Posted by rowengower | Under Motoring and Travel News
If you are looking for an airline with personality then look no further than Ryanair. So rarely out of the news The Times has a story entitled ‘Ryanair: our favourite 40 headlines’ and, very much like marmite, you either love it or hate it. We all love its ground-breaking no frills, in fact even less frills than its no frills competitors, low prices model when it works. Fly to Italy from as little as £1 or so, fantastic, unless your plane is delayed for hours or even days. Then ‘no frills’ hits home as no cancellation or refund, no bed, no food or drink during your long wait. This can be even worse if you didn’t actually get a no frills price to begin with, as happened to Paul Kildriff, after all pricing can vary somewhat dramatically between seats.
But I digress from the very story which brings me to comment on Ryanair today: ‘What happened when a blogger decided to take on Ryanair‘. You’ve probably seen the story already, but just in case you haven’t the short version is that a blogger found a bug in the Ryanair site which appeared to allow consumers to book flights for free. However, in reality it did not work as despite displaying the price as £0.00 when you tried to book it was not possible to do so. The blogger in question, Jason Roe, decided to contact Ryanair about the bug and received a response calling him “an idiot and a liar”. Then in a further communication with Travolution Ryanair goes further referring to bloggers as “lunatics”. This is why I say Ryanair has personality.
Naturally there has been outrage across cyberspace and a general airing of opinion regarding Ryanair which is certainly not all positive. I understand this to a certain extent as the company’s response to Roe’s comments where, in my opinion, unnecessarily rude and aggressive. That’s not to say I think Roe was in the right. In fact I do not. If he was concerned about the possible implications of the bug on the site then why not simply report it to Ryanair? After all what is the use of sharing this information when it does not actually mean a consumer can book a flight for free? Personally I’m in agreement with Alex Bainbridge when he suggests that Ryanair is quite right to try to keep the cost of tickets down rather than attempt to maintain a constantly perfect website. After all who wants all the hassle of no frills flying if the ticket price is too high? And where would we be without Ryanair and its contemporaries keeping air travel more affordable . . . ?
Posted by gemmarees | Under Travel Trivia
We have three winners of last week’s travel trivia question. Well done to Claire McCowan, Anji Langridge and SLV, who are all absolutely correct in guessing that the image posted of a well-known American tourist attraction is of the Lincoln Memorial.
Now to today’s quiz (I hope you know your rock n’ roll history). Nobody could ever deny the enormous impact made on modern culture by Elvis Presley. In addition to his huge, ground-breaking musical repertoire, for which he is acknowledged in four musical halls of fame to date, he also starred in 31 musical movies. All this was achieved in his short life span of just 42 years.
The legend lives on and each year millions of tourists pay homage to his legacy at Gracelands – his lavish former home in Memphis, Tennessee. But where in the USA was Elvis born? Enter your guess in the comments box below, and I’ll reveal the correct answer next Tuesday.
Posted by rowengower | Under Products and Services
By Peter McAree:
Hello again and welcome to my monthly ‘View from the Bridge’ blog submission. Having worked in the car hire industry for many years I’m always interested in how booking trends vary. Currently we are seeing a surge of late bookings. Whilst this is as you may well expect in times of economic uncertainty, I can’t help wondering if leaving holiday plans till the last minute will be a good strategy this year. After all its definitely a good idea to book with well known, ATOL protected operators and many organisations have less capacity than previous years as they predict that, whilst people are unwilling to give up their holidays completely, many travellers could cut back.
Obviously the choice is yours and probably depends on whether you’re looking for a branded package break or to arrange your own trip. Either way please remember that all Auto Europe bookings can be amended or cancelled free of charge right up until 48 hours prior to the time you are due to collect your hire car. Remember not all car hire companies offer this service so it’s always worth checking the terms and conditions of you agreement.
On a more serious note, I was shocked to see a recent BBC Breakfast report on how many consumers are failing to take out travel insurance. New research reportedly shows that up to 1 in 5 holiday makers decide to ‘save money’ by skipping insurance. Great – if nothing happens! On the other hand, medical costs and repatriation to the UK can run into thousands or even hundreds of thousands of pounds very easily. Have a look on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s website for a comprehensive guide on what your policy should cover. By all means go for a basic policy which just covers emergency medical expenses but do get insurance, please.
Also be careful not to rely on credit card insurance or home insurance without checking the small print. Last but not least, if you are travelling to Europe then do register for a European Health Insurance Card but don’t mistake this for insurance. It will cover emergency treatment but often not 100% of costs and certainly no repatriation costs.
We don’t sell travel insurance so I’m not touting for business. It’s just that a basic policy for a week will only be £10 or £20. Money well spent I’d say!
Until next time .
Posted by gemmarees | Under Motoring and Travel News
Photocard driving licences were first introduced to the UK in July 1998. Now thousands of motorists are at risk of being fined up to £1,000 because they don’t realise that it actually expires after ten years and must be renewed.
The cost to update your photocard is £17.50 (which, according to an article in the Daily Mail, will earn the Treasury an estimated £437 million over 25 years). You don’t need to re-take the driving test, but you’ll have to provide a more recent picture. The paper part of the licence won’t expire until your 70th birthday.
If you are one of the 44,880 people currently driving with an invalid licence, you are allowed to continue driving, but the DVLA says you could be charged with ‘failing to surrender your licence’ and fined. Apparently insurance cover shouldn’t be affected though. So far nobody has actually been charged, but if the problem increases a crackdown could be considered necessary.
Bear in mind that most car hire companies will consider an out-of-date photocard as expired, meaning you might run into problems at the collection desk.
To find out whether or not your licence requires updating, check section ‘4b’ on the card. There’s a date on the front, and some rather tiny print on the back explaining that it means ‘licence valid to’.
The reason for this law is to prevent licences from being used fraudulently. As we all know, appearances can change dramatically in ten years, so your original picture might not resemble you accurately enough (unless you’re one of the lucky ones!)
The DVLA has been sending out reminders two months before the licence expires, so there shouldn’t be any need to panic. Details of how to renew you photocard are on the direct.gov website, and it’s quite straight-forward.
As another 300,000 licences are due to expire this summer, hopefully enough will be done to promote this rule to motorists before any of us suffer the consequences of inadvertently breaking it.
Posted by gemmarees | Under Travel Trivia
Congratulations to both Claire in Southampton and Stephen Ireland for providing the correct answer to last Tuesday’s travel trivia question. The Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas is indeed 1,149 feet tall.
Now to this week’s quiz. The so-called ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the USA has been in existence throughout my lifetime, but aside from our shared language and culture how much do we really know about each other’s countries? Naming all 50 States is a task that would challenge many Americans and who knows the names of all our Kings and Queens let alone the former Presidents of America!
However we thought some of you keen travellers out there may be able recognise this famous landmark. The scene of many famous speeches including Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ and also seen in Forest Gump. So, this week’s trivia question is name the building pictured below?
Posted by rowengower | Under City Breaks
Despite the frost and snow, hearts will be melting all over the country soon, as Valentine’s Day approaches once again.
If you’re hoping to be whisked away for a surprise break this weekend, you might not need to pack a passport. According to an article in the Times, the romantic break is the latest victim of the recession, with fewer people planning to take their loved one abroad this year. Online searches are up for Valentine breaks in the UK, with Scotland, London and Bath amongst the most popular destinations.
As February 14th also happens to be the first day of the school half term, it might be wise to avoid airports on Friday night and Saturday morning. There are some beautiful British locations offering perfect settings for cosy bolt-holes far from the madding crowd, and out of season loads of great hotel bargains are available. Here’s five of the best places to try:
- The Lake District: The Telegraph reported the results of a survey by Laterooms this week, which reveals that 31% of lovers intending to spend some quality time together would opt for the serenity of the Lake District.
- Edinburgh: Fantastic shopping, historic grandeur, and an excellent choice of luxurious hotels make this an ideal romantic city break. ( Check out the Glass House)
- Bath: Roman and Neoclassical architecture provides a stunning back-drop to this bustling city. Visitors can enjoy the original Roman baths, and then relax in the new Thermae Bath Spa.
- Brighton: A traditional favourite amongst lovers, Brighton has a bit of everything, from seaside walks, to boutique hotels, candlelit restaurants and some great jewellery shops!
- Brecon Beacons, Wales: one of the most breathtaking areas of natural beauty in the UK, and home to some high quality B&B’s. Couples can work up an appetite with a morning hike, then warm up by the fire in one of the area’s excellent gastro pubs.
But if none of these appeals and you’re holding out for a more exotic surprise, you might still be in luck. A story in the Travel Mail has revealed that lots of Brits are still booking sunshine breaks this winter to escape the freezing temperatures. Easyjet said flights to sunnier climes were up 17% in December compared to the same period for 2007 – so fingers crossed!
Posted by seetaludeshi | Under Motoring and Travel News
According to the Times Online road traffic has fallen for the first time in 30 years due to the recession and rising fuel costs. It seems many people are deciding to leave their cars at home these days.
In fact, Britain’s 34 million vehicles travelled 3.1 billion fewer miles than usual last year. It’s the biggest decrease on record. On average that works out as 90 miles less per motor. As a result of this, there have been 400 less road deaths than usual in the 12 months between September 2007 and 2008. This is equivalent to the total fall in deaths in the 5 years previous to September 2007.
Falling new car sales during the last quarter of 2008 may also have something to do with the reduction in traffic. People seem unwilling to spend money on cars. Personally, if I could spend less money on my car then I would definitely do it. My journey to work is a nightmare some days and this reported fall in everyone’s mileage certainly doesn’t seem evident where I commute from.
The Times says the fall in the miles driven last year was steepest between July and September when petrol prices peaked £1.20. However, mileage did continue to decrease even when petrol went back below £1 a litre and they attribute this to growing unemployment. I agree to a certain extent, but also think the summer holidays could have affected the summer figures. Especially as the weather last year was so bad. Who wants to go for a picnic or to the beach in the rain?
So, in summary, figures show that people are being more careful when they drive and only using cars when they need to. Is this true in your area/commute to work? I am failing to see any difference myself. If anything my commute is busier than ever. Let us know what you think.
Posted by gemmarees | Under Travel Trivia
Congratulations to Kate Caveney for providing the correct answer to last week’s travel trivia question. The seven rays on the Statue of Liberty’s crown represent the seven continents.
Time to put on your thinking cap for another question. Las Vegas is a city of extremes, full of breathtaking man-made structures, and surrounded by some of nature’s own amazing architecture.
Not only is the Stratosphere tower – featuring roller-coaster rides to be strictly avoided by the faint-hearted – one of the most exciting attractions along the Vegas strip, it’s also the highest observation tower in the US. But just how tall is the Stratosphere tower?
Posted by rowengower | Under Holiday Inspiration
The inauguration of president Obama in January marked what promises to be an exciting new era for the United States. According to a report compiled by the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) and ABTA, one of the positive outcomes anticipated this year is a 13% increase in Brits visiting the many attractions this vast and beautiful country has to offer.
It might sound like a cliché, but the USA really does have something for everyone, no matter what you look for in a holiday. From ski resorts to beautiful beaches, a vast choice of cosmopolitan cities packed with shops, museums and galleries, 57 national parks, deserts, canyons and the best theme parks on the planet. Add to this the lower fuel prices and falling cost of living and you might wonder why you haven’t already made the United States your top choice for 2009.
If the selection seems a little overwhelming, there are some great websites to help you pick a place within America’s 50 states. Discoveramerica.com and usatourist.com are particularly good, with lots of detail for resorts and attractions in each region. As well as popular tourist favourites such as Las Vegas, New York, Miami, Orlando and San Francisco, some lesser known destinations are perfect for a more cultural experience, or a chance to see some breathtaking scenery. Check out the following as an example:
- Arizona – geographically and culturally diverse with a strong Mexican influence
- Montana – home to the stunning Glacier and Yellowstone National Park
- Connecticut – full of beautiful coastal drives and world-class museums. Great for a romantic break and only a short journey from Boston or New York
- Tampa – a classic American city contrasts with scenic coastline. Take a ferry to Cadalesi Island, a must-see for enthusiastic bird watchers and beach combers
Generally speaking, the US is a car culture and driving is often the most convenient and economical way to travel. From a practical standpoint, public transportation within cities isn’t highly efficient except in large metropolitan areas. So even if you’re jumping between cities by plane, you may want to rent a car on arrival and drive. Set your own pace, wander down abandoned back roads, stop whenever and wherever you like.
There’s a handy guide to driving in the USA on the Auto Europe website to read before your trip. And as we’ve mentioned before, don’t forget to register with the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) at least three days before you travel.
Posted by rowengower | Under Travel Trivia
Welcome to a new addition to the Auto Europe blog. Log on each week for a travel brainteaser to test your geographical knowledge and hone your observational skills. This month each question will relate to our destination of the month – the USA. Check out the first in the series below and then log on next week to find out whether or not you guessed right.
The Statue of Liberty is probably America’s best known monument. Donated by the people of France in 1886 it has become a symbol of freedom and democracy. What do the seven rays on her crown represent? Let us know what you think the answer is in the comments box below and we’ll let you know who got it right next Tuesday!
