Holiday Destinations, News and Information

People are now scared to go on holiday because of the Volcanic ash cloud causing so much disruption recently. The amount of money that has been spent unnecessarily because of this natural disaster is ridiculous, and to think some insurance companies are not paying out because it is an act of God. What if you don’t believe in God? I think it’s a complete sham how they can get away with not paying out, surely the reason we buy insurance is for if something goes wrong and the plans are ruined. Shocking. Plenty of the people I have spoken to recently with holiday businesses in the UK are actually getting more business because people are now not risking using planes to get on holiday. Here’s to a boost for the UK leisure scene!

When you book a holiday and jet off to Spain or France or America, you pack all your smallest shorts, bikini’s, linen and flip flops, am I right? So what happens when you get there and for the entire holiday you get rain? I’m serious, my friend has just come back from a holiday in Spain and it rained almost every day. She had to buy shoes, jumpers, a waterproof jacket and trousers whilst she was out there because she had gone self catering in the belief that she would just be sat around the pool and would only need her hotel to sleep in. Wrong! When you are packing for your holiday it is better to be safe than sorry, travel in something you could wear there if the weather is bad and pack a pair of shoes, you may just be thankful you planned for bad weather!

When considering booking a holiday, why not leave it until the week before and then get a late deal? I A friend and I are thinking of going on holiday in two weeks and have both booked a week off work. We went to a couple of travel agents last night after work and there are some amazing deals out there. It is definitely recommended to do this as we are going tonight again to book a week in Ibiza and it’s costing us £219 for a week all inclusive in a 4 star hotel! Amazing. Alternatively why not try living on the edge and just going to the airport on the day you want to fly and booking a flight on the next plane out of there! How exciting but maybe a little too adventurous for me!

This weekend was amazing! The best weather all year as far as i’m concerned. A few friends and I have been looking at booking a summer break abroad, however all reports are that this summer is going to be a scorcher in the UK! I am seriously considering looking at a UK break. Have a think when you are considering booking a break, are there friends or family around the country who you know and who you can stay with? Are there long lost University friends who you may be able to visit? Consider these options and you may well have an option for a cheap, fun and rewarding holiday that you may enjoy more than laying on a beach for a week being bored. And if the weather goes as well as predicted you may even get a tan in the UK!

I booked a holiday to New York at the start of the year with my housemate however we are going at the end of October, therefore we need something a bit sooner as I can’t seem to get giddy about a holiday that is more than six months away. It was one of those things you do when you have the January blues and need something to look forward to. Don’t get me wrong, i’m excited about New York but in the meantime i’m after an intermediary holiday so have been looking on Teletext holidays for a cheap summer break. I’m thinking June time would be really nice to jet off somewhere for a week of sun, sea, sand and pina colada’s! Where to go though? I’m not that well travelled and don’t know where’s good and where we’re likely to have a rubbish time. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

My friend has just come back from a 10 day holiday in Greece and is feeling the holiday blues. Why do we get this? I know that coming home from a luxury holiday is bound to make you feel a little bit depressed, but shouldn’t we feel refreshed and re-juvinated? I was discussing this matter with a friend of mine in the office and she agreed with me, that although coming into the office can put you on a downer, you should be on a high after your amazing holiday abroad.

Do you ever get the holiday blues when you return from a holiday? If so, how do you go about getting rid of them?

It seems that more and more Britons are taking educational trips abroad rather than opting for the sun lounger. It seems that trips that teach you new skills and educate you are the latest trend, with more and more people learning how to cook, dance or even take up a new sport.

Rather then a holiday just being a fortnight of sun, sea and sangria, Britons are looking to engage their minds and not just their bodies.

Research has showed that a whopping 7.1 million of us have taken up a new sport whilst on holiday and 4.6 million have learnt a new language.

I think lying on a sun lounger is definitely what I like from a holiday, but, each to their own I guess!

I am currently sat in the office, facing my friend who has just got back from a trip to Turkey, and my god am I jealous. She has come back the most gorgeous golden brown colour and looks completely refreshed, it’s so not fair! I have finally booked off my two weeks for next year and i’m in the process of deciding where it is I want to go. Although I have my heart set on white sands and dazzling sunshine, trying to scrape together the money to pay for it is proving quite difficult.

I always seem to forget that with a luxury holiday comes a hefty price tag and for some people, even getting together the deposit can be hard. I suppose my shopping trips will have to go on hold for a while!

My advice is to book your holiday early. Although you can get some great last minute deals, it normally means you will have to pay the total amount upfront. If you book it in advance then your deposit cost will be small and you can then decide to pay it off monthly or in one lump sum.

The holiday I want for next year only has a £75 deposit per person, just the amount I like, means I can go shopping too!

Ever been on holiday and found that everything that could possibly go wrong, goes wrong? You end up at the airport with no passport or eventually get on holiday and found you have forgotten to bring all the money you changed a week before!! Ahhhhhhhh!!

You may find that your holiday doesn’t go quite as planned and it’s not even your fault! Maybe the hotel has double booked or the airline hasn’t given you the extra leg room you paid for. If this does happen, remember you have rights. Here are some tips for if disasters do happen..

• Before you even set off, you may realise that you have taken out the most expensive insurance by mistake. If this does happen, you can, by law, cancel. You will have 14 days to do this and all should go smoothly if you haven’t already travelled or made a claim.
• One of the worst things to happen on your holiday is the plane being delayed. If your flight has been delayed that much that you have missed check in for your hotel, or that it no longer serves it’s purpose, you can claim a refund.
• If you get to your hotel and you are not entirely satisfied, make sure that you report this to your rep. Your rep should be able to sort something out for you, be it a change of room or possibly even a different hotel entirely.

Hopefully your holiday will run smoothly but if it doesn’t, keep these useful tips in mind.

Imagine getting your money back from your holiday provider if you don’t get any sun on your holiday break? Well, a company in France has decided to do just this!

If you can prove that you got rain for at least 4 days of your holiday then you will be given a ’significant refund’. This is  a pretty good insurance policy for those who are looking to get away from the hideous weather here in the UK.

The company using this scheme is Aon, a French insurance company. This scheme has boosted the sale of holidays abroad and if it works, agents in the UK and other countries will no doubt take it on too.

A spokesman from the Tourist Office in Nice has said:

‘If a destination is offering itself as a place for a sunshine break, then there is probably no reason why someone should not pay up if it rains every day. The policy sounds like an excellent idea.’

Do you think the money back scheme is a good idea?