Research from Visit Britain last week suggested that people might be cutting back on many things but a holiday is increasingly seen as protected.Why?Well the research showed that people said they were cutting back on food (77%), fuel (69%) and clothes (64%). Only 48% of us were intending to, or had, cut back on holidays.Is [...]

The show, Best of Britain & Ireland, to which we have been offering free tickets opened at ExCel in London’s Docklands to members of the travel trade yesterday so I thought I would let you know what was available when you come at the weekend.I can’t tell you all that you’ll see because some exhibitors [...]

Starting the 30 March, one rail company is introducing standard fares. The price charged for peak fares which is often significantly above those available later in the day has gone. Regardless of what time of the day you travel the fares will be the same price.Such is the claim from the newish company, Wrexham & [...]

Where are the most expensive hotel rooms in Britain? Most people, me included, would probably say London but according to the accommodation booking site, hotels.com, the most expensive place is Bath. The average cost of a hotel room over the last three months was £119 per night whereas London was £111. London, incidentally, was [...]

Over the winter, Visit London spent about £600,000 on attracting tourists to London. According to them that generated £6.7 million for the London economy.Probably based on that Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has “found” a further £2 million to promote London over this summer. The expectation is that this will generate a further £60 million [...]

British Tourism Week starts today.You might wonder why such a week exists at all. After all we don’t have a British Banking Week or a British Car Week so why should one industry be singled out. One reason is that tourism is not seen as an industry. It’s just, well, there! Yet it is very [...]

As some of you settle into your armchairs tonight to watch the latest episode of the Mma Precious Ramotswe, No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series spare a thought for the Botswana tourism.I’m told it’s a beautiful place and over the last few years it has worked hard at trade shows to encourage tourists to [...]

Last year was a record year for the cruise industry in Britain. Nearly 1.5 million people went on a cruise up 11% over the previous year and of these, 577,000 cruised from a UK port.Traditionally cruises are thought of as exotic trips into warm climates. Lazy days at sea with the sun beating down as [...]

Let me introduce you to a website/blog that may help flyers amongst or you. And if you aren’t a flyer try it for its amusement value.www.dearskysteward.com is a US based website run by Gailen David. He offers advice on “jetiquette” like not putting bare feet onto the back of the seat in front of you [...]

From tomorrow, 19th March there will be some new rules for checking in hold baggage. You can now check-in your hold baggage online but there will be a charge of £5. If you continue to use the airport check-in facilities, the price has risen slightly from £9.50 to £10.Up until then, you could only check-in [...]

Looking to explore and enjoy the Caribbean away from the cruise crowd and clamouring package tourists? A charter yacht could be the way to go!

When it comes to holidays there are two types of traveller: those who know exactly what they want from their holiday – how to secure their favourite room in their favourite resort and where they’ll be dining on day three. Then there are those who seek excitement and new experiences far away from the madding crowd.

The Irish know a thing or two about celebrating. In the 1980′s I remember going to a do in Jury’s in Dublin where they told the funniest Irish jokes until the restaurant closed down in the early hours of the following day. The company was good, the revelry was great and that is how [...]

It is no surprise to anyone that Britons are travelling abroad less this year but some countries are feeling the pinch that we have stayed away from their countries last year as well.Thailand has announced that they had 50,000 less UK visitors than they had in 2007. Nonetheless 700,000 of us made the long journey [...]

I go across the Atlantic to the US a few timnes a year. Usually I travel on a 777 because that is largely what American Airlines and United Airlines use. (I tend to fly them because they give me access to the internal routings I need at generally a cheaper price).But what am I to [...]

Yes its come around again.Its Red Nose DayAnd if you are in Newcastle you may find a quite astonishing sight.On the bow of the DFDS ferry, King of Scandinavia, the owners have placed a gigantic red nose. It is 6 metres in diameter (about 20 feet) so you can’t really miss it. (You can [...]

We’ve got used to Ryanair, easyjet, Flybe and the other no frills airlines charging you for using a credit card. When I booked a flight up to Glasgow this morning I deliberately picked BA because I thought I might have to take some hold luggage with me and the price difference was about what it [...]

In New York last week, Reuters sponsored a tourism conference last week. One feature that seemed to be agreed on by the chief executives of a number of online travel sites was that London was one of the bargains for travelling Americans in 2009. (I think they probably mean Britain as well.) The reason?Currency fluctuations.That [...]

Unlike my blog of Saturday about AOL, this list of the biggest UK tourist attractions is based on substance and fact. This is a list of those attractions who draw the biggest amount of visitors. So the voting panel is not one but millions. And to be fair, it includes only those places that are [...]

The National Trust for Scotland has decided that, because of the economic climate, it needs to save money. So it plans to reduce jobs by up to 91 and to close or curtail some of the features in some properties.The Hill of Tarvet House in Fife will close, they are handing back the running of [...]

That was the title given to one of those AOL headline grabbing stories that ISP’s love to run every other moment of the day. Was it voted for by the great British Public? Or visiting tourists? Or anyone at all? It was probably either decided by some “experts” or a panel or plucked from [...]

Sometimes if you only read the media you might be forgiven that all is doom and gloom. (Some would say that the media has substantially contributed to this because they only go for lurid headlines believing that “good news” stories don’t sell)This week I have been with real people, hoteliers and coach companies at [...]

Bling is still king in America’s Magic City. CD Traveller checks out Miami s high life!

There’s more to life than work. More to experience than spending a couple of hours of each day commuting on the tube, and it’s time to do something about it. What you need is to escape the economic woes and stress that swirl around us and live it large for a long week-end.

All are aware that airlines, particularly no-frills airlines are trying everything to charge passengers more and more money on top of their ticket prices. That way, on the surface, they still appear cheap.But rules are rules. Or are they? There is a hand baggage weight limit on Ryanair but I have yet to see it [...]

I went to the the USA last week for the first time since they introduced the new ESTA rule. To remind you, this is the rule that says you have to apply online before you depart and submit bits of information that you usually filled in on the I-94 form. (You get the I-94 either [...]