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Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

There is no need to enroll in French, Italian, German and Spanish classes for your European Tour. Your Tour Manager will fill you in on how to say some of the basics (eg. hello, please, thank you) in the native tongue of each of the countries you visit. It is often not only useful, but also polite to know a few of the basics in the local language and it’s a good idea to try and remember and uses these basics.

English is a widely spoken and understood as a second or third language amongst many Western Europeans, particularly those of the younger generations.

Western European Language Basics

English	French	Spanish	Italian	German	Greek	Dutch
Good Morning	Bonjour	Buenos Dias	Buongiorno	Guten Morgen	Kalimera	Goedemorgen
Good Bye	Au revoir	Adios	Arrivederci	Auf Wiedersehen	Yasou	Tot ziens
Please	S’il vous plait	Por favor	Perfavore	Bitte	Parakalo	Alstublieft
Thank You	Merci	Gracias	Grazie	Danke Schon	Effaristo	Dank u
Yes	Oui	Si	Si	Ja	Ne	Ya
No	Non	No	No	Nein	Oki	Nee
Where is?	Ou est?	Donde ésta?	Dové	Wo ist?	Poo eeneh?	Waar is?
The toilet	Les toilettes	El lavabo	Il gabinetto	Die toilette	To oahlehtes	De toilet
The bank	La banque	Banco	Banca	Die bank	Trapeze	Bank
Post office	La poste	Correos	Ufficio postale	Die post	Takedromeo	Postkantoor
How much?	Combine?	Cunato?	Quanto?	Wieviel?	Posso?	hoeveel?
The bill	L’addition	La cuenta	Il conto	Die rechnung	To loghariazmo	rekening
Ladies	Dames	Enoras	Donne	Damen	Yinekon	Dames
Gents	Messieurs	Senores	Uomini	Herren	Anthron	Heren
Stamp	Timbre	Sello	Francobollo	Briefmarke	Grammatesimo	Stamp
One/two	Un/deux	Uno/due	Uno/due	Eins/zwei	Ena/thio	Een/twee
Three/four	Trios/quatre	Tres/cuarto	Tre/Quattro	Drei/vier	Tria/tesera	Drie/vier
Five/six	Cinq/six	Cinco/seis	Cinque/sei	Funf/sechs	Pende/eksi	Vijf/zes
Seven/eight	Sept/huit	Siete/ocho	Sette/otto	Sieben/acht	Epta/okta	Zeven/acht
Nine/ten	Neuf/dix	Nueve/diez	Nove/dieci	Neun/zehn	Enea/theka	Negen/tien
Open	Overt	Abierto	Aperto	Geoffnet	Anikton	Open
Closed	Fermé	Cerrado	Chiuso	Geschlossen	Kilson	Gesloten
Hot	Chaud	Caliente	Caldo	Heiss	Zesto	Hete
Cold	Froid	Frio	Freddo	Kalt	Krio	Koude
Water	Eau	Agua	Acqua	Wasser	Nero	Water
Tea	Thé	Té	Té	Tee	Chai	Thee
Coffee	Café	Café	Caffé	Kaffee	Kafe	Koffie
Beer	Biére	Cerveza	Birra	Bier	Bira	Bier
Wine	Vin	Vino	Vino	Wein	Krasi	Wijn
Excuse me (sorry)	Excusez-moi	Perdon	Scusi	Entschuldigung	Sygnomi	Sorry
Cheers	Santé	Salut	Saluté	Prost	Yamus	Proost

These Languages are of use in….

French – France, Southern Belgium (including Brussels) parts of Switzerland

Spanish – Spain (Spanish will be understood in most parts of Spain, however Catalan and Basque are spoken in Barcelona and the North of the country)

Italian – Italy, parts of Switzerland, Albania

German – Varying dialects throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein

Greek – Greece

Dutch – Dialects throughout the Netherlands and Northern Belgium

Here is our network of Europe travel destination sites:

| England Tours | Escorted Family Vacations | France Tours | Greece Tours| Ireland Tours | Italy Tours |  River Cruise | Russia Tours | Scandinavia Tours | Spain Tours

We also have specialty European Tour Operators sites:

Collette Tours | Contiki Tours | Cosmos Tours | General Tours | Globus Tours | Insight Tours | Tauck Tours | Trafalgar Tours

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Contrary to some literature, you do not need to dress up with dress pants and dresses to get into clubs and bars in Europe. Most of the time jeans and a t-shirt is more than enough with some bars and venues even allowing entry with shorts and flip flops.

General

For most occasions, comfortable, casual clothes are recommended for your European travel adventures.

Going Out and Evening Wear

Although you don’t have to wear slacks and tie everywhere, you should definitely take at least one set of ‘going out’ clothes (slacks, shirt, tie, smart dress).

A nice dress, a pair of slacks, a button up shirt and even a tie are great for places like:

• Paris Cabaret Shows like the Nouvelle Eve and the Moulin Rouge.
• Monaco – lifestyles of the rich and famous – it may pay off to look good here.
• Italy – Just because the Italians generally look so good.
• Space Electronic Disco and other nights out at bars or clubs.

‘Church Dress’

Europe is filled with amazing buildings, architecture and churches. If you want to visit the inside of European churches, particularly in Italy, you need to dress respectfully, wearing what is generally referred to as ‘church dress’. As a general rule, you should have your shoulders, mid-section and knees covered. This rule applies to both males and females.

For ladies this means that mid-riff tops are not allowed, nor are ‘strappy’ tops that do not cover your shoulders, however, wrapping a thin shawl or a sarong around your shoulders is considered sufficient. Likewise, generally short shorts and skirts that do not cover your knees are not allowed but, again, a longer skirt, shorts or wrapping a sarong around your waist to cover your knees is acceptable.

Gentlemen likewise should wear long pants or shorts that cover their knees.

T-shirts, jeans and the like are perfectly acceptable, as are any other forms of clothing that simply cover your shoulders, mid-section and knees.

Rules regarding footwear do not apply and thongs, sandals and flip flops are perfectly fine, as are all other varieties of footwear.

Although you may find these entry requirements are not observed in some churches, the larger churches like St Marks in Venice, the Duomo of Florence and St Peters Basilica of the Vatican in Rome often strictly enforce this dress code, as does the Vatican Museums, home to the Sistine Chapel.

Beaches

While you may find yourself covering up in some places, European beaches are the perfect place to take it off, rest, relax soak up the sun do a little people watching and enjoy European beach culture at it’s best.

|Find your Contiki Tours |

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Independent Vacation 2010 Prices Down 10 Percent Worldwide

LITTLETON, Colorado – September 23, 2009 – With nearly 40 offices staffed with more than 200 travel experts that extend as far as Asia and as wide as Europe, Monograms – the independent travel arm of the Globus family of brands – has inherited a rich reputation as a company travelers can depend on to help them simplify travel planning while personalizing their dream getaway.  And, in 2010, Monograms is taking this notion of dependability a step further, becoming the “go-to” company for travelers visiting a destination for the first time in nearly every corner of the world with 100 travel packages from which to choose the perfect escape – be it a family vacation, honeymoon, couple’s retreat or a much-needed girlfriend getaway.

“We give travelers the power to personalize their vacation without having to take care of planning details and logistics,” said Scott Nisbet, president and chief executive officer for the Globus family of brands.  “And, in 2010, we’re extending our offerings with new vacations in Europe, North and South America and Asia.”

Monograms 2010 vacation offerings provide travelers diversity in length of stay (itineraries range from four to 20 days) pricing and destinations, boasting getaways to Britain, Ireland, France, Holland, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Russia, South America, Asia, the South Pacific and many cities and regions in North America. 

The company is not only expanding its vacation portfolio, it has increased the services that make Monograms the perfect travel companion.  For instance, Monograms is now providing travelers the chance to book activities and excursions online before their vacation.  And, Monograms has expanded the cities worldwide in which Local Host services and expertise are available.

“Monograms is the only brand in the world to provide travelers a Local Host in dozens of destinations around the globe,” said Steve Born, vice president of marketing for the Globus family of brands.  This on-site local expert helps Monograms vacationers get to know their destination by facilitating a half day of sightseeing.  Then, the expert helps them personalize their experience by providing suggestions, making excursion arrangements and answering questions while also taking care of such details as facilitating transportation between cities as well as airport and hotel transfers. 

“Our goal is to make our clients feel both comfortable and confident while traveling abroad,” said Born.

Monograms vacation packages also come with an impressive selection of hotels recommended for their location and amenities.  And, a daily buffet breakfast is included in most Monograms getaways (in Europe, South America, Asia, the South Pacific). 

“The plethora of services Monograms provides takes away many of the stresses the average person experiences when planning and taking a getaway – domestically or internationally,” said Nisbet.  “Our experts take on the details so our travelers can immerse themselves in their escape and focus on fun.”

DEAL ALERT:  Monograms 2010 package prices are down an average of 15 percent in Europe and 10 percent worldwide.

NEW Monograms vacations in 2010 include:
•    Rome & Sorrento (7 days), priced from $1,343
•    Brazil, Argentina & Chile (12 days), priced from $3,039
•    Costa Rica Wonders (7 days), priced from $1,299
•    Tokyo & Kyoto (7 days), priced from $2,099
•    Beijing & Shanghai (7 days), priced from $1,109
•    Bangkok & Phuket (9 days), priced from $1,219
•    Maui & Kauai (7 days), priced from $829
•    Vancouver & Whistler (7 days), priced from $549
•    Redwoods, Wine Country & Yosemite (9 days), priced from $699

The above prices are based on land-only, including intra-vacation air and rail transfers.  Air-inclusive pricing is also available, including hotel/airport transfers when Monograms issues tickets.

Visit http://www.independentvacations.org for a full list of 2010 vacation packages.

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Pack Fun into Quick Independent Vacations - here is a press release about the changing world of Independent Vacations.

LITTLETON, Colorado – October 28, 2009 – It’s no secret that Americans are changing their vacation habits: Many time-starved travelers are opting for quick getaways to fill their vacation void.  Monograms is making it easy for people vying for a quick escape to another city – domestically or internationally.  The company simplifies vacations for independent travelers on five continents, in more than 30 countries, by enabling them to personalize their vacation without having to take care of logistics and planning obstacles such as choosing the perfect hotel (in an equally desirable location) and getting from point A to B to city orientation and “must-see” sightseeing. 

Monograms offers four-day getaways to London, Paris, Rome, Venice and Sorrento, starting at just $480.  Domestically, travelers can enjoy short escapes to New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, New Orleans, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC for as low as $259.  And, week-long escapes in nearly every corner of the globe are also available, including: Britain, Ireland, France, Holland, Italy, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Russia, South America, North America and Asia.

“Not only do we provide travelers a plethora of destinations from which to choose the perfect mini getaway,” said Scott Nisbet, president and chief executive officer for the Globus family of brands, the parent company for Monograms.  “As part of our international vacation packages, we include a half-day city orientation, ensuring our travelers don’t miss the must-see sights.  In addition, our Local Hosts share insights and suggestions to help vacationers make the most of their quick getaway.”  Domestically, Monograms provides travelers with 24-Hour Service On Call.

Taking advantage of nearly 40 offices and more than 200 support staff around the world, Monograms also offers travelers a selection of hotels known for their comfort, style, service and convenient locations.  In addition, Monograms takes care of flight arrangements, transfers from airport to hotel and transfers between cities, further simplifying the planning process and making it easier than ever to take a mini vacation.

“A vacation – short or long – should be just that … a vacation,” said Nisbet.  “At Monograms, we value a traveler’s time and need for an unparalleled, stress-free getaway.  Our experts take on the details so our travelers can immerse themselves in their escape and focus on fun.”

For more information about Monograms and the nearly 150 vacation packages available worldwide, visit http://www.independentvacations.org.