Posts filed under 'holidays'
With half term coming up many families will jet off to ski resorts for fun packed holidays, and with the excellent snow conditions it’s bound to be a popular activity for the mid term break.
The Telegraph reported that half a metre of fresh snow is expected to fall in many resorts, across France, Austria, Switzerland and almost a metre in some US resorts which will make room for great skiing.
If you are more of a thrill seeker looking for a winter sport other than skiing then you may like to have a go at ice karting, similar to go-karting but with studded tyres. Alternatively you could try snowboarding or how about snowlerblading? Click here to have a look at some more adventurous activities, but make sure your travel insurance is in order before setting off on your trip.
February 12th, 2010
According to an article on The Times, Richard Hammond believes that caravans make a good business premise.
They come with little paperwork, they are pretty cheap, you can move swiftly and they are versatile.
It could also double up as a holiday home. With many people turning to UK holidays this year, more people will be turning to caravans for their holiday accommodation and according to some couples the image of a caravanning holiday is totally wrong. Sometimes you hear horror stories of caravanning holidays gone wrong and of awful accommodation but nowadays you have all the luxury that you have at home like a shower cubicle, toilet, double bed, television, DVD player, Freeview, Sky and more.
According to a survey by insurance company Towergate Bakers, caravans were the top-choice budget holiday for couples in their 30s in a survey of 2,000 people. They found that although people were watching the pennies they still wanted to go on holiday and so they are opting for holidays a little closer to home this year.
If you are holidaying in the UK, make sure that you still have adequate travel insurance in place.
July 2nd, 2009
The summer season appears to be upon us with the UK experiencing some fantastic weather at the moment.
Over the past week many parts of the UK have hit their highest temperatures of the year with 22c (72F). Many seaside resorts have been swamped with people making the most of the heat.
It is also the time of year when people are getting ready for their holidays or trying to secure a late deal. The Times have revealed their 20 top British summer holidays. Some include:
The Observer has a great article on the top 10 places to stay in the UK if you have reduced mobility. It ranges from a coastal spa hotel to a five bed barn conversion.
June 3rd, 2009
Air travel specialists Mott MacDonald have suggested that countries outside of the Eurozone will prove to be popular holiday destinations for many Brits.
However, many Brits are staying closer to home. As people grow more concerned about the economy, job security, savings etc, they are being more stringent with their finances and budget holidays are in more demand. People are finding that it is cheaper to go camping or stay at the coast in inexpensive hotels.
You can also bring the cost of your holidays down by shopping around for your travel insurance.
April 23rd, 2009
Holidays from now on are going to be a lot more expensive then they were. Two of Britain’s largest tour operators, TUI Travel and Thomas Cook PLC have confirmed this in an article in The Times. France will be the destination hit hardest this winter which will make this year the most expensive year for a long time for skiers. Not only will Skiers suffer due to the strong Euro but apparently the cost of Ski passes has also gone up over Europe.
2008 also saw the collapse of airline company Canada 30, Spanish airline Air Madrid and also the low-cost transatlantic airline Zoom - all leaving some passengers stranded at airports trying to get home and others unable to go on the holiday they booked. Also tour operator XL Leisure collapsed which is now being investigated by Watchdog. Apparently when XL Leisure collapsed it took with it a huge chunk of the holiday market leaving 7% fewer holidays on sale. This has had the effect of bumping up the prices.
There is also the issue of the additional costs being piled on due to the increasing cost of fuel. Although fuel prices have come down recently some airlines are refusing to pass the reduced cost onto the passengers due to it being an unpredictable market. I can understand this approach but it is quite unfair on the passengers. Companies like Morrisons and Asda are cutting their petrol prices to below £1 a litre due to the fall in oil prices and this approach appears to be working well for them. Morrisons continues to cut prices for it’s customers and as a result they have seen profits jump by 19%.
If you are planning a holiday over the next year make sure that you have sufficient travel insurance cover. 100% online insurance company Swiftcover is one of only a handful of insurance companies that give you the option of covering you against scheduled airline failure so if you airline does go bust you won’t be stranded.
October 16th, 2008
It is that time of the year again when people set off on their family holidays and with the credit crunch hitting us hard, more and more people are staying in the UK.
The BBC are reporting that the camping industry is enjoying an unprecedented surge in popularity as people look for cheaper holiday alternatives. People have less disposable income due to the increase in the costs of basic foods, petrol and the increase in interest rates. The weak pound is also putting people off travelling abroad as it is worth 20% less than a year ago.
Our seaside resorts are also seeing a big rise in bookings with Brighton up 70%, Bournemouth 20% and Eastbourne 66%, according to The Guardian.
So with more people setting off on long drives to their UK holiday destination, how do you keep the children entertained and arrive as relaxed as possible. Well stress-free car insurance company swiftcover.comhave come up with some car games that should keep the whole family entertained:
The Name Game - The first player names a town in the UK and the following player names a town beginning with the last letter of that name, e.g. London -> Norwich.
Guessing Game - Players pick a famous person and other contestants have to find out who the person is by asking a series of yes/no questions.
Description Game - You need to divide into two teams. Each person writes down a couple of names/objects on small pieces of paper, folds them up and places them in a hat/container where they are all mixed up. Players then pick out a paper and have 30 seconds to describe, without using proper nouns, the object/person.
Memory Game - Player 1 starts a sentence including a noun beginning with the first letter of the alphabet. Player 2 then has to extend that sentence and include a noun beginning with the second letter of the alphabet, etc. The game can be made simpler by being put in list form e.g. ‘Yesterday at the beach I saw a sea anemone, a banana boat, a single cloud’ etc.
Spot the Car Game - The children pick a colour/brand of car or type of vehicle and have to spot a given number of that object.
Who’s Next Door? - When stuck in a traffic jam make up stories about the person/people in the car stuck next to you. Give them names, professions, ages, destinations etc.
Number Plate Maths - Children add/divide/multiply/subtract the numbers on number plates.
Map Reading - Give children the road map so they can follow the journey, or make up a trip and let them plan it for you.
Car Cricket - Make a list of different car brands and accord them all different scores depending on how common/rare they are. Children then add up the points of all the cars they see, and the child with the highest score wins.
Bizz Buzz - Players count from 1-100 (or whatever number they choose), naming numbers alternately. Whenever a number comes up that is divisible by two numbers of your choice (e.g. 3 and 5) the player must say ‘Bizz’ or ‘Buzz’. E.g. 1,2,Bizz,4,Buzz,Bizz,7,8,Bizz,Buzz.
And of course for the younger children there is also eye spy. What other car games would you recommend?
August 20th, 2008
It’s what we all look forward to, our holidays.
You’ve done the hard part - you’ve chosen where to go, you’ve booked your holiday and you’ve bought your Travel Insurance. You’re all packed and at the airport in plenty of time, you’ve done everything that you need to do and all you are waiting for now is to be called to your gate. But you don’t get called and then you hear the dreaded announcement that your flight is delayed.
I think that we have all experienced being delayed at one time or another, whether it is before we are on the plane or once we have landed due to baggage going missing. But what do you do while you are waiting?
Unfortunately airports view you as a captive audience and so many of the activities that you can do involve parting with money.
Some of my top tips for passing the time are:
Eating and drinking - some airports like the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow have some fantastic restaurants including a Gordon Ramsay so you can now dine in style while you wait. Be careful how much you drink though as you may not be allowed on your flight if you have one too many.
Shopping - there are usually a selection of shops at airports where you can buy books, food for the flight, jewellrey etc.
Go online - surf the net, catch up on your emails or edit your Facebook account.
Read books or magazines - don’t wait till you are lying on a beach to relax, lose yourself in a good book and you’ll forget where you are (even if only for a short time).
Sleep - you can always catch up on some beauty sleep, particularly if you have had an early start. I found this article entitled How to Sleep in an Airport which gives some good tips.
People watch - sometimes there is nothing more interesting to pass the time then to people watch. Give it a go you might be quite amused. At Stanstead airport some people put on a rather unexpected performance to amuse the travellers, vist this link to view it on You Tube.
Listen to music - ipods are great, all your favourite tracks in one place.
If you have any more great ideas, let us know.
June 9th, 2008
It is actually finally starting to feel like summer and it is that time of the year when people start to book their holidays. It is very easy to spend all your time choosing your holiday destination and then busily buying new summer clothes and shoes that forgetting to buy or check your travel insurance is common place.
There are many travel insurance providers and it can be very confusing as to what type of policy to go for and who to go with. Some people may already have received free travel insurance through their bank account but please ensure that you have read the small print and understand exactly what you are insured for.
The Times Online have compiled a really helpful article about how to choose your travel insurance policy. It takes you through what The Foreign and Commonweath Office recommend your travel insurance should cover and more useful information.
Don’t forget that if you are travelling in Europe you need to apply for your European Health Insurance Card as this entitles you to free or discounted medical treatment.
Make sure that the Travel Insurance you buy is the best for you in terms of price and cover. For example if you normally have two or three holidays in the year then it would probably be cheaper to buy an annual multi-trip policy rather than a single policy for each trip. Also, if you are a sporty person and plan on taking part in a certain sporting activity on holiday, make sure that this is included on your insurance. An article by MSN gives more tips on this including ensuring you have adequate car insurance cover if driving abroad and the all important luggage and baggage cover should anything go missing or get damaged.
May 6th, 2008
This year’s winners of the Telegraph Travel Awards have just been unveiled.
New Zealand beats the Maldives and Australia to win Favourite Destination Worldwide, whilst Sydney - followed by Cape Town and Vancouver - gets the nod as the Favourite City Worldwide. Italy is, as it was ten years ago, winner of the favourite European Country award, ahead of Greece and Switzerland, whilst York - beating Edinburgh and Bath - tops the list for Favourite UK City.
You can browse the full list via the link above but just as interesting is the commentary provided by Nigel Starmer-Smith in which he unpacks the results and makes comparison with the first awards of ten years agoshowing how, in these awards at least, the US has fallen off the map despite the weak dollar and largely due to the increased security measures that make entering the country so much more of a struggle. France has also fallen from favour as one of the favourite countries, as has Paris as one of the favourite cities, though it’s ski resorts have found favour again, ousting the previously more popular North American destinations.
Of course ten years ago, the Internet was just a babe in arms and travel agents would just not have been concerned about the prospect of customers independently booking holidays, flights, hotels and so on online rather than relying on the packaged holidays they were being offered in the high street. It’s a different story now of course - and in this tenth year the winners of best travel websites are tripadvisor.co.uk followed by dealchecker.co.uk and kayak.co.uk.
Whether it’s comparing offers, booking your flights or accommodation, reading a fellow traveller’s review of a city, hotel or restaurant, or arranging your travel money or travel insurance…the fact that you can research it and book it all online shows what a remarkable transformation has occurred in recent years. Who knows what else lies ahead? Maybe one day we really will be taking holidays like those in Total Recall where you can enjoy an imaginary holiday through memory implants. The upside - if you’ve never seen the film - is great holiday memories without the risk of poor weather or a bad hotel, and all without taking the time off work, and you can even choose to ‘travel’ as a romantic or adventure hero and take a holiday from yourself. As for the downside, well, if you have never seen the film, make sure you do!
December 2nd, 2007
As of today, Eurostar started offering carbon neutral journeys. ‘Carbon neutral’ is a phrase we read a lot about and - without wishing to teach the eco warriors amongst you to suck organic eggs - in simple terms it means reducing and offsetting the total calculated CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions you cause. In the case of Eurostar they are doing this by buying ‘carbon credits’ in specially chosen projects that will reduce an equivalent amount of CO2 to the amount created giving a net balance of zero.
Now, not only is it good for the planet, it is also a very potent marketing message to give to customers - “take a green train, rather than a damaging flight” - and one that they make good capital of on their website, pointing out that travelling by Eurostar to their ‘core destinations’ (Paris, Brussels) emits ten times less CO2 than flying.
It’s a persuasive message - and for short-haul trips it might be an easy choice to make especially if the fares are good, the journey more convenient not to mention global warming concerns. If however. you are planning a long-haul flight this winter to some warmer clime, getting a train may not be an option, and the airline you book with may not offer a carbon offsetting programme.
So, what to do? Well, one thing to do could be to take care of your own ‘carbon footprint’ yourself. and one place you can do this is via the Carbon Neutral website. Amongst its many offerings are Carbon Flights where you can quickly and easily choose to support a project that is helping to reduce carbon dioxide levels. The cost of this, from around £4 for a short-haul flight to around £50 for a long-haul flight.
Offsetting before you go off-jetting is a great way to reduce the environmental damage but leaving it to us individuals may not see many people taking the initiative and paying up. That Eurostar have taken the lead and done the job for each passenger - and without ostensibly increasing prices - is to be commended.
We’ll update future posts with other green travel news - but please do let us know your views on this subject.
November 14th, 2007
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