This is a kind of mish-mash of holiday package reviews, tid-bits, destinations and all sorts really. Anything that doesn’t fit into any of the other holiday categories I guess. If tou are looking for accommodation reviews then you’re better off in the hotel reviews section (which also deals with self catering apartments).
I would like to warn travellers to Beijing, China about a scam that has hit me twice now personally. In the lead up to the Olympic games in Beijing, the warning may be very useful, especially for solo travellers who are particularly vulnerable. I have travelled in many developing countries such as Russia, Thailand, South Africa, Indonesia etc but never come across anything as subtle as this scam.
There is an old saying “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”. I still don’t know whether to kick myself for …
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Denpasar is the capital city of Bali. The island is a stunning tropical paradise with spectacular temples, impressive Balinese architecture and breathtaking views. However in contrast, Denpasar is also a thriving metropolis with international banks, modern buildings and a definite cosmopolitan atmosphere. This popular tourist destination offers visitors a truly rich cultural experience.
Flights to Denpasar
The Denpasar Bali International Airport, also known as Ngurah Rai Airport, is located in southern Bali 13kms south of Denpasar and just a stone’s throw from Kuta beach. It is Indonesia’s second largest airport and sees about five million passengers each year. The airport handles both domestic and international flights. …
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Western Australia
Western Australia is the largest state of Australia with an area of 2.6 million square kilometres (about the same size as Western Europe). The population of the state is 1.98 million, representing 9.8 per cent of the total population of Australia. The state is so vast that there is a variety of landscapes and climates. With a low population density it sometimes seems as if you have the world to yourself from basking in the mile upon mile of golden beaches to touring the largely empty central and northern most parts of the state to taking in the lush greenery and forests of the southern parts of the state. The lifestyle is casual and easy going. Understandably in view of the unlimited sunshine; a large emphasis is placed on the great outdoors. Like all Australians, all Sandgropers as Western Australians are known are sports mad especially when it comes to Australian Rules football and cricket. The main population centres are Perth, Fremantle. Rockingham, Mandurah, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie. …
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Hamburg is Germany’s freewheeling commercial engine and window on the outside world. The port city, in the country’s north-centre, is the country’s second largest and sits astride the Elbe River that links it to the North Sea about 100km from the Danish border. The city’s business life is dominated by its twin industries of shipping and media. The former gives Hamburg its eclectic cosmopolitan flavour and the latter its creative spark and openness to new ideas. …
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A gleaming portal between east and west, Singapore polarises opinion. Praised as a clean, safe, efficient multi-cultural metropolis or derided as a sterile, paternalistic, monotonous temple to mammon. Well, it’s your choice to see it as one or the other - Singapore doesn’t really mind, as long as you spend up big in the city’s emporiums (and don’t chew gum while you’re at it). The city rose from the ashes of World War II - a corrupt, mosquito-ridden colonial outpost eking a living as a trading centre by virtue of its strategic position at the centre of S-E Asia and …
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Rotterdam is in the south-west of The Netherlands about 50km from the Belgian border and about 60 from Amsterdam. It’s linked by a channel to the North Sea and its fortunes have been tied to maritime trade and adventure for centuries seeing off Dutch East Indies galleons, the Pilgrim Fathers, trans-Atlantic clippers and today the cargo ships and tankers that are the lifeblood of international trade. Its obvious claim to fame is its role as Europe’s busiest port which alone would make it a worthwhile destination but the city offers much more to the visitor. …
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September 12th 2008: Only last week, transatlatic airline Zoom who run, actually, better make that “ran“, package holidays between the UK and the USA announced that they had gone into receivership leaving thousands of passengers out of pocket or stranded abroad. They have since blamed creditors for their downfall and said that the chances of resuming operations are “slim”.
And this week, the XL travel firm who also operate package holidays and have their own airline also appear to have, forgive the pun, crashed and burned.
The message here I guess is, while obviously wanting cheap holiday deals, be careful who you book through and in these somewhat turbulent times, perhaps it’s safest to pay a few dollars more and go wih a name you trust. I’m booked on an Easyjet flight in two weeks, followed by a Virgin flight in November, and I’ll eat my hat if either of them don’t last out!
I was just browsing around for some decent holiday package feeds to import to the site when I stumbled on Expedia’s new “Beta” service called, erm, well…it doesn’t have a name actually, but what it does is that it allows you to enter some basic search criteria and it comes up with a feed of holiday package deals relevant to your parameters. You can then add the “feed” to your MyMSN, Google, MyYahoo, MyAOL (or any other) personalised hompage, or read it in RSS newsreader software if you have one, and it will constantly update the latest deals from Expedia for you to follow.
It’s pretty simple at the moment, and the destination options are limited to the major US Cities or worldwide “types” of holiday (ie: casino, golf, Europe, family etc etc). Once you have selected your type of holiday, or the city you want to visit, you choose …
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