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Archive for the ‘General’ Category
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Monday, April 28th, 2008Take the road less traveled in Europe
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008How to stretch your dollars on a European vacation is by far the favorite topic of discussion for would-be American tourists to the old continent. So here are our two-pence to the same discussion.
Booking early is a great idea as flying to Europe from the US is a major expense. Early bookings entail discounts such as students’ tickets. For example: In a recent search on StudentUniverse.com, which tracks student fares, a round-trip ticket between Chicago and London started at $736 if you departed May 21 (and stayed for a month). Delay the trip by one week and fares jumped to $1,067.
These discounts ought to be availed while there are seats left. The period till the end of May is ideal to seek discounts as summer travel from the US to Europe is not that high.
Great travel retreats in Ireland
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008Catherine Mack has written a great piece in the Guardian about the charming hideouts that still exist in Ireland. As Catherine says “The mountains, lakes, rivers and islands are all there for visiting, and there are many people who have set up extraordinary sustainable tourism businesses, just waiting to open their doors to you.â€
Read more of the piece here.
Travel abroad for your music
Thursday, March 27th, 2008The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) has stated that music festivals outside the UK are a cheaper proposition than attending such festivals in the UK. Better weather conditions abroad mean that holiday-makers can look forward to cheery times and good music and can do without carrying bulky raincoats.
If you are a music buff, you could do well to track the progress of your favorite bands as they do the circuit of Europe. Catching them play on the continent not only gives you a chance to see new places, you will also be paying less for the tickets. But do not forget to take out some travel insurance before you leave.
Medical tourism takes Brits to Eastern Europe
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008One of the fallouts of the collapse of the iron curtain has been that the nations of East Europe have a wonderful medical system in place. Citizens of Western Europe where medical care can have a person paying through his nose are being increasingly lured by the cost-effective yet world-class medical care in countries such as Hungary.
A sub-sect of medical tourism is dental tourism and Brits have taken to it whole-heartedly. They are providing great business for dental clinics such as VitalEurope which is based in Hungary with more than 200 Britons visiting the clinic in February alone.
Read more.
Ryanair competes with high-speed trains
Sunday, March 23rd, 2008Ryanair is having to face competition from not only other low-cost airlines but also from the railway, at least in France. Ryanair is locked in a battle for passengers with TGV of France, which is the largest and most successful high-speed railway system in Europe.
Ryanair is trying to break into the French domestic market which is dominated by Air France. Come May and Ryanair will start inexpensive flights from Beauvais airport, 50 miles north-west of Paris, to Marseilles. The company also has plans to tap into the German domestic market with operations between Frankfurt and Berlin.
Yet, its plans about succeeding in the European market may come a cropper if it fails against the united front offered by TGV and Air France. In fact, the TGV seems to be having a bumper year, in a recent revelation the SNCF has mentioned that it made a profit of €1bn and will be paying its shareholders, the French tax paying public, a handsome dividend of €130mn.
TGV runs a network of high-speed trains that can touch 200mph and a section of older lines that run the “slow†trains which touch 100 mph. Ryanair is trying to avoid a direct competition with SNCF-owned TGV on the Paris to Marseilles route. It is looking to cater to customers who will come to Beauvais from Normandy and the north of France.
Ryanair will start the flights from 2nd May with four flights a week to and from Marignane airport, west of Marseilles and eventually raise it to return flights every day. The average price will be in the range of €25 to €30 with a maximum price of €250, inclusive of taxes. The train ticket for a one-way journey between Paris and Marseilles is  €104.90.
The train journey between Paris and Marseille takes three hours to cover the 500 miles. The distance can be covered by air in a little over an hour.
Travel insurance advice – cheap insurance equals cheap service
Monday, March 17th, 2008While it is important to get some travel cover by taking out travel insurance, it is equally important that you do not get swayed by the lure of cheap travel insurance. If you do take out cheap travel insurance, chances are that you will get service commensurate with the price. So be careful when taking up insurance offers that are bundled with banking, credit cards, and holiday packages. Be sure to ascertain the exact nature of cover offered. Good places to shop around for travel cover in Britain include Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and the Post Office.
The cost of travel cover for a one-way trip to Europe purchased over the internet is around £5 while if you buy it from a reputed firm like Greenbee that deals in quality comprehensive policies, you may have to shell out £20. Family contracts and annual policies are alternatives for saving money.
Travel cover insures you against illnesses, accidents, medical treatment, and you can also come back home in the case of an emergency.
Read more here.
Flying cheap to Europe
Sunday, March 9th, 2008As it turns out the open skies policy has not really resulted in cheaper flights for Americans flying to Europe. Couple this with a weak dollar and you get a situation where Americans flying to European cities really need to have the right flight information in order to save precious dollars. Currently the round-trip fares between European cities and American cities are in the range of $1000-$1500.
One of the things that you can do to save some travel money is to avoid the summer rush and fly before June. Research on deals, spend some time online and you may come up with some real bargain basement deals for Europe in the months of April and May. Bargains up to 50% off on the summer prices can be had. You should look up the facts on the open skies policy between the US and Europe, new routes have been added.
So you have more choice, if you are savvy with your ticket hunting increased choices could mean lower fare. A new service usually means lower fares to attract traffic. So watch out for newer routes, introductory fares are lower than standard ones.  A great bit of information for flyers to Europe is that it’s cheaper to first touch base at Heathrow in London and then move on to wherever you wish to be going. Connecting flights via London, Europe’s biggest hub, are generally cheaper than direct flights. Check code-share prices, you do not necessarily pay less for a ticket offered under a code-share agreement.
Algarve for food and the beaches
Saturday, March 8th, 2008Some places seem to have it all in terms of weather, food, and fun. Algarve in Portugal is one such place and to its beautiful beaches you can also add a lot of history. Located on the southwestern tip of Europe, the place is land’s end for Europe. The next landfall is New York across the Atlantic. It was around these parts that the European age of discoveries first began around 500 years back.
The cliff-top chapel where Henry the Navigator once prayed still exists and overlooking the fort that Francis Drake sacked are the waters where Lord Nelson battled the Spanish Armada. The Algarve region has a 60-mile coastline and offers a wide range of beaches that cover peaceful translucent lagoons at the Ria de Alvor to the bustling surf of places like Bordeira and Arrifana.
European tourists discovered Algarve in the 70s’ and since then over-commercialization because of lucrative tourist money has taken the charm away from the central beach area. However; the Algarve has a hidden “wild west†that has escaped the trials of excessive tourist traffic. The beach at Martinhal is a favorite with windsurfers; the south westerlies make surfing quite a challenge. You can also go hiking up the Sagres and Saint Vincent. There is also a beautiful stretch of pale sand sheltered from the south westerlies; this triangular patch is protected by the rising capes of the two hills. Apart from some of the best surfing in Europe, the north coast of Portugal offers a getaway to those who wish for some seclusion.
The Ria de Alvor is a beautiful blue lagoon situated on the edge of the town of Alvor. This once quaint fishing village has some nice eating places and a waterfront where you can enjoy barbecues of a large number of fish such as bream, bass, and cuttlefish. Bathers, shellfish gatherers, boaters, yachtsmen, and a number of seabirds share the beach and the sea. As you move towards the city of Lagos, you begin to get a feel of what it must have been like in the old days when Portuguese sailors ruled the waves. The town still has its river mouth fortress and a network of old narrow cobbled streets that play host to the young and spirited during summertime. The area is filled with bar-hoppers and surfing enthusiasts during summer.
The city is brimming with examples of culture and Portugal’s maritime history, both exciting and poignant. The art galleries and open air concerts of the city beckon tourists and well as locals. There is also the church of Santo Antonio, adorned with intricate woodwork and coated with gold leaf looted from Brazil. There is also a 15th century building that is supposedly the site of the first slave market in Europe, a place where Africans were traded as slaves. South from Lagos is the Costa d’Oiro which has several cozy coves hidden amongst sandstone cliffs; a great place for a romantic twosome.
European tourists wary of Kenya
Monday, February 11th, 2008Electoral and sectarian violence in Kenya have forced several European nations to issue travel advisories regarding travel to Kenya. Italy has stated that while it considered Malindi safe for tourists, the lifting of its advisory would also depend upon the course of action decided jointly by other nations of the EU.
Italy’s ambassador to Kenya, Mr. Pierandrea Magistrati is on a fact-finding tour of Kenya and his input will be crucial in deciding if and when Italy reviews its travel advisory for Italian nationals in Kenya.
Newspaper and television reports of violence in Kenya have given Europeans the impression that the entire country is in turmoil whereas the fact is that the violence-affected parts such as Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu are quite far away from Malindi and the coastal areas.
The situation is particularly grim for Malindi which is entirely dependent on the approximately 30,000 Italian tourists for its economy.