MP’s sunshine breaks abroad, Cameron staying
Posted by Allen
More than half of Britain’s MPs took cheap breaks or not so cheap breaks abroad this summer, according to a survey that reveals the holidaying habits of the country’s politicians.
Parliament closed for its annual summer recess In July, with members of the House of Commons enjoying time away from Westminster until September 6th – while their counterparts in the House of Lords stay away even longer, not returning until October 5th.
And the first summer recess to take place under the tenure of the new coalition government is being marked by a new poll – the ABTA Parliamentary Holiday Survey.
Conducted by ABTA, The Travel Association (formerly known as the Association Of British Travel Agents), the study throws a light on how MPs spend their time off.
Of those who responded to the survey, 56 per cent said they would be holidaying overseas, while three-quarters of MPs intend to travel to cheaper short-haul destinations.
The poll also revealed a sharp disparity between the holiday plans of members of the Commons and their counterparts in the Lords.
A little under a third of members of the Commons – 30 per cent – claim to take just one holiday a year – compared to just 9 per cent of members of the Lords. By contrast, 41 per cent of peers take two holiday breaks a year, and 50 per cent take three or more.
The Mediterranean is revealed as the most popular holiday destination for members of both houses.
But while 56 per cent of MPs crossed the Channel, leading figures in both main political parties were due to be keeping the home fires burning.
David Cameron took a traditional seaside family break in Cornwall – and has reportedly told his Cabinet to avoid expensive foreign jaunts at a time when many Britons are continue to watch the pennies by holidaying in the UK.
David Miliband, one of the contenders for the leadership of the Labour Party, followed a similar line, and headed for Northumberland, commenting: “Northumberland is a beautiful part of Britain and I am really looking forward to exploring it with my family. The county’s stunning natural beauty, relaxing atmosphere and friendly people will provide a great backdrop for a family holiday.”
The survey named Scotland as the favourite spot for domestic breaks, among MPs
More people choose UK for cheap breaks in 2010
Posted by Allen
The Staycation is here to stay according to cheap breaks holiday companies who have confirmed that early booking predictions indicate that even more people will be choosing the UK for their short breaks this year.
Value for money is the key issue for many people when it comes to choosing a holiday according to research by one of Britain’s leading family holiday park operators and they responded to customer feedback by including even more activities in the cost of their holidays, such a popular swimming lessons for beginners.
Cheap breaks with swimming lessons
Whilst it can be tempting to hang on for last minute bargains the chances are you won’t save much money – and you won’t get your first choice of destination and accommodation. With so many people booking in advance many popular dates are filling up fast.
If you don’t have any flexibility with dates – or have set your heart on a particular destination you’ll need to book early to get anything like cheap breaks in the UK this year.
Happy New Year from Cheap Breaks
Posted by Allen
Happy New Year for 2010 from all at the Cheap Breaks blog.
The last year has seen some fallback in cheap breaks abroad from the UK due to the Strength of the Euro against the pound whilst there’s been a resurgence of cheap breaks and short city breaks within the UK.
Next year will see further developments and small changes but one things for certain, with modern life the way it is there’ll always be a need from time to time to get away from it all somehow, somewhere.
Happy New Year everybody wherever you are, and may your 2010 dreams all come true.
Cheap Breaks to Ireland
Posted by Allen
I wonder if you’ve ever considered cheap breaks to Ireland, and specifically the North?
The reason is because I’ve heard that hotels in Belfast are slashing their prices in a bid to attract more people to the region, so that’s good news for anybody planning holidays to the North of Ireland in the near future.
According to one website, various hotel chains are offering good deals, including the Travelodge, which has rooms from £17 between February 1st and June 6th, if accommodation is booked at least 21 days in advance. Value breaks across the country are also being promoted by the Irish Hotels Federation for two-night stays at hotels with three stars, which may be tempting for people interested in city breaks, with best prices at weekends.
The Radisson Blu Hotel, Belfast is ideally located in the city centre, formally the Gasworks area. The hotel is close to the city and out of the way of its hustle and bustle, allowing our guests to have a good night’s sleep and a good time out.
Here are some of the best Belfast Attractions to get the most out of cheap breaks to Northern Ireland
- The Odyssey Arena
- Grand Opera House
- Botanic Gardens-
- Belfast City Hall
- Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
- Queens University
- The Lagan Look Out
- Harland and Wolfe Belfast’s ship yard
- Belfast Zoo
- Belfast Castle
Arriving at Belfast for cheap breaks by Ferry
Belfast Harbour
The Port of Belfast is Northern Ireland’s principal maritime gateway, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland. About 60% of Northern Ireland’s seaborne trade and 20% of the entire island’s is handled by the Port which receives over 6000 vessels each year.
The Port is also a major centre of industry and commerce – its Harbour Estate is home to some of Northern Ireland’s most important urban regeneration projects and it is the region’s leading logistics & distribution hub.
With 1.2 million passengers and half a million freight units annually, Belfast is Ireland’s busiest ferry port. It is also the island’s leading dry bulk port, dominating the market with regard to imports of grain and animal feeds, coal, fertilisers and cement, and exports of scrap and aggregates. Over 95% of Northern Ireland’s petroleum and oil products are also handled at the Port.
Larne Harbour
Belfast can be reached by ferry from Liverpool in England and Stranraer in Scotland. Norse Merchant Ferries operate the Belfast to Liverpool route and the journey takes around 8 hours. Stenaline runs the Belfast to Stranraer route and the journey takes less than 2 hours by fast ferry, and 3 hours 15 minutes by slow ferry. Larne, 23 miles north of Belfast has ferries from Troon (Summer only) and Cairnryan (near Stranraer) operated by P&O while Stenaline have a service to Fleetwood (near Blackpool).
Bangor Marina
Bangor Marina is situated on the south shore of Belfast Lough, close the Irish Sea cruising routes. The marina has become well known since it opened for providing a safe berth in the centre of Bangor, a highly attractive town with many places to visit.
Bangor Marina is operated by Quay Marinas under a 15 year licence granted by North Down Borough Council. The Marina Manager, Andrew Jaggers, and his friendly team are there to make your stay at Bangor Marina as enjoyable and safe as possible so please speak to a member of staff if you need any help. The Marina is staffed 24 hours a day so there should always be someone on hand to provide any further information.
Carrickfergus Marina
The marina area at Carrickfergus boasts excellent amenities for berthing, setting sail and relaxing. The impressive marina building hosts the customer service team, who are friendly, confident and experienced, ready to greet any visitor 24 hours a day.
Carrickfergus Marina’s excellence has been reflected by receiving the prestigious quality accreditation of 5 Gold Anchor and European Blue Flag Status as well as designation as an RYA Sailability Centre. There’s always a warm welcome from the staff at Carrickfergus Marina and the exclusive amenities provided in the Marina building will make your stay all the more enjoyable. No detail is overlooked in the exclusive berth holder facilities. Immaculately presented showers, and personal laundry service, together with a bespoke marine services area and state of the art meeting/conference facilities, are just some of the facilities available.
The area around the Marina is a hub of activity, with a modern complex that offers restaurants, a childrens’ play facility, a hotel, a multi screen cinema, convenient superstore and a vibrant sailing club. There are inviting bar/restaurant facilities overlooking the marina and harbour – the ideal way to laze away a long summer evening or enjoy a hot drink on a winter’s night. The customer service team, located at the marina local information point, will also be delighted to provide information about other activities and places of interest in the town and beyond.
There are also ferry services available from Holyhead in Wales, and Liverpool in England to Dublin Port and Dun Laoghaire. Other ferry routes to Ireland include Pembroke and Fishguard in Wales to Rosslare in Co Wexford; and Roscoff and Cherbourg in France to Rosslare.
For details on routes and schedules please visit:
P & O Irish Sea:
Troon & Cairnryan to Larne
Dublin to Liverpool
www.poirishsea.com
Stena Line:
Stranraer to Belfast
Fleetwood to Larne
Holyhead to Dublin & Dun Laoghaire
Fishguard to Rosslare
www.stenaline.co.uk
Irish Ferries:
Holyhead to Dublin
Pembroke to Rosslare
Roscoff & Cherbourg to Rosslare
www.irishferries.com
Norfolkline:
Liverpool to Belfast & Dublin
www.norfolkline.com
Cheap Paris Breaks as tourism slows
Posted by Allen
Cheap Breaks to Paris
Following on from the potentially devastating news for Spain, as thousands of holiday-makers are axing trips to the Costas, Times Online has reported this week on how the tourism industry in Paris is facing difficult times.
According to the report by Chris Haslam, international arrivals are down by 8.1% on last year, hotel occupancies by more than 10%, and the queues for the Eiffel Tower – celebrating its 120th birthday this year – have rarely been shorter.
The growing crisis has prompted hotels to slash prices by up to 70%, in an attempt to win back tourists to the world’s most visited city.
So if you fancy a cheap Paris break, there’s never been a better time to grab a bargain.
UK hotel prices drop significantly as hotel owners try to tempt holidaymakers to stay at home
Posted by Allen
According to figures released this week by Hotels.com, UK hotel room prices fell 12% to £93 per night in the last three months of 2008, compared with the same period in 2007
In contrast British tourists are having to pay more for accommodation at many popular overseas destinations, supporting suggestions that Brits will turn their backs on destinations such as Spain and are instead planning to spend this years holidays in the UK.
But it’s not just Spain where prices are soaring, one night in a Swiss hotel rose, on average, to £120 – an increase of 22% – and France, Holland and Greece saw rises of 11%, 14% and 15% respectively.
Figures for individual cities showed average London hotel room rates dipping 12%, Edinburgh prices falling from £99 to £95 and Belfast room rates down 17% to £83. Bucking the trend was Cardiff, where average prices rose slightly from £87 at the end of 2007 to £93 at the end of last year.
The most expensive city at the end of 2008 was Moscow with rooms costing an average of £207 a night, although the biggest percentage increase was in Rio de Janeiro, where room rates rose 63% to £164 at the end of last year.
Other destinations with rising prices included, Geneva up 34% to £136, Zurich up 20% to £119, Washington DC up 18% to £115 per night, Paris rising 13% to £112 and Munich up 10% to £93.
The least expensive major city at the end of last year was the Latvian capital Riga where average rooms cost just £50 a night.
Hotels.com worldwide president David Roche said: “Our report shows that hoteliers around the world are being forced to cut rates to fill their rooms.
“Due to weak sterling, UK travellers will have to work a bit harder to find the bargains but there are still plenty to be had.
“For travellers from any part of the world, this is a great time to explore: travel has not been this cheap since January 2004.”
“The indications are that 2009 will continue to be a good year for travellers. If sterling strengthens, UK travellers will start enjoying the great savings our European and US counterparts are currently experiencing.”
Overall, the average price for a night in a UK hotel fell to £93 in the last three months of 2008.
Cheap Airfares – Last Minute Flights – Discount Tickets
Posted by Allen
http://www.online-mystery-shopper.com/yt/cfares/
(Safe Shopping Link)
Cheap Airfares
cFares connects you to the lowest fares direct from airlines, major travel sites, and industry wholesalers. Get exclusive customized below market fares.
Search for cheap flights or hotels, round trip, one way, or multi city, last minute flights, cheap flights in Canada, discount flights. Compare your results with Travelocity, Hotwire, and One Travel. cFares is best for airfares.
As seen on Travel plus Leisure and money magazine, See Fares is different from other travel sites and is a costco for fares.
Join now for free by filling out this simple form. You do not enter your credit card details or billing information. It’s Free!
With your free see fares gold membership you will be able to see both gold and platinum membership fares and submit a see agent bid on cheap airfares. Join now for free and you can book gold cheap airfares, and submit a bid for a plane ticket.
cFares is a unique airfare search site which allows you to comparison shop for low cost travel. cFares delivers a 360 degree view of all airfares in the market, including deals you won’t find anywhere else by searching the major internet travel sites such as Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity, querying airlines for special fares, and finding special negotiated deals with airline ticket wholesalers.
cFares can’t guarantee the cheapest fare always, but they are confident that because of their access to wholesale deals they will save you money, particularly for international travel.
You can also bid for your airfare. They enable you to bid for your airfare and find you a match if one exists in the market over the next several days!
See everything before you buy!
cAgent allows you to air travel tickets to anywhere in the world at unadvertised, wholesale prices. Unlike any other airline, travel agency or travel website offer, cAgent lets you bid for your airfare and know your airline and complete itinerary in real-time before you buy at no extra cost. Use cAgent for your last-minute holiday or business international travel!
Here’s how to bid on cheap air fares:
Sign In.
So they know who you are! If you don’t have an account Sign Up Now!
Search for a flight.
You can search from the homepage or from the cAgent main page.
Submit a price request (a bid).
Enter the price you want to pay for an airfare. Keep in mind your bid price is assumed to include all taxes, fee, surcharges, and duties. Your bid will live for seven days – you can change your bid at any time.
Enter the exact name(s) of the passenger(s).
Enter your credit card information.
Your credit card will NOT be charged at this point. They use your card to verify your identity and to place a hold on the ticket.
Submit your cheap airfare price request (your bid).
cAgent will search for fares to match your bid for seven days. Please allow 24 hours before the response cycle can begin.
Submit a Price Request (bid)
When a fare matches your bid, they reserve your ticket and send you an email alert.
The email will include your itinerary details and price. They will hold the ticket for you for 24 hours. If you do not respond to the offer within 24 hours of our email notification, your reservation will expire.
Buy it!
Purchase the ticket on cFares with their easy two-step checkout process and automatically get a FREE Platinum Membership for one year!
You can review your request at any time from the My cFares page. You can stop the search at any time and you can change your bid amount at any time.
Travel to Asia and Europe
Find the cheapest tickets to Japan, China, India, England, France, or anywhere in Asia and Europe with cFares, the most comprehensive travel search engine. They produce super-low discount and wholesale fares for your Asian flights including some not found anywhere else on the internet.
cFares members have saved hundreds of dollars on discount and wholesale tickets to Asia and Europe! Their unique travel partnerships provide their members cheap airfares, last minute airline tickets, cheap trips, plane tickets unavailable and unpublished anywhere else on the web.
cFares make these promises to you:
1. You will find the widest selection of travel options at the lowest prices. On cFares, you will find deals from every available source, including airlines, wholesalers, and online travel agencies. No one else can provide you a wider range of choices of airline tickets prices, low airfares.
2. Your experience will be relaxing and pleasant. You will find their site both easy to use and informative. They work diligently to present the complex information about travel options clearly so that you can quickly select the lowest cost flights for you.
Duration : 0:1:28
Free or cheap place to crash for a few hours around Waterloo Station and/or Eurostar?
Posted by Allen
Over spring break, first week of April, I’ll be traveling from L. A. to JFK in New York, then on to London, landing around noon London time. Then about 4pm I’ll take the Eurostar to Brussels. Is there ANYWHERE in Waterloo Station or the Eurostar terminal or even nearby where I can crash for just a few hours? I’d prefer not to pay for a hotel room. What I really need is just a place to doss for a little while until it’s time to catch my train. I just need to get over most of the jetlag and get on European time before I proceed. Any help at all would be most appreciated. Cheers and thanks, K
If you are scheduled to land at noon, and then take the Eurostar at 4pm, I don’t think you’ll have time to ‘crash’! Four hours seems barely adequate time to clear Customs and get from Heathrow to Central London, you’ll probably have enough time to grab a coffee!
cheap romantic snow breaks in a log cabin?
Posted by Allen
Im looking for a cheap romantic snow break for 2 adults in a log cabin does anyone have any suggestions?? does not need to be in ski resort as neither of us ski.
most state parks in pa have log cabins for rent.Guess it depends where you live.
Ryanair cheap flights funny
Posted by Allen
Funny parody
Duration : 0:1:51
