Why not take the grandchildren?

How can I compare Airlines?

How can I find out if the country is safe to visit?

Travel Advice - Dos & Don'ts

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How do I plan and arrange a "Made to Measure" holiday?

How do I find and book a flight?

How do I arrange a Package Holiday online?

How do I find and book accommodation online?

Can I rent a Holiday Home or Cottage online?

How do I find and book a hire car?

Is it possible to buy a Travel Pass for a city or destination?

Country Information

Travel to the Airport

Airport Parking

Airport Lounge Passes

Travel Insurance

Personal Security

Can I take my mobile phone abroad?

Can I access my personal computer whilst on holiday?

How can I compare airlines?

Try the following: www.airlinequality.com

How can I find out if the country is safe to visit?

Reliable information is at:  http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590 

Go to the drop down box at the bottom of the page to find out about a specific country.

Travel Advice - Dos & Don'ts

Excellent general advice may be found at:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1098377239217

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Holiday Watchdog is a consumer driven holiday and hotel review site. It provides independent opinions and reviews from holidaymakers for holidaymakers.  Use it to check out your own planned holidays, and to report back for others

How do I plan and arrange a "Made to Measure" holiday?

There are so many ways! But you need to make a start.  You can do this by deciding either:

• Where you want to go – which country? which region or city?  Start with a good guide book such as Lonely Planet

	Lonely Planet began in the early 1970s after founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler completed an overland journey from London through Asia and on to Australia. Since then it has grown to be the world's leading travel guide publisher.
	Mydestinations is the new travel map and guide website launched by Maps International. Selling over 20,000 products to 2,000 destinations

• What you want to do – sport, adventure, relax, sightseeing, cruise, festival or event – try http://www.whatsonwhen.com/

• When you want to go – when is the best time to travel there - climate & seasons A good place to start is http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides/

• How long you want to go for – a weekend or several months? 

How do I find and book a flight?

This is one of the most useful and easiest things to do. Most airlines issue e-tickets now, and these will be sent to you as an attachment to a confirmatory email.

Good starting places include:

To find and book a flight or a complete holiday online.    Expedia is the biggest online travel agent in the UK serving millions of travellers every year.

Then you can start to plan your flights, accommodation, car hire, etc., etc.  Many websites are multi-purpose; some good ones to get you started include:

	You can make your travel decisions after accessing this single source of every flight schedule in the world.
	Varied range of value deals on flights, holidays, hotels, dynamic packages, car hire, entertainment tickets and gifts.
	Airline schedules. Hotel bookings. Car rental. And more. TravelPlan is a unique range of travel planning software for your PC, laptop, Palm™ or Pocket PC. It’s so flexible you can use it online or offline, wherever you need it – in the office, at home, at the airport or even on a plane.
	As a Priority Traveller you will receive a wide range of Privileges, Savings & Service including access to over 450 airport VIP lounges, discounts at over 20,000 hotels and more than 300 golf courses and resorts, a dedicated travel services team to look after your travel needs andcomplimentaery comprehensive annual travel insurance

You may prefer to book direct with an airline especially if you are a member of their airpoint programme:

	BA offers flights to 154 destinations in 72 countries
	Virgin Atlantic is the second largest long haul airline in the UK and the third largest European carrier over the North Atlantic. Their route network has grown rapidly to include destinations in the US, Caribbean, Far East, India, Australia and Africa.  Pete1
	Freedom Flights is the UK's largest seat only operator selling seats to 45 destinations in the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Caribbean. Freedom Flights currently offers seats on flights from London Gatwick and 11 other UK regional airports, including Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Newcastle and Stansted
	Looking for cheap flights online? Avro, the UK's award winning cheap ticket operator, for low-cost flights

With many scheduled airlines, you can also often choose your seat online, and check-in online up to 24 hours before departure, saving you time and trouble at the departure airport. 

How do I arrange a Package Holiday online?

This is a good type of holiday for a first time online. It is a one-stop purchase, and you can often find good bargains and discounts. Worth trying are the following:

	Short London theatre breaks
	Warner offer inclusive half-board UK short breaks at stunning locations, with a wide range of activities, good food and live entertainment every night. The price of a break includes accommodation, breakfast and dinner everyday, a variety of leisure activities and nightly live entertainment.
	Thomson.co.uk offers  good value holidays, charter flights, hotels, villas and apartments.
	Thanks to its extensive network covering 187 destinations worldwide in 84 countries and very competitive fares, Air France is strong on long haul flights from UK and Ireland. From the UK, Air France has 57 daily direct flights to France (44 to Paris).
	Citalia is one ofthe UK’s leading Italian specialists, offering a breadth of choice to suit every lifestyle, taste and budget; whether it’s a city hotel in Rome, a rustic villa in Tuscany or an exclusive 5-star resort in Sorrento.
	Kuoni offers dream holidays to over 70 exciting countries around the world, from luxurious tropical island getaways to escorted cultural tours, thrilling safaris to fly-drives or city breaks
	Pure Holidays offers a wide range of holidays to the Mediterranean and beyond. They are especially strong in the Eastern Mediterranean, offering a good range to Turkey, mainland Greece, the Greek Islands and Cyprus.
	With 163 years’ experience of booking travel and holidays for millions of customers every year, Thomas Cook is one of the UK’s best known travel companies.
	Cosmos is the UK’s largest independent tour operator and takes over half a million people to over 35 destinations around the world each year
	Our touring holidays navigate: Europe, USA, Canada, Africa, South America, Asia, Australia & New Zealand. They also include classic rail journeys, safaris & special interest holidays like music tours to Elvis’ Graceland. Our river cruises across Europe, Egypt & China include: The Nile, Yangtze, Rhine, Elbe, Danube, Rhone, Douro & Russian Waterways.
	Sovereign is a specialist tour operator with more than 30 years experience. All Sovereign holidays are of a high standard with great attention to detail in their collection of 4 & 5 star hotels from around the Mediterranean, and beyond
	Hayes & Jarvis operates to more than 50 destinations in the Indian Ocean, Far East, Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean, offering a good selection of flexible holiday experiences to suit everyone.
	For the last 13 years Cresta have been voted Top Short Break Operator by UK travel agents, for their commitment to service and consistently high standards
	Beach accommodation only. Holiday Nights offers over 6,500 hotels and apartments across all the main Mediterranean resorts.
	lowcosthols.com offers you a choice of carefully selected hotels, apartments and flights throughout the Mediterranean and USA at the best possible prices
	Mosaic Holidays is a specialist tour operator offering a wide range of deluxe holidays in a choice of countries including Egypt, Maldives, Oman, Turkey, Dubai, North Cyprus and Sri Lanka
	Virgin Holidays is one of the largest transatlantic tour operator, offering long-haul holidays to mainland USA, Canada, the Caribbean, the Far East, South Africa, the Middle East, Indian Ocean, Mauritius, New Zealand and Australia
	1000s of getaways to popular destinations including: Morocco, Tunisia, Portugal, Spain, the Balearic Islands and many more every year. Exclusive discounts for customers who book online
	Thousands of getaways to popular destinations including Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Spain, India, Gambia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Dominican Republic and more! Exclusive discounts for customer who book online.
	Portland have spent over 20 years finding the best holidays for everyone, so you can be confident  you have got the support of a dynamic team working to ensure every aspect of your holiday is perfect
	1000s of getaways to popular and exciting destinations including: the Canaries, Balearics, Mainland Spain, Portugal, Caribbean, India, Brazil and many more every year. Exclusive discounts for customers who book online.
	Exclusive online booking discounts •A very wide choice of holiday destinations •Comprehensive worldwide travel guides •Constantly updated special offers
	MyTravel offers: •Exclusive discounts for customer who book online. •An online price promise to customers who find one of our travel deals cheaper somewhere else within 24 hours of booking.
	Going Places.co.uk is the website of one of the UK’s leading high street travel agents and offers great value package holidays and flights direct from established, and well-respected tour operators including Airtours, Aspro, Escapades, Manos and Panorama

How do I find and book accommodation online?

Booking hotel rooms online is often the cheapest way, with significant discounts frequently available. However, if you are going to a major event and find that the online bookings show no availability, then an email or phone call direct to the hotel will sometimes result in a room being made available.

	Discount City Hotels specialises in London Hotels and claims to provide the best hotel deals for luxury, budget, and tourist Family Hotels in London and Paris.
	Quickrooms.com gives you access to over 55,000 properties worldwide, from low cost hotels to villas and apartments in the hottest beach and city locations.
	Offers two to five star properties to cater for all tastes. Offers high quality, value accommodation on their user friendly website that shows real time availability.
	Bedbrokers.net has established itself as a leading supplier of online accommodation offering over 15,000 hotels, apartments & villas worldwide.
	Hotelshop are experts in providing 2-5 star hotel accommodation and short breaks throughout the UK. They pride ourselves in finding last minute breaks, even up to the day of departure
	Hotelopia offers reduced-rate accommodation to both business and leisure travellers at over 25,000 properties, from budget to five star, in over 900 destinations throughout the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
	Hotelpronto.com is a new hotel booking Website, featuring over 25,000 hotels in around the world. Hotelpronto is viewer-friendly and easy to use, featuring real-time availability and instant confirmation
	My Paris Hotel offers 26 hotels and 1320 rooms in the most-visited tourist districts of Paris.
	CityHotelsDirect.co.uk offers a superb choice of hotels in a wide range of UK and European Cities
	Superbreak offer leisure hotel breaks at over 4,000 hotels across the UK, Europe and beyond. The hotel portfolio is particularly strong in the UK, and features 2-5 star hotels, with the majority in the 3-4 star+ rating
	Protur Hotels chain has 15 establishments situated in some of the most attractive beaches and locations on Majorca - Cala Bona, Cala Millor, Cala Rajada, Canyamel and Sa Coma.
	Riu Hotels & Resorts offers over 100 holiday hotels with categories ranging from 3-5 stars in Spain, Portugal, the Caribbean, Africa and the eastern Mediterranean.
	Somewhere2stay.com offers over 20,000 great value hotels, villas & apartments worldwide.
	Roc Hotels is a family hotel chain with a total of 7 hotels, 4 in Majorca, 1 in Menorca and 2 in Torremolinos, Costa del Sol.  All their hotels are situated next to the beach
	HotelClub.com has a great selection of accommodation (hotels, motels, apartments), over 21,000 hotels in over 110 countries
	Gtahotels.com enables travellers to book deeply discounted accommodations at more than 5.000 hotels in over 39 countries
	Accommodation in over 2,500 hotels in a variety of destinations in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Dubai
	Blau Hotels, is a hotel chain with 10 hotels situated in privileged settings near the sea, where leisure, relaxation, class and beauty meet in a natural environment.  There are 5 hotels in Majorca (rated 5,4 and 3 stars); 1 hotel in the Dominican Rep. (rated 5 stars) & 4 hotels in Cuba (rated 5 and 4 stars)
	Legacy Hotels can be currently found in central Stratford-upon-Avon, Chesterfield in the Peak District, Manchester, North Lincolnshire & Llangollen in Wales.
	Alpharooms.com is established as one of the premier independent hotel and apartment booking service providers in destinations worldwide with over 19,000 hotels bookable online
	Over 40,000 discounted hotels and apartments worldwide, ranging from budget, through to 5* luxury accommodation. Their Canary Islands, Cyprus, Spain and USA hotel portfolios are exceptionally strong
	Macdonald Hotels bring you an outstanding collection of over 60 character properties in great locations right across the UK, from former coaching inns and elegant manor houses set in extensive grounds, to modern and contemporary hotels in bustling city centre locations

Can I rent a Holiday Home or Cottage online?

This is possible. you might like to try:

	We offer 500 up-market holiday homes in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset and book over 14,000 holidays a year. Our 22 year old business is based on reputation, a very high level of customer service (and satisfaction) and a “tell it like it is” approach
	From white-washed hideaways to beach front grandeur and rustic rural retreats, Meon Villas has more than 300 premium villas to choose from in fantastic locations across the Mediterranean and beyond.
	Euro Relais is a leading supplier of holiday homes in the Benelux countries
	Why not go self-catering to get great properties at the best price.  You can choose from around 10,000 privately-owned self-catering properties world wide – everything from a city centre apartment to a luxury mansion in the highlands

How do I find and book a hire car?

You could try one of the sites shown below:

	Pelican cars dedicated to making car hire arrangements as quick and easy as possible - and because they negotiate directly with local car hire firms, their rates are competitive
	The SIXT brand offers - Unbeatable prices and impeccable quality of service - A highly modern fleet and “state-of-the-art” models from the major manufacturers - Regular special offers (e.g. a Mercedes for the price of a Golf)
	Working with all the major car rental companies throughout world, Easyautos offer competitive pre-paid car hire prices and excellent service
	Established in 1959 Argus claims to offer fully inclusive car hire rates in more locations worldwide than any other car hire company or broker

Is it possible to buy a Travel Pass for a city or destination?

In some places you can save a substantial amount by purchasing a travel pass in advance. Some of these include:

	The London Pass is a sightseeing card which offers a variety of benefits to its holder, from free entry to many attractions and public transport to benefits and discounts in shops, restaurants and theatres around London.
	See the sights of London, Philadelphia and Dubai from the deck of a traditional open-top double decker bus! You can hop on and off at any of the world-famous attractions en route.
	Offer coach tours of London as well as tours of Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath; Oxford, Stratford upon Avon and Warwick Castle; Greenwich, Leeds Castle, Canterbury and Dover; The Enchanting Cotswolds, Sulgrave Manor & Blenheim Palace.
	The pass enables FREE entry to nearly 600 attractions around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland including Stonehenge, Edinburgh Castle, the Roman Baths, Shakespeare's Birthplace and much, much more.

Country Information

STS products include train transfer tickets from airport to resort and train passes for the ENTIRE Swiss public transportation network from 4 - 30 days

Travel to the Airport

	Transferstore.com offers taxi, minibus, coach, and limousine transfers between airports and accommodation at low rates and our system is quick and easy to use- just click on the map to get started
	Holiday Taxis is the UK's leading provider of pre-bookable airport transfers to 2,000+ resorts and cities worldwide, and also offers a UK transfer service
	Resorthoppa offers the choice of two types of transfer service, Shuttle or Private
	A2btransfers provides a comprehensive range of international transfers (from airport transfers, harbor transfers and resort transfers) via taxi, minibus, coach and shuttle service
	One of the leading airport transfer providers for most UK holiday destinations

Airport Parking

	Purpleparking offers car parking at 19 key airport car parks across the UK.
	Park and Go offers services for the Business and Leisure traveller alike, with Meet and Greet services at 11 Airports and Park and Ride services at 20 Airports across the UK.

Airport Lounge Passes

	You can start your holiday in style and enjoy the experience of VIP travel by booking an airport lounge with Lounge Pass from as little as £12! With 100+ airport VIP lounges worldwide, including 17 UK airports, you can add an extra touch of luxury and make your travel experience a great deal more comfortable
	With over 500 lounges in more than 275 cities worldwide, Priority Pass membership provides airport lounge access irrespective of the class of travel or choice of airline
	Start your holiday in style and enjoy the experience of VIP travel – book an airport lounge with Lounge Pass from as little as £12. With over 100 airport VIP lounges worldwide, including 17 UK airports you can add an extra touch of luxury to your next trip and make the travel experience a whole lot better

Travel Insurance

	For travel insurance, annual travel insurance,  ski insurance, laptop insurance and more
	Primary Insurance offers a range of travel insurance policies from single trip cover for individuals, couples or families, to multi trip annual travel insurance for regular travellers

Personal Security

	Who do you contact if: • a passport is lost or stolen • a person is the victim of a criminal act • in need of cash or other financial services • dealing with sunburn, insect or animal bites • in need of the nearest hospital, doctor, lawyer, optician, even a vet at 2am in the morning
	From luggage, computer cases and leather accessories to maps, travel guides, and even route planner software. Essentials4travel.com helps people on the move travel efficiently and tastefully

Can I take my mobile phone abroad?

These days, most modern mobile phones are tri or quad band, meaning they will work almost anywhere. However, calls can be expensive. you might wish to take a look at potential money savings by using:

	SIM4travel is a new pay as you go service for people travelling abroad on business or pleasure. By purchasing a travel SIM from SIM4travel, customers can save up to 85% on their calls in over 100 countries worldwide.
	www.0044.co.uk is the first website in the UK to specialise in mobile phone roaming solutions. Their range of international prepaid sim cards allows travellers to avoid roaming charges and save up to 80%

Can I access my personal computer whilst on holiday?

GoToMyPC lets you access and work on your computer from any Web browser anywhere in the world. Good reviews from Financial Times, amongst others