There is something very remarkable about this story. Not the fact that it covers part of the ancient Silk Road route from Xian in China to Islamabad in Pakistan. It’s not the fact that we crossed desserts, remote wilderness and the highest border crossing in the world. Nor is it because we explored the world’s greatest market in Kashgar or stayed with Kazakhs in traditional yurts during a blizzard. These are all special in their own right but what made this such amemorable trip was the group I traveled with. Four girls and you’ll have to wait until the end to find out why they where so remarkable.

We start in Xian ancient capital of China and regarded as the true start of the Silk Road. I was escorting four girls on an Imaginative Traveler tour to Islamabad on what I consider to be a pretty hard going trip into some of China and Pakistan’s remote corners. After meeting the girls and having dinner in a very local street restaurant I was confident we would have a successful journey.

Back to Xian. Xian is perhaps my favorite Chinese city. I love the way ancient and modern blend effortlessly in it’s architecture and local culture. The history is long, sights are everywhere and there seems to be a surprise around every corner. But what really brings travelers to Xian are the Terracotta Warriors. I will not write about them as I’m sure others can and have described this ancient wonder better than I. I will give you a tip though – find out what time the doors to the warriors open and get there first. When I was there is was 8 am. You see most of tourists coming that day are in Xian –one hours drive away- having breakfast at their hotel at 8am. The crowds start arriving around 9 – 9.30 so getting there early means you get the warriors for at least one hour without the crowds.

Now we head west and leave the tour buses behind. We are going to the end of the Great Wall to a small town called Jiayuguan. Famous for being at the edge of ancient imperial China, the Last Pass Under Heaven is the fort we have come to visit. In ancient times an imperial guard was considered very unlucky or must have upset the wrong person to be posted so far away from the centre of the universe. It’s really not that bad! The fort is fine for a few hours but the beauty is in the town’s remoteness and the surrounding snow capped mountains. A couple of us hired bicycles and gently explored the local villages and countryside.

The Silk Road traders took Silk to India and returned with Buddhism which although didn’t take a hold in India spread throughout the Far East. Dunhuang, our next town, was a popular stop for the traders and a large Buddhist community grew there. They built the Magao Grottoes a spectacular series of Buddhist carvings, murals and statues that if were closer to tourist China would, in my opinion, be one of her greatest sights. There are more than 492 caves carved from the cliff face, featuring 2,415 coloured statues and murals covering an area of more than 45,000m². Incredible.

The desert is harsh in this part of China. Mountains of stone become mountains of sand, the sun’s heat is fierce and will run it’s course of relentless torment everyday. Crossing these deserts in search of wealth on slow and stubborn camels must have been daunting. Sitting on our bus travelling on a tarmac road we were silent trying to grasp the enormity of the trek taken by Silk Road traders that came before us. But the desert can occasionally be kind and the oasis town of Turpan was more than kind for the passing trader, it meant survival.

Turpan sits in a depression meaning it is lower than sea level. A basin that holds heat even during the winter months when nighttime temperatures in the surrounding desert mirror the summer suns heat. This can be stifling during the summer but Turpan holds life for the desert traveller in the form of water. It comes from a unique system of ancient aqua ducts bringing water from the distant snow mountains. Grapes are grown everywhere even on the back streets where the vines are trained on trellises to provide shade during the hot still days.

The great thing about this trip is it’s diversity of different landscapes, culture and peoples. Urumqi is in the mountains and the world’s remotest city from the sea, 2,500 km from the nearest coast. We came to spend a night at the Lake of Heaven in traditional Kazakh yurts –felt tents. We had two options, we could stay at the government fixed yurt camp that was very nice, just off the main road and had an ablution block with hot showers. Or we could take a boat across the lake to see if any nomads were willing to let us spend a night with them. A quick vote and we were on the boat crossing this beautiful lake surrounded by mountains and alpine forest dusted with late spring snow.

Our hosts welcomed us the way nomads do. No big fuss just an instinctive show of hospitality and a safe, warm place to stay given to all passing travelers. We paid them the same as we would have paid the state camp but this was so much better. The group helped cook food and milk some goats while I and our local guide helped feed the horses and yaks. After dinner we sat in the yurt around a pot belly stove with the family and finished the bottle of scotch I was carrying. It was probably the scotch that made me sleep through the howling blizzard that night. About 4 am one of our hosts brought in two young goat kids to shelter from the snow. After calling for their mums and trying to eat my hair two of my group took them and snuggled the goats into their blankets to sleep. Sun rose and my guide expressed his concern about the blizzard, we had a plane to catch later that day and the boat couldn’t launch in the snow to take us back to the bus. We had no choice other than take the horses through the forest to the main road. Wrapping up I put three of the group horses while waiting for Peggy, the fourth member, to put on her lipstick! She never left the house without makeup she explained. The trek took two hours and the snow wasn’t so bad in the forest. Ok it was cold and not the most comfortable ride but what an adventure! We were going to make our flight with time to spare so we stopped at the guides house to have lunch with his wife and kids before heading to the airport.

Half way through the trip and so far so good and the group were in high spirits. It had been pretty hard going so far with long days, strange food, harsh climate and hard beds but for a pick me up exploring Kashgar’s Sunday Market is better than any energy drink.
Kashgar is the trading center for many different tribes Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Uigers to name a few and there has been a market in Kashgar for over 2000 years. Being from the west we are used to traffic jams but a donkey cart jam is another thing all together. Tens of thousands of tribes people make the trip into Kashgar to trade on a Sunday creating one of the worlds largest and most outstanding markets. The animal market is the biggest draw where many come to watch the horses being put through their paces. Boys are paid to gallop horses over a short distance on a dusty track so the potential buyer can see how it performs. The faces and dress of different tribes and their wares makes Kashgar a photographic nirvana.

Xian seemed an age ago, we had done a lot in a little over a fortnight. Terracotta warriors, desert oasis, snow blizzards and ancient markets so what now? Now we needed to get to Pakistan over the worlds highest border crossing the Khunjerab Pass which will take us onto the Karakoram Highway down to Islamabad.

Our crossing date coincided with the opening day of the pass for the season, 1st May and I wanted us to be the first group through that year. I was informed by the operator that I didn’t need a visa as that year Pakistan were issuing tourist visas free on arrival. I knew that, the operator knew that and even the Pakistani government knew that but forgot to inform immigration officials at the border. The most magnificent black moustache I have ever seen told me there was a problem because I had no visa and his subordinate needed to phone Islamabad to “sort this confusion out”. While I was waiting he insisted we drunk tea and discussed the up and coming football world cup, he was a big Manchester United fan. As we had the most surreal discussion on David Beckham’s right foot the all clear came from Islamabad to let me enter Pakistan. A make shift entry stamp was made up and he asked “how long do you intend to stay for” “ten days” was my reply “I’ll give you 60 days, I’m sure you will like it here”

The pass we came over is 4693 m./15,397 ft high but to look at the mountains around you would think you were at sea level. This part of Pakistan boasts the highest concentration of mountains over 7000 meters in the world, it is truly breathtaking. We spent a week in this area and to this day I cannot get over the extreme beauty of this place. Looking down at the Indus River you raise your head slowly pass fruit orchards in blossom, pass mighty glaciers up through the clouds to the top of mountains almost the height of Everest.

From here South to the Pakistani version of Canberra – Islamabad. A city designed to house government departments it’s clean, green and very modern. A nice change to the wild remote places we had experienced over the last 21 days and I soon got bored of it. Hopped in a taxi and took a short drive to Rawalpindi. This was more like it. Dust, noise, people, chaos, smells and life, a good way to end a journey like this.

My group and I had experienced a lot and it wasn’t always plane sailing. This route is away from the tourist trail so hotels, food and transport are all basic and not what we are used to. We were taken out of our comfort zone practically for the whole trip but there was no alternative and maybe that added to the experience. So what is so extraordinary about my group of four girls? Well the youngest was 67 years old and the eldest Peggy, remember the girl with the makeup?, was 72.

Spencer Neal has worked in adventure travel since 1997. His many adventures and passion for travel has led him to part own an online adventure travel agency Travel Light travellight.co.za travellight.co.za specializing in world wide adventures for South Africans. You can contact him at mailto:spencer@travellight.co.za spencer@travellight.co.za

Once you arrive in Germany, if you are American, you will notice that the German public transportation system is much more efficient and cost effective than that of America. There are many more options and for the most part, you can get anywhere any time. Keep in mind that you can purchase a train ticket from your current location to your destination and this ticket is valid for the train, bus and street car. ie. Take a train from Darmstadt to Hanau then use the same ticket for a bus from Hanau to Frankfurt.

Taxi Cab: Taxi cabs can be found around any airport or public location. If you walk up to a taxi parking area and there is a row of taxi cabs go to the front vehicle first. The price varies but can be expensive at times. The weekend taxi fees are generally more expensive than the fees on a weekday. If you can avoid using a taxi cab I would recommend it. If you are relatively pleased with the service provided by the cab driver a one or two EUR tip would be sufficient.

Street Cars (Trolley): Street cars were the first mode of public transportation in Germany. Street cars make frequent stops and have a map layout of each stop. Check the route and be sure the stop you want is close enough to your destination, if not you may want to take the U/S Bahn, a bus or a taxi. Street cars are relatively fast, about the same speed as a normal car in the city.

Train: The European rail system is set up to be a very cost effective and efficient means for international European travel. With a vast number of inner-city trains running constantly during the day, the German train system is just as effective. When entering a train station (Bahnhof) you will need to purchase a ticket from the machine. You can only buy a train ticket with EUR but you can use any denomination below 20 including coins or bills. Simply select your destination from the list shown, enter the destination number and push the ‘Einzelfahrt’ button. Your change will fall along with your ticket to the tray. If you are planning to travel by train from Frankfurt to Paris, for example, you may choose to use the ICE train. This train is designed to get you from point A to point B much faster than a normal train. ICE trains are a little more expensive but may be the smart way to travel if you are planning inter-country travel in Europe.

U/S-Bahn: The U or S Bahn would be the equivalent to the subway in the States. The U-Bahn covers city areas where as the S-Bahn covers city areas and up to 60 kilometers outside the city. Normally you will only find U/S Bahns in bigger cities. The U/S Bahn normally makes more stops than trolleys making them the smarter choice for inner city travel.

You can also purchase an all day ticket which is good for trolleys, buses and the U/S-Bahn by pressing the Tageskarte button instead of the Einzelfahrt button. It is possible to board the train or trolley without purchasing a ticket but you will be fined 60 EUR minimum and these checks do occur regularly. You can purchase train tickets online from the official homepage of Deutsche Bahn at reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en.

Josh and Claudia Spaulding provide valuable information on everythingaboutgermany.com” target=”_parent Germany Travel derived from their own experiances in this Beautiful Country. Just visit everythingaboutgermany.com/ everythingaboutgermany.com/ for more information.

As a travel enthusiast and bargain hunter, when I heard about a luxury travel club membership, I set out to do an investigation. I’ve always loved working with numbers and performing a cost – benefit analysis on a travel related product is one of my favorite things to do, at least besides actually taking vacations.

In case you haven’t heard about the latest version of the luxury travel club membership, let me quickly give you the details. For a one-time purchase price, members obtain a lifetime membership (100 years and transferable through your will) that offers phenomenal savings at over 5000 worldwide luxury 4 & 5 star resorts. These are largely timeshare properties that are looking to resell the accommodations on behalf of people that won’t be using their time. There are some other benefits of membership, but I’ll cover that in my analysis.

I decided to assess the value of the travel club membership to a person like myself, a baby boomer nearing retirement age with kids. By the way, you could possibly relate purchase of the membership to the purchase of a timeshare, with several significant distinctions. You don’t actually purchase any real estate, which is a good thing because it means there are no maintenance fees, no escrow fees at purchase, no property taxes. And since the membership is not assigned to a specific property or specific week of the year, there are no upgrade fees associated with using the membership. That makes my analysis a lot easier.

Let me start with the cost. The travel club lifetime Platinum membership I purchased and am analyzing cost me $2995. There is also a Gold membership available for $1495 with some restricted benefits. When I go on vacation, sometimes it is as a couple, but other times we have a larger group, up to 8 persons. That works out great because the membership can accommodate groups of that size. Whether going as a single, couple, or larger family group, the price for an 8 day, 7 night vacation at 4 & 5 star resorts in beautiful locations is $298-$699.

I like to take two weeks vacations a year. So let me assume four weeks vacations in a two year period for the analysis. Every week in a decent hotel where we like to go, places like Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe costs $200-$300 per night. I’m going to use the $200 per night figure for this analysis to be conservative. That means my four weeks of vacation will be 28 nights at $200 per night for a total cost of $5600. Now let’s consider the membership. I’m not even going to consider the fact that I can book in advance and get into the nice places during peak season. I’ll just carry that as an intangible. It has huge value to me, but it’s hard to quantify for everyone. With the membership, my four weeks of vacation will cost $298-$699 per week. I’m going to assume two weeks at $298 and two weeks at $699 for a total cost of $1994. Add to that my membership cost of $2995 and my total is $4989. So after a two year period, my membership, including the one-time purchase price, has already paid for itself and saved me about $600 in the process. Now is where it gets exciting. Let me consider the next two years. That would be another $5600 without the membership. With the membership it’s only $1994. At this point my membership is saving me over $3600 per year! And it keeps on saving year after year.

Now let me tell you my plan for this membership. The initial purchase price was money that I had earmarked for my kids. But they don’t need it right now, so I bought the membership and will pass it along to them in my will. That way they get the benefit of membership for their lifetime as well. In the meantime, whenever I want to go on vacation, or my kids want to go, we always book using the membership. My kids can take their vacations separately and utilize the guest week feature. I don’t think I mentioned that. Guest weeks are a way for me to offer the benefits of my membership to my friends, neighbors, or family members.

The bottom line is that even with the up-front expense of $2995, the benefits of the travel club membership more than offset the cost after only two years of usage. After that, I’m saving thousands of dollars every year.

Phil McCollum
562 225-5234
LuxuryTravelToday.com LuxuryTravelToday.com

The concept of travel reward programs has been around for some time now, gaining popularity with frequent travelers and seasonal voyagers alike. Yet many travelers are still unfamiliar with the benefits that such programs can offer – a factor that perhaps dissuades them from making enquiries or signing up.

But with everything travel reward programs have to offer – from major travel discounts to giveaways – there’s no reason not to sign up! After all, they usually cost nothing to join and only require your loyalty in order to reward you points.

Every time you stay with a particular hotel, you’ll earn credit toward upgrades, perks or even another stay – meaning your holiday experience can be enriched at every turn. Moreover, many hotels will often team up with particular airlines or car rental companies – so points from one partner can be applied to receive benefits and rewards from another. And remember that points can accumulate from and be used towards any type of travel, whether it’s for business or pleasure – meaning you’ll have more chances to collect and use your travel rewards.

Reward programs are particularly popular with business travelers, as they are constantly on the move and can benefit immensely from such programs. But reward programs aren’t just for frequent travelers – they’re ideal for anyone who travels! And while it’s true that frequent travelers will collect points quicker than those who just travel once or twice a year, points really do make prizes! So, even if you don’t have enough points to get a free hotel stay or a flight, you’ll still be able to redeem the points that you do have for upgrades and other great giveaways. For instance, a reward program can offer a family with children remarkable savings on travel to theme parks all over the country – even if the family doesn’t travel much.

If you’re interested in joining a reward program but aren’t sure where to start, you needn’t look far. A number of prominent and widespread hotels, like Hilton, offer their own hhonors.hilton.com/en/hhonors/index.jhtml hotel accommodation program for collecting rewards – so no matter where in the country you travel to, you’ll have the opportunity to collect points.

So remember: points win prizes! If you’re not part of a travel reward program, don’t wait – the sooner you sign up, the faster you’ll rack up those points for another great getaway.

Adam Singleton is an online, freelance journalist and keen amateur photographer. His portfolio, called Capquest Photography is available to view online.