not always an obtainable goal, especially when you are venturing into parts unknown. In addition to the usual essentials, a sizable map and navigational equipment become necessary.

With the unveiling of GPS technology, traveling with maps and huge navigational devices becomes unneeded; a traveler need only carry a GPS receiver. A GPS receiver determines one’s exact position on earth by deciphering the information it receives from GPS satellites. With the assistance of other electronic devices, the GPS receiver will precisely determine your correct location on a map.

For even more even more functions and ease of use, GPS receivers can be used with other mobile devices. The PDA is one of the most frequently used mobile products for this purpose. PDAs make the perfect partner to the GPS receiver because of their unique features, such as a colored screen to display maps and hard drive space for map storage. And PDAs are light compared to other mobile devices such as notebook computers.

There is a problem with using a PDA with a GPS device, however. They do not always integrate well. GPS receivers are normally connected to PDAs using a CompactFlash (CF) card or USB wires. Because some GPS receivers are quite large, attaching it to your PDA using CF can make it too large. Using the USB wires, however, can make your GPS receiver difficult to use and limit its usefulness.

So what could be the solution to this problem? A Bluetooth GPS reciver.

The Bluetooth Solution

Bluetooth wireless technology is the open standard for wireless communication. As long as the two electronic devices are with 10 meters of each other, Bluetooth technology will allow them to send and receive signals and transfer data. No wires are necessary.

Bluetooth GPS Recevier

The Bluetooth GPS receiver is simply a receiver that uses the Bluetooth technology and electronics to transmit GPS data to a mobile device. However, they must share the same technology. For example, if a Bluetooth GPS receiver will be used with a PDA, the PDA must have built-in Bluetooth technology.

The Bluetooth GPS receivers used with the Bluetooth capable PDAs offer many advantages over an ordinary GPS unit, which is connected to the PDA using CompactFlash or USB wires. These advantages include the ability to use wireless connections between the devices. Without wires to limit positioning between the Bluetooth GPS receiver and the PDA, you can place the two devices at their most advantageous locations. For example, if you are using your Bluetooth GPS receiver in your car, you can place the device where it has a clear view of the sky. Then you can place your PDA on your dashboard and have optimum screen visibility. Because the wires are not used to connect the two devices, their positioning will not hamper your driving. Also, because you won’t need to use Bluetooth’s CompactFlash slot, you can use it for other things, such as storing maps or software to optimize the GPS navigation.

Aside from these two advantages, the Bluetooth GPS receiver units have other features, although most of them are brand or unit specific. Generally, Bluetooth GPS receiver units now have pre-stored US maps, point-of-interest (POI databases and route recalculation functions.

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