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.

Competitors measure up to ABTA

Advantage and Worldchoice are stepping in to offer a competitive alternative to ABTA membership. ABTA has had to reshape itself and will have to find millions of pounds to get back into financial equilibrium. Competitors are now emerging from the shadows just when ABTA is in it's weakest moment. That said, any organisation that is going to underwrite a significant amount of business is going to need a lot of funds to call on.

The trouble really began when ABTA stepped away from it's 100% guarantee, and the rot set in when it upped it's rates last year. At this stage it looks like ABTA are not going to make and knee-jerk reactions, choosing instead to give assurances to it's members and trust that their 'goodwill' will stand them in good stead. This is the first time that ABTA's dominant position has been challenged, they would do well to consider how they can best serve their clients to keep them on side.

How green is your travel?

The travel industry is under a lot of pressure today from various different angles. Firstly there was the massive hike in fuel prices that have had disastrous effects across the industry, followed closely by a global recession which has decimated travel order books for the coming months. All the time there is the spectre of environmental considerations looming in the background, as the travel industry has been highlighted as a major user of fossil fuels. Not only the travel companies themselves, but their clients too where they are part of large corporations, municipal bodies or charities are obliged to examine their carbon footprint and declare publicly that they will pledge to be 'green'.
There are a number of options that the travel companies can pursue to paint a greener picture and turn the situation to their advantage with some clever Travel Marketing.
Carbon off-setting is a popular way to give the right impression, but there are other avenues such as being associated with research into new fuels and technologies. All industries should be working towards showing willingness to be greener, but the travel industry in particular needs to give assurances to their customers, that they are concerned about environmental issues. This could be done simply by replacing any fleet road vehicles that they might own with dual-fuel or green fuel vehicles. The impact on the public is not so much in the detail as in the way in which this is publicly perceived - that's the beauty of marketing.