Archive for the ‘Short Haul Travel’ Category
If you’re looking for a last minute deal for your summer holiday you will probably be able to find some great deals on the internet, sometimes for last minute holiday deals, booking hotel accommodation, flights and transfer can work out cheaper than a package holiday with holiday companies vying for your custom. If you’re looking for a cheap UK getaway you can find great flights to London, Edinburgh or Belfast, or if you want to find some guaranteed sun look for cheap flights to holiday hot spots such as Spain, Turkey or Greece.
However sometimes though these ‘cheap’ flights are not all they seem, the advertised price doesn’t always include extras such as tax, fuel supplements, baggage charges, booking fee’s charges for a in-flight meal as well as seat selection and a charge for paying by credit card. These charges which most carries add on can double the advertised ticket price, and you could end up paying a lot more than you anticipated if you do not check the small print.
If you do book a DIY holiday where you arrange your flights and accommodation from different suppliers you may not be as protected as you think, if anything happens to your airline and they stop flying it will be up to you to make new travel arrangements and to get home may cost you a lot more than you originally paid. Sometimes you may also have to leave early or stay longer to get a flight home which will also cost you money. If you do book a DIY holiday then you need to make sure that you have travel insurance which covers you in the event of airline insolvency and any indirect loss as a consequence, beware that many policies don’t give this cover, while those that do limit the amount you can claim or have exclusions, so read the small print.
If you do find some great last minute holiday deals make sure you read the small print for your cheap flight offers, and cut-price accommodation to make sure you won’t incur any unexpected charges and importantly take out adequate insurance.
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For a holiday a little closer to home Northern Ireland offers many delights and the County Antrim Coastline has a wide of range of attractions for everyone to enjoy no matter what you look for , making the area an ideal destination for a week’s holiday. Northern Ireland is relatively easy to get to from Great Britain, you can hop on a flight to Belfast and all you need is ID like a Driving License so no need for a passport. You can also take a ferry across and it’s also worthwhile to hire a car for the time you’re out there to get around the countryside easily.
County Antrim Coastline
Picture courtesy of Effervscing Elephant
County Antrim’s top attraction is of course the Giants Causeway the amazing system of hexagonal rock formations on the coastline is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of four natural sights belonging to the UK.
According to legend the Irish giant Finn MacCool lived on the north coast of Ireland over the sea from his Scottish rival Banandonner, both would roar across the water at each other and generally trade insults. The insults then escalated and Finn threw a rock to Scotland, thus challenging Banandonner to a fight, but Banandonner could not swim, so Finn desperate for the fight to go ahead ripped up slabs of volcanic rock and created a causeway between the two countries. However the fight never went ahead after Finn tricked Banandonner into thinking he was a baby when he arrived in Ireland so believing the child to be the offspring of his rival, took fright, convinced that if a mere baby could be so huge, the father must be a figure of epic size. He then fled Ireland ripping up most of the Causeway as he went.
Giants Causeway
Picture courtesy of qyphon
However the cause way was actually formed by volcanic explosions deep underground that forced molten basalt up to the surface and formed a plateau of lava which when it cooled and contracted it coalesced into huge hexagonal basalt columns around 60 million years ago.
Here you can enjoy the natural beauty of the cause way and if you are more adventurous can also challenge yourself to the 162-step hike from the Causeway to the cliff tops along the soaring rock columns exposed in the cliff face. If you have a head for heights you could also visit the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge which is nearby, this rickety 80ft-high bridge links the mainland with a tiny island 65 feet off-shore. However if you wish to partake in something more sedate or need a stiff drink after going on the bridge then a visit to the Old Bushmills Distillery will be in order, this is the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery.
Carrick-a-Rede
Picture courtesy of williamsdb
There are some great places to stay nearby including the seaside towns of Portrush, Portstewart and Ballycastle and easily accessible by car from Belfast, each town has a great offering of guesthouses, B&B’s and hotels.
The Costa del Sol is one of Europe’s and Spain’s most popular holiday destination for many families, here you can stay in a home away from home in comfort in a tailor made holiday to your specifications. If you have a large family or there is just a couple of people going on holiday then a breakaway staying in a holiday villa in the Costa del Sol may be just what you’re looking for your summer holiday.
Great resorts for families or a break away with friends include: Torremolinos, with its bright lights and great beach, Nerja a traditional white washed slower paced resort and then for those who want to enjoy Brit-style pubs, clubs and restaurants mixed in with typical Spanish eateries then Fuengirola will be the spot for you.
To taste the best of what Spain has to offer you can stay in self catering accommodation, here you can go out and enjoy local delicacies and bring local food back to cook yourself, if you base your self in a self-catering holiday cottage or villa then you will find that you have much more freedom than in a hotel. You can come and go as you please and use your cottage or villa as a base and go off exploring every day, if you want a relaxing day then you can spend the day by the pool as most accommodation come with either your own pool or sharing one with a couple of other families.
You won’t be short of things to do in the Costa del Sol, your spoilt for choice with beaches that line the coast line, small quiet coves, bustling shopping districts and local markets, there is also fantastic theme parks like Tivoli World or idyllic nature reserves up in the Sierras. You will also be able to enjoy lots of sunshine and great temperatures at this time of the year.
Beach of Torremolinos
Picture courtesy of Gert Mewes
Any hope that the situation between BA, cabin crew and Unite will be resolved have been dashed after BA rejected an offer to resume talks. Now Unite say its members plan to take 20 days of action after they rejected BA’s latest offer, the walk outs are planned for May 18-22 inclusive, May 24-28, May 30-June 3 and June 5-9. The last day of strike action will come just two days before the start of the world cup tournament.
Many passengers will be affected as the planned walk outs cover the spring bank holiday and half-term school holidays as well as the fans travelling to South Africa. So far BA has dismissed Unites pleas for further talks and the carrier is remaining firm with offers.
BA said it planned to operate a “substantial” part of its long-haul schedule from Heathrow and predicted that flights to and from Gatwick would continue as normal. A statement from the airline said: “British Airways is saddened but not surprised that Unite has announced further plans for extensive disruption for potentially hundreds of thousands of our customers over a busy period that includes the May half-term holidays. This decision has no semblance of justification. Unite’s officials continue to operate in their own world, showing callous disregard for our customers and their own members in all parts of our airline. We have made a very fair offer, which meets the concerns the union raised during 14 months of negotiations and also ensures that our crew remain the best rewarded in the UK airline industry. That offer remains available. We are confident that many crew will again ignore Unite’s pointless strike call and support the efforts of the rest of the airline to keep our customers flying.”
You’re ready for your holiday after checking in and passing through security your waiting in the departure lounge then you see DELAYED next to your flight, there’s nothing more frustrating that having to wait even longer to go, even worse when you’re stuck waiting on the plane! Recently we looked at the worst airports in the world for arrivals now we have a list for the worst for on time departure:
1. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), ranked worst for on time departures, with only 38.3% leaving on time. However FlightStats’ sampling of the airport’s passenger flights in 2009 shows that 53% of delayed departures got off the ground less than 30 minutes late.
2. Dubai International Airport (DXB), this recently popular tourist destination comes in second place for late departures, but with 37.4 million passengers in 2008, it’s no surprise there are some delays. 44.6% of their flights are on time and for those that aren’t about 55% of delayed commercial departures took off less than 30 minutes after their scheduled time.
3. Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) comes in third with only 45.7% of their flights leaving on time making Moscow Sheremetyevo International in 2009 the worst for on-time departure out of the city’s three major airports. According to FlightStats’ sampling of data, 72% of the airport’s late commercial passenger flights took off within 30 minutes of their scheduled departure times.
4. Cairo International Airport (CAI) ranked number four for worst departures is somewhat disputed by the airports chief operations officer who says 80% depart on time but FlightStats counts scheduled passenger flights at about 54.7% of all arrivals and departures arrived on time. The COO says that extended taxi routings for airlines operating from a new terminal have contributed to delays.
5. Rome Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino (FCO), for a second time in a year Rome’s main airport ranks fifth, with 55% of flights departing on time, In 2009 46% of Fiumicino’s delayed commercial flights departed within a half hour of scheduled takeoff, according to FlightStats’ data. But 12% of all flights sampled departed at least 45 minutes late.
6. Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) ranking at number six Dallas’s airport according to FlightStats has 56.4% of its scheduled flights take off on time however according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 75% of flights out of Dallas/Fort worth International in the last year departed on time. An airport spokesman stated most flight delays are weather-related.
7. Istanbul Ataturk International Airport (IST), the on time departures currently stands at 58.2% and features on both the worst on time arrivals and worst on time delays lists. In 2009 about 57% of late passenger flights departed from Istanbul within a half hour of scheduled takeoff, according to FlightStats’ data sample.
8. Manchester Airport (MAN), they only UK airport on the list and something to be aware of when booking flights to London, European destinations or further afield. On a plus side it dropped from second place to eighth. Most late departures were delayed by only 15 to 29 minutes, according to FlightStats’ sampling of data. Which isn’t bad considering it’s the busiest airports in Northern England.
9. Miami International Airport (MIA) had the worst on-time departure performance of any of the 31 major airports in the United States from January through November 2009, with 60.6% of flights leaving on time. Making MIA a slightly better ranking than Dallas/Fort Worth.
10. Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) on our list at number on for worst on time arrivals fair better on the worst delayed list coming in at number 10 with 62.4% of flights departing on time. According to FlightStats, if your flight out of this airport in 2009 was late, there was a 15% chance you’d wait no more than a half hour. Unfortunately there was also a 14% chance that you’d wait at least 45 minutes.
As we on time arrivals, you need to be aware that even if you got a cheap flight you may still be delayed in setting off on time from your airport!
There nothing worse than been delayed at the airport especially when the flight you are on is delayed and you have a scheduled connecting charter flight to catch or train and have top rush around hoping you get your luggage. Below is a list of airports ranked as worst for arrivals:
1. Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), ranked as number one for most delayed arrivals it only manages to have 44.5% on time arrivals. Scheduled passenger flights at the airport arrived at least 45 minutes late, according to FlightStats’ sampling of flights.
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM), comes in behind Indira with its on time arrivals at 55.9%, it India’s busiest airport and handled 24.3 million passengers in 2008. FlightStats’ data show 15% of sampled flights at the airport in 2009 were at least 45 minutes late.
3. Istanbul Ataturk International Airport (IST), handled 29 million passengers in 2008 however ranked at number 3 and only 60.7% of flights arrived on time means it has some improving to do to manage flights at the crossroads’ of Europe and Asia. More than 11% of flights were late by at least 45 minutes.
4. Chennai International Airport (MAA) is the 3rd busiest airport in India which had 10.1 million passengers passing through in 2008, they get fourth place with on time arrivals at 63.9%. According to FlightStats 10% of sampled flights at Chennai arrived more than 45 minutes late.
5. LA-Ontario International Airport (ONT) this American airport seems a far cry from the Asian airports however they too get bugged with delays which has earned this LA airport 5 place as most delayed airports with 65.1% of arrivals on time, offered as a to the traffic congestion at nearby Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) which has 81% of its flights arrive on time.
6. Newark International Airport (EWR) another popular American Airport Newark also suffers from late arrivals with 18% of its scheduled flights arriving 45 minutes late compared to the 65.4% that arrived on time.
7. Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport (SSH) An increase in tourism has caused many problems in delays for this airport, 21% to 7.7 million passengers, according to Airports Council International, from 2007 to 2008, 66% of its flights arrived on time with nearly 13% arriving more than 45 minutes late.
8. London Stansted Airport (STN) means a UK airport also makes it onto this list which isn’t surprising for any on who has booked a flight to London recently, Stansted, is Britain’s third-busiest airport and a hot spot for budget airlines and only has 66.7% of flights arriving on time. A FlightStats spokeswoman says the dispute over on-time arrivals is likely due to a different definition of “scheduled flights” in the U.K.
9. Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) coming in at number 9 and fairing slightly better than other airports Ezeiza International handles more than 70% of international air traffic stopping in Argentina, with 67.7% of flights arriving on time with only about 13% 45 minutes or more late.
10. New York LaGuardia International Airport (LGA) finds another New York airport on the list, none of the New York area’s major airports are known for punctual arrivals and departures, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs LaGuardia, JFK and Newark says “We’ve got three of the busiest airports in the country within a few miles of each other,”. However LaGuardia offers slightly better on time arrivals than Newark with 68.3% of flights arriving on time.
So before you start eyeing up the cheap flights on the internet take a look to make sure your destination airport isn’t one of the above which could end up costing you extra in lost time!
Holidays to another country are still considered a luxury for many, with the cost of air travel going up every year and the strength of the pound proving weak it’s not going to get any more affordable any time soon.
So if you’re lucky enough to save up enough money to go away you need to get as much as you can from it, for example pick somewhere up-and-coming for your holiday, for example Indonesia, this can make good financial sense because less visited places even long haul still have relatively low air fare. If you don’t fancy long haul and want somewhere closer to home some Eastern European destinations such as Slovenia and Hungary are relatively cheap to visit still but they also have plenty of natural and cultural attractions and remain largely unspoilt.
Another way to save is being flexible when you take your holiday, you can find great deals travelling during off peak times, so if you don’t have to take your holiday Saturday to Saturday you can find cheaper flights at off peak mid week times.
With your destination chosen and your flights arranged you now need to start looking into your accommodation and this is where the internet can help, easy to keep an eye out for online hotel and agency promotions offering free upgrades and meal deals, with many looking to entice you to stay and remember if you don’t see it offered – ask!
Sometimes so deals look too good to be true, make sure you check all the small print and make sure you won’t be charged for added extras once your there. It’s also worth while checking out what people have to say about your chosen hotel so have a look at online travel forums such as Trip Advisor to see what people who have actually stayed there really think. Travel forums are also a great resource for your holiday destination you will get a much more rounded picture than that given by a travel agent or someone with a vested interest in the area.
Once all is booked all you need to do is save some spending money and look forward to your holiday.
Hopping across the channel has never been easier, either by boat, plane or train so a break away in France, Belgium, Germany or the Netherlands is easier than you think. If you are basing yourself in one of these countries and exploring the local regions a self catering holiday cottage or villa is a great option to base yourself in especially if you are driving your own car or hiring one. If you are self catering you are not regimented to hotel structure and can come and go easily and freely, plus if you intend to explore as much as possible of the surrounding area you do not have to be back at certain times to catch a meal.
There are so many culinary delights to enjoy across Europe it’s great to get out and about and enjoy these, visiting local markets to bring back food to cook in the comfort of your own kitchen or exploring local restaurants to sample local produce.
When you are staying in a holiday villa or cottage you have much more privacy than you do in a hotel, plus a lot more peace and quiet to enjoy, some villas and cottages also come with their own private pool so if you are looking for a summer getaway but don’t want to fight for a sun lounger then these are a great choice. You also have the option to stay in larger groups, great for the whole family to get away and all be together.
Most people can name the major UK airports but many are unaware of smaller UK Airports unless they happen to live nearby. If you are looking to take a short hall flight to the continent or taking an internal flight these smaller UK airports are a godsend, you will find as they are smaller they are not as busy so you don’t get caught up with too much queuing especially with all the added security we have now. They are great if you are wanting to take a trip around the UK but it’s just too far top drive and too inconvenient to go by train a flight to London or Glasgow is made some much easier and convenient. Below is a list of some of the smaller UK airports:
Dundee
Barrow In Furness
Carlisle
Hawarden
Gamston
Alderney
Blackbushe
Bournemouth
Cambridge City
Farnborough
Kent International
Lydd
Oxford
Shoreham
Gloucestershire
Lands End
Penzance
Plymouth
Swansea
All these small airports offer cheap flights to various UK destinations as well as to some other European destinations it worth looking before you book your holiday if you can fly to your chosen destination from a smaller airport closer to you.
There are many places to choose from when looking for villas in Canary Islands, with some luxurious holiday villas dotted around the Canary Islands you just need to choose which island/islands you want to stay on. There is something for everyone’s to choose from, for those looking for a holiday in the mountains, you can rent holiday cottages and holiday farmhouses in Gran Canaria. Or if you enjoy the hustling and bustling party scene then you can rent villas in Tenerife.
There are eight islands that make up the Canary Islands the most popular with tourists are Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and La Palma.
Canary Islands
Picture courtesy of Secret Tenerife
If you enjoy lazy on or by the beach for your holiday topping up your tan then Fuerteventura will be the Island for you, it has the longest beaches on all of the Canary Islands, it also has many beachside activities such as swimming, diving, snorkelling and fishing and for those who like excitement you can also enjoy some watersports. For those with families looking to get away and stay in holiday villas then Lanzarote will be the place for you with much accommodation geared towards families, also Lanzarote also makes a good base for exploring the other islands.
The weather on all Islands can vary some like Fuerteventura can have gloriously dry weather but the some like La Palma is often wet. There are plenty of things to see and do on all of the Islands Lanzarote’s Timanfaya Park which was declared a national reserve in 1974 and has one of the most extraordinary volcanic landscapes on the planet, here you can actually grill meat on volcano-powered barbecues. Gran Canaria has a wide range of vegetation to explore and see such as thousands of exotic fruits, trees, banana and coffee plantations, fields of sugar cane and tobacco, date palm forests and orange groves. With so much to do on all of the Islands its no wonder people come back time and time again.
Gran Canaria Mountains
Picture courtesy of Furya