Airline & Holiday Information

Archive for January, 2010

Cruise holidays are the ultimate luxurious getaway, so it is understandable that some people believe a cruise to be beyond their budget. However, as many cruise deals come in the form of an all inclusive package, a cruise holiday can in fact be seen as a sensible option for those wishing to keep down the costs of their getaway.

Choosing an inside room on an all inclusive cruise could work out to be less expensive than attempting to travel independently to the destinations visited by liners, on itineraries such as a Far East Cruise, Baltic Cruise or Red Sea Cruise.

Knowing that meals and entertainment are paid for in advance can alleviate some of the stress of budgeting for a trip, and opting to explore on shore alone in place of taking the offered excursions can add to the seafarer’s savings. For the savvy traveller there are options allowing them to explore the onboard experience at a fraction of the full price.

Last minute cruise deals are offered when operators have failed to fill all the available onboard space, so waiting to book until a short time before departure can significantly reduce the cost of a cruise. Travellers should be flexible about their operator and cruise destination in order to secure the best cruise deal.

For those who fall in love with the liner lifestyle, many cruise operators including Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Carnival Cruises offer loyalty schemes, meaning that each year’s holiday can contribute to reductions in the future.

For those considering a city break the Northern Ireland capital city Belfast might not immediately spring to mind, but for a small city with plenty of culture there are so many enjoyable things to see and do.

One of the first things to try would be a Black Cab Tour. The cab drivers themselves lived through the troubles and will relate many stories to keep this tour factually informative. Taking in many sites such as the shipyards where the Titanic was built, the Shankhill and Falls Road areas of the city (which were the scene of so much unrest and where you can view the wall murals painted during the catholic – protestant conflict), they also tour the University District.  You can also arrange for taxi tours out of the city to view sights such as the Giants Causeway.

Bargain hunters should head towards St George’s Market; open on Fridays and Saturdays it is a popular way to while away a few hours. Friday’s Variety Market is an eclectic mix of stalls ranging from antiques to fish, while Saturday’s Food and Garden Market, as the name suggests, has stalls full of fresh fruit and vegetables and flowers, and even has stalls selling international cuisine such as French crepes and Spanish tapas.

Belfast Castle and Belfast Zoo are very popular with tourists; both are situated off the Antrim Road and are easily accessible from the city centre. There is a walk from the bus stop to the castle so this may not be convenient for those with walking difficulties.

Glasgow is situated in the east of Scotland just 42 miles from Edinburgh.  Visitors to the city will find travelling there straightforward as the area is connected by rail and flights to many of the UK’s biggest cities.

The city’s Buchanan Bus Station is where most long-distance buses and coaches arrive and depart.  Companies such as National Express and Silver Choice have regular services from major cities such as London, Newcastle and Birmingham with reasonably priced fares.  This does make them very popular so seats will need to be booked in advance.  A number of Scotland’s motorways meet at Glasgow, including the M74, M77 and M8, making it easy to reach the city by car if you prefer to drive.

When travelling by rail into Glasgow from both England and Wales, trains arrive at Glasgow’s Central Station.  Booking rail tickets in advance can work out considerably cheaper than buying on the day and it is a quicker journey than by the bus. 

Glasgow International Airport is just a few miles outside the city and brings in visitors on both domestic and external flights. A number of budget airlines have scheduled flights in and out of the city, which means that flights to Glasgow can be relatively inexpensive.  Flights are available to and from several cities including Brussels, Amsterdam and New York.  Prestwick International Airport is situated a little further away and receives flights mainly from Eastern Europe and some internal shuttle flights.  Both airports have good public transport links into the city.

Doucy is located along the French-Italian border; it is ideal for ski holidays. There are 22 green runs, 38 blue runs, 16 red, and eight black. 35 lifts give access to the slopes, and it is also a fantastic area for snowboarding. In total, there are 139 pistes, and some of them are above 2500 metres; so you can use them throughout the season. Also, the main resort is at 1500 metres, so you can ski or snowboard from the slopes to the resort.

Access to the area is normally via plane from Chambery, Geneva, Grenoble, Lyon Bron, or Lyon St-Exupery airports; all are within two hours drive time. There are about a dozen hotels and chalets that provide easy access to the slopes. There are saunas, steam rooms, Wi-Fi Internet access, shops and cafes, and several children’s clubs.

The resort of Feclaz-Saint-Francois has 13 ski lifts, 28 slopes encompassing 50 kilometres, and 140 kilometres of runs for cross-country skiing. The area sits on a plateau that overlooks Chambery, which is where the nearest airport is located (less than two hours drive time).

Besides skiing, you can ice skate, take mountain biking trips, go for walks and go hiking. There are half a dozen restaurants in the area offering local, Italian and French food, and more than a dozen hotels.  There are also chalets and bed and breakfast establishments. Limited numbers of furnished homes are available to rent, and there are two campsites in the area should you not mind roughing it a bit. 

This area also has a number of festivals and celebrations over the course of the year, and several are during the skiing season, which makes for great ski holidays. In the evenings there are several nightclubs where you can enjoy some drinking and dancing.

If you are stuck for an idea for a party and the event is drawing near, you should consider a last minute cruise, an innovative way to celebrate any event. A number of last minute cruises are available, with a wide array of party themes. Last minute cruises can be the venue for memorable anniversary parties, engagement parties, or birthday celebrations. The parties that are staged on last minute cruises can last for just a few hours or for as long as an entire day or night.

The themes for last minute cruise parties can range from nightclub cruises, costume party cruises, casino party cruises, to pirate parties. If a company wants to throw a business party on a boat, last minute cruises are a great idea that fall under the category of “chartered cruise parties.” Last minute cruises can come in the form of “contest cruise parties,” where the host of the party plans contests, such as a singing competition or a dancing competition, in which the party guests can compete to possibly win prizes.

“Ghost cruise parties” are also popular cruise. In this unique party theme, the party guests are aboard a ship that is haunted. The mystery-lovers in the crowd will have a great time searching for clues related to the secret of the haunted ship and the ghost that inhabits it. Similarly, “murder mystery parties” are also popular among the puzzle-solving crowd because a crew member or guest will be ‘killed’ and the party guests will pretend to be detectives in order to discover who the murderer is.

Last minute cruises can also be held in the form of music parties. The unique concept of this theme is to match the music with appropriate food and drink. An example of this type of last minute cruise is a barbecue that is accompanied by Western or country music.

Scotland is a historical country that forms the northern most part of the United Kingdom and the British Isles. It is on the coast of the North Sea, which makes it a good base for oil exploration companies and their service industries.

The country has a combined population of just over five million people. It is widely regarded as the best place in the world to make whisky, with a number of very old and traditional distilleries still in operation today.

The country has strong transport links at airports in the major cities, including the capital city of Edinburgh. Train services are better than they have ever been into the country and you can drive up the M8 motorway in order to reach the popular city of Glasgow.

The country was historically a sovereign state, which explains the number of wars between Scotland and England that occurred in the centuries leading up to Scotland’s inclusion into the United Kingdom’s parliamentary system.

Sport is also a very important part of Scottish culture, and the Scottish Premier League is one of the most watched football leagues in Europe. The country has also been the host of many big European competitions with the national stadium of Hampden Park, envied throughout the world.

Scotland is a fantastic country for any potential tourist deciding whether or not to visit. It has been described as one of the prettiest and most romantic cities in the whole world, and Scotland has so much to offer to so many people.

If you’re looking for a bit of unexpected excitement and sophistication amidst the antiquity and spirituality of Israel, then a flight to Tel Aviv is just what you need. 

Located on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean, the city of Tel Aviv has some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world. The mild year-round climate makes the seaside a popular destination for both locals and tourists. The beaches are informally divided, based on activities, sunbathing at one, water sports at another, young crowd here, family atmosphere there. Just keep wandering until you find the vibe that’s right for you.

The nightlife in Tel Aviv is on par with major metropolitan destinations like London and New York and the commercial and financial sectors are also growing rapidly. Fantastic clubs, bars and restaurants seem to pop up around every corner and the city is fast becoming an important place to do business for companies all over the world.

For the cultured traveller, the abundance of cheap flights to Tel Aviv provide instant access to some excellent museums and theatres. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art houses a remarkable collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings; the Diaspora Museum ushers millions of visitors each year through the annals of Jewish history and both the New Israel Opera and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra are located in Tel Aviv.

As the home of thousands of Jews, Muslims and Christians, Tel Aviv offers a diverse collection of cultures and traditions. These unique influences are apparent in everything from the food to the architecture.

Trying to compile a comprehensive list of attractions for a country as vast and diverse as Russia is a bit like trying to hold the ocean in a tea cup.  However, the following are some of the highlights for holidaymakers looking to book flights to Russia.

With more than a hundred mountain resorts, Russia is fast becoming a popular destination for skiers.  Some of the best areas to hit the slopes are Mount Elbrus—the nation’s highest mountain offers skiing year-round—Cheget in the Caucasus Mountains, and Volen Sport Park just outside of Moscow.

Sochi on the Black Sea coast has some of the warmest and most pleasant weather in all of Russia.  Swimming in summer and skiing in winter make this a desirable destination for tourists.  Now is the perfect time to visit, as the area is undergoing major improvements in preparation for a bid as host of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Veliky Novgorod is a stunning, ancient Slavic city with a beautiful cathedral, fortress, and several Unesco World Cultural Heritage sites.

Take a ride aboard the Trans-Siberian railway, the longest in the world.  Since its construction was completed in 1916, millions of passengers have made the journey from Moscow to Vladivostok. 

The city of Kostroma in central Russia is one of the nation’s oldest and a popular destination for tourists.  It was the protectorate of several Romanov tsars; tour the Ipatievsky Monastery, Resurrection Church-on-the-Debre, and take in the classic, fairytale architecture.

Cruises are notorious for being the ideal settings for romance to really take off to new heights. Maybe it’s the ocean air, it could be the exotic and faraway places you visit while on your cruise holiday, there could be a million reasons behind the romance of cruising, but there are ways to really make it the focus of your holiday.

Cruises, whether in the Mediterranean Baltic, are sprinkled with perfect and romantic moments, waiting around every corner. You can sip amazing wine or tantalising cocktails while watching the most fabulous sunset in the most inspirational locations.

Romantic cruise holidays can be ideal for arranging weddings, marriage proposals, rekindling that spark from when you first met, having a holiday without the children tugging at your sleeves or even a great way to start a new and promising relationship.

What every romantic opportunity needs is time and space and both are in ample supply on a romantic cruise holiday. You can spend time together taking part in fantastic activities, either onboard or in port and have the space to either learn things you never knew about each other or remember the things you did.

If you are thinking of getting married aboard a cruise ship, there really is no better setting. Many ships have special packages available to make your wedding the most memorable and special day of your lives. Flowers, the perfect setting for a ceremony, photography, dedicated wedding planners and lots of extras are included in a range of wedding packages, all designed to make it an extraordinary experience for everyone involved.

Located in the heart of Europe, Belgium shares its borders with the Netherlands, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the North Sea. This historic and beautiful kingdom is divided between the Dutch-speaking Flemish region in the north and the mostly French-speaking Walloon region in the south. As headquarters of both the European Union and NATO, there are several official languages and English is spoken by most of the population.

Flights to Belgium bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the country each year. Most come looking to explore one of the country’s intriguing cities or to sample the nation’s world-famous chocolate and beer. With five major airports, flights to Belgium easily connect to domestic airlines for travel throughout the country. Brussels Airlines and EasyJet fly into Brussels airport, while Ryanair operate flights to Belgium that land at Brussels Charleroi, about 46km from the capital. The other bigger airports are located in Antwerp, Liege and Ostend.

The Flanders region is home to Antwerp, famous for its diamonds; Bruges, an increasingly popular medieval city and Ghent is a less crowded, but equally impressive city. The coast of Flanders features lovely beaches and quaint little resort towns, like Blankenberge, De Panne and De Haan. The Kusttram is here too, one of the world’s longest tram lines.

Walloonia has the Ardennes, Liege, Namur and Tournai. Brussels is located as well, an enchanting city with a mix of ancient cobblestone streets and contemporary buildings.

Flights to Belgium are popular with travellers looking for something just a little different. The Flemish and French influences create a unique atmosphere, which is very hard to resist.