Category: Travel

Butlins is a very popular family holiday resort. There are currently three resorts in England; Skegness, Bognor Regis and Minehead. All of the resorts are designed to look very similar and often have the same shows on just different times. These types of holidays are fantastic for families with younger children as there is such a variety of things to do that you will never end up with a bored child. The other great thing about Butlins is that the majority of the activities are included in the price you pay when you book. They all have their own indoor swimming pool that has slides, wave machines and rapids and also their own fun fair. No longer do you have to worry about restricting your child to only one or two rides.

There are of course places where you do need to part with some money such as the arcades, cinema and shops but if you really want to have a cheap holiday you can opt for one of the self catering apartments which has all the facilities you need to cook a meal and make a picnic to take out with you for the day.

In the news latterly there has been many incidences where travel has been extremely disrupted. The horrific terrorists incidences in London has made travelling on the Tube and the Buses a little worrying and has often meant that it takes longer to get from one destination to another due to increased security and station closures.

There has also been the recent news of one of the major airlines having to cancel thousands of it planed flights due to a staff shortage. This has left a number of people stranded and has also affected millions of holiday goers who were planning to travel in the next few months.

Although it is not impossible to foresee all travel disruptions, it is vital to book your travel arrangements early and then keep checking on them in order to have time to resolve any issues that should arise. Ideally you need to check in the weeks and then days running up to your trip to make sure that all of your travel plans are still valid. If you are unsure as to whether a situation may affect your travel plans then you can always call the company who you booked with and ask them to advise you.

When it comes to travelling for a holiday or for work purposes, it often pays to book in advance. Many companies offer substantial discounts to customers who book their travel in advance and this can knock a huge chunk off any trip.

If you are travelling by train then it is worth checking the ticket prices and also if you are flexible on the dates you can travel, look at prices for other days too as soften certain days are cheaper than others.

If you are travelling by air, then again look to see which airport along with which dates will give you the best price. Travelling to and from the airport, also called transfers, can be expensive. Many holiday tour operators offer a coach to take you to your resort once you have arrived at your destination but if you would rather have your own private transport such as a taxi, book in advance rather than relying on the often expensive black cabs that wait outside.

Some companies also offer discount to group bookings, so if there is a few of you travelling you may want to book altogether to see if you can save a bit of money.

When looking for a holiday you will want to get the best deal possible. This may mean to want to find a reasonably cheap holiday, or you may not mind too much on the cost but want to find a holiday that has a lot to offer in terms of choice of entertainment and food, offers all-inclusive packages or has great on site facilities such as a water park and spa.

One of the first places to look is online. Before you even step in to a travel agent, it is advisable to check online to see what sorts of deals are available and where you may like to go. You can look up the temperatures for that area for the time of year you are looking at travelling and also compare costs of the holiday should you chose to go a different day, often up to a week either side. You may find by travelling a day or so earlier or later you can save hundreds of pounds.

If you do decide to go in to a travel agents, I would always request that you have some time to think about it before you book. This will give you the opportunity to do some of your own research in to the areas and also check out reviews, which should always be looked at before booking any holiday.

I was recently offered the chance to go on a last minute trip to one of the largest cities in the U.K. and although I had managed to scrape together some spending money travelling was going to cost a small fortune or so I thought. Just by chance I had that morning been watching a money advice program where the concept of split ticketing was raised. Now this little life hack does take a little bit of time but can save you money and is completely legal and above board. It seems to only apply to train travel though so this is the only drawback.
So how do I do it I hear you cry!
Well it is simply a case of looking into which stations you will be passing through and rather than buying a ticket for the entire journey, splitting your trip into several parts. No need to change trains or disembark. This method can save you well over £100 on very long journeys but is almost always cheaper than the easy option of a single destination ticket. My other advice would be to look into any cashback offers or voucher codes too as these can sometimes save you a fair bit.

We have all been there, sitting on our suitcase trying to close it with enough crammed in to last us a good few months not weeks! By over cramming our cases we not only risk with it weighing too much but could also cause it to split open as it is being transport from the airport to the plane and back again.

Vacuum bags are a great way to save space. Obviously many of us will not have access to a vacuum at our destination but you don’t really need one. Squashing the air out of the bag manually and sealing it will still save a lot of space. When doing this it is important to remember that although the clothes will take up less room they will still weigh the same, so be sure to have a set of scales handy to check you are still within your luggage allowance.

If you are looking to get around in style then you may consider hiring a chauffeur. Many people book a chauffeur driven car for trips to and from the airport when they want to relax before their flight and not have to worry about contending with driving in heavy traffic. Many of these luxury travel companies have a large fleet of cars that can be used for luxury travel such as limousines.

It may be that you have some clients that you want to impress and book a chauffeur driven car to take you all to an exhibition or to a business location. With most companies you can expect reassurance that you and your clients will arrive on time. Often in the vehicles there are complimentary newspapers and bottled water or even champagne and alcohol.  The drivers will treat you and all your guests as VIP’s at all time and will drive safely and on the best route possible to your destination.

Many people are wrongly under the illusion that coach holidays cannot be luxurious. A good coach holiday can offer a number of great benefits and allow you to really relax and enjoy your holiday in comfort.

Most luxury coaches are equipped with reclining seats, air conditioning, ambient lighting and music and toilets to make your travel as comfortable as possible.

Not only can you expect luxury from your coach but also there is often a well-informed guide on board to talk to you about local points of interest that you may want to find out more about. They can give you advice on where to visit and also where not to visit and may even be able to give you discount vouchers to enter local attractions.

Coach travel is often a lot cheaper than booking a taxi or hiring a car and why stress about driving when you can let someone else take you around.

Travel is sometimes essential and other times for pleasure, but it can be very expensive. Most of us want to try and save money wherever possible. Below are a few tips on how you can do this:

• If renting a car people often assume that hiring one at a weekend will be more expensive but this is often not the case and it can in fact be the opposite. With the majority of business travel done throughout the working week, prices can sometimes be hirer that weekend hires.
• Keep an eye out for special offers or coupons that may save you money on your travel costs. Free return travel, two for one deals etc can really allow a budget to spread further, just try and be flexible on the dates you can go.
• Don’t take unnecessary luggage – it may sound simple, but packing less will save on fuel costs and also airline additional baggage charges (if you are over your allowance).

You’re usually advised to avoid drinking tap water while travelling in a foreign country, but is this really necessary? Here in the UK we have world class water sanitation and levels of toxins and bacteria are tightly controlled. While many other countries have equally excellent water safety standards, that sadly doesn’t apply everywhere in the world. Before you travel, visit the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NATHNAC) website to check advice on the country you’re travelling to.

In countries with poor levels of sanitation, don’t drink water straight from the tap. Diseases like travellers’ diarrhoea, hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera are carried in dirty water so only drink bottled or boiled water. If it isn’t possible to boil your water, using iodine or chlorine disinfectant tablets will purify water, though you may want to use them in combination to ensure all forms of parasites are killed.

Remember; don’t get caught out with things like ice in your drink or food that has been washed in tap water. Foods like water melon may be stored in water to make them more juicy so be vigilant. Though these measures seem a lot of hassle, they’re a small price to pay for your health.