Author: News Team
For many drivers spending four hours sat on London’s M25 can be a frustrating experience. However there are tourists willing to spend £15 on a tour of the road. Visitors are escorted around the ‘highlights’ of the London Orbital in this unusual coach tour. Surprisingly the tour has been so popular that extra dates have been added to meet the ‘huge’ demand. According to the Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company tickets had sold out for the trip along the 117 mile ring road within just two months. The trip takes visitors to Heathrow Airport’s Terminal Five, Epping Forest,…
Technology is being continually integrated into airport security and border control in order to make things safer, quicker and more efficient. There have been a number of new systems installed over the past three years, including finger print scanners, iris scanners and E-Passport gates in the UK. Brits embarking on USA tours may also be asked to pass through body scanners, which essentially perform a digital ‘strip-search’. There have been problems with some of these technologies, however, and complaints about their efficiency and necessity. The UK Border Agency states that it ‘remains committed to the use of technology and automation…
Birmingham and Manchester airports have scrapped multi-million pound eye scanners, which were introduced to speed up passport control. Heathrow and Gatwick are expected to ditch their scanners after the Olympics. The Labour government spent around £9million on the Iris Recognition Immigration System – also known as IRIS. According to ministers the scanners were able to process travellers in as little as 12 seconds, however passengers often spent longer being scanned by the machines than when going through traditional passport control. Some travellers have had the misfortune of getting trapped inside the scanning booth when they stopped working. Border Agency bosses…
Slovenian pilot Matevz Lenarcic has been flying his Virus SW, an ultra-light plane made by Slovenian manufacturer, Pipistrel, around the world for over a month now. He intends to circle the world with the lowest possible carbon dioxide emission for a trip of this magnitude. On his way from Slovenia, a Central European country at the juncture of the Alps and the Mediterranean, he has already flown over the Atlantic, landed in North Africa; South, Central, and North America; and on Thursday he landed in Antarctica, which along with Mount Everest, represents the greatest challenge of his journey. Pilot Matevz…
Reunion island is a gorgeous tropical paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Usually tourists flock there for its protected lagoon, the mountains that are a UNESCO Heritage site, and the cultures, religions, and ethnic groups coming from all over the world who live in harmony. The French island has a population of about 800,000, is east of Madagascar and about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south west of Mauritius, the nearest island. The tropical island is one of the outermost regions of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, is part of the Eurozone. The Piton de la Fournaise, a volcano on the eastern…
‘In fair Verona where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny’…. The poetic Shakespearan lines that introduce one of the worlds most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet reference Verona, Italy, as the city where the star crossed couple fell in love. And ‘fair’ it is indeed. Quaint cobbled streets, eye-catching terracotta buildings and impressive ancient market squares all contribute to Verona’s unique beauty and make it no surprise that the city has been awarded world heritage site status by UNESCO, because of its urban structure and architecture. Often over shadowed by neighbouring Venice, Verona really is one of Italy’s…
Orlando is one of the major cities in Florida and in recent years has become a leading centre for bio-medical research and the now ubiquitous digital media. Its great selling points for tourists though are that it is sunny and warm throughout the year and has a wealth of state-of-the-art entertainments for all the family to enjoy. Cheap flights to Orlando are the ideal way to see this fabulous city and explore the surrounding area. Orlando started its rise to prominence in 1856 when it became a county seat and in 1885 was incorporated as a city. It has never…
A consumer watchdog has banned Ryanair’s ‘sexist’ advertising campaign after claims that it ‘objectified’ women. The promotion sparked complaints after it shown scantily-clad models in lingerie alongside the headline: “Red Hot Fares and Crew’. One flight attendant claimed the advert portrayed its cabin crew as glamour models. The advert was banned after thousands of people backed calls for the promotion to be removed. According to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) the adverts were likely to cause ‘widespread offence’. One image titled ‘Ornella February’ was particularly ‘sexually suggestive’, as it showed a model pulling down the top of her underwear with…
A honeymoon is usually a luxury holiday; a beach somewhere exotic is the natural choice for many newly weds. But a survey has shown that 81 per cent of British honeymooners are favouring an adventure on the trip of a lifetime rather than a beach holiday. Only 12 per cent of Brits said they would opt for a poolside holidays lazing around. The survey by Unique Honeymoons magazine found that many newly weds wanted a ‘unique and adventurous’ start to married life. Only 3 per cent were opting for a budget break, and four per cent opting for a ‘mini-moon’…
British families are being charged 60 per cent more than the French for Disneyland Paris park tickets. The park’s French site offers special discount offers which aren’t available to customers on the English version. British customers who try and buy tickets via the French site are blocked from purchasing them, if their credit card is not registered to a French address. A French family of four (two adults and two child) for 142 euros (£119) could get day passes to Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios, taking advantage of an offer allowing children under 12 free entry. However British families…