Even before the programme Panorama was aired last night, both Ryanair and the BBC were jostling for the high ground. Ryanair claimed the programme was doing a hatchet job on them. The BBC said that Ryanair wanted editorial control over the programme content. The BBC, Ryanair said, that Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary wouldn’t give an interview although he talked to the presenter, Vivian White and dominated the short interview. In fact White look ruffled as O’Leary dominated the questions.

ABTA members will be able to provide holiday information to those people that they sell holidays to. The system, known as ABTA Travel Buddy, an irksome name if ever there was one, enables ABTA members to e-mail or text their clients (you and me) with information after we have booked. The information could be about the destinations we are going to, reminders about health insurance and what would be available in a country if there was a health emergency. In the event of political issues developing in the country, then Foreign Office advice could also be sent and travellers could be located if a real emergency arose.

There can’t be many people in the world who aren’t aware of the Titanic and its sinking after hitting an iceberg in April 1912. It seems that this story will live on for ever.

We have already heard that a £28 million museum containing over 4,000 bits of information and exhibits will be partly open in Southampton in time for the centenary anniversary in 2012 (providing another £10 million can be found.)

It seems that every other website now has recommendations to stay here, travel there, eat here or whatever. And travel recommendations have been important as destinations, hotels, airlines, cruise companies all compete for your money.

Do you believe them?

As the summer ends we are beginning to get a better picture of where we actually went and what we did this summer past.

Both Hoseasons and Park resorts who largely operate holidays in Britain, have announced that they did bumper business this year as did the caravanning industry. Some sites were full in August.

In Barcelona away from the rain we’ve been having this week, travel agents who are members of ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) have been gathering for their annual conference.

Some are saying that the era of the last minute holiday is ending. We will all have to book well in advance to get we went. Now this has been heard time after time after time and whilst the industry might well love the idea, it isn’t going to happen. Well not completely.

If you see this headline floating around don’t believe it.

Hayes & Jarvis, the long haul specialist tour operator have come out with the thought that prices to popular destinations could be that cheap over the winter. They aren’t talking about ski resorts, just long haul sun destinations like Thailand, the Far East and the Caribbean.

Starting on radio 4 at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 6th October is a new radio comedy about a tourist information centre. Called “Too Much Information” it tells the continuing story of this town called Waft, somewhere in the North of England. The problem with Waft is there seems to be no reason why any tourist should want to go there. As the BBC blurb says “It’s twinned with a town near Chernobyl and is the perfect place to stop off on the way to Alton Towers to ask the way to Alton Towers – or just to use the toilet.”

According to the foreign exchange people at American Express. A survey they have just completed shows that w e may have £800 million in forgotten foreign currency lying around. The usual size survey of 1000 people apparently shows that we have, on average £40 in cash lying around after we return from our holidays.

Recent research by the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (Hecsu) revealed that up to 40,000 of this year’s graduates are struggling to find work: for the class of 2009, a degree doesn’t guarantee a job. But there are options – albeit overseas. With job opportunities in the UK few and far between, now is the time for your 20 something to combine their need to earn with their desire to travel. CD Traveller considers the possibilities…

Christmas is Coming,
The Fares are Getting Fat;
Do drop a Hundred in the Train Man’s Hat

That’s not quite how the Christmas rhyme goes but I was reminded of it when the first of the train companies’ e-mails arrived today saying that I could now book for Christmas.
Apart from the fact that I don’t really want to be reminded that Christmas is only 12 weeks away (I’d prefer it to be hundreds of weeks away!), I’m not a planner.

Like every city in the world, Sydney can be as expensive as you like or be seen on a budget. Assuming you are already in Sydney, all the things I am going to suggest will cost you nothing.

Let’s start with two iconic sites; the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. If you want to climb to the top and be led across the bridge it will set you back over $A180 (say £90) but you can walk across it for nothing.

With the current strong Euro, those in search of an affordable week-end get away are being advised to avoid the Euro Zone. But good value destinations still exist and Amsterdam – known for its art, culture and coffee houses not to mention its legendary tolerance and pragmatism (the city is home to the biggest gay scene in Europe) – is one of them. CD Traveller has compiled eight great ‘easy on the wallet’ things to see and do in the delightful Dutch capital

In the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia are 20,000 bats that roost in trees for most of the day. At night they fly round feeding on the fruit in the trees that the considerate gardens have provided for them. Some say they have been a nuisance for years and certainly what attracts them are those same fruit trees that were grown to show a range of Australian trees.

Up until October 1st, if you flew Ryanair any old photo ID would do if you were flying just within the UK.. Now they will only accept a passport. Ryanair say this is “to simplify our identification policy to avoid passenger confusion.” Well you have to say that this sentence doesn’t help matters either. Who was confused beforehand? Nobody. Photo ID was anything that had your photograph on full stop.

This week, Which? Holiday has released the results of its survey on holiday satisfaction. The good news is that just over half of us are happy with the holiday and the service we received. When it comes to those taking holidays in the UK, the level of satisfaction rose to about 60%.
Now why should that be?

Being brought up in Sydney , Australia means that I have some antipathy towards Melbourne. But even then, the current advertising slogan being used to attract people to Melbourne seems pretty uninspired if not downright daft.

[ October 31, 2009 9:00 am to November 2, 2009 7:00 pm. ] 31 October-2 November,

NEC, Birmingham

http://www.globalsnowshows.co.uk

[ October 21, 2009 9:00 am to October 25, 2009 7:00 pm. ] 21-25th October London Olympia

http://www.metrosnow.co.uk/index.php?id=24

£5 first day, then £9 online, £13 at weekend