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HikerBiker |
Includes information on Bed
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Information on train company policies
and station facilities for cyclists. Trento Bike Pages Jim Foreman's Tips on Bike Packing http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global/ You can now get cash and other services from more than one million Visa automated teller machines (ATMs) in more than 160 countries. http://www.tripprep.com - US site giving detailed country by country advice updated daily http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel - travel advice from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/ http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en This is German site (but in English) that knows more about our trains then we do. http://www.a2btravel.com/ferries/home.asp UK Ferry Timetables Travel Advice
Jim Foreman's Tips on Bike Packing Some other useful travel sites
Travel Advice
1. Light is right, the less you take, the less you risk. Don’t take anything you don’t really need. 2. Don’t leave a message on your answerphone saying you are going away. 3. Burglars frequent airports and terminals looking at luggage labels for home addresses of people going away. Label your luggage on the outside with your destination. Put your home address only inside your luggage. 4. Pack toiletries and a change of clothing in your hand luggage in case your luggage is lost or delayed. 5. NEVER: - Put jewellery in a suitcase. - Leave jewellery lying around in your hotel room. - Place cash, credit cards and travellers cheques in a suitcase. - Agree to carry a package overseas for a stranger or acquaintance. 6. ALWAYS: - Carry cash on your person. - Record a note of your credit card numbers and other documents in event of loss or theft and keep them separate from your other papers. - Remember to let relatives and friends have details of your itinerary especially if you are going to be away for any length of time. 7. DO: - Ask at the hotel or tourist centre about areas to visit and trouble spots to avoid. - Know and abide by the local customs and standards regarding dress codes and behaviour in a foreign country. - Think about what you drink. Alcohol can make you vulnerable to pickpockets and muggers. Limit your consumption or take a taxi. 8. Don’t reserve deckchairs and sunbeds by leaving personal property on them. 9. Never ask a stranger to look after your property while you go swimming. 10. Think about how and where you carry cash and personal items. Consider a money belt or a pouch which can be looped through a belt. Don’t use a back pocket for a wallet. 11. If you have a shoulder bag wear it on the shoulder away from the traffic. Use a bag with a zip fastening rather than clasp or flap. 12. If you are the victim of a loss or theft, go to the Police immediately and report the matter and get a Report. Thieves sometimes only want the cash and bags are retrieved from time to time with credit cards, passports and so on still in them. So tell the Police and get a report for insurance purposes. 13. Report loss or damage in transit by the airline and get a report. 14. Hang on to receipts for any purchases as these could be useful if you have to make an insurance claim. 15. Keep all receipts for medical treatment, prescriptions and so on. 16. Call the Insurance Claims Company immediately you have a claim. Jim Foreman's Tips on Bike Packing 1. Use an old front wheel hub to protect the fork tips when boxing your bike. It's much stronger than those plastic things new bikes are shipped with. 2. Use rubber foam pipe insulation to pad the frame when boxing your bike for shipment. It's available in 6' lengths for two or three bucks at home products stores. Best size is for l" pipe and 1/2" thick. 3. Old toeclip straps are great for strapping the front wheel to the frame when packing the bike. 4. Clip your pedals to your cycling shoes before you put them in the box. The shoes are too big to fall out through the hand holds in the box and you won't forget them this way. 5. Roll up a business card and insert it inside the handlebar. If your bike is stolen and the serial numbers obliterated, you can prove ownership. 6. Print your name, address and home phone number inside the bike box. Then no matter if it gets wet or dirty on the outside, the airlines can always find where it goes. 7. Roll everything in the way of small parts in an old bath towel and place it in the bottom of the box between the forks and cramks. This way it is less likely to get lost if the box comes open and the old towel comes in handy when assembling the bike. 8. Leave the seat attached to the seatpost and secure the unit to the rear wheel or rear carrier in the space at the rear of the box. Remember the box may come open in transit. 9. Best (and cheapest) way to get you and your bike away from an airport is to flag down any hotel van. They usually charge nothing and the hotel will often store your box while you are away, especially if you stay there on the night before you leave coming home. 10. Bike shops throw away hundreds of boxes each year and will usually give them to you for free. Get a few extras and keep them for when you need them. 11. Any bolt or screw loosened to remove something for packing should be tightened back in the hole or it will jiggle loose and lose. 12. Contrary to the old wive's tales, you do not need to let the air out of
tires to ship a bike on an airplane. The cargo hold is 13. There should always be either your hand or a good lock on your bike. You can't run as fast as someone can ride away on your bike. If there is nothing to lock the bike to, roll it inside with you. If the manager says anything, just say that there is nothing to lock it to. They might get the idea that they need bike racks and it will benefit all cyclists. 14. Always wear a helmet!
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