Archive for March, 2009
The Easter holidays are fast approaching. If you’re looking for Things to Do for families over Easter, Your Travel Planner shares some suggestions.
Easter Egg Hunts
Which child does not love an Easter Egg Hunt? Over 200 National Trust properties will be running Easter trails and egg hunts (supported by Cadbury), including at these properties close to London:
Ightham Mote, Kent; 10 April; 11am to 4pm; Claremont Landscape Garden, Surrey; 10 &11 April, 10am to 4pm; Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire; 13 April, 11am to 4pm
Days Out
There’s more Easter fun to be had on a day out. Join in the Easter Treasure Hunt at Wisley Gardens, Surrey on 10-13 April.
Kew Gardens is celebrating 250 years in 2009. Visit the Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop walkway that takes you under the ground and then 18 metres (59ft) up in the air.
Wallace & Gromit Present: A World of Cracking Ideas is a new family-oriented exhibition from the Science Museum, presenting the stories behind essential inventions from the printing press to the telephone. Encounter the devices as you explore Wallace and Gromit’s house. On from 28 Mar to 1 Nov.
A bit further afield, the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Buckinghamshire has some fantastic activities over the two weeks. Children can make their own whizpopping rockets on Tues, 7 April during George’s Marvellous Experiments, or grab the chance to ask Val Rutt, author of The Mystery of the Darkstone, anything they ever wanted to know about being a writer (Thurs 16 April), plus the usual Easter trail and egg decorating during the Easter weekend.
Theatre
Theatre doesn’t have to be all West End. Try some local theatre this Easter. The family favourite, The Jolly Postman, is on at The Polka Theatre, Wimbledon until 9 May (suitable for 4-7 year olds). The Richmond Theatre presents The Wizard of Oz from Mon, 13 April to Sat, 18 April and Annie is on at the Secombe Theatre in Sutton until 4 April.
Short Breaks and Holidays
In the current climate, staying in the UK will be a popular option for families. Haven Holidays seem to have plenty of availability during Easter, prices from £109* for 3 nights. Helpful Holidays, who specialise in cottages in the West Country, also have availability and special offers during Easter, including 20% of a 2 bedroom cottage (sleeps 4) in Olchard, near Torbay, South Devon (property ref: B8). Available 11 April for a week, original price £391, now £292.
Despite the weak pound against the euro, Europe during Easter may be feasible if the holiday price is reasonable. Canvas Holidays are offering 7 nights in a mobile home in Brittanny for £199*, departing 4 April, including the ferry crossing.
Please note that all prices and availability shown are correct at the time of posting (31 March 2009).
Filed under: Destinations, Europe | Easter Holidays, Things to Do|1 Comment
Virgin Atlantic announced their 5th week of special fares today (as part of their 25th birthday promotions).
This week the offer is London to CHICAGO return from £250.
The terms are:
- Applies to departure dates of 26 - 31 Mar 09, 01 - 03 Apr 09 and 08 Apr - 31 May 09
- Includes all taxes, fees and surcharges
- Additional credit card charges and weekend travel supplements apply
- Book from 26 March to 10pm on 1 April 09
Visit their website for more details and more news of their weekly offers.
Filed under: Destinations, North America, Travel News | Virgin Atlantic Offer of the Week|No Comments
This year, it’s even more important to make your holiday money go further. Your Travel Planner has been exploring this and outlines 5 ways to get the most of you holiday money and make it work harder while you’re on holiday:
- For cash, it’s best to pre-order rather than exchange at the airport. I checked for US dollars today and both Thomas Global Exchange and the Post Office offer 0% commission and competitive exchange rates. Both offer an online service and you can opt to collect at a branch or have your currency delivered to your door (charges apply).
- If you like the convenience of picking up your currency at the airport, it’s still better to pre-order and collect from one of the exchange bureaus at the airport rather than buying it on the day.
- You can pay heavily for making purchases with your credit card overseas. The benefit though is that credit cards do offer some consumer protection for purchases over £100. At the moment, credit cards from the Post Office and Nationwide offer 0% commission on purchases overseas. However, from 6 May 2009, Nationwide will charge 0.84% and then 1% from 1 July 2009. This is still better than the 2.75% that most other credit cards charge.
- Using your credit card to withdraw cash while you are abroad is one of the most expensive ways to buy currency. Better to have a Nationwide Flexaccount; their Visa Debit card has 0% commission on withdrawals and no ATM fees. However, from 1 June 2009, Nationwide will charge 0.84% and then 1% from 1 July 2009. Checking the Visa exchange rate before you withdraw your cash could also save you pounds.
- Another cheaper alternative for withdrawing cash oveerseas is to use a Prepaid card. You load your card with a set amount of money, and use it just like a credit or debit card. Cash withdrawals from an ATM are normally cheaper than most credit or debit cards. Exchange rates are competitive too. CaxtonFX have had a lot of press or try FairFX for more details.
The starting point for Your Travel Planner’s research on “Ways to save holiday money” was Martin Lewis’ fantastic website www.moneysavingexpert.com. It’s full of ideas on how to save money on absolutely anything, including holiday and travel money.
Filed under: Saving Money on 2009 Holidays, Travel Tips, Uncategorized | Savings on holiday money|No Comments
Virgin Atlantic continue to celebrate their 25th Birthday and today announced the 4th week of special fares.
This week the offer is London to JOHANNESBURG return from £418.
The terms are:
- Applies to departure dates of 10 Apr - 30 Apr 09 and 01 May - 12 June 09
- Includes all taxes, fees and surcharges
- Additional credit card charges and weekend travel supplements apply
- Book from 19 March to 10pm on 25 March 09
As part of their 25th birthday promotions, Virgin Atlantic are offering a different sale fare each week until the big birthday on 22nd June. Check their website for regular updates.
Filed under: Travel News | London to Johannesburg flight, Virgin Atlantic Offer of the Week|No Comments
With Mother’s Day only 5 days away (22nd March this year for the UK), this review from Alison Carter, from Optimum Vitality came just in time. Alison is a Personal Trainer and Massage Therapist, so she knows a thing or two about spas…
My husband and I discovered Lythe Hill Hotel and Spa when he whisked me away for a ‘de-stress’, 5 weeks before our wedding in 2007; we have been back 5 times since then! Why? You can relax in the intimate & beautiful surroundings of the spa, indulge in a sensational 3 course dinner in their Tudor restaurant with excellent service, take a walk by the lake as you watch the bunny rabbits hopping about on the lawn…all for the incredible price of £114* per couple for dinner bed and breakfast on a Sunday evening. You can also get an excellent and reasonably priced massage in the spa. Other facilities include a 16m swimming pool, gym and outdoor tennis.
Situated in Surrey, on the borders of Hampshire and West Sussex, Lythe Hill Hotel and Spa is only 50 minutes by train from London Waterloo and 45-50 mins from London Heathrow or London Gatwick airports.
Overall Verdict: A fantastic getaway spa at a fantastic price.
*£114 per room per night is a special Sunday promotion that gives 50% of the Leisure Break rate. The offer includes Dinner, Bed and Breakfast and is valid until 30 December 2009. Sounds like a perfect gift for Mother’s Day or a great treat for yourself!
For more treats, check out a previous post from Your Travel Planner: Mother’s Day Short Break Ideas
Filed under: Reviews: Hotels, Places to Eat, Destinations, UK & Ireland, Uncategorized | hotel and spa in Surrey, leisure hotel break in the UK, Your Travel Planner|No Comments
So last week was a sale fare for London to Hong Kong return from £325.
This week the offer is London to Boston return from £250.
The terms are:
- Applies to departure dates of 12 Mar - 01 Apr 09 and 09 Apr - 31 May 09
- Includes all taxes, fees and surcharges
- Additional credit card charges and weekend travel supplements apply
- Book from 12 March to 10pm on 18 March 09
As part of their 25th birthday promotions, Virgin Atlantic are offering a different sale fare each week until the big birthday on 22nd June. Check their website for regular updates.
If you decide to go and need help planning your trip, please feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to help.
Filed under: North America, Travel News | Virgin Atlantic Offer of the Week|No Comments
Ryanair announced today that it will move to 100% web check-in from 1st October 2009 and do away with airport check-in desks.
Ryanair will phase in the introduction of its 100% web check-in and the important dates are:
From 19th March - Ryanair’s web check-in service will be extended to EU/EEA citizens, passengers travelling with checked baggage and reduced mobility customers. The charges that apply are:
- Web check-in with carry-on baggage: no charge
- Web check-in with checked baggage: £5/€5 per person/per flight
- Airport check-in: £10/€10 per person/per flight
From 1st May 2009 - all new bookings will be required to use web check-in and airport check-in will be phased out (and the charge increased to £20/€20 per person/per flight).
From 1st October 2009 - airport check-in desks will no longer be available at any Ryanair airport.
See the Ryanair Press Release for further details.
Your Travel Planner asks: What do you think of these changes? Will it make you think more carefully in choosing your low-cost airline?
Filed under: Travel News | Ryanair, Web Check-in|No Comments
Crete, the largest island in Greece, is one of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations. Soft, sandy beaches, mountain ranges, dramatic gorges and archaeological sites make this a fascinating and diverse island to visit.
I met Annette Kirkley, a therapeutic, sports and remedial masseuse, at one of my regular networking meetings. She described her stay at Viglatoras, an agrotourism farm with traditional apartments, so enthusiastically that I asked her to send Your Travel Planner a review:
Viglatoras is situated on the edge of the small village of Sarchos, half an hour’s drive south from the centre of Heraklion, in a beautiful valley, and so within easy reach of sites such as Knossos. Surrounded by their olive grove, and vineyards, the house, is beautifully rustic, but with good amenities, and a second building houses 4 or 5 rooms for guests.
Anastasia, who speaks good English, does all the admin, her mother is a fabulous cook, and provides huge meals (dinner can be ordered) and I think runs cookery classes in the summer. They overwhelmed us with their hospitality, and the locals also went to extraordinary lengths to help us.
You do need a hire car and a bit of courage to navigate the local small roads which tend to lack signposting, but it’s worth the effort. Visit www.viglatoras.gr for more information.
If you have a review of your favourite place, why not share it with Your Travel Planner. Please contact me at www.go2research.com/contact_Go2.php.
Filed under: Destinations, Europe, Reviews: Hotels, Places to Eat, Destinations | Agritourism, Apartments, Crete, Heraklion, Your Travel Planner|1 Comment
As part of their 25th birthday promotions, Virgin Atlantic are offering a different sale fare each week until the big birthday on 22nd June. Virgin Atlantic’s “Offer of the Week” last week was a sale fare for London to New York return from £225.
This week the offer is London to Hong Kong return from £325.
The terms are:
- Applies to departure dates of 05 Mar - 20 Mar 09 and 06 Apr - 11 June 09
- Includes all taxes, fees and surcharges
- Additional credit card charges and weekend travel supplements apply
- Book from 5 March to 10pm on 11 March 09
Check their website for regular updates.
If you decide to go and need help planning your trip, please feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to help.
Filed under: Asia Pacific, Destinations, Travel News | Hong Kong Flight Offer, Virgin Atlantic Offer of the Week, Your Travel Planner|No Comments
Mother’s Day is on 22nd March this year (UK) and while I’ve been in holiday planning mode, it occurred to me: how often do we treat our mums to a weekend away?
You only have to look through the Your Travel Planner archives for some great places to take your mum. The flight prices shown are as of a search today (for departure Friday 21 March, return Monday 23 March), but obviously these prices could change:
Or how about treating your mum to a SpaFinder Gift Voucher for Mother’s Day? A spa voucher means your mum will be able to choose how, when and where she enjoys her gift and it can be used at more than 300 spas in UK or at more than 5,000 spas worldwide. At the moment, you can save 10% and get free shipping until March 22nd.
Filed under: Destinations, Europe | Algarve, Bed & Breakfast, Portugal, Spa Finder Gift Vouchers, St Tropez, the grove resort hotel hertfordshire, Your Travel Planner|1 Comment
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