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Topic
: Travel
Here
are a few general travel and security tips, that are recommended by almost
every experienced traveler:
Before you leave home Make sure your passport is
current. Many countries require that a passport has at least 6 months
before expiration before allowing to enter their country (even for short
stays). Check individual country visa requirements. Some countries have
changing visa requirements depending on security issues. Make a photocopy
of your passport and visas before you leave (this could also apply for
tickets, traveler's cheques, etc). Keep them with you, but separate them
from your actual passport. You should also leave a copy with a family
member or the travel agent. Be familiar with the local laws of the country
you are visiting - when you are in a foreign country, you are subject to
the laws of that country.
Security Blend in as much as possible and avoid
looking like a tourist. Especially be careful at airports, bus and train
stations, since there theft appears quite frequently. Pickpockets operate
in places with dense crowds. Avoid walking close to the street traffic on
sidewalks, as passing motorbike thieves often snatch handbags.
Some basic information for travelers to:
Serbia
 Area: 88,361 km²
Capital: Belgrade, with almost
2 million inhabitants.
The alphabet: In Serbia are almost in
equal use both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabet.
Currency: The
Dinar is the official currency in Serbia. 1 dinar = 100 para. Coins: 50
para, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 Dinars. Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500,
1000 and 5000 Dinars. 1 Euro is about 87 Dinars (February 2006).
Language: The official language is Serbian.
Power supply
voltage: 220 V
Telephone: The country code is +381. Area
codes of some major Serbian cities: Belgrade - 011, Niš - 018, Novi Sad -
021, Kragujevac - 034, Pirot - 010. To call from Yugoslavia: dial 99 + the
code of the desired country + the code for the city.
Important
phone numbers: Police 92, Fire service 93, Medical emergency 94.
Time zone: GMT + 1
Opening hours: Banks and post
offices are open usually from 8 am to 7 pm on workdays, on Saturdays from
8 am to 3 pm. In Belgrade and other larger cities in Serbia, some banks
and post offices are open even on Sundays. Supermarkets and other food
selling stores are open usually from 6 am to 8 pm. Other stores are open
from 8 am to 8 pm. On Sundays, they are closed. There are some stores that
are open 24 hours.
Visas: Since the 1.6.2003 visas for a stay in
Serbia and Montenegro up to 90 days have been abolished for all types of
travel documents for citizens of the following countries: Germany, France,
Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Ireland,
Spain, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland,
Norway, Iceland, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Vatican, Andorra, San Marino,
Israel, Cyprus, Malta, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia,
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Croatia, the United States of America, Canada,
Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
More info
about Serbia at http://www.serbia-tourism.org/ and about Belgrade at the
Tourist
Organization of Belgrade (TOB) website.
Cyprus 
Population: 760 000 (including turkish part)
Capital: Nicosia (also called Lefkosia).
The
alphabet: The Greek alphabet. Signs in towns and cities usually appear
in Greek and English, but in the villages familiarity with Greek can be
useful.
Currency: The Cyprus Pound (CY£), devided into 100
cents, is the official currency in Cyprus. Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20
cents. Banknotes: 1, 5 and 10 CY£.
Language: The official
languages are Greek and Turkish. The written Greek in Cyprus conforms with
that of Greece, but the spoken language is archaic.
Telephone:
The country code is +357. Area codes of main Cypriot cities: Nicosia - 02,
Limassol - 05, Larnaca - 04, Paphos - 06, Ayia Napa - 03.
Time
zone: GMT + 2
Opening hours: Post offices work usually 8
am-1.30 pm. Monday to Friday. Banks, in general, work from 8.15 am-12.30
pm. Nearly all shops open 8 am-1 pm and 4-7 pm. .
More info about
Cyprus at http://www.cyprustourism.org/cyprus.html.
Greece  Area: 131957 km²
Population: 10.964.020 (2001 -
census)
Capital: Athens (3.2 million inhabitants - 2001)
Language: The official language is Greek.
Currency:
Euro (since Jan. 2001)
Electric current: 220
Volt
Telephone: The country code for Greece is 0030. OTE is the
national telecom organization and its offices are open from 8 a.m. to 2
p.m. Telecards can be purchased from kiosks and OTE offices.
Time
Zone: GMT + 2
More info about Greece at the GNTO Website.
Malta 
Capital: Valletta
Area: 315,6 km²
Population:
382 000 (in 2000)
Language: The official languages are Maltese
and English.
Currency: 1 Maltese Lira (Lm) = 100 Cents (c) =
1000 Mils (m)
Electric current: 240 Volt
Time zone:
GMT + 1 (CET)
Telephone: The country code for Malta is +356.
More info about Malta at http://www.visitmalta.com/.
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