Peaceful Norfolk Broads

Having just returned from a few peaceful days on the Norfolk Broads, we are refreshed and ready to apply noses to various grindstones. The Norfolk Broads (Beccles in this case) remains both genteel and entertaining with plenty to see and do.This region of the East of England presents countryside, water and wildlife in a way that no other British region does - this is the Everglades of the UK, with little chance of losing a limb to an alligator. In all seriousness though, for those with a penchant for boating, accidents do happen on the Broads so safety should be paramount.
When you tire of the wildfowl, there is always the option of the North Sea coast and various attractions such as the Africa Alive wildlife park, Sandringham Gardens in fact a plethera of venues to suit all sorts of tastes.
There are plenty of camp sites and B&B's for those who don't want to live on the water, but hiring a boat is the finest way to see the Broads in all their glory.

Holiday footwear from Dansko shoes

Don't get caught out when vacation time comes around and you haven't got any suitable footwear... as the boy scouts always say: 'Be Prepared'. I am one of those who like to be ready for every eventuality, but the latter-day restrictions on flight luggage mean that having multi-purpose footwear is a must.

Casual quality is the order of the day; something that you can wear all day and that would not look out of place in a fancy restaurant is the ideal footwear for packing in your suitcase. My personal recommendations (and I used to sell shoes years ago) would be something from Rockport, Ecco or Dansko Shoes for holiday wear and for the ladies who still want a bit of glamor, check out Beautifeel Shoes for comfort that does not compromise on style.

Admittedly the task of finding dual-purpose footwear is considerably easier for men, as the constraints of fashion have little effect on the basic form of men's footwear. For holidaying women however, there may need to be some compromise of high-glamor in favor of something a little more practical unless your holiday will only take you to the chicest boutique hotels, fine dining venues and night-life of somewhere like glamorous Monte Carlo or sophisticated London.

Cheap RyanAir flights

Once again, there is a short-time offer on flights as indicated on the MoneySavingExpert website. The deadline for taking advantage of this offer is midnight 30th July 2009, so you will have to move fast...
As ever these flights may well be subject to surcharges for paying by credit card, extra luggage and anything else you could be stung for... but they are what they are - if you are prepared for the 'downside' there is a massive 'upside'...
In short:
From?: 15 UK Airports.
To: 75 European destinations (e.g. Bologna, Rimini, Toulon).
Book By: Midnight Thurs 30 July.
Dates: September & October.
Cost: £1 all-in except baggage & booking fee.
Find them quick: FlightChecker (via Money Saving Expert)

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..