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Archive: November, 2009

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Transportation for Your Italy Vacation

When most people travel, transportation is a primary concern. How do you get from the airport to your hotel? How do you see all the sights that Italy has to offer? What if you are traveling in a large group? What about public transportation? On your Italy vacation there are several options for transportation.

Many international flights arrive in Rome so in planning your transportation needs you need to start from there. When you arrive at the airport you can rent a car from one of the several car rental companies. In addition to local companies there are the international names such as Hertz and Enterprise Rent-A-Car so you should be able to reserve your vehicle online in advance and have it waiting for you at the airport. There are 2 airports in Rome and they are called the Fiumicino and the Ciampino Airports. Buses and shuttles depart from the airports’ arrivals areas about every hour and can take you to the Termini Station which is the central train station. From there you should be able to connect to all other parts of Italy. Public transportation although it requires some advance planning, is always the cheapest option for your Italy vacation. You may also want to learn some Italian words in case you get lost and need directions or need help.

If your hotel is near the airport or is in Rome, you may also consider taking a cab. They are known as “taxis” here and most drivers speak English and can even serve as your tour guide if you choose. You may take a taxi out of Rome if your Italian vacation is starting outside the city. If your budget allows there are limo services at the airports that can serve your transportation needs when you arrive. If you are traveling in a large group you probably want to rent a van at least to get to your hotel from the airport. After that you can plan to join a guided tour as a group but its best to reserve tickets or space in advance if you want your group to stay together.

To see all the sights that Italy has to offer, you will do best by signing up for a guided tour. With very knowledgeable and friendly tour guides, your Italian vacation can be greatly enhanced by choosing this option. There are walking tours, full day tours and night tours. Budget tours and luxury tours. If you are in Italy for a very specific sight you would probably want to do a walking tour. The tour guides on those tours give a more detailed presentation as you walk through the sight and some of them know little-known facts that are hard to find or read anywhere else. Non-Italian speakers will be happy to that the tour guides speak English.

Also becoming famous are “transportation-included” visits to Italy. For your Italy vacation you may choose to visit a small village if you want to see Italy without the crowds. Many inns and bed and breakfasts provide options that include transportation around the village.

categories Vacation

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Traveling Nurses: The pay and the benefits

There are a lot of benefits to becoming a traveling nurse not to mention top pay in a very high demanding field. There is a huge demand in the nursing profession and travel nurses are placed in areas around the country to fill those vacancies.
A quick overview of all the benefits you may find when becoming a travel nurse is listed below. These benefits are just a few of the many rewarding benefits you will experience.

Travel:

As a traveling nurse you are reimbursed for all your travel expenses from moving to and from each assignment. Some agencies cover gas mileage while some will offer up to 650 for air travel expense. Most agencies have worked it in a way that your travel expensive is tax free.

Housing:

While on assignment your housing is paid for including your basic utilities. Private housing usually includes a one bedroom apartment close to your assignment that is full furnished. If your needs are greater then a 1 bedroom then you may have to pay a small portion towards your special housing needs. You can also choose to live in your own accommodations that you find yourself and will be given a housing allowance based on area of assignment. Some of the communities that travel nurses are placed in include gyms, pools, spas and clubhouses. You can even travel with your spouse, children or pets. Depending on your needs your agency will help you obtain the housing that you need to suit your lifestyle.

Retirement Plans:

Most agencies will offer you some kind of retirement plan, a 401K or something of that nature. You will want to see if the agency you work matches your contributions.

Medical, Dental and Eye Insurance:

Most of the top agencies will offer you medical, dental and eye insurance at no cost to you. Your dependent coverage will depend on the company and is usually available for a minimal fee. You are usually offered a choice of plans that you can choose from that will suit your lifestyle and needs.

Top Rate Pays:

As a traveling nurse you will be opened up to a higher pay level then if you where a non-travel nurse. As a traveling nurse you can obtain hourly pay up to $60.00 per hour depending on the assignment and the location of the assignment.

Sign on Bonuses:

Depending on the type of assignment available and the demand for the position to be filled some facilities will offer a sign on bonus. A sign on bonus can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars easy. Some agencies will even offer you a sign on bonus to sign on with their agencies. As the needs in the nursing field grow more agencies are looking to fill positions.

Completion Bonus:

Although not as common as the sign on bonuses some agencies will offer a completion bonus for when you complete an assignment.

Referral Bonus:

Some agencies also offer their employees a referral bonus when they have someone sign up with the agency and say that their employee referred them to the agency. Sign on bonuses can range from a hundred to a thousand dollars. Some agencies have even offered more for their referral bonuses.

categories General

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All about photography and your Italy Vacation

Taking pictures when you go on vacation is extremely important. It will allow you to re-visit all those fond memories and also make for great conversation pieces when you return home. On your Italian vacation there will be many opportunities to take tons of pictures. The country is famous for its beautiful architecture, amazing landscapes and friendly people. There is a photo opportunity every corner you turn. You will want to remember what the Vatican looked like when you first saw it or the huge Colosseum. If you visit Tuscany, you will see architecture at its best and you will be able to take pictures of all the wonderful buildings and structures like the leaning tower of Pisa. Even quaint chapels and little Old Italian ladies make for perfect shots that cannot be missed during your vacation to Italy. There are a few things to remember if you want to be able to take great shots each time.

Make sure your subject matter is within the frame of your shot. You must always check the corners and edges in the shot before you click. This will reduce the chances of amateur mistakes like missing top halves of heads. Also look for patterns and symmetry especially when shooting buildings on your Italy vacation. For example if you are taking a picture of a street scene, try to have all the buildings in your shot on an angle. Simple patterns and simple subjects also make for beautiful shots especially when you use natural light.

The best times to shoot for the best shots are early in the morning or late in the day. This is because film or digital sensors in digital cameras are much more sensitive to light than your eyes so what may seem to be a normal bright day could show up in your prints as too bright and washed over. You will do best to also always make sure the light is behind you unless you are shooting people. If you take pictures of people who are looking into the sun you end up with squinted eyes in your pictures. You can also avoid this by taking pictures early morning or late in the day when the sun is not as powerful.

Another technique to use for your photographs during your Italian vacation is to change your point of view from the subject. For example shots looking up usually turn out beautiful so try taking some pictures on your knees. Other variations include taking close ups rather than always trying to get too much into the frame of the picture. Also, to make for some great photography during your Italy vacation, try one of the most powerful techniques that professional photographers use. Avoid placing all your subjects in the middle of your frame. Have the subject on an edge or in a corner and click. It is important to remember that even amateurs can take great looking pictures and an Italian vacation presents tremendous opportunities to practice taking pictures.

categories Vacation

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The Disadvantages of Being a Traveling Nurse

As a traveling nurse you will need to be able to adapt to your surroundings quickly. Since s/he will be traveling to new areas and dealing with different jobs on each assignment the traveling nurse accepts this is one very important draw backs to the job if you are not able to adapt quickly.

Since nursing deals a lot with interaction to patients and your co-workers if you are a shy person then meeting new people constantly may also be a drawback. If you take a long time to build a good working interaction with your co-workers becoming a traveling nurse may be a drawback.

As a traveling nurse you need to be able to adjust to out of the ordinary situations and the unexpected. If you like and are more comfortable in surroundings that you know and are familiar with then a career as a traveling nurse may not be the wise choice for you as you are constantly changing your surroundings. When you travel things can go wrong, no mater how much you have planned no matter how much detail you have put into your plans the unexpected will happen. If you are uncomfortable dealing with problems that can arise during travels then you may want to look into a more contemporary nursing job. If you love the security of home life a traveling nurse moves around a lot and their home is in various parts of the country while they are employed by different assignments.

If you are the type of person who likes to be close to their family and can not deal with being away from their family for long periods of times then you need to be aware that a traveling nurse can be gone for roughly 6 week periods of time to much longer. A typical assignment lasts from 6 weeks on up to 52 weeks. The one plus to this is that you can choose your assignments and choose the places you are willing to relocate so if you wish to only go a matter of a few hours away or 2 days away the choice is yours to accept an assignment or not.

Another draw back is that you are on call usually 24 hours a day because you are living on site, or if you are on a cruise ship assignment your services will be rendered as needed. For people who wish to work a set schedule this can sometimes be upsetting to them mentally and physically.

There is sometimes even co-worker resentment to deal with. When a co-worker finds out you are a traveling nurse they know you are being paid higher for the same work that they are doing. This sometimes leads to resentment awkward working situations. The best way to deal with situations like this is to be pleasant and helpful and to understand that you are there to do a job. A lot of times it will even have a non traveling nurse look into becoming a traveling nurse.
Lastly one of biggest drawbacks is dealing with two employers.

The agency you work for and the facility that hired the agency to place a nurse in their employ. Sometimes the provisions in your contract with your agency will conflict with the regulations that the facility is trying to have you work.

categories General

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