That's The Badger

Abu Dhabi is the perfect place to try something a bit different while on holiday and create an unusual travel experience.

The capital and largest city in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi is a glittering desert metropolis with many diverse influences. It is one of the most modern cities in the world, and was called the “richest city in the world” by CNN. With a population of just under 1.5 million, the city is a bustling hub of industry.

Abu Dhabi presents an almost endless selection of new experiences, tastes, and sights to choose from. Towering modern skyscrapers that would look at home in a futuristic science fiction film, opulent shopping malls that are big enough to get lost in, green parks and boulevards, and world class dining establishments make Abu Dhabi a treat for visitors.

If you want to have an experience on your holiday which is a bit unique and out of the ordinary, Abu Dhabi presents many opportunities to think outside the box and do something unusual. These five activities will leave you with travel memories you will never forget.

1.    Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

Imagine slowly gliding through the air above the city of Abu Dhabi and the desert sands in a hot air balloon! These rides are a perfect way to see your surroundings from a new perspective.  You will see everything from giant red sand dunes to emerald desert oases, to wandering camels.

Many companies in Abu Dhabi specialize in hot air balloon tours. For an extra special experience, set your alarm early for a sunrise flight. Watching the bright sun slip over the horizon while observing the breathtaking desert views will be absolutely worth it!

2.    Live Life in the Fast Lane at Ferrari World

An entire day of fun can be found underneath the classic double curve of a huge 250,000 square metre replica of a red Ferrari car roof. Ferrari World is the world’s largest undercover theme park, and it offers an introduction to the history of this classic car, and some truly fun and unique experiences.

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to pull 4.8 G? Feel your cheeks being pulled back by the force as you brave the world’s fastest roller coaster at speeds of 240 kmph.

If that seems a little bit too intense for you, why not explore a miniature recreation of the most famous locations in Italy, such as the Learning Tower of Piza and the Coliseum in Rome? Ferrari world is only a 30 minute drive from Abu Dhabi on Yas Island.

3.    Go Back in Time

For an interesting contrast to the speed and modernism of Ferarri World, don’t miss the Abu Dhabi Heritage Village. This is a reconstruction of how the Bedouin people lived in ancient times, before modern irrigation and even agricultural systems came to existence.

The village is located near the Abu Dhabi breakwater, and is a living village where visitors can take a camel ride, watch falconry demonstrations, and even eat a traditional Bedouin meal.

4.    Experience the Thrill of Indoor Skydiving

Have you ever thought that you would love to experience the sensation of skydiving, without actually having to jump out of a plane flying thousands of feet in the air? Believe it or not, you can actually go skydiving indoors in Abu Dhabi!

Spacewalk Indoor Skydiving recreates the experience by providing a vertical wind tunnel that allows participants to actually fly on a column of air. The sensation feels like freefalling, yet is completely safe for anyone regardless of age or experience. The professional instructors guide you, and control the speed of the wind tunnel during your flight.

5.    Cheer on the Camel Races

Camel racing is an ancient Bedouin tradition that is still a big deal in the UAE, with racing tracks found all over the country. The camel racing season runs from October to March, and if you want to catch a camel race while in Abu Dhabi you can head to the Al Watchba racetrack on Thursdays and Fridays.

Abu Dhabi offers many unique experiences that add up to an unforgettable holiday. For more information on Etihad flights to Abu Dhabi from Europe and international destinations or for travel information in Abu Dhabi, see the respective links.

As a popular and potentially explosively fast-growing service, mobile banking is a serious force in the world of finance. For the customer, however, there are important gains and drawbacks to consider.

Mobile banking, or M-Banking, touted by many as the more convenient heir to internet banking, offers its users a portable, easy way to conduct one’s financial affairs without having to enter the doors of a traditional banking establishment.  Furthermore, as technology and sophistication in the field of mobile phones has developed, so has the range of tasks available to the user via their device: from applying for loans to changing pin numbers, or adjusting your stock market portfolio.

A recent innovation, mobile banking began as a service around the turn of this century providing customers with an opportunity to conduct basic banking tasks via SMS or the “mobile web”.  However, it has evolved to suit the times: it is hard to find a financial institution that does not offer m-banking as an iPhone or Google Android app (offering a very wide and sophisticated range of services to the customer), or a respectable modern phone that cannot be comfortably used for mobile banking.

It’s not just in its format change from internet banking that mobile banking represents an evolved service to customers:  it offers a portable access to one’s financial information that can connect to the internet as long as there are bars on your phone, and a possibility to conduct business far more inconspicuously than with a laptop.

For those who watch the markets it offers a unique tool: instant access to personalised up-to-date information in your pocket; it can also add a decisive advantage for keen investors to receive text banking alerts about the health of their holdings, or, crucially, competing stocks.

From a purely practical standpoint, for those with physical mobility issues or who live in remote areas, m-banking is a highly valuable tool, constituting an affordable alternative to online banking and an opportunity to save on travel costs.

Another advantage of mobile banking is that the device necessary for its use is far more affordable than that required for internet banking, with many companies offering quality products as a part of a contract (rather than pay-as-you-go).  This is a money-saver for those who use m-banking apps, as it is common for banks to offer its services free of charge, for example: Mobile banking from Ulster Bank

However, the ease of use, security risks and cost-benefit virtues of m-banking should be should be fully weighed against its advantages before becoming a convert.

The term whiplash is most commonly used when discussing neck injuries sustained during road traffic accident. Essentially the term describes the motion that occurs to the majority of motorists involved in a rear end shunt. In most cases both back and front seat occupants are flung forwards, due to the impact, after which they are immediately sent backwards into their seats, as the seatbelt locks and restrains.

The quick snapping back and forth, which is referred to as whiplash, can often cause serious injury to the neck and surrounding muscles. Impacts from both the front and the rear can result in severe whiplash, causing neck muscles to stretch beyond their normal range and damaging surrounding soft tissue and muscle ligaments.

Whiplash can range from very minor cases, where you just get some pain and stiffness for a few days, to severe cases with significant skeletal damage to the spine, resulting in permanent injury. Whiplash injuries are very common and it can often be very difficult to find any objective signs that an injury has been sustained, it’s not like a bruise where you have something obvious, often you simply cannot see a whiplash injury, because the damage is to the soft tissues around the spine.

Making a compensation claim

In order to make a successful claim for whiplash injuries, solicitors have to obtain evidence from independent medical sources. These experts will examine you, interview you, and possibly review you medical notes and records. Once an assessment has been completed, the experts will provide you with an independent opinion as to whether or not they can support your claim. It’s important to remember that the medical experts don’t work for the solicitors or for you, instead they work for the court and are therefore entirely independent.

Compensation for whiplash claims range from very minor pay-outs, a few hundred pounds or so, up to ten or fifteen thousand pounds in more severe cases. There is no such thing as an average award for a whiplash claim, or a minimum or a maximum. Each claim is decided on its own merits, but there is a broad range with which legal firms are able to work with in terms of assessing the value of your claim, once the appropriate medical evidence has been obtained.

Most commonly after a whiplash injury people will seek medical treatment. Most common forms are physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, and osteopathic treatment. There forms of treatment are very different and each person will respond differently to them. If your GP recommends a referral to one of those experts, you should follow that recommendation or arrange for treatment on a private basis; in some cases this treatment can be funded directly through your solicitors, or through the third parties insurers, as long as they have admitted liability.

It is important to remember that in any claim for personal injuries, you as the claimant have a duty to keep your losses to a minimum, and therefore if an expert or your GP has recommended that you seek treatment, you should follow that recommendation to help yourself recover from the injuries. If you don’t then that could have a negative impact on the amount of compensation you recover.

If you have any queries or questions regarding whiplash compensation or personal injury claims contact a solicitor. For more information regarding Access Legal and compensation claims follow the link or contact them directly to speak with a range of legal experts.