PayPal - Make your payments go through

PayPal is used every day by millions of people around the world to make payments or receive money. It is considered one of the most secure online means of payment, security being the #1 priority for PayPal.
PayPal has in place a very complex security system which analysis every transaction and recognizes patterns that could result in some kind of fraud. Occasionally, your transaction may be blocked even if there is no reason to be. This can be very frustrating especially when you have to make an urgent transfer like for paying some goods, or making a booking.

I’ll give some advice of how you can improve your credibility and make you payment to pass through.

First, you start by adding a new credit card. Then, you have to confirm it. For this, PayPal will withdraw a small amount from your credit card and provide you a 4-digit PIN. You can wait for the PIN to appear on your bank statements, although it may take a while. The fastest way to get your PIN is either to check your Internet banking account, or to call the bank customer service at the phone number on your credit card and ask for the PayPal PIN.

You also have to make sure that your credit card is activated for online payments. Some banks reject online transactions considering them as insecure. You may need to sign some forms with your bank.

You may be familiar with the error message “This transaction cannot be completed…” and may ask yourself what is wrong with your transaction. Trying to contact the PayPal customer support will not necessarily solve your problem. They are not always able to give you the exact reasons your transaction is being refused or override the security parameters in order to allow your payment go through. However, PayPal customer care is very professional and will get in touch with you very quickly.

Advice #1: Use a private email provider, instead of a public one for the primary email address in your PayPal account. Try to use your email address you received from work, school etc. and not a public Yahoo, Gmail, or Hotmail address.

If you have other advice, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

Piers Morgan Tonight - a new show on CNN

A new interview show featuring the British TV star Piers Morgan will premiere on CNN on January 17. The new program will be aired in the same time slot as was Larry King Live (weeknights 9pm ET/PT). "Piers Morgan Tonight" will replace Larry King Live after Larry retired from doing the show. Larry King Live is the longest running show on TV, on the same channel, on the same time and with the same presenter. Larry will continue to appear occasionally and host special editions.
Piers Morgan Tonight is expected to have provocative, unpredictable, lively and fun interviews. Piers Morgan himself promises "every night to be an event" as he will "interview the most important people in the world".
With an outstanding journalism career, Piers Morgan redefines the art of the interview with his new show.
A series of promos are already airing on CNN announcing the new show. Also, see "Piers Morgan Tonight" Blog.
The premiere guest on Piers Morgan Tonight on Monday, Jan. 17 will be the legendary host Oprah Winfrey. Other announced guests include Howard Stern, Condoleezza Rice, Ricky Gervais, George Clooney and his father Nick Clooney, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Kid Rock, Rod Stewart, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Donald and Melania Trump. 
As the premiere approaches a video featuring the staff and the crew behind the show, and also the theme song of Piers Morgan Tonight was released on the show blog. 

 

Here you can find out what time Piers Morgan Tonight will air in your country:

Asia Pacific
New Delhi 5.30pm
Bangkok/ Jakarta 7.00pm
Hong Kong/ Singapore/ Kuala Lumpur/ Taipei/ Beijing/ Manila 8.00pm
Tokyo/ Seoul 9.00pm
Sydney 11.00pm
Auckland 3pm
Latin America
Bogotá              9pm
Brasilia             12am
Buenos Aires     11pm
Mexico City       8pm
Panama City     9pm
EMEA
London 8pm
Abuja / Berlin / Paris 9pm
Cairo / Johannesburg 10pm
Nairobi / Moscow / Doha 11pm
Dubai 12am

Train Connections from Fiumicino to central Rome

If you're planning a trip to the Eternal City of Rome, Italy, you'll probably land on Leonardo da Vinci - Fiumicino Airport. Fiumicino Airport (FCO) is the the Italy's greatest airport with over 35 mn. passengers served each year, and 35 km form Rome's historic center. Several train connection to Rome are available, depending on the time and the budged you have.

1. Leodardo Express
The Leonardo Express is the fastest, but the most expensive way to get in central Rome. With departures at every 30 minutes, it connects Fiumicino Airport with Termini Station in only 31 minutes with no intermediate stops. The fare is 14 euro.The first departure from Roma Termini is at 5.52 and from Fiumicino at 6.36. The last departure from the airport is at 23.36 and from Roma Termini at 22.52.

2. Regional Train (FR1)
The FR1 metropolitan service connects Fiumicino Airport with the stations of Roma Trastevere, Roma Ostiense, Roma Tuscolana and Roma Tiburtina. Roma Ostiense and Rome Tiburtina Stations have connections with metro (subway) line B, while Roma Tuscolana is connected with line A. This train does not stop in Termini Station. Departures are every 15 minutes and the fare is 8 euro. Speaking about metro, you should know that Rome has a quite simple metro system, with only two lines - A and B -  which intersect each other in Termini Station.

3. Trick for Regional  Train


Now, for those who are on a budget - I mean those who REALLY are - there's a trick to travel with less then 3 euro (2.90 euro more precisely) from airport to central Rome. It sounds good, doesn't it? Here's what you have to do: instead of buying one ticket on FR1 from Fiumicino to a Rome station, buy one ticket from Fiumicino to Parco Leonardo, and one from Parco Leonardo to a train station in Rome. The service is actually the same FR1, but you'll have to get off at the first station which is Parco Leonardo, validate the second ticket, and then take the next train.

Don't forget to validate your ticket before boarding the train in order to avoid an ugly fine.

Have a nice & safe journey!

Here you can find a map which includes all metro & railway stations in and around Rome.

Also, here are the best tourist guides for visiting Rome.

Tips for Finding Cheap Accomodation

Do you like to travel a lot? Are you searching for cheap apartments in the heart of European capitals like Rome, Paris, London, or Prague? You can choose to stay in a small hotel room, or... rent a large apartment directly from the owner. As mentioned in a previous post, you can make use of one of the many websites which publish vacations rentals offers. Private holiday rentals are a good choice for many tourists as they offer great value for less money.
The most well-known websites to find a holiday rental are HomeAway and Homelidays.
HomeAway is the world’s most trusted vacation rental website with over 230,000 vacation rentals to choose from, while Homelidays is N°1 in Europe for private holiday rentals, 216.000 holiday makers visiting the site every day. There is a wide range of accommodations to choose from, and, as you can see, there are a lot of tourists who search on this websites meaning that you can find high quality renters.
Check these websites even if you book late as you will find many last-minute offers.

How to rent a property on Homelidays or HomeAway?

1. The first step is to create an account. You will need this in order to view full details of the adverts and to contact the owners.

2. Use the search form to find a property of your liking. You can choose its type (studio, apartment, house/villa etc.), the number of people it can accommodate, the availability period, and, of course, the location. In addition to these, you can perform a more advanced search based on criteria such as the price, numbers of rooms, bedrooms, amenities, location type, leisure activities, and special requirements (children, accessibility, pets, smoking etc.).


3. Review as many adverts as you can. When viewing an offer, you should look at its location on the map to see where it is situated and how far it is from the main attractions of the place you're visiting. I'd rather prefer central locations because I will not have to spent time and money on public transport.  Look also at the price (can you afford it?) and the methods of payment accepted by the owner. Many owners require to send them a booking fee via PayPal or bank transfer and pay the rest at arrival. Some will charge a cleaning fee and hold a deposit for eventual damages. Apart from location and price, you need to like it - see the photos and read the feedback from tourists who stayed there.

4. Send an email to the owner (you can do this directly form the page by clicking 'Contact the owner') and ask for availability and the exact price. Don't hesitate to ask for any details you want to know.

5. Make an agreement with the owner. You agree on the payment, check-in, check-out etc. Ask for his/her phone number and the property address.

Enjoy your holiday!

Things to Know When Visiting London

Welcome to Smart Life!

London is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This is a guide to help you preparing your trip in London.

Which is the best time of the year for visiting London?

You can visit Lnodon anytime during the year. However, visiting London in September or May is a very good choice. During summer the city will be full of tourists.

How to travel to London?

The most convenient way to come in London is by plane. Check for low-cost airlines. You could find round-trip tickets under $100. From the airport you can take EasyBus which offers transfers to Central London for only £2. In order to get the best rates for your tickets, book at least two months in advance.

Where to stay?

My advice is to stay central. You'll not only be minutes of walking away from main attractions, but you'll also save a lot of time and money needed for transport. Transport in London is not very cheap. Trafalgar Square is a very good location. There are to options when choosing accommodation in London. The first is to stay in a hotel. You can find good rates on Booking.com. The other option is to rent an apartment. In this case,  you can buy food from supermarket and cook it at home.  Try http://www.homelidays.co.uk and http://www.homeaway.com/ for good holiday rentals.

How many days to stay in London?

There are many places to visit and activities to do in London. I recommend to spend at least 6 days in London.

Enjoy your time in London! 

KRTEEDHPN7AK