Monday 20 February 2012

QR Code to NATAS Travel Fair 2012 Sites


Now you can download Exhibitors' Brochures. Strictly for Personal Use only.


Digital Brochures Directory
http://travelfair.natastravel.com


http://www.fb.com/natastravel.sg

TWITTER


NATAS® is a Registered Trademark (IPOS) by National Association Travel Agents Singapore. Governed by the Laws of Singapore.

Set Sail for a Cruise Holiday


A holiday on a cruise ship is like being on a floating resort city. You can travel to several exotic destinations and yet enjoy comfortable sleep at night, relish delicious freshly prepared food and enjoy live entertainment on board. 

Checking in is a smooth process at the reception area. While on board, you do not have to carry a wad of cash around. The cabin room cards double up as purchase cards so you can run up a tab. Transactions at retail, food and entertainment points are recorded on the card and the overall bill can be cleared when you check out. 

Cruise holidays are gaining popularity as they are becoming affordable. All meals, entertainment and the use of various amenities are already factored into the price you pay, making it a value for money proposition. However, you do have to tally additional highlights such as shore excursions, special meals and certain on-board facilities that cost extra.

Cruising is a great option for the whole family since cruise ships usually include suitable programmes for families. Young children can be taken care of by trained staff members leaving parents free to explore and enjoy the facilities the ship has to offer. You also have the assurance of knowing there is a medical centre on board with a doctor on hand to treat minor illness or injuries.  

With a cruise vacation, you only need to unpack and pack at the beginning and end of the journey. It is possible to enjoy a vacation simply floating out at sea or with stopovers at several interesting port cities without the need to check in and out of airports and hotels. Immigration procedures are usually processed on board and done painlessly. 

Shore excursions are well organised with transport provided to ferry passengers to and from the port of call to the city or destination proper. As a rule, a local guide accompanies the tour to give insight into the various stops on the outing.  

When you’re not on-shore on an excursion, you can simply kick off your heels and relax at a leisurely pace while enjoying the view of the sea, passing ships and surrounding islands. Or your cruise experience can be packed with a variety of programmes available on board.  

Some of the activities you can join include aerobics and circuit training at the fitness centre, language and art classes, enter a shuffleboard competition or learn ballroom dancing. The pool deck is a great place for fun and frolic under the sun so be sure to pack your swimming gear. For children and teens, the action usually revolves around the video arcade, play area and games room equipped with card and board games. 

When the sun goes down, it is time to roll out a line up of evening entertainment. You can spend the evening watching a live band perform, learn Latin dance moves or dance under the stars. At the end of each day, you simply retire to your designated cabin to stretch out and sleep on a comfortable bed.

Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that there is a growing number of families, retirees, honeymooners and young people who are opting for cruise holidays in regional and international circuits. 

Article writtern for www.natastravel.com

Tuesday 14 February 2012

FlexiRoam: Say Goodbye to Exorbitant Roaming Fees


Advertorial

SingExpo Hall 5 Booth 5H15 @ NATAS Travel 2012 (24-26 Feb)

Slash your mobile phone bills with FlexiRoam’s prepaid service that provides unlimited roaming for a super low flat rate per day

You must have heard of the horror stories or probably  been a victim of expensive roaming charges yourself. You travel overseas leaving your mobile phone on, only to return home to an unpleasant shock of a hefty international roaming bill.  It is natural to want to stay connected with friends and family when you travel abroad. So, why do we have to pay so much for roaming?

Due to the expensive nature of international roaming charges, most telcos intentionally hide or refuse to provide the exact roaming charges. For the few who publish their rates, the links are hidden within the depths of their websites. To add to this, some telcos actually require customers to pay a large deposit just to activate the roaming facility on their mobile line. 

So, how do you avoid being a victim of these excessive roaming charges? Simple, use Flexiroam! FlexiRoam is a prepaid service that allows you to make and receive unlimited calls for a low flat rate per day. It sounds like a heaven sent especially for regular travellers who need to stay connected and still stay within their budget.

FlexiRoam offers a prepaid, $10 a day flat rate, unlimited roaming service to all travelers, so there would be no worries of unexpected charges when you return from your overseas trip. To top that off, FlexiRoam gives away FREE roaming passes to a different country every day, so you might even get to roam for free.

At the NATAS Travel Fair 2012, FlexiRoam is giving away $100 worth of FlexiRoam credits with the purchase of any travel package for FREE.

How to start?
Easy. Sign up for the service online for free. Using your FlexiRoam account, you can then purchase a roaming pass which comes with simple instructions on how to activate FlexiRoam on your mobile.  Voila, you are ready to roam!

How does it work?

FlexiRoam capitalises on call forwarding and SMS technology that is currently available on almost all mobile phones. Before you leave the country, set your mobile to forward calls to the assigned Flexi number provided to you after buying a roaming pass. Once you land in the country of your destination, all you need to do is to send an SMS from the overseas mobile.

In short, FlexiRoam links all the calls for the home country mobile to your overseas mobile, to avoid paying any form of roaming charges to your home country mobile provider. The best part is anyone who calls you on your home country mobile will be able to reach you on the overseas mobile.

FlexiRoam is the cheapest way to roam in 200 countries. Apart from Singapore, the service is available in countries such as Australia, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the UK. The company will extend its service through partnerships with airlines and travel agents to provide value-added service to customers.

Visit www.flexiroam.com for more information.