Here's How You Can Have the Perfect Horseback Safari with Your Family and Kids

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Family safaris should be fun and trouble-free for everyone. The USA has several outback trails, safaris in national parks and reserves. When there are kids involved, you need to spend a little more time planning the safaris. Camping and bonfires in the wild take significantly more preparing irrespective of the destination when children are part of the group.

So here are five tips you need to remember to make the safari and trip enjoyable for all:
Pick the spot in an informed way
Don't pick a safari by browsing through trail pictures. Even the most beautiful trails can have significant threats for kids.

Although safaris in the USA do not pose as many risks as tropical safaris, there are factors you need to be aware of. Read up on local flora and fauna. Find out the prevalence of mosquitoes, midges, ticks, poison-ivies, giardia, yellow fever, and ciguatera before you start planning your trip. Talk to the pediatrician about vaccines, preventive medication, and skin-friendly insect repellents as per necezssities.

Talk to the kids

Kids might become excited thinking about watching animals from up close and riding horses but talk to them about the exhaustion, challenges of riding at a stretch and living outdoors for at least a night. Watching trotting horses on the Fair Grounds Race Trackis a lot different from riding them. Horseback safaris are a lot harder for kids if they have never seen a horse up close or ridden one. Get them to practice grounds several times before you hit the trail.


Find lodging that’s kid-friendly

Kids are energetic, creative, imaginative and they need to be comfortable after a day's trip. Children need comfortable accommodations to enjoy safaris just as much as you would. Pick hotels and lodges that have children's play areas, activity centers, and sitters, in case your child does not want to go on safari with the adults. Many hotels have ongoing kid's clubs that can keep your child engaged throughout the day.


Pick child-friendly activities

Specific activities including long treks during the safari, multi-day outdoor camping and canoeing might not be kid-friendly. Unless your child has been training for such activities for years, it is better to omit them and go for simpler activities like short trail safaris, car safaris, outdoor fishing, parent-kid campfires in the evenings. Many travel centers and outdoor activity booking agencies have kid-friendly options you can ask for.


Pack smart, pack light

While packing your bags always include a first-aid kit, snacks, energy bars and ORS. Children can be very fussy about packing, and that can be challenging during safaris. The most natural solution is to pack for your kids like the way you usually pack for yourself. Always let them carry their own stuff (or at least a part of it) during the travel to the lodge. On the safari, only allow them to carry the essentials and carry a little bit of backup in your backpack too.

Most lodges that house safari enthusiasts usually have necessary first-aid and are happy to cater as per dietary restrictions (including allergies). Intimate them a couple of days in advance about your allergies and food preferences. Keeping these five simple tips in mind will help you and your family enjoy a safari equally.

Author Bio :

Silvia Watson  is a freelance content writer. She has written many good and informative articles on different categories such as technology, health, fashion, education, career, travel etc. She is a featured author at various authoritative blogs in the health and fitness industry and currently associated as a blogger with https://www.tvg.com/

DOTr Steps Up Efforts to Comply With Anti-Red Tape Act

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In the spirit of transparency, good governance, and continuing commitment to provide timely and quality service to the public, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), under the leadership of Secretary Arthur Tugade, has stepped up initiatives to comply with the provisions of Republic Act 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 (ARTA).

In a report to Civil Service Commission (CSC) Anti-Red Tape Task Force, the DOTr reported the various efforts and reforms being instituted to ensure that procurement procedures, transactions, and other frontline services are fulfilled in a manner that is efficient, timely, and corruption-free.

“We should not make the public wait. What we can solve at our level, we solve at our level. Wala na dapat pasa-pasa. Ayoko ng may mga natutulog na papel,” said Secretary Tugade.

The transportation chief is known to leave the office late, as he pays unscheduled visits to the offices of department heads to check whether there are papers or requests that are not being acted upon.

Speedy resolution of requests

The DOTr has activated its digital media and public assistance arm to receive and resolve complaints from the public. Complaints received through the DOTr’s digital platforms are forwarded immediately to concerned attached agencies. The DOTr Facebook Page has over 170,000 followers, from only around 20,000 in mid-2016, and responds to hundreds of inquiries, concerns, and complaints daily.

The DOTr was also recognized as one of the top performing departments/national agencies during the first year of implementation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) portal. As of today, the DOTr has received 218 requests for information (208 requests resolved), making it among the most requested agencies in the portal. The DOTr was hailed fully compliant with EO No. 2 or the implementation of FOI in the executive branch, and was also recognized for being the first government agency to enroll all its attached agencies and offices into the FOI portal.

The DOTr’s Action Center continues to receive, process, and resolve complaints and reports from the public via the agency’s Hotline 7890. 

Transparency in procurement

The DOTr, through its Communication’s Office, has started live streaming bidding and procurement processes for the agency’s projects. From 29 May 2017 to 8 December 2017, a total of 42 livestreaming posts had been streamed on DOTr’s official Facebook page.  These posts consisted of 98 projects: pre-bidding (48 projects) and opening of bids (50 projects).

The DOTr Internal Audit Office (IAO) also reported that the Department has displayed tarpaulins showing procedures for procurement of infrastructure projects. These tarpaulins, which also showed DOTr’s and prospective bidders’ responsibilities with timelines, were posted on conspicuous areas of the agency premises. 

Undersecretary for Administration and Finance Garry De Guzman also issued a memorandum, instructing all officials of the DOTr and other attached agencies to ensure that contracts and transactions with suppliers and external parties are paid within 15 days. He also issued a memorandum ordering them submit a status report of action taken regarding the processing of request from the public within 15 working days through the IAO.  

Public information and awareness

Several features on the DOTr’s official website (www.dotr.gov.ph) aim to inform and promote transparency.  These include the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program of the Duterte administration, the FOI manual and request form, Transparency Seal, an ARTA section showing steps on procurement and infrastructure, online complaint forms, Citizen Charter, operations report of the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (i-ACT), and other announcements.

Further, the DOTr continued with the distribution of fans, bumper stickers, bookmarks with anti-red tap messages and phone numbers of the agency and its attached agencies to stakeholders, clients, and the public.  Public assistance desks and suggestion boxes were also set up, while the public is encouraged to answer customer feedback and survey forms. 

The DOTr also continues to monitor its frontline agencies and offices such as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and the Land Transportation Office with regard to the implementation of their respective ARTA programs and activities. 

DTI Reviews Philippine National Standard on Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement

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The Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS)
undertakes review of the Philippine National Standard (PNS) 49:2002, Steel bars for concrete reinforcement – Specification (PNS 49:2002) through the BPS Technical
Committee on Steel (BPS/TC 11) Sub-Committee on Steel for Long Products (SC 01).

The PNS 49:2002 specifies the requirements for deformed steel bars for concrete
reinforcement. It applies to steel bars manufactured from prime billets or ingots,
supplied as rolled or hot-rolled with subsequent quenching and self-tempering.

DTI-BPS Director Engr. James E. Empeño emphasizes, “The BPS periodically reviews
a PNS to ensure that the standard remains relevant and useful to its consumers. The
urgent review of PNS 49 is necessary to consider global developments and
subsequently assist the Philippine government, industry, and, consumers.”

The revision of PNS 49 began on August 2017 and is expected to be finished within the year, depending on issues that will be raised and decided by the TC. The BPS
Technical Committee will conduct its third meeting on 25 January 2018 to discuss the
provisions on sampling procedures and alignment of the standard to the recent National Structural Code of the Philippines (NSCP).

Conforming to the BPS Directives in developing, reviewing and promulgating a PNS, the BPS TC 11 is composed of representatives from the academe, trade and industry, consumers, professional association/s, research institution/s, government agencies, and, testing Institution/s.

As the National Standards Body of the Philippines, the Bureau of Philippine Standards is tasked to develop/adopt, promulgate, implement and promote Philippine National Standards mandated by the Republic Act (RA) 4109 Series of 1964.

For more information on the review of PNS 49:2002, send an email to bps@dti.gov.ph.