Travel tips:
Planning to Travel Abroad? (Budapest, Hungary)
Leave These Items at Home!
by: Kathy Steinemann


Anyone who travels regularly is aware of luggage and carry-on restrictions post 9-11. However, if you travel abroad, there are other considerations to keep in mind. No foreign country wants undesirable insects, rodents, or diseases to infiltrate their population via border crossings.

Before reading further, remember that if you have outstanding police warrants or a criminal record, you should probably forget about foreign travel. Period.

* What NOT to Take With You *

Regulations vary by country. The snacks you pack for a domestic flight may not pass customs inspection for an overseas destination. Start with a good dose of 'common sense' and you will quickly realize why most of the items on the following list are not permitted:

- Beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages that have been opened

- Pets without appropriate vaccination certificates

- Native wildlife

- Weapons - or toys and other items that look like weapons

- Big game bagged while on your safari or hunting trip

- Prescription drugs without an accompanying doctor's prescription

- Drugs, vitamins, or nutritional supplements with unreadable labels

- Illegal drugs or paraphernalia - *DEATH PENALTY* in some countries

- Potted houseplants, seeds, soil, pebbles, or sand

- Natural products like seashells, pieces of coral reef, whalebone

- Uncooked pork, poultry, beef, and other meat or animal products

- Unprocessed or uncooked vegetables, fruits, tubers, roots, etc.

- Hay, straw, oats, and similar items

- Any other natural products that may harbor diseases or pests

- Fireworks and incendiary devices

- Clothing and souvenirs manufactured with any of the above products

Some prohibited articles may be allowed with appropriate permits or certification. If you don't know for sure - don't pack them or bring them back home with you.

* What you MUST Take With You *

Imagine your chagrin should you go through customs on your return trip and discover that you must pay duty on your laptop computer, digital camera, and jewelry - even though you purchased them in your own country prior to your trip. Yes, it can - and does - happen. Protect yourself!

Pack copies of documents such as sales receipts, credit card statements, insurance policies, and appraisals for all valuable items to prove ownership and purchase date - especially for anything that looks like new.

No receipts or paperwork? Take a picture of each item next to a newspaper that plainly displays a readable date. Note the serial number(s) with each photo. Keep all photos and paperwork in a safe place along with your passport and other important documents. They will be invaluable when you fill in customs declarations - both leaving and returning.

* Do Your Homework *

Spend some time doing research on the internet before you travel. You should be able to find a government or embassy website that provides the regulations online. Do searches such as:
- customs regulations Hungary

- customs regulations France

- customs regulations Spain

- customs regulations Brazil

- customs regulations USA

Advance investigation may save you considerable time, money, and effort as you pass through each border crossing.

Be aware! The resulting peace of mind will make your holiday much more enjoyable.

Whats The Future of Air Travel? Budapest - Ferihegy Airport(BUD)

by: Auckland Alvin Semper Jr



Air travel is great when it works, when it doesn't, it's a nightmare. It is safe for infants, even newborns and no matter where you're going, it seems air travel is an essential part of your trip. One reason why there is such fast growth is that air travel was under-priced until higher fuel prices came along but yet demand for air travel is at its highest levels since 9/11. It is governed by International, European and Domestic legislation and even private corporate air travel is now accessible. Traveling by air is the fastest way to travel but it is still very tiresome but is frequently the most practical method of covering the large distances between sights around the world. A century after the very first flight, air travel is no longer a miracle, it's something we all now take for granted. Commercial air travel is a comfortable, speedy and a safe means of transport like buses in the sky.

This pattern is not seen for all airlines in all regions. Aloha Airlines received the fewest complaints for any airlines recently. Different airlines have different policies but they all make them as safe and profitable as possible. When it comes to prices now a days, the best deals are offered by Aeroflot, Quantas Airlines, Japan Airlines and Southwest Airlines. More and more airlines are cutting out a lot of their business class air travel and sticking with just coach and first class flights because business travel is way down. Some airlines are better than others at providing a quality air travel experience but there are so many flights to chose from. That's why the member airlines of the Air Transport Association have set forth their commitment to improving air travel and making it as safe as can be.

With the geography of aviation and airports, air travel is a fascinating subject since it involves the immediate movement of people around the globe. Canada's new government announces increased security measures for airports and air travel. European airports are handling the second largest air travel market in the world and are talking positively about their future. Whether on a domestic or a multinational trip, airports really can save you money. All airports in the United States are certainly focused on optimizing safety because millions of people are moving through our airports every day of the week.

Be smart while you travel: Make sure you follow travel safety tips while you are on your trip.The Airport Authority always offers tips for travelers and you should always follow them for smooth traveling.

Air travel is still growing and the key to successful air travel is planning, preparation and communication because it is such big business and can easily become a nightmare.

Happy Traveling

Dental surgery in Hungary

Want Hollywood teeth for a quarter of the price? We join the dental tourists for some incisor trading in Hungary

Chris Haslam

This year, more than 25,000 Britons will take cheap flights to Budapest for bargain dental work. Another few thousand will come for cut-price cosmetic surgery (breast implants £710 a piece) or lasik corrective surgery (just £285 per eye). The Hungarian capital, long used to peddling itself as a city of “wellness”, has embraced medical tourism, just as Bratislava laps up lager-swilling halfwits. But jetting off for a weekend of cheap boozing is easy. Coming to an eastern European city for complicated restorative dental surgery is a different matter altogether.
Still, with many restorative treatments, such as implants, unavailable on the NHS, and private treatment costing so much that practices offer payment plans like mortgage schemes, it’s easy to see why so many of us are turning to dentists of foreign extraction. I needed a couple of fillings and a crown replaced – work that my north London dentist said would set me back £750. The Kreativ clinic, in Budapest, quoted £266. Return flights and car parking brought the total to £352 – still a bargain. But was it safe?
After a childhood of abuse at the hands of butchers who drilled and filled for NHS cash, I’d developed a healthy fear of free-world dentistry. Yet here I was, far behind the former Iron Curtain, about to have my Hampsteads treated by men whose fathers probably knew Stalin. When I got to the clinic, first impressions compounded the fear. I’d been hoping for a glamorous, city-centre location; what I got was an autoparts shop, deep in the Buda ’burbs.
“We arrive,” announced the driver. A shaven-headed man in oil-stained overalls held open the door. He didn’t smile. Passing through the parts shop, I noticed angle-grinders, torque wrenches and socket sets, but as I climbed the stairs, the terror began to subside. Here was an ultramodern surgery – similar to an upmarket British clinic – staffed by bustling, white-clad nurses and a busy team of multilingual dentists.
“My clients come from the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and Holland,” said the practice’s owner, Attila Knott, aka Attila the Gum, “and we don’t advertise.” In 2004, Kreativ was treating about 16 Britons a month. Three years later, word-of-mouth recommendations have pushed that to more than 100, with similar numbers arriving from other northern European nations.
Next month sees the opening of the biggest clinic in Budapest: six floors of architect-designed glass and steel, comprising six surgeries, a training centre, a laboratory, digital x-ray machines and a rooftop cafe bar. Attila was showing me the plans when a glamorous blonde sashayed past. “You need to meet this woman,” he said.
Mary O’Connor came to Kreativ in November 2005 with a mouth “like Swiss cheese” – the result of a lifetime of poor dentistry. She consulted private dentists in London and Dublin, receiving estimates of £45,000 to £60,000. So she came to Budapest.
“I’ve had seven implants and 26 porcelain crowns,” she said, smiling like a toothpaste commercial. “And the treatment cost just over £10,000, plus £400 for flights.”
According to Dr Endre Lantos, of the Vital Centre dental surgery, “The English have no idea of the true cost of dentistry. Here, I can fit an implant for £400 and make £100 profit. In London, they’ll charge £1,800 for the same treatment. Same materials, same techniques, same expertise. No wonder your dentists drive sports cars”.
It took no-frills flights to introduce the British to dental tourism, but the Austrians and Germans have been at it for years: one in three Austrians uses a Hungarian dentist. Tiny villages on the border, with more horses than cars, are home to state-of-the-art surgeries, and Hungary was the first country to establish a dental university.
“Dentistry is just something the Hungarians excel at,” explained Gunter Freiberg, a dental student from Dortmund. “In Germany, the courses are free, but it is better to come here and pay to be taught by the best.”
The British Dental Association (BDA) does not deny that the quality of treatment in Hungary is superior to that in the UK, but warns of problems of continuing care. “Anyone thinking about having dental treatment overseas must make sure that they are aware of the potential risks and the hidden costs,” it warns. “Difficulties may arise if there are problems with the treatment when the patient returns home.” The Bedfordshire-based dental travel agency Perfect Profiles sends 60 patients a month to Budapest, and its MD, Mike Silford agrees with the BDA. “Things can go wrong, but if they do, we fly our patients back to Budapest, put them up in a hotel and resolve the problem – at our expense.”
Back above the autoparts shop, I could hear the dentists sucking air like sceptical builders. “It’s your x-ray,” Attila said. “It looks like Stalingrad.” It seemed that my north London dentist had missed a few things. “Look at this root-canal work,” said dentist Ivan Solymos, highlighting the x-ray with a laser pointer. “There’s a chunk of root and a length of nerve in there. It’s a breeding ground for bacteria. Second problem is this bridge. It’s badly engineered and has no support. It needs to go.” Then I was introduced to orthodontist Zoltan Balajti, who said I needed a brace, and to a technician, who checked if my bone could take the titanium implants. Then there was the whitening . . . Whoa there, Magyars – who said anything about braces and implants and whitening?
I’d only come for two fillings and a crown, and the Hungarians wanted to turn me into Burt Reynolds. I paid for my fillings (£68 each), promised to look at their treatment plan – and fled. Back home, I sought a second opinion from my north London dentist (he concurred), then called around. In the interests of impartiality, I obtained quotes from practices in London, Manchester and Leeds, coming up with an average price of £18,850 (lowest, Manchester, £16,700; highest, London, £22,250) for an 18-month treatment plan involving 3M orthodontic braces, Branemark implants and zirconium crowns.
In Budapest I was quoted £4,725. Factor in the flights (13 visits, averaging £70 return; www.easyjet.com ) and occasional overnight stays (£25 per night at the Hotel Amadeus; www.hotelamadeus.hu ), and that’s another £1,235. Chuck in £200 for boat trips on the Danube (£10.50; www.legenda.hu ), soaks at the fabulous Szechenyi thermal baths (£6.50; www.budapestspas.hu ), boxes at the opera (£8.80; www.jegymester.hu ) and big bowls of easily chewed veal goulash at the Central Kavehaz (£6.80; www.centralkavehaz.hu ), and the bottom line is still only £6,160 – less than a third of the cost of having the work done in the UK. Suddenly, the idea of having a dentist in Budapest seemed rather attractive.
I’m a year into the treatment now, and, apart from a nasty incident with a pork scratching, I’ve had no problems. I visit every 6-8 weeks – Tosca is on next month – and Attila the Gum promises I’ll have that Burt Reynolds smile by Christmas. All I’ve got to do now is grow the moustache.
Chris Haslam was a guest of Danubius Hotels
Travel details: fly to Budapest with Malev (0870 909 0577, www.malev.com ), Wizz (www.wizzair.com ), Jet2 (0871 226 1737, www.jet2.com ) or, from Dublin, Aer Lingus (0818 365000, www.aerlingus.com ). Danubius Hotels(01923 650290, www.danubiushotels.com ) has 12 properties in the city, including the Hotel Gellert (00 36-1 889 5500; doubles from £95) and the very central Radisson SAS Beke (1 889 3900; doubles from £85).
How to choose your new dentist
Dentists should be registered with the Hungarian Medical Chamber: many are doctors of dental surgery (DDS), but a bachelor of dental surgery (BDS) is the minimum requirement in the EU. Find out the cost of treatment in the UK, then ask for a quote from the Hungarian practice, including a breakdown of services. If you’re using an agent in the UK, ask to speak to clients who have been treated in Budapest. Inquire about aftercare. Reputable firms will guarantee to deal with any problems promptly and at no extra cost; this should include flights and accommodation. Make sure treatment records and x-rays will be available to pass on to a British dentist. In the UK, the Patients Association (0845 608 4455, www.patients-association.com ) has a downloadable guide entitled You and Your Dentist: A Guide for Patients.

source: The Sunday Times

Take a bite out of Budapest

Johnny Morris combines a search for low-cost dental treatment with a high-rolling holiday overlooking the Danube.

My teeth are like children; I don't pay much attention to them until they start screaming at me.
Yes, I know I should go in for preventive measures and regular check-ups, but given the choice, I always end up spending my spare cash in a restaurant rather than at the dentist's.
Of course I suffer in the long run and have slipped into the habit of dental fire-fighting. That's what a lot of blokes of my age do: wait until the pain/swelling is so unbearable that you have to crawl to the surgery and beg for emergency help. Then, once the holes have been filled and the root canals emptied, you have a good whinge about the cost and carry on as before.
However, recently I had to have a stinker of a tooth removed, leaving a big black gap in my lower line-up. At my age, fresh fangs are as unlikely as a sixpence from the tooth fairy, so what was I to do? Dentures. No thanks!
Then my dentist told about implants. These are bolts of titanium that are drilled into your jaw bone, on to which you can screw crowns as easily as assembling Ikea furniture. I asked the price: upwards of £2,250 came the staggering reply.
An idea came to me. I'd heard that you could save a lot of money by getting your dental work done abroad, so why not combine my quest for a low-cost implant with a high-rolling luxury holiday?
Thinking more of white-gloved waiters than dodgy dentists, I did a bit on online research. Hungary might not be everyone's first choice as an exotic destination, but in the world of dental tourism it emerged as numero uno.
South Africa, Poland, Croatia, Turkey, and even India all offer cheap dental treatments but Hungary has the longest history in the trade. Since the demise of the Iron Curtain, dental tourism has become big business in Hungary. In fact Mosonmagyarovar, a western Hungarian town an hour's drive from Vienna, boasts the highest concentration of dentists in the world. As I didn't much fancy a holiday in a town full of teeth-pullers, I turned to the capital, Budapest.
Looking for a little guidance to one of the key nerve centres of the Austro Hungarian Empire, I contacted Our Hungary, a travel company on whose website, alongside the spa visits, opera nights and wine tasting, I found dental treatments.
Elvira, its friendly, London-based agent, promised to arrange everything for my visit and suggested I emailed her a digital X-ray to get a price estimate.
The medical results were good - my implant would be straightforward and the cost a reasonable £590. The plan was working. Then the bad news: after your implant is fitted you have to wait four to six months for the titanium to set, then return to Budapest for three to four days to get your crown fitted.
Would it all be worth it? Allowing £400 for flights and £180 for the final treatment, I would still make a saving of about £1,000 on the British quote. That left a grand to blow on the good life on the Danube.
Two weeks later, a chauffeur from the British Hungarian Medical Service was waiting for me at Budapest airport. When was the last time your dentist sent a car to pick you up for an appointment? Valeria, my charming driver, handed me a mobile phone that was to be my dental helpline. We tootled off to find my hotel.
I wanted the best Budapest had to offer - and these days that means Gresham Palace, a recently-restored masterpiece of art nouveau architecture that has been converted into a five-star hotel.
While many of the stucco façades of old Budapest are crumbling from the years of neglect in the Soviet period, the Gresham has been transformed. After five years of concentrated craftsmanship at a cost of £62m, it has bounced back, looking as shiny and sumptuous as on its opening day 100 years ago.
You can smell a great hotel the minute you walk in. The lobby boasts a Zsolnay-tiled mosaic floor that extends to the Peacock Passage, where you can lounge in velvet armchairs admiring the intricate glass cupola.
At front of house there is the Gresham Kavehaz selling perfect patisserie with four different coffee roasts, and a Brioni boutique - complete with eye-watering prices.
Better to spend my money in the world-class Pava restaurant, complete with staff who welcome you like a long-lost relative. It has a ringside view of the Chain Bridge and, beyond, Buda Castle. Pan-seared foie gras with morel mushrooms and baked lobster on a bed of hand-rolled linguini beckoned. But first I had to trip up the grand staircase to my suite, splash around in the Spanish marble bathroom, wrap myself in the obligatory deep-pile robe and enjoy the sight of the Danube flowing through the centre of this grand old city.
When the time came to head to the dental clinic, I was picked up by my dentist-mobile and driven eight miles through rather shabby suburbs. The clinic was new, having been specially converted to deal with the influx of British patients. Without the usual comings and goings, it felt rather soulless as I waited for my appointment.
But I did not have to wait long. The receptionist guided me upstairs to a spotless surgery, furnished with high-tech equipment. It was so new in fact that I had my first twinge of nerves when I noticed the assistant reading the instructions for the X-ray machine.
Following a quick examination the dentist gave the thumbs-up for an implant the following morning, and I was whisked back to the Gresham in time for a martini and a dinner to die for. After a leisurely recce of the city's hottest bar, the Tom George, in the shadow of the Basilica of St Stephen, I wandered back to my hotel, where a mountain of feather-filled pillows lured me to bed.
Next mornning, Dr Bátorfi Béla performed my implant operation, and what he lacked in bedside manner he made up for with efficiency.
After an injection, a blast with a drill, and a bit of nut-screwing the implant was in. Eight minutes' work for £600. I was beginning to think that even the Hungarian prices were excessive. Happy with his quick-fit, he shook my hand and gave me some antibiotics and ushered me out. Before you could say "oral implantology", I was back in downtown Budapest wondering whether the Brioni shop was as overpriced I had first thought.
Six months later As I hauled myself on to a poisonously early flight for my return visit to Budapest, the idea of quick-fix foreign dentistry had lost some of its appeal. Implants at my local dentist maybe be pricey, but at least a visit didn't involve the cattle culture of our crowded airports or the need to take three days out.
It was still a pleasure to be picked up at the airport, but the drive to the dentist seemed longer than before. Dr Bátorfi Béla's communication skills had not progressed much beyond the "open now" and "close now" level, and his fast fingers seemed fatter than before.
I felt a little battered after my fitting, but back in town, the Gresham was as gracious as ever and eased me out of my dental grumpiness.
After a couple of hours in the roof-top spa I was beginning to see the benefits of my enforced break and I was ready - beginning with a trip to the recently renovated Szechenyi Baths - to explore the grand old city.
At the end of the trip Dr Bátorfi swiftly screwed in a perfectly sized, colour-cordinated, replacement molar, just as good if not better than the one I'd lost. I am pleased to report that it is still there now.
So, would I do it again? Yes, although perhaps I would wait until I needed to get at least three implants done to justify the time and the travel complications.
In the meantime my dental adventure has inspired my wife to get her veneers sorted out. She much prefers warm beach holidays to Austro-Hungarian heritage and tells me that she has found a good clinic in sunny Cyprus offering bespoke dental packages. Apparently, you can stay at some of the island's most exclusive hotels and pay for it from the savings on a spot of teeth-straightening. Pass me that calculator: I feel another tooth-subsidised luxury break coming on.
Teeth tips
• Remember that dentistry is a medical procedure. Always be willing to build an extra visit, or even two, into your treatment plan. The times outlined on the dentists' websites are estimates and it isn't until they start work that they can give you an accurate assessment of the number of visits required. I was lucky to get away with two visits for my implant; some cases involve a third appointment.
• British dentistry is a billion-pound business and some foreign dentists are offering great packages to attract our custom. If you are at all nervous about embarking upon dental treatment abroad try an introductory offer and see for yourself. For example, the clinic I used - the British Hungarian Medical Service - offers free airport transfers, X-ray, examination, written treatment plan and tooth cleaning on your first visit.
• The best bargains abroad are implants and veneer work, with savings multiplying according to the number of teeth you have treated. Routine problems such as replacement fillings and root-canal work are best tagged on to any heavy-duty work you are having done. Teeth whitening costs only slightly less and isn't worth travelling for.
• Ask questions about your treatment before, after, and even during your time in the chair. Some dentists rely upon their receptionists and marketing people to pass on information, so make sure they give you clear medical advice about pre- and post-treatment care, including the use of medication.
• Of course, you can swap sandwiches for pan-seared foie gras, and if you don't want to splash out on a five-star hotel in Budapest, there are all levels of accommodation on offer, often with special prices for dental customers. Our Hungary offers reduced rates at the Margaret Island spa from £56 a night. There are excellent rooms at the boutique Hotel Pest from £34 a night (very central and handy for the Gresham Palace) and self-contained apartments from £34 a night. But don't be too penny-pinching with yourself. You have endured the pain of the dentist and saved yourself a fortune, so you are entitled to a little extravagance even if it's just cocktails and soup with a straw at the Gresham
• For general advice on dental services abroad, visit www.ouchmytooth.com.
Basics
Johnny Morris travelled with Our Hungary (020 8230 7162, www.ourhungary.co.uk), which works in association with the British Hungarian Medical Service (0036 1 402 1195, www.bhms.hu).
He stayed at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace, Budapest (0036 1 268 6000 www.fourseasons.com/budapest), where double rooms start at about £150 a night (if you do decide to stay there, it's definitely worth splurging on a Danube-facing room).
To reserve at the Tom George Restaurant and Bar (Oktober Six. Utca 8), call 0036 1 266 3525.
For details and further information contact the Hungarian National Tourist Office (020 7823 1032, www.gotohungary.co.uk).

source: Telegraph.co.uk