Swine Flu border restrictions

The UK Travel Industry is becoming concerned about travellers being subject to 'vetting' from foreign officials and has asked the World Health authority to intervene. The UK is being seen worldwide as a high-risk Swine-Flu region and UK travellers are being screened and questioned (and in some cases unnecessarily detained). Not only that, but foreign travellers are being dissuaded from travelling to the UK. ABTA is making it clear that the World Health Authority are stating that 'vetting' travellers serves no purpose in the prevention of spreading Swine Flu.
The most sensitive area seems to be China, and many travellers are being put off from travelling in case they find themselves detained in quarantine.
It is hoped that people will not travel if they are obviously suffering from Swine Flu - apart from that, it is believed that treatment rather than prevention of the infection from spreading is the preferred approach.

Standing Room Only

In an attempt to keep RyanAir in the headlines, RyanAir boss Michael O'Leary has announced that his airline are considering removing seats to offer cheap or even free standing room tickets on some flights. They have reportedly asked Boeing about the logistics of providing 'vertical seating' in their ne fleet of aircraft.
Apparently the small privately-owned Chinese airline 'Spring' have already started the ball rolling by working out they could pack an extra 40 or 50% extra passengers into planes with standing room. Having only 13 planes, Spring have been looking at ways to carry more passengers with their existing fleet.
Airbus have apparently been talking to airlines about offering this option, but obviously there will be some stringent safety guidelines to be met.

£5 flights...

It is my duty to bring news of cheap flights and here is the latest offering:
For Journeys between 17th July and 29 March must book by midnight tonight! (2nd July) - note that dates of all school breaks and major sporting events are excluded - destinations include:

Aarhus - Belfast (City) - Berlin - Billun - Bournemouth - Bremen - Brussels (Charleroi) - Budapest T1 - Cork - Derry - Dublin - Dusseldorf (Weeze) - Edinburgh - Eindhoven - Frankfurt-Hahn - Glasgow (Prestwick) - Haugesund - Inverness - Karlsruhe-Baden - Kerry - Knock - Limoges - Marseille (MP2) - Milan (Bergamo) - Montpellier - Oslo (Torp) - Paris-Beauvais - Perpignan - Prague - Shannon - Stansted - Trieste - Toulon-Hyeres.

Thanks once again to the MoneySavingExpert for the heads-up
Visit the RyanAir site for the full details...

Massive discounts possible...

Travel firms may be forced to heavily discount their late bookings to clear 'stock' that has not been sold. Despite the downsizing of the available stock in an effort to avoid massive discounts, the travelling public have not been dipping into their savings to purchase holidays it seems.
With just a month to go before the schools break up, some retailers are reporting just 65% take up whereas 80% is the norm at this point. Many holiday makers are booking just three weeks in advance for 'late' deals whereas eight weeks has been the average in the past. There is anticipation that a price discounting war will ensue fairly shortly as retailers attempt to get rid of unsold stock ahead of their competitors.
Even if you have already decided not to take a holiday this Summer, you may be tempted back into the market, at least that is what the retailers are hoping for..

Running away to get married

For generations English folk have been running away to Scotland to get wed, mainly because of the relaxed Scottish marriage laws, but since rules about where couples can get married were relaxed there are some wedding venues in scotland more attractive even than Gretna Green where you can enjoy your big day.
There still remains a degree of romance in having your wedding in scotland and it is certainly a beautiful place to have a honeymoon away from the crowds of shoppers and sunseekers. Romantic and remote images are conjured up by images of the Highlands of Scotland, it's wind-swept shores and craggy purple-heathered scenery.
Hoscote House is the most complete wedding venue I have seen, with it's wild scenery, imposing house and fine estate. It can also serve as a self-catering accommodation for up to 33 people, so your wedding party can take all week if you want. Nowadays Scotland is not just a place for English runaways to get married without their parents permission, folk from all over the world are travelling to Scotland to get married in the most romatic of settings.

Selfish Rail Strikers

London Underground Rail Strikers attempted to make a point by calling a strike on a day when thousands of football fans would have been trying to make their way to Wembley to see England play Andorra in a World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday.
Despite talk about playing the game behind closed doors, the game went ahead as normal and 58,000 fans made it to Wembley. England players and manager Fabio Capello paid tribute to the fans who made the extra effort to cheer their team on to victory as England score six goals without reply.
Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) returned to work at 7pm Thursday, and a fresh round of talks is expected in bid to avert further action. That will be little consolation to those who failed to make the game and one can't help feeling disppointed for any youngsters who may have missed out on their first trip to Wembley.

Off to Sunny Spain

Planning for Summer Holidays is upon us and as a holiday destination, Spain is still bound to be one of the most popular places visited by UK holidaymakers. Having been top of the favourite destination lists for decades, Spain still has plenty to offer in it's various resorts and Islands. A package holiday in a Hotel remains the most popular way to visit, but there is an up and coming holiday rental market for Villas in Spain offering a viable alternative to those who prefer a little more privacy.
A Spanish driving holiday will open up some of the wonders of Spain mostly left unexplored by generations of UK tourists. Most visitors would opt to hire a car for this type of Holiday, yet it would be entirely feasible to travel through France and bring your own car to Spain over a few days or even catch a car ferry to Bilbao.
Whether you opt for traditional resorts such as Costa del Sol or Rent a holiday villa in Tenerife, or The Canaries, Majorca, Costa del Almeria... Spain is geared up for your holiday needs, guaranteed sunshine and fabulous food come as standard. If you venture outside your complex, with a little Tourist information you can also find culture and fabulous scenery to match the beautiful beaches that Spain is famous for.