Archive for the ‘Travel Tips’ Category
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
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Not everyone wants to start off their cruise holiday with a long flight before you set out on your voyage, so why not take out the stress of the airport and choose a cruise that sets sail direct from the UK.
A cruise holiday from the UK is great value for money because you don’t have the added expense of flights to your departure port. You can depart from Southampton or Dover to destinations all over the world.
One of the most famous cruises is the Transatlantic cruise on one of the great Cunard vessels from Southampton to New York, where you can relive the magic of cruising from its heyday in 5* luxury. Or explore the wonders of Europe, the Baltic and the Mediterranean with many cruise lines offering fantastic cruise deals to hundreds of destinations.
Many of the holiday’s available range from 3 days to 18 days where youcan take in as many destinations as possible and for those days at sea all cruise ships offer a fantastic range of on board activities to keep you busy.
Many holiday companies now cater for single people, and cruise holidays are no different, which is great if you want a getaway but don’t want to feel too alone. Onboard you can make new friends with plenty of onboard activities as well as learning to things when visiting ports.
Many cruise lines now welcome single people with their own receptions where you can meet other solo traveller’s and on ships such as the QE2, Crystal, Regent and Silversea ships, as well as on longer voyages of Holland America and NCL vessels you can enjoy “gentlemen” dance hosts onboard so when the band starts playing your are not left standing on your own. They are selected on the basis of their dancing ability, however if you’re a solo male traveller you shouldn’t have to worry about finding a female dance partner, they outnumber males travelling alone by about three to one.
Cruises are also known for their dining choices and when you’re a solo traveller you will not be limited, onboard most ships dining rooms have tables for groups of 4, 6, or 8 people which means you can easily meet new people on an evening. If you want to be seated with other solo travellers you can ask the Maitre’d and they will accommodate your needs, they normally group passengers with others of a similar age and background, so you will never feel left out.
We should mention however than can be some drawbacks to travelling solo, one of the main problems of a lone traveller is the single supplement, which is where some cruise lines charge a solo traveller who wants to occupy a cabin, without a roommate, the same price as a couple travelling together. There are some cruise lines which do offer single cabins like Costa, Holland America, NCL, Orient Line, Swan Hellenic and Cunard still offer single cabins on some of their ships, but these tend to be older ships. There are some cruise lines which are now adding less than 25 percent supplements on certain cruises for solo travellers which are Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, and Silversea.
If you feel that the extra charge for been alone puts a damper on your plans you could always consider a cabin share by using a ‘friend finder’ programme which some lines off, they match you with another solo passenger of the same gender so you don’t incur the extra supplement however sharing a room with a complete stranger may not be everyone’s cup of tea. You might be better off searching for a great cruise deal online that suits your needs.
Recently we looked at finding the best deal when booking a holiday and where to go that’s not too expensive but you also need to know how to make your money stretch when you’re away. Unless you spent extra money when booking your holiday and opting for all inclusive you need to think about first and foremost how much you need to budget for food. Many hotel offers include either:
All inclusive – Accommodation and all meals (normally 3) and drinks included as well as some alcoholic drinks available all day.
Full board – Accommodation and all meals (normally 3) with drinks included with meal but you normally pay extra for alcoholic drinks.
Half board – Accommodation and two meals supplied (normally breakfast and evening meal) with drinks included with meal but you normally pay extra for alcoholic drinks.
Bed & Breakfast – Accommodation and breakfast only with drinks included with breakfast you will have to pay extra for everything else.
Self catering – Accommodation only, normally supplied with a kitchenette.
Depending on what you have booked you need to make sure you have enough money to cover food costs as these tend to be the biggest expense during your holiday and if you like a tipple while you are away you also will have to factor that in as well. As we have mentioned before travel forums are a great source of information and often people post tips on where to eat and which offers best value for money. If you are staying in a hotel complex normally their charges for meals are often more expensive than if you go elsewhere so it’s always worth looking outside your hotel. Many people also post where is best to drink as well with some bars that cater for tourists charging obscene amounts, so it’s worth looking for smaller more local haunts to get a better deal.
All this should help you to budget before you go but always remember to take extra just in case.
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.
Bringing the past back to life with a transatlantic cruise is defiantly something one should experience, the Atlantic ocean is one of the world’s greatest cruise routes going back to its heyday of steam liners crossing the vast expanse. There’s nothing better than setting out on this exciting voyage in luxury that you get on a cruise ship which has a superb selection of international cuisine, leisure activities, evening entertainments and kids clubs, to ensure the entire family has a memorable experience everyone will love.
A cruise holiday from Southampton to San Francisco is one of the best over 20 nights you stop off at ports that include Madera, St Lucia, Isla Margarita and Curacao as well as passing through the Panama Canal and stopping off at Acapulco before you arrive in San Francisco.
Willemstad, Curacao
Picture courtesy of Jessica Bee
There is no worry about not having enough time to enjoy all the ports as you get to spend a day in each travelling to some over night as well as been able to relax and enjoy the amenities the ship has to offer on the days you are at sea.
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Picture courtesy of Alain Picard
So there is no better time to start looking for cruise deals to go across the pond!
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.
The Yorkshire city of Bradford was voted the city travellers least want to visit, a poll of 5,000 people conducted by hotel company Travelodge revealed that not only was Bradford bottom of the list but also other Yorkshire cities such as Wakefield and Ripon as well as other northern cites like Sunderland. Wales also didn’t fair too well with people voting St David’s one of the least attractive as well along with Wells in Somerset, Ely in Cambridgeshire and Lichfield in Staffordshire. Some of the reasons given for disliking all these places were bad weather there, nothing to offer, dislikeable local accents, high crime rate, dangerous, ugly and boring.
London led the list of the most popular and most visited places as well as being the place most people wanted to go to this year, other popular destinations for travellers include Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and York. A boost for some of the more popular destinations like London and Manchester is the transport links with good road, rail and air links available, you can get flights to Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh from most UK airports as well as access via train to and from these destinations.
Bradford Council’s strategic director for culture, tourism and sport Jane Glaister, said: “Bradford is a great city to visit. It’s home to the National Media Museum, the most visited museum outside London and host to the nationally acclaimed Bradford Film Festival. Also, Bradford has recently been designated as Unesco City of Film – the only city in the world to achieve this designation.” Not only that, Bradford has good rail links as well as been close to Leeds Bradford Airport
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