Holiday mishaps to avoid
Jul 7th
Once in a while holiday mishaps occur, but travel writer Doug Lanksy has put together a short video with a few moments most travelers would wish to avoid when on their chosen holidays.
Sit back and enjoy, knowing there are better ways to travel………..
Monarch adds Gatwick to Majorca service
Jul 2nd
Top low fares airline Monarch has introduced a new 3 times per week scheduled service from London Gatwick to Palma, Majorca in the Balearic Islands.
This new service is addition to Monarch’s current flights to Majorca from London Luton, Birmingham and Manchester airports.
The new flights will start on the 17th July with fares starting at just £42 one way and £68 return including taxes.
Commenting on the March traffic figures, managing director of Monarch Flights and Holidays, Tim Jeans said,
“We are delighted to have recorded a load factor of 87% during March 10, which demonstrates the loyalty of our customer base who chose to fly with us time and time again.
“We continue to see strong demand for our mid-haul flights to the Canary Islands and Cyprus, once again proving they are a firm favourite with customers. The onboard service offered on Monarch’s scheduled flights, which includes extra legroom seating, a great range of tasty hot and cold food, and selected inflight entertainment is over and above the levels provided by most low fares airlines, and is perfectly suited for longer flight sectors such as the Canary Islands and Cyprus.”
The new service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
A cheap holiday in Cyprus and Turkey better value than a week in the UK?
Jun 29th
For those thinking of saving money and taking a break in the UK, you may well be surprised to find out it costs them more than a similar holiday in Turkey, Greece or Cyprus.
Researchers from Tesco bank looked at typical holiday expenses for a 7 night family holiday in August that included accommodation, car hire, meals and entertainment (but excluded the cost of getting to the holiday resort), and the findings made a cheap holiday to Turkey a better deal than a week in the UK.
The total holiday spending costs:
Reykjavik, Iceland – £3383
Rome, Italy – £2836
Barcelona, Spain – £2375
Dubrovnik, Croatia – £2333
Nice, France – £2320
Faro, Portugal – £2262
Athens, Greece – £2054
Brighton, UK – £2209
Bodrum, Turkey – £1819
Ljubljana, Solvenia – £1750
Limassol, Cyprus – £1739
Budapest, Hungary – £1455
Warsaw, Poland – £1315
Sofia, Bulgaria – £1221
So instead of mixed weather and fish and chips, you could be enjoying the sun and sand of a cheap package holiday to Cyprus or Bulgaria.
Tips on booking cheap last minute holidays
Jun 7th
last minute holidays
It’s a great time of year for booking last minute holidays with many aircraft often having unsold seats waiting to be filled.
With many holidaymakers not booked yet due to either the ash cloud uncertainty, or not wanting to go on holiday during the world cup, many people will be looking to take advantage of this and book a cheap last minute holiday.
Here are our top tips on how to get a cheap last minute holiday
- Flexibility on departure dates – The more choice on departure dates you have the better chance you have of finding a cheap last minute holiday. If you can only travel on one day of the week, and if it’s a popular travel day like a Saturday, it will be a lot harder to find the late holiday deal you are looking for.
- Departure airports – Consider flying from your second or third choice airport if it’s going to save you money on a late deal. You will find many more holidays available if you open your airport options a little. Driving an hour or so, to an alternative UK airport could possibly save you hundreds of pounds.
- Be open on your destination choice – If you only want to go to one resort you may struggle to find a last minute holiday but if you don’t mind looking at a different destination you will normally have a lot more choice and stand more chance of getting a holiday for the price you wish to pay.
- Flexibility on flight times – You may find that flying during the more “unsociable hours” can save you money on your next holiday. If you are only willing to fly at certain times of day, this is bound to reduce the number of holiday bargains available to you.
The golden rule is Flexibility, the more choice you have, the more chance you have of getting a fantastic holiday bargain.
Happy sailing for relationships during the 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP™
May 21st
The ideal ‘his and her’ holiday awaits as European cruise line MSC cruises have signed a media agreement allowing them to screen all 64 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP™ world cup games aboard their fleet of 11 ships, joining P&O Cruises and other popular cruise lines who have decided to offer onboard viewing.
“As a fervent football supporter the least I could do was offer fellow fans the opportunity to follow the 2010 FIFA World Cup while cruising aboard our ships. From June 11 and for an entire month until July 11 our guests will be able to experience the thrill of the event and enjoy football fever as if they were in South Africa”, said Pierfrancesco Vago, CEO of MSC Cruises.
With special cocktails for each nation such as the Italy cocktail with Campari, Martini Rosso and soda water, or the England cocktail with Pimm’s and Ginger ale, sunbathing and spa for ‘her’ and WORLD CUP™ football for him, everybody looks set to be happy on a cruise this Summer!
The incredible views of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
May 14th
Whilst the ash from the now famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano continued to cause holiday chaos across many European airports, there is no getting away from the fact that it’s an amazing sight to see.
Sean Stiegemeier decided it was a vision worth sharing…….. “So I saw all of these mediocre pictures of that volcano in Iceland nobody can pronounce the name of, so I figured I should go and do better”.
And so he did, taking him 4 days to get there, he beautifully shot the following scene displaying the cause of all recent air travel problems.
Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull – May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.
Family holiday survey reveals resort safety is highly important: Holidays-Direct
Apr 26th
A survey recently undertaken by Holidays-Direct has shown the most important factors when choosing a family holiday abroad. Five categories were chosen as the most important family travel factors.
Customer booking representatives have asked holidaymakers what the most important factors were for choosing a family holiday, by numbering the most relevant options from 1 to 5, with 1 being the most important.
Interestingly, the survey has shown that ‚Good reputation of agency‚ came a very close second to ‚Safety of a resort‚, which tops the most important factor for booking family holidays.
The top 5 reasons for booking family holidays are:
1. Safety of resort 31%
2. Good reputation of agency 28%
3. User feedback / reviews online 18%
4. Ease of transfers 13%
5. Closeness of airport 10%.
One customer commented, ‚finding a really good agency that you can trust is quite difficult, but once you do, everything else will fall into place as they will have the knowledge and experience to do the rest for you.
Jon Pearce from Holidays-Direct.co.uk commented, “It‚s really great to hear our customers trust our advice and because we tailor our holidays to suit the needs of our customers, they can get everything they want from our family package holidays.
With travel to airports and resorts being chosen as the least essential option when booking family holidays, www.holidays-direct.co.uk know their focus on selecting only the best resorts for their customers as well as focus on customer care and expert knowledge shows a good understanding of what every family wants and needs when booking family holidays and all inclusive package holidays for families.
The recent volcanic ash situation highlighted the difficulties faced by holidaymakers who don‚t have protection from their travel agency or insurance company in the case of acts of God, or 3rd party failures. Holidays-Direct has a strong focus on customer care and exceeds customer expectations and by making alternative arrangements for their stranded customers. This level of support is increasingly regarded as an important factor in booking holidays.
Jon continued, “It gives us great confidence in our products and services and we aim to go above and beyond to help our customers and meet their needs and expectations. Our package holidays and package tours are covered by ATOL and ABTA; we believe loyalty towards customers is paramount in the build up to a stronger travel industry.
Published by NewsCertain
Volcanic ash cloud creates chaos
Apr 22nd
The Icelandic volcanic eruption, where plumes of ash seemed to be gathering around the same point in the atmosphere as planes fly is putting holidaymakers out of pocket and airlines losing vast amounts of money.
More >
Essential sun safety tips from Holidays-Direct
Apr 15th
With many holidaymakers booking or have booked summer holidays to hot sunny destinations, www.holidays-direct.co.uk have some essential tips on keeping healthy and safe in the sun.
Online travel agency www.holidays-direct.co.uk advises UK holidaymakers on sun safety as the summer season fast approaches and with holidaymakers choosing more tropical holiday resorts.
UK holidaymakers are choosing hot sunny climates to take a holiday to relax, enjoy the atmosphere and to soak up the sun by the pool or at the beach, which is why Holidays-Direct recommend the following tips:
Try avoiding any unnecessary illness by -
- Staying in shaded areas between 11am and 3pm
- Apply sun lotion regularly with an SPF higher than 15
- Increase water intake and keep hydrated
- Avoid strenuous physical activity
- Take care when drinking any alcohol as heat speeds up the effects.
When the sun is at its highest holidaymakers forget the sun is at its hottest point. By staying under the shade of an umbrella or going indoors and applying plenty of sun lotion with a sun protection factor (SPF) of over 15 would help to avoid any burnt skin and reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Increasing the amount of fluid intake will also help avoid against the risk of sunburn and help energise the body. Cooling down in the pool or sea also has its risks as the sun is attracted to water, applying waterproof sun cream will help protect the skin.
Jon Pearce of Holidays-Direct.co.uk commented, “We think it‚s essential for our customers to understand sun safety as well as the risks. Keeping healthy and happy on holiday is the main experience we wish for our customers to have!‚
Holidays-Direct offer package holidays to worldwide destinations as well as Cruise holidays, Ski holidays and City-Breaks and will tailor holidays to suit holidaymakers needs, visit http://www.holidays-direct.co.uk for more information.
Top World Cup holiday destinations announced by Holidays-Direct
Mar 31st
The top destinations being booked whilst the World Cup takes place is announced by online travel agency, www.holidays-direct.co.uk. Worldwide holiday destinations prove popular during the World Cup it is revealed.
Football lovers wanting to keep their eye on the World Cup and holidaying at the same time will have many destination options to choose from the majority of resorts especially those who have teams in the World Cup, will show many games in holiday destinations such as:
Italy – Milan
Spain Barcelona
Florida – Orlando
Greece – Crete
Portugal – Faro
The FIFA World Cup is supported by many people across the world and for dedicated sports fans watching the game whilst on holiday will be essential.
For other holidaymakers, the following holiday resorts are being snapped up in a bid to avoid the World Cup:
Turkey – Izmir
Tunisia – Sousse
Goa
Bulgaria Golden Sands
Thailand
Non World Cup fans book holiday resorts where countries didn‚t qualify for the World Cup and football fans tend to book countries related to the FIFA World Cup according to the latest booking figures.
Holidays-Direct.co.uk offer cheap worldwide holidays as well as all inclusive holidays to destinations in Europe and the Caribbean. http://www.holidays-direct.co.uk tailor holidays to suit the needs of every holidaymaker.
