Posted by Jackie Hewett on Tue 6th January 2009 at 07:29 AM, Filed in Travel Tips
I have divided this checklist into different sections for ease of use – especially for traveling on airplanes
Hand-luggage (assuming you are flying) – general items
• Passports
• Tickets / E-booking reference numbers
• Directions to holiday accommodation – especially if traveling independently
• Details of holiday company contact number if booked through an operator
• Travel Currency / Travelers Cheques
• Credit / Debit Cards
• Drivers License
• Travel Insurance Details & Form E11 (for medical cover) if traveling within EU
• Medications – always pack these in hand luggage in case hold luggage goes astray
• Glasses / Sun-glasses / Contact Lenses / Solutions
• Camera / Video Camera & charger unit
• Mobile Phone & charger unit
• Jewelery
• Journey Entertainment – books, magazines, for teens – games consoles
• MP3 players & charger unit
• House keys
• Flight pillows / socks if you use them & possibly ear-plugs
• Suck sweets – especially for small children during take-offs / landing
• Lip balm
• Travel sickness pills
Read more...
Posted by Jilly Bowen on Fri 14th November 2008 at 02:11 AM, Filed in Travel Tips
Where would you like to go for your holiday next year? Back to somewhere you have been to before or how about a different far flung destination?
‘Are you barking mad or what!!!!!’ I here you say. ‘Don’t you read the news you stupid woman, don’t you realise it looks as though we are heading for a world wide recession!’
Of course I do. But hey, what if you can scrape up the air fair, or just want a change of scenery in your own country, plus are prepared to self cater would that make a difference?
What am I suggesting in these tough times?
The concept of Holiday Home swapping.
How does this work?
Read more...
Posted by Guest Author on Thu 12th June 2008 at 08:59 AM, Filed in Travel Tips
So, you checked in your luggage – fully labelled and secure. Enjoyed your flight. Disembarked form the aircraft, gone through customs, looking forward arriving at your destination to have a wash and brush up – plus getting out of the crumpled clothes you traveled in.
What’s this? Everyone else’s luggage but not yours! One of your worst travel nightmare has occurred – you luggage is among the millions of bags that go missing each year! There is a way to help ensure your’s is one in the millions that gets returned. Sign up to the ‘Trace Me’ luggage tracker service. You will be provided with a bar-code- readable tag which you attach to your luggage. This is linked to the database – recording all your details (the system is recognised by 1,960 airports throughout the world). When the tag is scanned an email and SMS message is sent to the registered contact with all the information you need of who to contact with regard to recovering your luggage. The tags cost £12.99 each (or £19.95 for two\) and last for life. See site
Tracemeluggagetracker.com for more information.
If you’ve visited Japan or are Japanese the ‘Yotel’ capsule style hotels may not seem that unusual, but they are a new concept for the UK (already open at Gatwick and Heathrow terminal 4), Netherlands (soon opening in Amsterdam) and potentially New York. They could prove an excellent solution if you have a very early morning flight and live some distance from these airports. The rooms can also be rented for a minimum of four hours and thereafter by the hour which could also provide a haven if you have a number of hours to kill at the airport.
Yotel is the brainchild of Simon Woodroffe (of YO Sushi fame) with rooms not quite as small as their Japanese ‘cousins’. There are two differently sized rooms, both with breathable mattresses, en-suites, flat screen tv’s with 60 tv channels, 80 radio channels and 24 hour room service (ordered via the tv). The standard rooms (or cabins in Yo-speak) have a ‘large single’ bed that it said to accommodate 2 people – possibly adequately if you are both unhealthy size zero. The premium cabins have a couch that converts to a double bed at the touch of a button with under-bed storage for suitcases and about 2ft space around the bed when it is extended.
Read more...
Posted by Jackie Hewett on Sun 28th October 2007 at 03:03 AM, Filed in Travel Tips
This subject has been the topic of increasing debate, not least because of the DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) issue, but also because many of us (accurately) believe that leg-room has been shrinking while people size (height and width) is acknowledged to be on the increase.
If you are interested in the leg-room subject you are probably an economy class traveler, so this article focuses on that area.
Firstly, what are we talking about when we bandy around the term ‘leg-room’? There are several key measurements to be aware of, but the most important, and accurate; gauge is seat-pitch - which is the measurement between a point on one seat’s headrest and the same point on the headrest in front, commonly expressed in inches. Seat-pitch doesn’t just vary between aircraft, it also varies between long-haul / short haul flights, and different airlines, who may even have different seat configurations for a single aircraft type for reasons good to themselves. If you want to know the exact seat pitch your best bet is to check out the excellent site SeatGuru (which is quite American focussed) who do their best to keep up to date information on each aircraft / airline combination, but don’t cover every airline.
Read more...
