What’s hot

Spain
Forget forking out a fortune to fly to Australia or the Caribbean and make for Spain instead. Temperatures might not match those of Barbados or Brisbane but Spain represents better value for money: Post Office Travel Money has revealed that a trolley of typical holiday items (sun lotion and the like) cost just under £38 on Spain’s Costa del Sol – almost £90 cheaper than the same items cost in Barbados and Brisbane.

Wearing a bikini in Egypt

Women visiting Egypt, who prefer to top up the tan in a bikini rather than an all one swimsuit, can pack their two pieces. Egypt’s new government has said that tourism “will not be subjected to any changes as long as we are represented in parliament. Bikinis and alcohol all round then.

Skiing rules
British holiday makers are hoping to see ski resorts introduce breath tests and penalty points in an attempt to curb reckless skiers, according to a survey by insurer More Than. Nearly one in there Brits are concerned about speed skiing, saying that they had been hit and/or injured by somebody skiing too fast. Meanwhile more than four in ten Britons want helmets made compulsory.

Skiing in Switzerland

On the subject of skiing, Swiss ski resorts are slashing prices this season by up to 33 percent – in a bid to boost visitor numbers. Case in point? Crans-Montana is offering 33 percent off accommodation, ski hire, passes and tuition up until February 11 and then again from March 10-April 6. For the full low-down, see our story: http://www.cd-traveller.com/2012/01/17/you-too-can-find-gold-in-crans-montana/

Enjoying a hot air balloon flight over Uluru
Australian adventure tour operator, Outback Ballooning, will start offering hot air balloon flight over Uluru next month. Negotiations for the 30 minute flights, which are priced at £300 per person, have taken two years.

Digital detoxing
Hands up if you spend too much time on your phone and/or laptop. That’s a lot of hands… which is why luxury operator, Black Tomato (www.blacktomato.com), is launching a digital detox in 2012. The week long trip to dreamy Caribbean destination, St Vincent and the Grenadines, takes in two private resorts and all technology is banned. Sign us up now…

What’s not
The cost of London hotel rooms
Looking for somewhere to lay your head in London during the Olympic Games? Be prepared to pay… Research into 60 London hotels conducted by Tessa Jowell, the shadow Olympics secretary, reveals that, on average, the cost of hotel rooms in London will quadruple during the Olympic Games.

Being a Concordia passenger

CD-Traveller readers booked to travel on the ill-fated Concordia should look away now. The cruise line has said that it will not refund airfares for holidays canceled as a consequence of the ship capsizing. In a statement, the cruise line (which has no legal obligation to reimburse customer for their losses) said: “For guests who choose to cancel their cruise, Costa will offer a refund plus a 30 percent future cruise credit. No compensation for airfares will be provided if they are cruise only passengers. Passengers should contact their airline and their travel protection provider.”

Bungee jumping in Zambia
Tour operator Shearwater has suspended a bungee jump after an accident which saw 22 year old backpacker Erin Langworthy plummet into Zambezi when her rope snapped 40ft above the water. Shearwater has said that it doesn’t know when the bungee would be open for business again – despite the Zambian tourism minister taking the plunge himself to reassure tourists that the 365ft jump is now safe.

Getting a tattoo in Bali

Travellers to Bali might want to refrain from visiting a tattoo parlour. Australian health authorities have said that a tourist contracted HIV from an infected needle on the Indonesian island. The number of new cases of HIV in Bali last year, was up 19 percent from 2010.

Forget forking out a fortune to fly to Australia or the Caribbean, and make for Spain instead. Temperatures might not match those of Barbados or Brisbane but Spain represents better value for money.

Barbados: paradise but it has a price tag

Post Office Travel Money has revealed that a trolley of typical holiday items (think sun lotion and the like) cost just under £38 on Spain’s Costa del Sol – almost £90 cheaper than the same items retail at in both Barbados and Brisbane.

If you’re not sold on Spain, other good value destinations to consider include Cancun in Mexico, Prague and Bulgaria. Those that get stuck at home in front of their computer, only have themselves to blame….

 

Kaye Holland

2011 highlight: Nha Trang (Vietnam)
If you’ve ever wondered what Goa looked like before the hippies or Thailand before the high rise hotels, then Nha Trang could be your last chance to find out. Vietnam’s beach capital may not have previously figured on your mental map, yet when you get there it’s hard to see why not.
Let me paint the picture… the sea is the colour of Bombay sapphire, the sky is perpetually blue and the sand is platinum blonde and squeaks when you walk on it. Right now it’s warm rather than scorching, but six hours of sunshine a day is still a distinct improvement on January in Britain.
To the beach you can add cultural treasures, great surf and dive sites, good retail therapy, lively nightlife, fabulous food and everything from hostels to super swish resorts like the Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa – Nha Trang’s hot new hotel that even Clark Gable would find it impossible not to give a damn about. Pack the t shirt and sunnies and get going – before the developers move in and the spell breaks.

2012 tip: London

2012 promises to be a corker for the English capital. All eyes will be on London come the summer when the city hosts the greatest show on earth – aka the Olympic and Paralympic Games. But it’s not all about the Olympics… there’s also the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations (expect a flotilla on the Thames) to look forward to.
And for those who aren’t mad about the monarchy and/or sport, there’s a myriad of cultural events on the horizon from London Fashion Week in February, to the Mayoral election in May. It’s a cliché I know, but as Samuel Johnson once said: “You’ll find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

Adrian Lawes

Adrian

2011 highlight: Georgia

Svaneti (Georgia)

What I tend to remember are places I’ve not been too before. So in 2011, I was pleased to have seen parts of Georgia and in particular the Svaneti region up in the mountains. It is unspoilt; development is progressing at an astonishing pace and this is my tip for an all-round destination in the future.

I thought I knew the Blue Mountains in New South Wales (Australia) pretty well, but I saw a different side to them last year that many tourists don’t see. Sheer cliffs look down on the valley below and I saw not one person, as I trekked. In was by a four wheel vehicle and at times even that was tricky. Yet, overlooking one cliff was a homemade wooden jump for hang gliders to jump off!

As for destinations at home, the Dingle peninsular in Ireland is always a place to marvel.

2012 tip: Ukraine and Bangladesh
This year, I want to go to Ukraine. My best man has been there 11 times in the last few years and raves about this “undiscovered” country. As well as Ukraine, I will be journeying to Skomer to see the puffins, razorbills and seals in early summer – something I have wanted to do for years – so that will be part of a holiday exploring the new coastal path. Later in the year, Bangladesh beckons. Again, it’s another country largely unvisited by Britons (unless you have relatives there), but I am told the country is one I have to see.

Anthony Lydekker

Anthony

2011 highlight: Tobago
Tobago (http://www.cd-traveller.com/2011/04/19/tobago-warm-place-warm-people/) was my 2011 travel highlight. Even with the high APD  (Air Passenger Duty) tax, one can still get a week’s holiday there for £850 at the end of February: 4 Star hotel , B&B, including flights and transfers.   There have been improvements in 2011:  a new 178 room Magdalena Hotel opened in December on what was a derelict hotel site.  Following the elections in 2011, the newly appointed Minister of Tourism, in London for the World Travel Market, spoke of more investment to come for the Island.  Fingers crossed, this will include better road signs!  Potential visitors should bear in mind that some safety warnings issued in the past about neighbouring Trinidad have never applied to Tobago.

Tobago

2012 tip: France
The current improvement of the Pound to the Euro, makes a hop across the Channel increasingly attractive.   The August Olympics are bang in the middle of the school holidays and not everyone will be flocking to London, an expensive city by any reckoning.  Anecdotal research suggests that some Londoners will be getting out of town for the Olympics simply to avoid the crowds.  My hunch is that France will benefit.  As well as  better weather, France still represents good value for quality meals out and  hotels charge by the room. For families watching their purse strings, the major camp site providers continue  to provide greater comfort with more cabins and mobile homes.  Or, just take a tent and spend the savings on dinners out!

Frédéric Mouren de Poligny

Frédéric

2011 highlight:Karnataka (south west India)
For me, 2011 was the year of Karnataka temples. The discovery of one of the southern states of India where traditional agriculture meets high technology, where rice fields are so close to the Indian ‘Silicon Valley’, was nothing in comparison with the astonishing shock of Hampi temples, scattered among sun dry rocky hills. What’s my best souvenir there? Maybe when, after a long journey through these magnificent ruins and a tasty spicy meal at Mango Tree, a small restaurant directly on the riverside, I decided to go down the river on one of these small coracles, huge round reed baskets, through rapids to reach the Vitthala Temple and its Stone Chariot for sunset. During this strange half-an-hour navigation I was transported back in time, remembering that Alexander the Great himself had to use same coracles during his conquest of the Darius empire to allow his army to cross huge rivers.

2012 tip: South East Asia
South east Asia is set to become hot, in every sense of the word, thanks to the new flights programmes of Vietnam Airlines and Air Asia which help make the region much more accessible.  Imagine holidays mixing a boat trip in Halong Bay, followed by a lazy stay on a fabulous Vietnamese beach before a fabulous cultural tour of the Angkor Temples in Cambodia. Or a long journey through Malaysia, with a beach rest in Langkawi Island, combined with a visit of Pagan temples in Burma. Now with these low budget connections, you should be able to return home with a good knowledge of  Asian cooking and able to know your Pho from your Nem and Nasi Goreng.

Cathrene Rowell

Cathrene and her dog, Poppy

2011 highlight: Edinburgh
I recently spent a wonderfully relaxing day in Edinburgh having made no plans whatsoever other than to visit Hutton’s section. It was James Hutton’s observations at Arthur’s Seat and the Salisbury Crags which provided the foundation to geology today:  deposition of the sedimentary rocks and the formation of the igneous rocks must have occurred at different ages and in a different manner to the geological beliefs of that time. Hutton’s section, visible (and labelled!) in the Salisbury Crags shows clearly where magma forced its way through the sedimentary rocks to form dolerite sills. A walk up here is worth the effort simply for the views from the top.

EdinburghTattoo

2012 tip: Iceland (and other volcanic destinations)
There has been a lot of volcanic activity during the past couple of years, and much as it can be disruptive to travel, active volcanoes are one of the most spectacular geological events that you will ever see happening.    So, my tip – and my dream, I might add – would be to pack up and visit Iceland (of course, not forgetting to add volcano disruption to your insurance!).  Iceland is unique because not only does it lie between the Eurasian and North American plates, on the Mid-Atlantic Rift (where the two plates are pulling apart from each other) but it also lies above the Iceland plume (a hotspot) which causes the volcanism on the island, and results in a range of geological phenomenon, such as geysers.  As such, it is an ever-changing country, of immense geological importance, and extreme beauty.

Clive Summerfield

Clive

2011 highlight: Dumfries and Galloway
The lowlands of Scotland are sometimes overlooked, with the majestic scenery of the highlands attracting more attention. But with coastline reminiscent of Cornwall, historic towns and villages and a variety of visitor attractions covering outdoor activities, whisky and historic monuments, the region has plenty to offer. Truly a hidden gem. And with fuel prices remaining high, being less remote is a bonus.

2012 tip: Staycationing


Staycationing (the ‘art’ of holidaying at home) will continue to be popular as the economy struggles to grow and the threat of unemployment remains. Conversely, some of the more remote destinations in the UK may suffer as high fuel prices– and economic woes in the Euro zone – may make cheap flights abroad appear better value.

There are three main reasons for changing ports of call – official advice, weather conditions, and unforeseen circumstances.

The Foreign Office (www.fco.gov.uk) offers advice to all British travellers on going anywhere in the world. For instance, the latest bulletin on travelling to Libya is:

“Since March 3, we have advised against all travel to Libya. However in the light of the improving security situation on the ground the FCO has decided to change our Travel Advice to advise against all but essential travel to Zuwara, Az Zawiya, Tripoli, al Khums, Zlitan and Misrata, and the coastal towns from Ras Lanuf to the Egyptian Border, including Benghazi.  We still advise against all travel to all other areas of Libya.

Any British national thinking of travelling to Libya should take care and check our Travel Advice regularly. It is also important to note that the British Embassy in Tripoli is only able to provide limited consular assistance at present, but we do plan to deploy additional staff when the situation allows”.

All the cruise line head offices are in constant communication with all the relevant Foreign Offices, embassies and consulates, and will advise their captains accordingly. This advice takes into account local conditions such as general strikes (in the case of Athens, recently, when Arcadia changed her plans to go there), and civil unrest (when locals were protesting in Alexandria in Egypt during a trial in October, and ship excursions were curtailed)

Changes due to weather conditions usually mean that the sea is too rough for the captain to either enter the port in the first place, or to leave it once safely berthed. He has to take into account not only any damage to an extremely expensive vessel, but more importantly, in cruise company minds, the safety of the passengers. No-one wants to have a Medical Department full of people with broken bones due to the ship tossing, turning and lurching while trying to keep to the prescribed course. Again, this is unfortunate when passengers have banked their hopes in reaching a certain port, but overall passenger safety and comfort overrides the hopes of a few.

Unforeseen circumstances are the very rare events that no one wants to even consider! Severe illness on board, unrepairable damage, etc.

What happens when a ship itinerary is changed? In almost every case, the captain will change course for an alternative port. The cruise line staff will be rushing round negotiating new berthing arrangements, calculating lost revenues and increased fuel costs, organising new excursions, and refunding pre-booked excursion payments onto passenger accounts while the passengers stroll round on board discussing the effect on their holiday. Devastating in the case of the Australian honeymooners desperate to see Florence, annoying in the case of wine buffs wanting to buy port in Oporto, but just interesting in the case of the majority of passengers who get to see somewhere quite unexpected! (Nafplion instead of Athens, Cadiz instead of Oporto on our most recent trip.)

It is always a possibility that you might visit an unexpected port. But your cruise company will usually be sympathetic to your comments. It’s just that sometimes it’s out of their hands.

A hot Christmas will cost you

The Canary Islands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand are proving to be hot – in every sense of the word – destinations. CD-Traveller isn’t surprised: we’re willing to bet that when you’re basking in the sun’s rays on an exotic beach, you won’t be worries about missing the Queen’s speech and Eastenders Omnibus!

What are your plans for the festive period? Let us know by posting a comment below!

AUSTRALIA
Splurge
Wine. South Oz has some of the world’s finest vino and it’ll occupy your friends and family while you show them yet another picture of Uluru.

Save
Cuddly kangaroos, koalas and cork hats. Do you really have room for them at home?

USA
Splurge
Clothes. Look fantastic for a fraction of the price it would cost this side of the pond. We love Anthropologie and Abercrombie and Fitch.
Save
Glow in the dark statue of Liberty trinkets. Just say no!

SPAIN
Splurge
Olive oil. It’s cheap, plentiful and will provide you with a reminder of Spain’s pukka paella and tasty tapas everytime you cook dinner.

Save
Straw donkeys and plates showing Spanish attractions. Cheap? Yes. Chic? No.

RUSSIA
Splurge
Vodka. It’s a cliche, we know, but a tasty one! Stock up for the festive season.
Save Russian dolls. Another cliche but not half as enjoyable.

ITALY
Splurge
Venetian glass is renowned worldwide. You’ll be Miss/Mr Popular if you bring some back to Blighty.
Save

Model gondolas, Leaning Tower of Pisa pottery. They scream tacksville.

A never changing date in the Calendar

In a rapidly changing and hectic world, some things are pretty well fixed and those often revolve around what the Queen is doing, such as her official birthday and Remembrance Sunday which for many years has been the second Sunday in November. So there are usually  two days of two minute silences: eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and “the eleventh hour the second Sunday of November”.  There will never ever be another 11.11.11 but next year 11^th November falls on a Sunday, which happens every 28 years.

The warm up started on October 27 when the British Legion poppies went on sale backed by their 300,000 volunteers.  So by 11.11.11 national awareness is high.

Remembrance Sunday services and parades take place throughout the UK, mostly at War Memorials, and in recent years attendances have been boosted by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Most are small parish events with larger civic events in every city and larger towns.

The best way to check the details of parades and services in larger towns is the local authority web site usually ending in     .gov.uk   or  .gov.org .  Typical examples of the programmes presided over by the Mayors can be found in Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle. Assemble: around 10am, then march in a parade to a significant memorial with one or two bands from local regiments playing and all branches of the forces represented. At 11am: the two minutes’ silence; followed by bugle calls of the Last Post or Reveille; a short address; hymns and march off.   In addition, Newcastle fires a 105mm field gun and Birmingham makes do with a ‘volley of rifle fire’ – using blanks, of course!  All three cities have local BBC and commercial radio coverage.

So it’s far from being just a London event.  In fact of all the annual open air London Ceremonial events, the Cenotaph service is one of the least accessible on foot as the main event happens within the limited width of Whitehall.  But concentrated  in that small area are  key members of the Royal family, prime ministers past and present, all the High Commissioners of Commonwealth countries, service chiefs and many ambassadors and a march past lasting well over an hour, of a great many military and other uniformed organisations.  It has a BBC TV audience of 3.7 million.

I was very fortunate two years ago to be in the press photographers’ pen and as you can see the opportunities to snap the ‘great and the good’, and some of the ‘not so good’, are unique.

Relatives who served in the two World Wars
There are few British families who did not lose a relative in the two World Wars and around Remembrance Sunday, many decide to follow this up.  Today this can be done quite easily at the Imperial War Museum using their database of everyone who served in the British armed forces in the two world wars. It is also possible that a relative may be named on a memorial.  The UK National Inventory of War Memorials holds records of 62,000 out of an estimated 100,000.   This includes the lists of those commemorated on each memorial.   Regrettably these figures have been in the news due to the theft and vandalism of metal plaques. See: www.ukniwm.org.uk

Over there: “Remembered” 365 days a year
There have been no land battles on British soil for hundreds of years and there is a growing market, for visits to battlefields and cemeteries worldwide. The core market lies just across the channel and mainly falls under ‘short breaks with a difference’.  There are also more specialised tours for military enthusiasts, Regimental Associations and family history researchers.

Flanders is synonymous with the First World War and if there’s one place to use as a centre to visit battlefields and cemeteries, it has to be Ypres.  It’s staggering to contemplate  60,000 deaths in one afternoon alone.  Recalling the War is not just an annual event here, because every evening at 8pm the traffic stops and the Last Post is sounded at the Menin Gate: a tradition established back in 1928. The scale of the ceremony varies from just the buglers and a small gathering to full parades.  The evening we were there, the programme with a full band included Waltzing Matilda and there was a party of Aussies in our hotel. One of the 150 cemeteries around Ypres, has a mass grave of 43,000 Australians.

It’s also worth noting that the anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation of 338,000 British troops in May 1940 no longer qualifies as a UK Government subsidised event, but remains the most significant annual holiday and celebration over there.

Further south are the miles of Normandy beaches.  Particularly moving is the vast cemetery at  Omaha Beach where the thousands of white crosses merge into almost permanent Channel mist as far as the eye can see and one can hear the sea breaking on The Beach and many of the dead were under 20. Don’t forget, of course, that these are all pretty good places for holiday activities as well.

Over here:  getting to the monuments and villages
Returning to Blighty, why not save money, avoid driving stress, slow down and take the bus ?  I can’t say that all the 62,000 monuments on record have adjacent bus stops but if the village is reached by a bus, a journey can be planned using two websites.   Start with  www.nationalexpress.com find the route in the general area, and check places in that route nearest to the village.  Then look up  www.ask.com and insert “bus timetables UL” plus name of village and local bus timetables can be tracked down.  Good luck !

Surfers Paradise

image courtsey of Tourism Queensland

To make matters worse, a Qantas flight from Sydney to London was forced to make an emergency landing in Dubai on Friday, after an engine shut down, angering passengers including Stephen Fry.

Fry, who was returning to London after touring Australia with his television programme QI, tweeted to his 3.3 million followers:”Bugger. Forced to land in Dubai. And engine has decided not to play.”

Fry’s misfortune occurred exactly one year since a Qantas flight from London to Sydney, was forced to land at Singapore after an engine exploded, causing the airline to ground its fleet at a cost of £30 million.

What do you make of it all? Would you risk booking your next flight with Qantas? Or do believe that the Australian airline has had its day?