Secrets of Web Travel Sites

Booking a trip on an online travel siteis convenient, but comes with its own set of problems.

1 They who's on a Mac and who's on a PCand who's going to spend more.

Last year, US travel research companyOrbitz tracked people's online activities to test out whether Mac users spendmore on travel than PC users. On average, Mac users lay out US$20-30 more pernight on hotels and go for more stars. according to the Wall Street Journal. Asa result, online• travel sites show these users more expensive travel optionsfirst. To avoid inadvertently paying more, sort results by price.

 Their software doesn't always hook up to thehotel's system.

A guaranteed reservation is almostimpossible to come by anywhere — but the risk of your flight or hotel beingoverbooked increases with third-party providers. The middle-man's softwareisn't immune to system errors, so always call the hotel or airline to make sureyour booking was processed.

 Don't be fooled by packages: Often, they'relow-end items grouped together.

Ever notice how travel sites recommend ahotel, a rental car, and tour package all in one click? These deals usuallyfeature travel that no one wants, like flights with multiple layovers.

Check the fine print.

 You could miss out on loyalty points.

Third-party providers can get betweenyou and frequent flyer miles or points. Many hotel loyalty programmes don'trecognise external sites, others award only minimum points and exclude specialoffers, like double points on hotel stays.

 Once your trip is purchased, you're on yourown.

An online travel agency can't provideassistance the same way an agent can if a flight is cancelled or a room issubstandard. Basically, when you arrive at the airport or hotel, you're justanother client who booked at the lowest rate.

    Many people think that listening is a passive business. It is just the opposite. Listening well is an active exercise of our attention and hard work. It is because they do not realize this, or because they are not willing to do the work, that most people do not listen well.

    Listening well also requires total concentration upon someone else. An essential part of listening well is the rule known as 'bracketing'. Bracketing includes the temporary giving up or setting aside of your own prejudices and desires, to experience as far as possible someone else's world from the inside, stepping into his or her shoes. Moreover, since listening well involves bracketing, it also involves a temporary acceptance of the other person. Sensing this acceptance, the speaker will seem quite willing to open up the inner part of his or her mind to the listener. True communication is under way and the energy required for listening well is so great that it can be accomplished only by the will to extend oneself for mutual growth.

    Most of the time we lack this energy. Even though we may feel in our business dealings or social relationships that we are listening well, what we are usually doing is listening selectively. Often we have a prepared list in mind and wonder, as we listen, how we can achieve certain desired results to get the conversation over as quickly as possible or redirected in ways more satisfactory to us. Many of us are far more interested in talking than in listening, or we simply refuse to listen to what we don't want to hear.

    It wasn't until toward the end of my doctor career that I have found the knowledge that one is being truly listened to is frequently therapeutic(有疗效的) In about a quarter of the patients I saw, surprising improvement was shown during the first few months of psychotherapy(心理疗法), before any of the roots of problems had been uncovered or explained. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, but chief among them, I believe, was the patient's sense that he or she was being truly listened to, often for the first time in years, and for some, perhaps for the first time ever.

    Feifei,an 11-year-old boy from Xuzhou,Jiangsu Province,suffered from a sudden acute eye disease which has almost led to blindness.The disease was caused by excessive（过度的）eye fatigue（疲劳）during the winter vacation, during which he played computer games for continuous 10 days and nights.

    Many youngsters in China nowadays are increasingly addicted to computer games and other electronic products. This is followed by a series of health problems,with the most typical case being myopia,or nearsightedness.

    According to the latest research report released by the World Health Organization (WHO),the myopia rate among Chinese teenagers ranks first in the world—70 percent of high school and college students.The rate is nearly 40 percent in primary school students,while it is only 10 percent for their peers in the United States.

    There are at least 10 million people in China with severe myopia,and they are likely to get pathological（病理性的）myopia in middle age.Pathological myopia can't be treated with glasses or surgery,and it is one of the biggest factors that lead to blindness,Xu Xun,director of the ophthalmology（眼科学）department at Shanghai General Hospital,pointed out.

    Experts explain that two major factors lead to the high rate of myopia among Chinese people.One is high academic pressure,and the other one is excessive use of electronic devices over a long period of time.Genetics,on the other hand,are not the main reason,as only 20 percent of Chinese people had myopia in the 1960s.

    "Teenagers are now faced with severe academic pressure,which means they often study without natural light. This increases their risk of becoming nearsighted,"Xu said.

    Experts suggest that youngsters maintain a proper balance between study and rest so as to protect their eyesight, and parents should play an active role in the process.

    Many people believe that you lose the ability to learn new languages as you get older. Language experts, however, will tell you that you're never too old to learn a new language. As you get older, it can be more difficult to learn a new language, though.

    Children and adults learn new languages in different ways. For children, language is their life. They study for thousands of hours every year, because they need to learn languages to become part of their communities. Adults, on the other hand, are already part of a language community. Learning a new language means becoming part of another language community, and adults rarely get the chance to practice as much as young children do.

    Moreover, children learning a new language are expected to make mistakes. This gives them freedom when learning to be daring and confident. Adults, however, often feel stressed to be perfect when learning a new language. This can discourage many people and make it even harder to learn a new language.

    When young children learn a new language, they come to see various languages as a “normal” part of society. This mindset helps them to learn a new language without feeling like they're doing something unusual or “too hard”.

    So if you want to learn a new language, go for it! It's never too late to learn a new language. If you're older, it may take more work, but it can be done. If you're a young child, though, now is the time to step out and learn a new language!

    People always think men are more skilled than women in driving. Nowadays women appear to have a positive image of themselves as safer drivers than men.

    In a survey done by insurer MetLife, 51% of women said they drive more safely. The evidence is on their side: Men are 3.4 times more likely than women to get a ticket for careless driving and 3.1 times as likely to be punished for drunk driving. “Women are on average less aggressive and more law abiding(手法的) drivers, which leads to fewer accidents,” the report says. However, not all male drivers share the same opinion. Of the men surveyed by MetLife, 39% claimed male drivers were safer. The findings did back them up on one point: automotive knowledge. The report showed that more men are familiar with current safety equipment such as electronic stability control, which helps prevent rollover accidents.

    Auto safety unavoidably matters to money. Insurance companies focus on what classes of drivers have the lowest dollar amounts of claims, and for now, that mainly includes women. In general, women pay about 9% less for auto insurance than men. A study by the website Insweb also showed that auto insurance rates are lower for women in most states. Among individual states, women get the greatest advantage in Wyoming(where they pay 20% less), South Dakota and Washington, D.C., where their insurance costs are 16% lower.

    “More than 11,9000 male drivers died in U.S. traffic accident in 2009, compared with just under 4,900 women drivers,” according to the study. “Based on miles traveled, men died at a rate of 2.5 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, vs. 1.7 deaths for women.”

Traveling Tips

    No Smoking

    Federal and State Government Regulations do not allow you to smoke on board express coaches within Australia.

    Luggage Allowance

    As a fare paying customer you are entitled to take 2 pieces of personal luggage. Each must not exceed 75 cm in length, or weigh more than 20kg.

    Excess luggage will be carried at the company's excess luggage rate and depending on space availability may be required to be carried on another coach.

    Luggage Tips

    1) Keep your valuables with you. Money, jewellery, valuable documents, credit cards, keys, medications should be retained by you and not on the coach at meal or transport stops.

    2) Use sturdy, lockable luggage. Do not use plastic bags as these may split during the transit.

    3) Make sure you identify your luggage with a name tag.

    4) Backpacks—stow all items and do not leave mugs, shoes, towels hanging off your backpack as these can get caught in other luggage and cause damage.

    Departure Times

    The time shown on your ticket is the coach departure time. If you are boarding halfway and not at a travel centre or terminal you should be at the pick up point 15 minutes ahead of this time, so you can be comfortably on board by the time the coach is due to leave. If you are boarding at a travel centre or terminal, please arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the published departure time and remember to allow extra time at peak travel times.

    Dress Requirements

    As a courtesy, and so as not to offend fellow travelers, a reasonable standard of clothing and footwear is required.