Aug/090
International Freight Carriers: What Do They Do?
Companies are now expanding their business operations to attract customers from all over the world. This has lead to an increase in businesses shipping items to many places throughout the world. The result of an increase in international shipping has been an increased demand for International Freight Carriers.
International freight shipping involves shipping cargo by air and sea to other countries. International freight carriers are responsible for shipping items and cargo to their international destinations. For transporting freight internationally, special planes assigned to shipping cargo are used. If the cargo is too heavy or big for a cargo plane, then a cargo ship is used. Sometimes a plane may be prohibited from carrying a particular type of cargo, so a transport ship is used. Shipping by boat will take longer. It is cheaper, but if one is on a delivery deadline, it may not be a good choice.
International freight carriers are involved with importing and exporting goods and materials from a variety of countries. International shipments normally involve a number of carriers that includes freight forwarders and air freight agents. They handle any legal requirements for importing and exporting goods to other countries. They implement a step-by-step shipment process, usually with freight forwarding companies, that involves providing logistical support, assembling items for International shipment, weighing freight and measuring the size to determine shipment costs, arranging for space to ship the cargo, arranging pertinent documentation for customs clearance, preparing international documentation such as the shipper's export declaration, commercial invoice, bill of lading, and other documents required by the importing and exporting country.
They are also responsible for loading and unloading freight and keeping their clients informed about the status of their shipment. The International freight carrier relies on freight forwarding companies to make sure that all those involved in the shipment process are informed and operating efficiently to ensure the freight arrives on time and in the same condition as when it left.
International Air Freight Agents are involved in the importing and exporting of cargo by airplane, particularly cargo plane. Airline companies pay them a fee to arrange and carry out the shipment of cargo internationally. Tasks that are involved include arranging inbound and out bound shipments, receiving the payment from the customer, preparing for the shipment that includes arranging for space weighing and measuring the cargo, assembling the appropriate documentation, loading the cargo, and unloading the cargo at its destination.
International freight carriers can transport a variety of types of cargo or specialize in a particular item such as farm machinery. Carriers are responsible for ensuring that items that are banned in a country are not shipped to that country. Many international air freight carriers will offer discounts on a certain volume of cargo being shipped.
International freight shipping is a complicated process that requires an efficient system of people involved in ensuring items arrive safely and undamaged. International air freight carriers take the aggravation out of shipping items to other countries. They are experts in their field and can answer any of their clients questions. International air freight carriers make expanding a business internationally much easier and more affordable.
Aug/090
Experience South America by Car
Have you ever wanted to experience South America the way that the native people experience it? Native inhabitance stay off the beaten path and go places that most tourist just don't get to take advantage of. Well, you to could experience South American this way through car travel.
You want to travel to South America but you are worried about means of transportation when you get there. What do you do? Well, you have several options: you can choose to figure it out when you get there and travel by bus, train, shuttle, etc., or you can rent a car. Most are nervous about traveling to a new country to begin with, and then they are faced with the problem of getting around when they arrive. Some consider it foolhardy to head to South America with no transportation plan, and to just improvise upon arrival. Others see no problem with it. Those who think that it is a risk they are not willing to take will want to know how to secure a rental car before arriving. They will also worry about the driving rules and regulations of South America, but this worry can be averted with a small amount of research. It is important to think ahead and set things up early so you do not run into problems when you arrive. Many underestimate the complexity of the process, and do not know what to do when they arrive. Most important, other than car rental, is awareness. Driving in South America is not considered a particularly safe or easy task so being aware of the situation is a very big deal.
Getting the rental car is very simple and there are plenty of resources available on the internet to help you work through any problems that may arrive. All you need to do is find a website which provides rental cars to travelers. Log on to the site and let them know when you need the car for and where you would like to pick it up. That being said, you will have to provide some information to the site so that they can go through all of their procedures and hold the car for you. On the other hand, it could be a lot more difficult to arrange a rental when you arrive. Locating a rental company in an area that you are not familiar with can be a real headache and hard to find.
Finally, make sure you are always switched on when traveling by car in South America. Many roads have been partly-destroyed or damaged, or are covered in hazardous obstacles which are usually natural but occasionally are man-made. Some parts of South America have man-made obstacles to slow drivers down but they are usually not marked which leaves them hard to see, especially at night. Driving at night is never recommended because you never know what to expect on the roads in an area you are not familiar with. Day driving should be limited not only because of the hazards that will be found all over the country but also because urban traffic can be heavy and chaotic. Bearing in mind the points made above, having a car can still be more beneficial than relying on public transportation. As long as the rides are short then you will enjoy having the freedom to travel where you want when you want to.
Be sure to make it easy on yourself and book your rental ahead of time. Always be aware and careful when driving a rental car. Make sure to plan your route ahead of time and head straight to your destination. Driving around South America aimlessly is only going to lead to accidents!
Aug/090
The Cu Chi Tunnels of Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. A destination known for its famous war with the Americans throughout the 1960's until 1975. Learn all about what life was like in the jungle with an interesting visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels, located 70 km from downtown.
In the heart of the jungle, 200km of tunnels were well hidden from American soldiers. Originally built to protect the Vietnamese from French air strikes in the lat 1940's to 1950's, they were re-used during the 60's as a staging ground for attacks on American troops.
The American's knew they were there, they just couldn't find them. Not for lack of trying however. Agent Orange, napalm and constant bombing was used to try to find the tunnels that had eluded them. The jungle was completely wiped out and barren. It had been ruined by man, but Mother Nature's is a strong entity and with time has healed herself and it is now lush and green.
If you are lucky, you may receive a first hand account from a former Vietnamese soldier. Guides will tell you stories of their time in the war and can give you information on intimate details of the war that took place in this jungle. If you listen carefully, you can learn a great deal about history.
You will learn all about how the Vietnamese managed to defeat the powerful Americans. They fought on their home turf being the jungle and they used it to their advantage. Cave entrances were hidden by placing termite hills over top. To throw off their scent to guide dogs, they would sprinkle cayenne pepper confusing the animal. Even if the soldiers managed to find and opening, they were tiny and made for the slight Vietnamese frame. U.S. soldiers would have to blast a hole alerting any inhabitants that they have been found. With 200 km of caves to disappear in, it wasn't likely that they would be caught.
When they did manage to make their way into the tunnels, they were greeted with booby traps. False floors caused the enemy to fall into a bed of sharpened bamboo poles. Spikes were placed on the floors and traps were set everywhere. You had to know your way around the tunnel to escape injury.
There were other tactics besides the tunnels that offered the Vietnamese an advantage against the United States. Surprisingly, foot rot was a major problem with U.S. soldiers. The heat and humidity of the rain forest caused sores, rotting flesh and infection. When your major form of battle is to walk through the jungle this can be a serious problem. Instead of wearing boots, the Viet Cong wore rubber sandals made from tires. They are well constructed and durable and you can see them for yourself. If you want to try them out, buy a pair for a nominal fee.
Life was difficult in the tunnels and they lived in them for years at a time. They contained functioning kitchens, hospitals and sleeping quarters. They managed to survive underground dealing with the elements. Some rooms were very spacious, but mostly the passageways were very tight being no more than a meter high. Malaria ran rampant and the unsanitary conditions caused infection and illness. Not only did they have to deal with American bombing and fighting, they had to deal with deadly snakes and spiders underground.
Your tour will take you to all of the different types of living quarters and rooms. It is a comfortable tour and the tunnel walls have even been blasted out to make it larger and more comfortable for tourists. However, there are still some original entrances available to be explored and you will have the opportunity to go into an original tunnel yourself and crawl for 150 meters experiencing what it was like during the war.
First you will have to enter through a small hole in the ground. This is enough to make many tourists chicken out. Some people won't even be able to fit inside and will not even have the option to go. But if you can manage to squeeze through, be sure to do so. You will have the one true experience of the day, feeling what it actually must have been like for a soldier to crawl through this claustrophobic space.
During your tour you will learn little tricks like how the Viet Cong tracked U.S. soldiers by following these fascinating plants that actually pointed in the direction that people walked. As you brush by, the leaves of the plants curl in the direction that you are heading. A dead giveaway for the unsuspecting American soldier. You will try to food of the Viet Cong and you will visit different rooms that were camouflaged above ground, learning all about how the Vietnamese kept themselves from being discovered.
Once you have learned all there is to know and if you are feeling like doing your best Rambo impersonation, you can go to the firing range and fire various guns from AK 47's to automatic rifles, giving you your complete war experience.
Visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels will definitely give you a feeling as to what life was like during the Vietnam War. It is unbelievable to think that these tunnels remained in tact through two major wars. One with the French and one with the Americans. If you are visiting Ho Chi Minh, they are certainly worth a visit.