Travel & Vacation Guide, North Carolina

By Tavis J Cooper

Whether alone or with friends, backpacking can be a fun and adventurous way to spend a weekend. It gives you a chance to escape the madness of the city, explore a natural surrounding and get some great exercise to boot.

One should never go unprepared, however. Take it from me, not having the right gear or equipment can make a backpacking trip go from an exciting weekend to a frightening two day disaster with no end in sight. There’s nothing worse than being stuck on a mountain in a sudden and unexpected rainstorm, without the right water resistant protection. One of the most very important items a backpacker should bring to avoid such a watery suffering is a good backpacking tent.

Though important, backpacking tents are a tricky commodity it can be difficult to pin down exactly the kind you should get. If you are planning on going backing soon and are in the market for a tent, here are some simple tips that may give you a place to start.

First of all, the kind of environment you plan to be mountain climbing through is important to keep in mind as you choose your tent. Even if it is suspect to rain, it is a good idea to purchase a tent that is completely water resistant and closed on all sides.

Even though a ‘lean to’ or cover like tent with open sides is an well organized and simple form of shelter, these kinds of tents can only protect from the mildest of weather conditions. Additionally, most wilderness areas popular for backpackings are safe places for insects, such as mosquitoes, and an open tent will offer no protection against these pests.

Secondly, you should consider the length of your trip when looking for a backpacking tent. Also, what kind of land are you going to pass through? Are you going for a rough and nearly vertical thirty mile plus climb, or a pleasant and easy five mile trip through the woods? If the latter is the case, weight is not an issue and you can purchase as large a tent as you please. The larger the better; you can house all your equipment inside to avoid damage from morning dew or from night animals with a sufficiently large tent. If you are taking a more arduous journey, you’ll want the lightest possible tent you can get that offers adequate protection.

Lastly, choose a good brand name. Ask for advice at the store you visit, or if you are ordering one online, choose a name that you are familiar with. Backpacking tents are important, and not an area to hold back on on financially speaking. If you are pressed for cash, bring cheaper food items. I’d rather eat freeze dried sauce while warm and dry in a nice, functional tent, than eat bone mignon while soaking wet in a heap of junk that fell apart as soon as it started really pouring.

Personally I prefer to sleep under the stars while backpacking, if the weather permits. A good insect disgusting can reduce the mosquito problem and there is something refreshing about waking up covered in dew. However, it only took one bad and very wet experience for me to learn that you should always bring a tent on a backpacking trip, whether or not you plan to use it.

Tavis J. Cooper provides readers with up-to-date commentaries, articles, and reviews for travel, leisure and other related issues.

By Dominic Ferrara

It used to be the case that cheap travel agents were a sort of oxymoron. People paid a premium to get their vacations and business trips booked by someone else with little or no hassle. Since the advent of the internet, all that has changed.

Travel agents have had to lower their prices and fees to compete with the internet. Most people who can afford vacations or go on business trips also have access to the internet. There are many sites on the internet that allow a person the ability to quickly and easily make all their own travel arrangements.

In addition, airlines and hotels have upped the prices they charge travel agents because the airlines and the hotel companies want people to book directly through their own sites. Because of these factors, travel agencies have had to lower their prices considerably in order to compete, resulting in cheap travel agents.

Just because there is a plethora of cheap travel agents doesn’t mean that the quality is any less than it used to be. Indeed, many cheap travel agents, in addition to lower prices, offer many more services than they used to in order to attract and keep more business.

For example, cheap travel agents may book activities for you. If you are going on a tropical vacation, they can book scuba lessons. If you are going skiing, they can arrange a deal on your lift tickets.

Furthermore, cheap travel agents still have access to all sorts of valuable information that you may not have on the internet. For example, cheap travel agents still know which companies are reputable and which have had problems.

They are also sources of invaluable information such as local customs, if you are traveling abroad, weather, and information on food and water quality. They can offer personal insight into the area you are traveling to which you might not be able to find in an online search.

Cheap travel agents not only offer these services, they also do all the legwork for you. Basically, you decide what you want and the travel agent makes it happen. If you want the best price on an airline or hotel, you may have to go to many different sites to make sure you are getting the best deal.

Even cheap travel agents have the best prices and the best deals right at their fingertips. This could save you a lot of time and some money in addition to trying to keep track of which websites had the best deals and the constantly fluctuating prices that seem to accompany hotel and airplane ticket prices.

If you don’t have the time or the inclination to peruse various websites looking for airfare or hotel deals, consider using the services of a reputable and inexpensive travel agent.

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