Letter from London: cycling capital of the world?

“I believe that the cyclised city is the civilised city”, declares ebullient Boris Johnson. Love him or hate him, London’s mayor is – not so quietly –revolutionising cycling in the capital.

The best holiday money saving tips for the year ahead

Make the most of your hard-earned cash with Stephen Baker’s 25 top holiday moneysaving tips

Passenger Focus

From the website

“We are the independent passenger watchdog. Our mission is to get the best deal for passengers.

We are an independent public body set up by the Government to protect the interests of passengers.”

In Search of the Northern Lights: Day 6

An early start as we reach Hammerfest at 5.15 in the morning. Thank goodness we dock here in daylight on the return journey. My “12 Days” tells me that this was a German naval base during the war. In October 1944, all the inhabitants were removed and the town was razed to the ground. If I could only see in the dark it is probably only modern buildings that are out there. Few people were up to see us dock or leave. I wasn’t there. When I went up we had another snowy squall and you couldn’t see far at all.

Springwatch, Tourism and Ospreys

The birth of some new chicks isn’t often news. The birth of two ospreys is not uncommon. That they were born in mid-Wales where none have bred for 407 years is news. At any other time this would be fascinating for bird watchers who make up an ever growing number.

Postcard from Beijing… the trials of being a blonde in China’s capital

Our (wo)man in Beijing, on life as a blonde in China’s capital

Changing Suitcases Saves Money

Now that no-frills airlines like Ryanair and easyJet charge you for placing luggage in the hold, people are looking for ways to save money on all the extra things that make a cheap fare, expensive. Many experts felt that customers would just put up with it but now comes evidence from a US company that suggests this may not be the case (no pun intended!). Suitcase.com is an American retail company which sells any variety of different types of bags and cases. It asked 21,000 people about their luggage purchasing habits and it has thrown up some interesting results.
Now Americans have had to put up with all these extra charges for longer than we have and even have to pay for luggage on the main carriers as well.