The Travellers

The Travellers

Reasons for TravelHistorically, most travel out of necessity, not pleasure:a) searching for food & shelter; fleeing from enemiesb) looking for gold, silver & other treasuresc) looking for farmlandd) curiositye) pilgrimages to holy cities & shrines f) conducting trade (business travel)g) looking for cures for the body

Who Travels Today?3 general categories:1) The Vacation & Leisure Traveller:a) Discretionary Travel- discretion - the ability to make a choice, judgement, or decision- they take trips because they WANT to, voluntaryb) The Pleasure Seekers - seek pleasure & relaxation - pleasure comes before & after trip too

c) Purchasing Travel Products & Servicestime to shop around for product that best suits their needs (wait for discounted prices)schedules more flexible than business travellerspurchase a package of travel products

2) The Business & Professional Traveller nondiscretionary - no choice time is important - products related to speed, & convenience of location less flexible schedules - not many discounts

3) The Traveller Visiting Friends & Relativeslargest groupdiscretionary or non - depends on reasons for tripvisiting friends for pleasure - like leisure travellersvisiting due to emergency - like business travellersusually purchase only transportation & some tourism productsfriends & relatives usually supply accommodation & mealsDomestic Vacation Travelpopular among vacation & leisure travellersCanada offers diversity of travel experiencesfor families, cheaper to travel in Canada:save $ by car; good roads, with restaurants & hotels along waymore convenient - no passports, exchanging currency or needlesworld events influence travel plans

Foreign Vacation Travelcertain sights & experiences only in foreign countriesWhen travelling out of Canada, there are 5 categories we should be familiar with:

1) Documentation - government issued papers to identify travellers:passports, visas, tourist cards & vaccination certificates

a) Passportallows travellers to "pass through ports" - to enter a foreign country & to return to their own countrywallet-sized booklettravellers should carry at all times when outside of Canadaissued by traveller's own gov't

b) Visaissued by foreign gov'ta stamp or endorsement placed in passport -specifies the conditions for entering the country (working visa)c) Proof of Citizenshippassport not necessary when relations are good between countriesstaying less than 6 mths - some proof of citizenship (birth certificate, expired passport)d) Tourist Cardcan be used instead of passport in some countries, such as Mexico, Japane) Vaccination Certificateimmunizations or shots - certain countries -to protect from diseases2) Customsgovt's regulate what goods may be brought in and out of countryincoming custom checks discourage too many foreign-made itemsprevent the importation of harmful items

3) Common Health Problemsa) Diarrhea - watch eating and drinking habitsb) Dysynchronosis - "jet lag"- irregular sleeping habits & exhaustion; when you pass through several time zones in short period of time - confuses body's biological clockc) motion sicknessd) altitude sickness - at high-altitude destinations; lack of oxygen due to reduced air pressure

4) Foreign Currencycurrency different in some countries - be familiar with its value in Canadian dollars5) Foreign Languagessome worry; others consider this funhelpful to know a few wordsbeing able to identify foreign words on menus and other signs making travelling safer & more pleasantforeign-language dictionaries are helpful

Travelling to CanadaWho?majority from UStop 5 countries: US, England, France, Germany & JapanWhy?mostly for vacation & leisureto enjoy diversity of climate, culture & sceneryreunionsWhere?all overJapanese visitors to P.E.I. - Anne of Green Gables

Language - biggest barrier to overcomeTo minimize language difficulties for foreign visitors:a) internationally recognized pictures in restaurants, hotels & barsb) print menus in other languages, or photos of dishesc) multilingual travel personneld) public translating service at travel destinations (airports)