Yearly Archives: 2016

How to Travel with Friends

Posted on November 28, 2016 at 2:21 pm

Often, people decide to travel with friends rather than on their own. This can be an exciting way of seeing the world, and you’ll know that you have someone to share all of your memories with. What could go wrong? Well, as many people know, relationships can sour when the pressures of travel set in. Here are some top tips to help you enjoy going on a trip with your friends:

  • Choose the right people to travel with. This doesn’t necessarily mean the friends you have known the longest, but the ones with similar interests and tastes to you. It would be a shame to spend your adventure arguing about whether or not to visit a temple or a theme park.
  • Discuss your expectations in detail before you leave. Everyone has different expectations about how they will be travelling. Would you rather travel by bus and save some money, or pay for the convenience of flying? Are you happy to travel independently, or would you prefer a tour guide? These are important decisions that could cause arguments if you haven’t discussed them.
  • Decide what you are doing about accommodation. Hotels may be more comfortable if you need a good night’s sleep, but are you prepared to share a room? Or would you rather spend even less money and stay in a hostel dorm?
  • Make some general plans. You don’t have to plan everything out in detail, however it is useful to have some ideas. Consider buying a guidebook and looking through it together so that you know the kinds of things you want to see and the geography of the places you’re visiting.

Travelling with friends can be a wonderful experience, as long as you know what to expect. Covering these points should help you to have a happy, safe and relaxed trip and enjoy the time you spend with your friends exploring new places.

Posted in Travel

Holiday planning essentials

Posted on October 31, 2016 at 9:41 pm

When it comes to booking and going on holiday, some people do it very differently to others. Many people like to be able to book a holiday well in advance and give themselves plenty of time to prepare in terms of travel arrangements, packing and documentation where as others would rather grab a last minute deal.  There is no right or wrong way to book a holiday but there is always an element of planning that needs to be done even if it is last minute.

Always have a simply checklist with essential items on it to cross off as you pack. There are many such lists available on the internet and they will often just cover the basics that most holiday makers will need. If your holiday is more specialised such as going on a skiing trip then you may need to add many other items to your case.

Posted in Travel

Holiday reviews

Posted on October 2, 2016 at 7:39 pm

When booking a holiday make sure that you do your research about the local area and the resort. If you are thinking of going all inclusive then you need to consider what facilities and entertainment are on site as you will probably be spending a lot of time in the resort. You will also be eating the majority of your meals at the resort so try and find out what sorts of foods are on offer and if the quality is good.

When reading reviews you need to read a number of them to get a true picture of what the place is really like. There is no point basing your choice on one person’s opinion as everyone has different standards and often when you read bad reviews, it is that the person has actually had a bad holiday for another reason, not so much to do with the resort.

Posted in Travel

Business accommodation

Posted on August 31, 2016 at 4:22 pm

Within some job roles you will be expected to be able to travel. Some jobs involve local travel where you will return back to a base or to your home on a daily basis where as other jobs may require you to be away from home for a number of days, weeks or even months. If you are in a job that requires longer periods away from home then you will probably be used to staying at hotels and living in an out a suitcase. If you are able to book your own accommodation for business travel, there are certain factors you should consider.

  • Cost – some employers will only pay up to a certain amount for the room, so there is no point finding hotels that cost hundreds of pounds per night
  • Location – make sure that your hotel is close to where you need to be for your business work. You should try and cut down on travel time if possible
  • Reputation – make sure you can find a hotel that will offer you a good nights’ sleep. Try and avoid city centres or right on main roads which are busy as you may struggle to sleep well.

 

 

 

Posted in Travel

Travelling in style

Posted on July 12, 2016 at 11:45 am

If you are going on holiday and looking for airport transfers then you may want to look in to executive travel. Airport parking can be expensive and having to leave your own vehicle in a carpark for 2 weeks plus may make you a little worried. With private hire you can chose to go to and from the airport in a chauffeur driven vehicle often of your chose. If you are looking to keep costs low then you may book a taxi for the journey or if you are more concerned with comfort then you may opt for something that is luxury travel such as a limo or a prestige vehicle.

When booking transport to the airport you need to ensure that you arrive on time so you are able to catch your flight. With this in mind always book your travel arrangements allowing plenty of time to get to the airport also allowing for traffic or accidents that may cause delays along the way.

 

Posted in Travel

When to change your currency

Posted on June 30, 2016 at 10:20 pm

If you are planning a holiday abroad then you may well worry about when is the best time to change your currency. Following on from the EU referendum where the UK majority voted to leave the European Union, we have seen a drop in the value of the pound. Many people were concerned about changing their currency, not sure where to cut their losses and change now or risk holding on for it to go back up, in case it doesn’t. My advice is to not rush in to anything without careful consideration. Some companies are offering the chance to reserve your currency at the rate it is now but should it drop in the next month you have the opportunity to pull out of it. This way you cannot lose, you have a guarantee to exchange your holiday money at the current rate but can cancel if you later can get more for your money.

 

Posted in Travel

Coach travel

Posted on May 31, 2016 at 10:01 pm

Coaches can vary enormously from your day to day buses to the luxury coaches you see cruising around holiday resorts. Many people book coach holidays to save a little money, but as long as you don’t mind spending a little more time travelling, they can be an excellent way to move from destination to destination.

Coach holidays will often consist of picking people up at various stop along the way and then travelling on to a final destination where all the passengers will disembark and spend the day as they wish. At the end of the day or the trip if staying over night, you will then return to the coach to take you home.

Coach holidays can cost a lot less than other types of holidays and can be a fun way to explore the scenery as you travel on route, which you may easily miss if you are driving.

 

Posted in Travel

Finding cheap caravan holidays

Posted on April 30, 2016 at 10:59 pm

If you want to go on holiday but are struggling with the constant rising prices and those of the major holiday companies such as Haven or Butlins, then you may think that you cannot afford to go at all, but this is often not the case.

I recently wanted to book a week’s holiday in July for my partner and I and our two children. I was amazed to find that for a week in Cornwall (during term time) was going to cost between £600 and £1000 pounds. I knew that we would be able to go abroad for a similar sort of price but was keen on staying in the UK. After a bit of research on independent sites, I found a caravan holiday in Wales for the same week for less than £200! Although this was not our first choice of location, I decided that with the money we would save on the actually accommodation, it would mean that we could do a lot more activities when on holiday.

Posted in Travel

Being able to afford to travel the world

Posted on March 28, 2016 at 10:31 pm

Many people want to travel around parts of the world but fear that they will never have the opportunity to do so as they cannot afford it. When looking at going travelling then you do need to have a bit saved up for flights and accommodation to get you through a few months.

If you are prepared to work whilst away then you can easily extend a few months trip to a whole year. It may be that you have to do a few different jobs or be prepared to sacrifice a few weekends a month, but you can often actually learn a lot more by working in these countries than just going out with the other tourists.

Make sure that you have all the documents with you that you need to for you to be able to work whilst away and check that any insurance you have also covers this.

 

 

 

Posted in Travel

Which board option to choose for your holiday?

Posted on February 26, 2016 at 11:17 pm

When booking a holiday you may need to choose what type of board you want. Not all resorts will offer all types of board, some will be only self-catering or some only all inclusive. Below is a quick summary of what the options are and what is usually included although you should check prior to booking as it can vary from resort to resort.

Self-catering – this is often the cheapest way of holidaying. You usually only pay for your room and drinks, snacks and meals are not included.

Half board – this usually includes breakfast and dinner (although some places will allow you to swap your breakfast for a lunch). No drinks or snacks are included.

Full board – is the same as half board but includes your lunch too, so all main meals are included, but drinks and snacks are extra.

All inclusive – all meals, snacks and drinks are included in the price, although drinks may be restricted to local brands.

 

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