Phones, cameras and even media players now take them in gorgeous definition, and there is plenty of space thanks to SD cards for them to go. Is it any wonder we snap so many every time we so much as walk out of our hotel room to get ice?

Photo by Gabriela Pinto

But what do you do with those photos once you have taken them? I will be the first to admit to being a picture hoarder, and I have folders full of snapshots I haven’t even come close to going through. Other folders, however, have been neatly organized. As will the others full of hastily stored images from ever vacation or business trip I have been on, from the town over to countries across the globe.

These are some tips on how to get those pesky, overcrowded photo folders of travel pictures organized once and for all. Or, at least until the next trip.

1. Start Deleting

Guess what? Not all those photos are keepers. It might be your instinct to hold onto any shot, and that is understandable. Many of us grew up with film or disposables, and it was normal to save everything you took. Even if what you took was a developed image of your thumb over the lens. But digital photos are meant to be deleted when they aren’t high quality. Get rid of the bad pictures, or just the not so good ones. Keep the highest quality or most memorable. This will cut your collection down significantly, and make it much easier to manage.

2. Use an Online Album

I personally like having an online photo album to upload my images into. This makes them easier to share, as the link can just be put into emails, IM windows or on different websites in a universally understood format. Plus, the ability to embed images with a simple code. Different people use different services, but I am a fan of Photobucket, myself. Any image hosting site will do, and most are free for pretty large accounts.

Photo by photobucket.com

3. Start Putting Photos Into Collections

Separating your images into collections is a great way to keep track of where everything is. For example, have different folders for different locations you have visited, or special events. I have one larger folder based around the country I was in, and then smaller folders inside of it that narrow it down by city. Inside of that city folder are others that have specific trips, as I have visited many places more than once. It might seem redundant, but it makes it so easy to find what I am looking for.

4. Properly Tag/Name Images

Whether it is in an album online, or just in a folder on your hard drive, it is so important to properly name and tag your images. This makes any photo just a quick search away, and gives you an immediate look at what is located on each file as your scan the directory.

Photo by photobucket.com

5. Do Basic Edits

Editing your pics while you are sorting them just gets it done all at once. Any platform for viewing photos will have a few features for this, such as eliminating red eye, rotating the image or cropping. Resizing is also important, as so many digital cameras will have high pixel counts and make every pic enormous on a standard screen.

6. Regularly Clear Original Storage Sources

You don’t need to keep your pics on SD cards, unless they are specifically used for storage purposes long term. Regularly clear out the card or memory storage on the camera you use, so you don’t accidentally reupload the same images more than once. Trust me, I do this all the time and it is a real pain for organization.

7. Back It All Up

Finally, have some kind of backup system in place. An image hosting site as mentioned above is a good way to do it, just in case something happens to the originals.

You don’t have to worry about your photos being out of control. The simple tips above will help you to organize your travel (and any other) photos on your computer and camera.

Jessy is the photo geek blogging for Dobovo, the free travel app for finding affordable Kiev apartments.

Image Credit: 1.

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Stay in hostels rather than in hotel rooms

Staying in a hotel room should be your last thing in mind if you are on a tight budget. Hostels may not have all the amenities and comforts of a hotel. But, it certainly provides clean and functional rooms for you to stay for the night. If you are traveling with the whole family, look for bigger hostels which may prove to be a big hit for your children.

Life Resort, Santa Pola, Costa Blanca, Spain / Photo by admin

Look for serviced apartments

If you are not comfortable with the idea of sharing a room with somebody else in a hostel, better opt for serviced apartments. Business travelers are usually the target guests of serviced apartments. However, you can always take advantage of their hidden bargains. Serviced apartments provide cooking facilities and a laundry room for their guests. You can even obtain access to their fitness gym and swimming pool at a very reasonable rate.

Save much money by saying no to some of the services offered in a hotel

Never ever place a call to any of your friends within or outside Europe using the telephone inside your hotel room. It would also be wise to refuse an offer of being able to watch more movies inside your hotel room. If you really want to watch a movie while in Europe better go to cinemas. Otherwise you will end up being shocked by your hefty hotel bill. Resist the urge of calling the hotel room service just to ask for food delivery to your room. Take the time to walk outside and look for affordable restaurants. This will save you a lot from experiencing stress and anxiety because you reduce your risks of blowing your budget while on a travel.

Take the time to have a little chat with the hotel staff

Talk to them about your future plans of coming back to Europe with your friends or business partners. You may also want to give them an impression that you really liked the hotel. The hotel staff has to know these things so that they will look at you as their prospect loyal guests. As a result, the staff will be giving you a VIP treatment. They will also be happy to offer you some really good deals that will help you save money and make your stay worthwhile.

Getting a room late at night will save you more money

Hoteliers only have one night to sell their rooms to tourists. Missing one guest for the night would also mean missing the chance to earn. This is one of the advantages of looking for a hotel room late at night. Hoteliers will become pressured not to have someone for each room. Therefore, getting inside the hotel late at night will give you the chance to ask for a discount or the best deal. You should be smart enough to negotiate and let them feel that the little amount you have is better than an empty room for the night.

Traveling these days in Europe has proved to be a reasonable thing to do. Many European airline companies are now giving out huge discounts to tourists. Therefore, make an effort to look for airlines, not just hotels that will allow you to save some of your hard earned money. After all, the best does not always have to mean the most expensive.

About the Author:
Ryan Rivera used to suffer from anxiety attacks for seven years. He now dedicates his life helping other anxiety sufferers through his writings. You can read more of his articles at Calm Clinic.

The post Money-Saving Tips for Finding the Best Place to Stay in Europe appeared first on Best of European Union.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Will

In fact, many people who went on holiday in places like Thailand often complain about their accommodations. That’s why you should be careful when you book your hotel room or any other accommodation on the Internet, as some hotel managers put some beautiful pictures on their website that are far from reality. In addition, if you’re disappointed with your booked accommodation there’s no guarantee of getting your money back.

In order, to avoid that kind of rip off some people choose to go and spend their holidays in places that were recommended to them by friends. For instance, many British people spend their holidays in Majorca for its stunning beaches and vibrant night life. Therefore, if you’d like to go there,you can ask your friends if some of them have already been there and thus they will be able to give you some tips on the places to go and also those that you should avoid. However, if none of your friends have been there, don’t forget that the world has become a global village, therefore you can still try to find some information from your Facebook friends. In fact, some might be able to give you some valuable information.

You can also avoid summer rip-offs by going to places where tourist rights are protected by the authorities, and this is the case for all EU countries. However, as people say there’s no place like home! In fact, you can also look for good places to go in the UK. For instance Scotland is a good place to spend your family holidays.

For those who like bathing in the sun you can go down to the South of England in Devon for instance, as Devon is full of lovely places to visit especially in the city of Dartmouth. In fact, whether you’re a group of friends, a family or even a couple you will have great fun in Dartmouth. There are a lot activities ranging from attractions, river and sea activities, shopping and so on. In addition, you don’t need to worry about accommodation as you can book one of the lovely Dartmouth holiday cottages.

Dartmouth cottages are known for their great comfort and the great location. However, if you’re still tempted to go and spend your holidays abroad, then be very careful of the different rip-offs of the holiday industry.

The post How To Avoid Summer Holiday Rip-Offs appeared first on Best of European Union.

Photo by admin

Choose your travel companions

Holidays can be stressful; they shouldn’t be, but sometimes they are.  It definitely helps if you are travelling with people you know you’ll get along with, and who will give you space when you need it. Staying in the same hotel room, or even a house, with a bunch of people you aren’t used to living with – even if they are your best friends – can be taxing on a relationship.

Plan ahead

Arriving in a new country or city can be overwhelming. There are so many new things to do, so many things to see; you could get overwhelmed by all the different activities you want to do. You could always dive in headfirst and go with whatever takes your fancy, but I find it’s better to plan out a rough schedule to avoid time constraints and ensure that you do everything that you want to do.

Conversely, if you arrive somewhere and aren’t sure of what you can do there, a little research in advance can’t hurt. Who knows, you might find a new favourite activity or restaurant. Knowledge is power!

Save up

For maximum enjoyment and to reduce stress, budget your trip beforehand. This is especially useful for long and/or overseas trips. The last thing you want to have to worry about on a holiday is how much you can spend. Estimate how much you want to spend per day – think about the types of meals you want to eat (will you be dining out every day, or are some “home”-cooked meals on the menu?), are you planning on purchasing any souvenirs? Or going to any attractions that involve buying tickets?

It’s best to work out a budget for your trip as soon as possible, so you can start putting aside money in preparation for it. That way, you can focus on having fun, rather than balancing the books.

Accommodation

Where you stay plays a fairly important role in your enjoyment of the holiday. After all, it’s the place you’ll come back to at the end of the day to unwind and to sleep. If you envision lazy days by the pool, choose a place with a pool. If you some private time in the bathroom, make sure your room has an en suite. It’s also a good idea to choose a hotel or hostel that’s close to the city central or somewhere close to public transport, so it’s easy to get around.

Sarah Paige is a travel expert currently living in Vale, in Western Australia, until her next intrepid adventure.

The post Travelling Checklist appeared first on Best of European Union.

“If you want to take a shower before you go to bed, make sure to dry your hair, or they can get frozen. Do not drink too much alcohol and do not eat any heavy food. Make sure to change into dry and warm clothes,” says hotel manager Annet van Limburg to the visitors.

The unique hotel was opened in Zwolle on the occasion of the ice sculptures festival on 3rd December last year and will remain in operation until 29th January 2012. There are three rooms, the construction of which lasted ten days. Unlike similar projects, such as those in Canada or Sweden, the hotel is built inside a large freezer warehouse, not in the nature.

The dominant feature of the rooms, which are made of the giant block of ice, is a great double bed, coloured with pink, green and blue light from lamps, installed under the ice. Ice walls which are 1 meter thick, are decorated with abstract patterns. If you are interested in spending the night in such unique ice hotel, prepare €199 for one night with breakfast for two.

How to sleep in six degrees?
The temperature in the room is between six to eight degrees Celsius. “If you are healthy, it is not dangerous,” says Annet van Limburg assuring potential guests. However if the guests during the night change their minds and want to leave the room, they can use the nearby hotels, where the hotel taxi takes them to for free.

Ice Hotel in Zwolle is unique not only in the Netherlands, but it is also the first hotel of its kind, ever opened such a lot on the south of Europe. The greatest ice hotel in Europe and perhaps in the whole world is an ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi in Sweden, which boasts a total of 47 rooms.

View The first ice hotel in Netherlands – enjoy sleeping in 6°C in a larger map

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