Category: Travel

If you do a lot of travelling whether it be for work or personal, there are a few gadgets that are a must have for 2016. Most of us have been in a situation where we have no battery left on a phone, tablet or laptop. If you are sat on a train and bored and want to play a game, or have urgent work to do, this can be very frustrating. There are now a number of portable charging devices you can buy starting from as little as £5 that will allow you to charge your device via a USB cable. These devices can sometimes charge multiple devices simultaneously.

Tablet, Kindle or Smartphone – Many of us have one of these already but if it is going to be used a lot when travelling you might wish to invest in a cheaper mobile or make sure that you have a comprehensive insurance policy that will cover it for loss, theft or damage.

Travelling from place to place within a city can be expensive, especially if you are using black cab taxis. If you are looking to go away for a weekend to a big city such as London, then you may want to consider pre-arranging transport for the duration of your stay.

Black cabs are very quick and can be located all over the city but you will pay over the odds for a ride and the total can quickly rake up if you are sat in traffic.

Normal taxis are usually a little bit cheaper, but still not the most cost effective way to get around. The underground trains and buses operate almost every few mins and some run quite later in to the night, meaning you can use them all day. If you buy an Oyster card, you can preload it with credit and then just swipe your card every time you use a public service.

Travelling by train is becoming increasingly popular due to the faster train lines and more direct routes available. Sometimes you may find the cost of a train ride to your chosen destination is more less than it would cost in fuel and parking if you were to go in your own car and also it saves wear and tear on your vehicle.

If you are looking for cheap train tickets then there is a number of websites you can use and often you need to shop around and find a few different options to find the cheapest tickets. It may be that two single tickets works out cheaper than buying a return and often off peak tickets offer a saving.

Booking your train travel tickets in advance can also be a way to save money as well as booking tickets at the last minute. If you are prepared to change trains during your route then this can also bring the cost of a ticket down.

These days there is quite literally an app for everything, and travel apps are no exception.

Here’s some of my favourite types of travel apps available:-

World clock apps – these give you access to have a number of clocks running on your phone at one time that are accurate and will allow traveling from country to country and finding time to call home much easier.

Weather apps – these are especially useful if you don’t have access to an English speaking weather channel whilst you are traveling around and are a great safety tool for countries that put out weather warns for things such as floods or tornados.

Currency calculator – this is possibly the best app that you will find and use numerous times during your travels, it quickly converts most currencies into pounds to allow you to easily compare prices whilst away.

Sunscreen app – now this may sound like an odd one but is a must if you are away somewhere hot and sunny. The app calculates what levels of UV rays there are according to your location and advises on factor of sunscreen needed and sets a timer to sound when it’s time to reapply!

You might expect a hefty fee to switch an airline ticket to a different person as airlines have to submit a passenger manifest before departure but you may be surprised to be hit with equally high fees to amend a simple typo.

You could be looking at fees in excess of £100, with fees varying widely between different airlines. This could be especially galling if you managed to bag a great deal, particularly as some firms charge a flat fee plus the price difference between the day you booked your flight and the day you amend it.

Filling in forms online is often a tedious business, especially on a smart phone, but booking a flight may be the time to turn off the auto-fill feature and double check every entry before you hit confirm. If you realise you’ve made mistake quick enough, some firms do offer a 24 hour grace period.

Depending on what type of travel you are going to be doing, there are many different things you will need to plan for and consider. If you are travelling by car on a long distance journey, preparation is the key. You may easily remember to think about refreshments, entertainment and scheduled breaks, but have you fully considered the preparation of the vehicle itself?

Before taking any long car journey you should always check your tyres and in a good condition and have the correct pressure in, window washers are full, oil is at the correct level and generally the car is fit to be driven. If you are in doubt about any of these things you may want to take the car to a local garage in advance (allowing plenty of time) in case there needs to be any work carried out meaning the vehicle will be off the road for a few days.

When planning a trip away whether for business or pleasure you have to take into account your journey and what level of travel you wish to book.

Whether by plane or train there is usually an executive option of a more luxurious style of travel, but is it really worth the extra money?

By train – When travelling by train, particularly on a business trip the space available in standard class is very limited and can be somewhat uncomfortable particularly on long journeys where the standard coaches can be over full. If you upgrade to first class once on the train in can be worth it, you get more leg room, a single seat to yourself with a table and power point as well as quiet surroundings that are not over crowded. There is also sometimes refreshments included.

By plane – When travelling by plane the extras that you get for upgrading to first class are all dependant on the company that you fly with so it’s always worth checking what’s available. The cost of upgrading to first class is quite high on flights so unless the company are offering a measurable difference it may not be worth the extra cost.

Many jobs now require you to travel as part of your position within the company. This type of travel ranges from travelling to local places to collect / drop off goods or travelling to see potential and existing clients. You may also need to travel to go on a business trip for training purposes or to do a reccy of a site that you wish to take a group too. For a lot of employee, this is a good part of the job as it gives them the opportunity to get out of the office or shop floor. If you have a job such as a teacher or a outdoor pursuits instructor you may need to visit places that you wish to a take a group to before going to carry out risk assessments and to plan where you are going to go and what you are going to do when you get there.

Many people are choosing to go on an executive coach holiday in the United Kingdom. These types are coaches are worlds apart from many buses that you would catch from your local town as they offer luxuries that you may not expect. Travelling by coach can be a great way to start a holiday as not only do you have no not worry about driving yourselves, you have the added bonus that it is a lot cheaper than travelling by taxi or plane.

Executive coaches are normally spacious and have good toilet facilities as well as aircon, adjustable seats and some even have music or DVD players. This is also a great option if travelling with children as you can spend time amusing them and playing games rather than map reading and driving. Although you may hit traffic problems, at least you can read a book or watch a film and let the driver do the rest. Coach travel is becoming more and more popular and it is easy to see why.

You go in to work and your boss says that you need to go on a business trip to meet potential clients. If this is the first time you have had to travel away from work to do business it can be a bit daunting.

The main thing when planning a business trip is to book everything in advance and have a clear precise plan of where you are going and what you need to do. The first thing to consider is accommodation. If you have a human resources department, they may do this for you, but either way research the location and read reviews to ensure that it is the correct place to be.. there is nothing worse then having a meeting at 9am in the morning to find that the hotel is currently having refurbishments done so many of the facilities are out of order or there are builders banging on the walls at 6 am in the morning.

Once your accommodation is book, research local places to eat and a suitable venue (if this isn’t already decided) to host your meeting. Once this is done, the rest can be a little more relaxed. Just ensure that all transport is taken care of as you don’t want any nasty surprises.