1. Hitchhike in Europe Only When Needed
Transportation in Europe may not always be clean, useful, or comfortable, nevertheless hitchhiking is becoming increasingly more hazardous worldwide. If you find you should hitchhike in Europe, use extremist caution and don?t overlook your instincts if something does not seem right.

2. Choose Your Hitchhiking Location Wisely
Steer clear of trying to hitch a ride on a highway or remarkably curved road that might put you or drivers at risk. Cars having to stop on roads anywhere high speeds are required is not safe for you or the drivers. As an alternative, try to hitchhike from rest stops or gas stations where you can preserve your safety and where cars are stopped. It?s also possible that someone may call the police if you try to hitch a ride on a dangerous roadway or freeway where hitchhiking may be against the law.

3. Ride in the Front Seat When Hitchhiking in Europe
The backseat of a car places you in a more vulnerable sit. Some cars have child safety locks in the back. You need to be able to bolt at the first sign of danger, so if you have to ride in the back, test that there is no child safety lock impeding you from opening the door from the interior.

4. Keep Your Bags with You
At any suggestion to put your luggage in the trunk, politely decline. Keep your luggage close to you?at your feet or on your lap. At a moment when you may possibly need to get out of the car quickly, you want to be able to grab your things as you go.

5. Keep Documents, Money, Valuables on You
As through every other time you travel in Europe, you must keep your records on you in a separate wallet beneath your cloths. That way, if a thief takes your main bag, you will still have identification and money in case of this, or another, emergency. Keep all cell phones and other pricey devices well out of eyesight as well.

6. Hitchhike in Europe with a Friend
Regardless if you are male or female, it?s always smart to hitchhike with a friend. A potential criminal will less likely be able to pull anything funny if you and a friend are watching each others backs.

7. Know Your Destination But Be Vague
Always have available a map so that you know where you are going. When hitchhiking in Europe, it?s best to give a general location for a location a short distance away that way, if you suspect the driver has less-than-good intentions, your ride will be short and the driver wont know your final destination.

8. Note the Vehicle Type When You Hitchhike in Europe
When hitchhiking in Europe, note details of the car (make, model, color and/or license plate number) before you get into the vehicle. If something goes wrong, you can give details of the driver to the police.

9. Dress for Weather and Safety
Make sure you pack items of clothing that are weather friendly and water-repellent in case you find yourself hitchhiking in windy weather. Also wear cheap older clothing that give the impression you may be carrying valuables on you.

10. Dont Hesitate to Turn Down a Ride
Negotiate for a ride prior to you get into the vehicle when hitchhiking in Europe. If anything makes you suspicious, dont be scared to politely turn down the ride. Foreigners are seen as particularly vulnerable and anyone giving you a ride may try to get money or other things from you. In addition, dont ride with someone you cant exchange a few words with. You do not want any unspoken expectations from the driver for giving you a ride.

Bandos had a major overhaul during 2005 which added some accommodation and an extension to its facilities. The look of the resort is a good balance between formal and casual styles. The reception has a modern set of conveniences such as internet hotspot, plasma TV, conference hall, etc. but this hasn’t affected the plain natural beauty of the resort which hasn’t been compromised at all. The general feel is of tranquil accommodation with private beach areas shaded by tall palms and other vegetation. The main bar and coffee shop are well-placed near the water, the bar generally being a  hive of activity until the early hours of the morning. The restaurants, while not particularly inspiring in their decor, do serve a range of quality dishes.

This resort has plainly made a great deal of effort to accommodate families, with a childcare facility run by female staff who, in addition to providing daycare, will provide babysitting in the evenings if required. Some of the rooms in the junior and standard class have an interconnecting door for families who are split up between rooms. The resort is popular with families to, so children who are a bit too young to take part in some of the older activities will likely have other children their age around to play with.

Activities

Bandos has one of the major dive centers in the Maldives, even having one of the few decompression chambers in the country. There is a good range of courses from  PADI beginner courses to expert re-breather courses. The dive center here is both a PADI Gold Palm Resort and a Platinum Facility of the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers.

Accommodation

48 Junior suites are available, and are ornately decorated, with a  color scheme of yellow and ochre, a solid wood four-poster bed and a sense of style that makes them feel very homely. The only downside is that the beach in this section of the resort is completely submerged at high tide, but this is a small matter for most I should think. There are 84 standard rooms adjacent to the beach and another 19 that are not beach fronted. They are pleasantly furnished with tiled floors and balconies. These standard rooms alternate between twin and double  bed layout to provide for families again.

The 48 circular Beach villas are the latest accommodations to have been added to the resort. These two-storey rooms, with an upstairs bedroom complete with sea balcony, have been carefully and tastefully done to provide a superior look and feel. The bathrooms are half inside and half outside the villa, and are complete with thatched roof jacuzzi. For those who like to lounge by the pool all day there are 24 Garden villas are mainly based alongside the relatively new swimming pool.

Baros

On top of the sheer beauty of this island, the food and service here is puts it within the elite group of resorts in the Maldives. One of the focal points of the resort is the lighthouse restaurant, which has a white peaked spire, making it the only non-thatched building on the resort. Thsi restaurant is split between two levels with a lounge bar on the top level, offering panoramic views, and the lower-level haute cuisine restaurant serving a menu of Mediterranean and Asian fusion dishes. The other restaurant – the Cayenne Grill – prepares a range of meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes to your own specification and serves you at one of the individual thatched pavilions at the waters edge.

Your first impression of Baros is raised further when you arrive at your accommodation for the first time. There are 30 water villas, 20 Baros villas, 24 Deluxe villas, and a single pool villa. Every room in this resort is just a few strides away from beach or lagoon and each has a large decked verandah complete with a daybed. The attention to detail and quality of the workmanship cannot be overstated, and walking into these rooms for the first time may give you the idea that you have walked into a magazine article for some chic hotel. There designer fittings, concealed plasma TV, quality coffee maker, and more importantly for me, a well-stocked wine cooler. Combine this with the 24 hour room service and the well stocked wine cooler, and its not surprising that many guests stay put by their rooms for days on end.

Activities

The dive school is run by PADI and offers an introductory dive in the lagoon for beginners and open water certificates. There are approximately 30 dive sites within reach of Baros which offers good potential for some interesting dives. The resort also has a resident Marine Biologist providing talks on the local marine life and accompanying the snorkeling trips and excursions on the house reef.Snorkeling is excellant here, with the reef, which runs around most of the island, being easily accessible.