Top 10 Ways to Save Money When Youre Traveling

With all of the costs of getting to wherever you are going, wouldnt it be nice to actually learn how to save money when youre there? Besides hunting for the best tickets and times to travel, you also need to learn about how to make the most of every dollar/rupee/yen/euro/etc. when youre actually there.

1. Learn the exchange rate This seems like common sense, but knowing the exchange rate will allow you to tell when youre paying too much or at least more than you want to be spending.

2. Make a budget By just setting yourself a limit on what you can spend each day, youll start to subconsciously limit yourself.

3. Make it a game If youre traveling with someone, try to make it a game to see who can spend the least amount of money. Youll be surprised at what you can do.

4. Walk Instead of paying for transportation and taxis, why not get a little exercise and save money at the same time? Or, you can always walk part of the way and pay for the rest at a much lesser fee than you would have with the whole route.

5. Eat where the locals eat Think about it. When youre at home, you have certain places that you eat because theyre good and theyre cheap. So do people in other countries.

6. Take some risks Head into the smaller stores that you find but arent all that crowded. You will find beautiful things at lower prices because theyre not catering to the tourists that are going to be there.

7. Talk to locals When youre interested in something, talk to the locals about where you might be able to find it. You will learn things that you wouldnt get out of your guidebook as well as where these activities are cheaper.

8. Dont drink your money away Try to limit your alcohol wherever you can or save it for a few special days. Its easy to spend too much.

9. Choose one thing And then spend a lot of money on that. If youre heading to Italy, for example, you might want to save your money up for a day of shopping, but be thrifty the rest of the time.

10. You only live once When all else fails, just spend a little more than you thought that you would. You arent going to be there everyday, so why not make the most of it when you are?

Matt Reider is the manager of http://www.CanuckAbroad.com, a site for finding cheap flights, talking with other budget travelers and finding out everything you need to know before going abroad.

The Key To House Training A Puppy

No Dog training means more to most new puppy owners than that first important lesson: Not in the House!

Teaching your Dog to go to the toilet outside the home, not in it, usually starts between six and eight weeks of age. Dogs as young as four weeks old, have been started on the house training, but at such a young age, a puppy is unlikely to have enough muscle control.

Like any dog training, the trainers patience is as important as the dog's temperament. 'Sit', 'stay' and other behaviours can often be learned in a few days. 'Potty' training can take weeks - sometimes as short as two, often a month or more.

As with other learned behaviours, you should look for signs of the impending action, then enforce and direct them with a voice command followed by praise. In this case the technique works to the trainer's advantage, since all dogs will naturally go to the toilet. The trick is to get them to do it when and where you want!

Look for signs such as circling or squatting, then pick up the pup, say 'outside' and hurry outside. The puppy may circle some more, but will often squat immediately. As it begins, say quickly (or some other phrase) in a clear, firm (but not angry) voice. Wait until the puppy finished and give lots of praise.

You won't always be able to catch the puppy about to begin, but don't become angry or impatient when the dog goes to the toilet indoors. It takes time for the dog to learn to tell you it's time to 'go outside'. It also takes time for the muscles needed to control bladder and bowels to develop.

Young dogs need to go to the toilet every 2-3 hours, on average. If you haven't spotted evacuation behaviour within that time, take the dog outside anyway. Issue the command 'quickly and wait. At first, usually, the dog will have no clue what you want.

Again, even when outside, it helps to wait and watch for the desired behaviour then issue the command. That helps the dog associate the command with the behaviour. If the dog hasn't gone after a few minutes and a few 'quickly' commands, take it back inside for an hour. Of course, if you spot the pre-toilet behaviour in less time, go outside again immediately.

Dogs have a surprising ability to quickly learn what their 'alpha' (the leader of the pack) wants. This is almost always accomplished by associating a verbal command with behaviour, followed by praise. Punishment is usually counter-productive, and nowhere more so than in toilet training. Never rub a dog's nose in waste.

Paper and/or crate training is preferred by some. A pup can be trained to go on a newspaper, or on one of the chemically treated puppy pads designed for the purpose. Some small breeds that live all day in the home may not need to go outside at all.

The technique has a couple of down sides however. Unlike cats, dogs will rarely go in a perfumed litter box. Newspapers (even with the top layer removed after the dog goes) will eventually create an unpleasant smell in the house.

Also, long before the odour becomes unattractive to humans, dogs can smell their own distinctive aroma. They don't find it unattractive - quite the opposite. And that's the problem.

Dogs that are paper trained will often prefer to eliminate indoors. Sometimes they'll miss the paper by only an inch, creating a mess to clean up.

Once the odour is in the carpet, the dog will often seek that spot out as its proper 'place to go'. This makes training the dog to go to the toilet outside even more difficult. Best to suffer a few accidents than to create a hard-to-overcome habit.

Patience, praise and consistency are the keys to any dog training. Elimination training is the first test for you and your dog.

Terry King runs Parcel Pets - http://www.pets2home.co.uk/cat--Training-Aids--TRAINING_AIDS.html - a leading UK pet supplies web site and has had pets all his life. He lives with his wife Louise, dog Sam, Cat Sabrina and 5 fish!