Two for one deals UK theme parks

Days out in the UK can get cheaper with a WH Smith voucher deal available on purchases made until 29th March. Purchases made in-store (no minimum purchase) qualify for vouchers which entitle the customer to two-for-one deals throughout the Summer.
The following theme parks are in the scheme:

• Alton Towers
• Legoland Windsor
• Thorpe Park
• Mme Tussauds
• Chessington
• Warwick Castle
• The Dungeons
• Sea-Life Centres
• Sea-Life Sanctuaries
  

Available dates vary with the venue, so check the back of the voucher - vouchers cannot be used for online bookings, so any savings will be at the 'buy-on-the-door' rate which is likely to be higher than online booking prices.
Terms and conditions here...

Deals for Mothers day (UK)

Thanks to the MoneySavingExpert for this tip...

Get a discount equivalent to your age for bookings on Mothers Day in the up-market Malmaison Hotels throughout the UK. If you take your 90 year old Mother, there will be 90% off the room-rate. Not limited to Mothers, (probably due to sex-discrimination laws...) any oldies can get the discount, but note that the full room rates for this promotion start at £170 (usually £99 online) - but if you're 100 or over, you can stay for free!!!

Last time this promotion ran, a 98 year-old managed to secure a £235 room for just £4.50...
Hotels available in:
Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh (pictured above), Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and Reading.
Note that Man City and Liverpool both play at home on Sunday...if your Mum likes a bit of footie!!

Holiday trends

There have been some interesting results emerging from a report issued from 118118 directory enquiries. These reports contain information about the quantities of calls made to their service in specific categories compared to the previous years.
In short, the following conclusions can be drawn from the results (Dec 08 compared with Dec 07):

In travel-related enquiries

• 22% fewer people rang to ask for the number of a travel agent.
• 46% fewer wanted a tour operator.
• motor homes enquiries were up by 121%.
• every other type of holiday accommodation saw a downturn in calls

Some of the more curious results saw:

• enquiries about “body art” were up 26%.
• Calls asking for psychiatrists rose 43%
• people seeking an aromatherapist was up by 62%.
• Libraries were up by 50%.

and finally.....calls asking for pole dancing and lap dancing clubs shot up by 599%.
Make of that information what you will...

Auto Insurance deals

Vehicle insurance is not limited to simply insuring a run-about for getting you to work and back for the daily grind, your travel plans may also need to be included when you have a motorhome or caravan. There are specialist insurers who offer specialist services for Van Insurance, including caravans and motorhomes such as the 'Autonet' insurance group.
Some pointers to look for in an online insurance service are as follows:

• Easy to navigate site
• Clear indication of what is being offered
• Clear contact details, preferably offering a free-phone number (0800)
• Great savings over offline services
• Extra peripheral insurance services
  

Autonet meets all the above requirements and is currently offering 70% discount on van insurance to boot.. Additional peripheral services offered include breakdown recovery and insurance for tools and goods in transit.

For motorhomes, a 65% discount is currently available and for caravans they offer a 'cheapest quote or money-back' guarantee (see site for details). The services offered by Autonet are not limited to vehicle insurance, and they offer holiday insurance from £6.99 per week, with a 'kids go free' offer and services covering single trips, multiple trips or whole year cover. Additional travel services such as specialist ski insurance, insurance for backpackers and insurance for those over 55.

Whatever your insurance requirements are, it looks like this site has something for every travellers needs.

Virgin Holidays cuts jobs

Virgin Holidays employs around 600 people in it's UK office and is set to cut staffing costs as part of an overall plan to reduce operating costs by 7%. It is hoped that much of the proposed job losses can be managed through 'natural wastage' in contracted positions and peripheral workers.
Virgin sate that making these adjustments will keep the company in the 'best position to meet the challenges of the current economic climate'.
In all, these measures seem reasonable and cutting costs now may save other jobs in the long run. It is quite evident that the travel industry will be a clear casualty of the recession.