Archive for the ‘Travel Tips’ Category
When you’re travelling abroad one thing you must remember to arrange before you depart is travel insurance, there have been many people in the news recently who have not had insurance and have been caught with a heft hospital and repatriation bill after injury. Not only does your insurance provide you with cover against injury while away it also keeps you covered if you have to cancel before you depart for un foreseen circumstances.
It’s estimated that as many as one in six people from the UK holiday abroad without insurance, with the thought that nothing will happen especially with many just planning on having a quiet relaxing break away. A common misconception for those who are travelling in Europe is that all you need is a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) because that will cover you if you have an accident however it does not cover the cost of air ambulance repatriation.
Whether you travel many times during the year or just once in a blue moon insurance is a must and is not as expensive as many people think, you can get annual insurance if you travel frequently with good discounts or if you don’t you can get cover from as little as £9.00 but it is always important to read the small primnt to make sure what you are and are not covered for before you go.
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For those who are looking to take a ‘staycation’ here in the UK this year for their summer holiday, you are probably looking for somewhere to visit that has plenty to do come rain or shine, due to the unpredictability of the UK weather. London makes a great holiday destination, there are plenty of things to do indoors and outdoors plus it’s easy to get to from anywhere in the country with flights to London from many smaller UK airports as well as great train links. We all know a holiday in London is a fun break for adults with plenty of shopping do, fine dining to indulge in and shows to see but what is there to enjoy if you’re going with children?
Surprisingly lots, there is something for everyone no matter what their age, for young toddlers and children right up to fussy teenagers!
For younger children days out include:
For animal lovers you can visit London Zoo which in 2010 launched its new Rainforest Experience and offers daily animal displays including feeds and keeper talks. You can also visit the exhibit “Into Africa” where you will come eye to eye with Africa’s most unusual animals.
You can also visit one of Europe’s largest collections of global marine life at the Sea Life London Aquarium, which is situated in the heart of London here you can enjoy an immersive and interactive journey along the Great Oceanic Conveyor.
If you feel that by holidaying in the city you are missing the charms of the countryside such as open farms then fear not you can enjoy that Hackney City Farm boasts a wide variety of animals on the farm with traditional farm livestock where you can usually expect to see pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs and other small animals.
If animals aren’t your thing and you kids like learning about science, history or art then 3 London stops should interest you.
For a day of discovery, understanding, enjoyment and responsible use of the natural world a visit to The Natural History Museum will be ideal you can explore world-class collections, fantastic exhibitions and cutting-edge research.
For science mad children and adults you will defiantly be entertained for the day the Science Museum with exhibitions, events and films, such as a 3D movie, a jump on a simulator, or visit an exhibition, and encounter the past, present and future of technology.
You can also enjoy some family fun at The Cartoon Museum here you can see family favourites such as Dennis the Menace and Rupert to Andy Capp, Giles and Steve Bell. It shows over 200 original British cartoons, cartoon strips and comics as well as tips on how to draw cartoons where anyone can have a go.
There are also some great days out for those with older children and teenagers who want to see something a bit more in their age range such as:
You can get a great view from The London Eye which is the world’s tallest observation wheel with 40 kilometre panoramic views on a clear day.
Or for those who like it gory you can visit The London Dungeon which brings the darkest chapters of local and national history back to life, combining authentic set design, stunning special effects and live performance to recreate history’s horrible bits.
For those who like celeb spotting no trip to London will be complete without a visit to the world famous Madame Tussauds, which is filled with over 300 wax figures, including the Queen, the Beckhams and many, many more as well as 14 exciting, interactive zones and a brand new Marvel Super Heroes 4D movie experience.
The best part of a holiday in London is that all these attractions are easily accessible from anywhere in the city with great tube links and bus routes, as well as that London itself is easily accessible from all the major London airports, so you don’t have to worry about getting lost!
If you fancy drifting off to exotic far away shores with bright turquoise skies and sun drenched beaches without any effort this summer then a cruise holiday may be just what you need. There are some fantastic last minute cruise deals available now, which will see you enjoying the summer in style without spending a small fortune.
You can find brilliant cruise deals to exotic destinations such as the Caribbean, Dubai and Egypt or enjoy somewhere a bit closer to home such as the Mediterranean or the British Isles, or you could look to travel in 5 & 6* luxury at rock bottom prices onboard liners such as The Cunard Lines Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria or enjoy the hustle and bustle on board the humongous Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.
A cruise holiday will offer you the escape you need but without all the hustle and bustle of travelling and getting to and from places as that is all taken care of on top of that you will be waited on hand and food by the staff and can enjoy extensive ranges of cuisine. You can pop and see places you wouldn’t have dreamed of seeing before whilst enjoying excursions on shore or you can just while away your day been pampered onboard.
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.
With the summer holidays here it’s interesting to note that last year less people travelled abroad for their holidays, ten million Brits in fact, with many choosing to stay closer to home for holiday, starting a trend known as the ‘staycation’. Many families chose to stay here in the UK in holiday cottages, B&B’s and small country hotels and enjoy the local area because of the drop in the value of the pound against the euro and the dollar, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Figures show that the popular holiday destinations such as , Spain, fell by 2.2million to about 11.5million last year, with France seeing its visitor numbers down 1.1million visitors to 9.8million as well as Portugal, down 720,000 to 1.8million. It’s not just European holiday destination suffering wither the number of people taking trips to the US slumped by 20 per cent, with only 3.2million, however the biggest drop was see in Mexico with 41 per cent drop in visitors after it was identified as the source of the global swine flu epidemic.
According to the 2009 Travel Trends study for the ONS, those who did go overseas found prices for meals, car hire and suntan lotion so high that they reduced their spending, with Spending overseas by families and businessmen fell by £5.1billion to £31.7billion.
However it’s not just the drop in the number of Brits abroad, the number of foreign tourists to Britain fell by 2million last year to 29.9 million. But with more people choosing to stay here in the UK tourism should pick up in resorts that have suffered in the past, with great prices for holiday rentals here in the UK at many popular destinations there’s no excuse not to have a holiday.
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.
After the news that Cheryl Cole was diagnosed with malaria this week, British tourists are being warned to take proper medical precautions before travelling to exotic destinations, Cole had recently travelled to Tanzania for a brief holiday and although she is reported to have taken a full course of malaria tablets during her stay, she contracted the disease due to the fact some forms are resistant to drugs.
Although Cheryl Cole took her medication and was unlucky to get the disease, many people who travel to these destinations do not, as Britain has become the largest ‘importer’ of malaria in the western world, as some 2000 Britons contract the disease while abroad every year.
Frances Tuke of ABTA, The Travel Association states: “As we become more familiar with travelling to more exotic destinations, we can forget there are different types of risks that we need to be aware of and there are some easy things we things you can do to prevent those risks. First and foremost, if you are travelling outside of countries in Western Europe, North America or Australia, you need to go and see a health professional six to eight weeks before you go away to find out what vaccinations and preventions you need to take.”
For those who travel to the sub-Saharan Africa, which includes Tanzania are found to be at greatest risk, this area is also home to the most lethal strain of malaria, plasmodium falciparum and half of reported cases of malaria in the UK originate from this area.
Leicestershire-based consultant in health protection in, and member of the Malaria Awareness Panel, Dr Philip Monk, identifies Gambia as a particular hotspot for malaria and he has come across more cases of travellers infected in the west African country than anywhere else. He said: ‘As it’s a mainstream package holiday destination, people think it’s like going to the Balearics,’ he says. ‘It’s not. There are precautions you must take, especially in the rainy season when the risk of catching malaria is much higher.”
Figures show that Malaria causes more than one million deaths worldwide each year, and although scientists are making progress on a vaccine, it will be at least ten years before it will be widely available.
Although the UK only covers a small area it can be quite hard to get around it quickly, especially if you travel a lot for business, motorways can be long and tiresome so travelling by car is not always appropriate if you have to look fresh faced for a meeting, travelling by train is a better option than by road as you have more space and freedom to relax and with the availability of WiFi onboard many mainline trains now you can also get some work done. However if you are travelling long distances say from Edinburgh to London then travelling by train can take a considerable amount of time, however if you choose to take a flight to London you can cut down on a large amount of travelling time.
It normally takes about one hour to fly from Edinburgh Airport to London Heathrow, where as taking the train from Edinburgh Waverley to Kings Cross can take up to 6 hours. Although there is time taken up with baggage checks and other security in the airport it still takes less time to travel, and many UK airports around the country carry many internal flights, so it’s worth considering when you are looking to travel a great distance.
Now has never been a better time to holiday in the UK, with many people looking to save money for their summer holiday getting away in the UK has never been easier, no matter where you live you can get all over, especially if you don’t fancy driving, with flights to London, Edinburgh and Dublin from many airports around the UK, as well the option of travelling by rail.
There is something for everyone to enjoy right here in the UK, there are many wonderful beaches, a great choice for families, accommodation has moved on from the dated past and many modern family resorts such as new Butlins offer top class accommodation and amenities. For those who prefer exploring the rambling wilderness there are many great National Parks to choose from, such as the North York Moors, Brecon Beacons, Loch Lomond, Dartmoor and many more with plenty of visitor centres and activity centres. If you prefer exploring urban areas the some of the UK’s historic cities will be right up your street, from the Capital London which has week’s worth of sights and sounds to enjoy to the gothic history of Edinburgh, you will surely find a great city break to suit you.
So this summer the whole family can enjoy a great break in the UK, you can find cheap flights around the UK, as well as train ticket for wherever you wish to go and explore.
For a different experience on holiday, why not try a boating holiday, it’s a great way to spend a summer holiday, from fishing and swimming to visiting many different towns and villages along the way. A boating holiday is comparable to staying in a self catering villa or cottage, but you have the great option of mooring in different places each day staying as long or as little as you like.
There are many fabulous boating holiday destinations throughout Europe, not only here in the UK but also across the channel.
France is always a popular destination for a boating holiday with numerous waterways that meander through the countryside, here you will find rustic chateaus, vineyards, and quaint little villages. At top destination on many holidays in France is a visit to a vineyard and you will find many on some of the major waterways so well worth a stop off. Another popular destination is the Netherlands which have a huge expanse of many waterways and a popular boating holiday here is to travel to Amsterdam. Glide past the magnificent tulip fields and the many windmills around.
A boating holiday offers a great experience that the whole family can enjoy and can make a great change from the usual hotel complexes and holiday villas, so why not check it out today.
France
Picture courtesy of Fr Antune