Travel Information

Posts Tagged ‘Tips’

Traveling by air comes with its own challenges and is often stressful. Your goal is to experience stress-free air travel. You are allowed a carry-on bag so why not pack a little bit of home to make your airline journey more comfortable and stress-free.

Things to consider taking along for stress-free air travel:

1. Hygiene during stress-free air travel : It’s not something we might want to think about, but the truth is: germs are lurking everywhere on an airplane. Take sanitary wipes and hand sanitizer (3 oz. or smaller) with you to help you have stress-free air travel. Wipe surfaces you touch such as seat handles and pull-down trays. Also, use sanitary wipes if you go into the airplane’s bathroom on any surfaces you touch. Use hand sanitizer before eating and again after exiting the air craft. A bit of prevention could keep you healthy during your trip or vacation and definitely help you have stress-free air travel .

2. Nutritious snacks for stress-free air travel: Food or snacks are not always available on airplanes. Once you get through the security gate take a few minutes to purchase yourself something to snack on. Fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges) are normally available in the airport. Protein or granola bars are also a good choice to help keep your energy up and hunger down and to help ensure you have stress-free air travel. Read the rest of this entry »

VISA REQUIREMENTS & OTHER DOCUMENTS

A visa is not required for U.S. and Canadian, Australian or European citizens in most cases. However for the rest of the world, if you are not sure, check on your nearest Ecuadorian Embassy or consulate if you need a visa. For all cases, you must carry a passport that is valid for at least the next six months for a stay of up to 90 days during a 12-month period. Your driver license, in case you wish to rent a car (only on major cities) are accepted as long as your visa last

CURRENCY

The US Dollar is our national currency. All credit cards are accepted in major shopping malls and handicrafts stores all over Ecuador. You can use your credit card to withdraw money from ATM machines located everywhere in major cities, all international credit cards are compatible. The most common credit card is Dinners Club followed by Visa, MasterCard, American Express and some others. Travel checks are accepted with some restrictions. [removed][removed]

TAXES & TIPING

The governmental tax is 12% (IVA) and applies on most cases for goods that visitors buy. An extra 10% applies for services at restaurants. By law, the 12% IVA tax is included on all prices for the public. A tip on a restaurant must be no lower than 10% of the total (Applicable when 10% service charge is not considered on the bill). For guides, US$ 10 to US$ 20 per day is expected. Drivers are tipped with US$ 5 – US$ 7 per day. Taxi drivers are not commonly tipped. It is a good idea to have lots of change as most business’s and taxi drivers cannot change a or bill. (Dixie)

Read the rest of this entry »