Author: News Team
It’s a leap year, when, according to tradition, women can get down on bended knee and ask their dithering partner to take their hand in marriage. With February 29, 2012 fast approaching, the top ten most romantic spots on Earth have been revealed for the fairer sex to pop the question: 1. Taj Mahal, India 2. Lewa Downs, Kenya 3. Antarctica 4. Rialto Bridge, Venice 5. Iguazu Falls, Argentina 6. Roseberry Topping, Yorkshire 7. Sahara Desert, Morocco 8. The Pitons, St. Lucia 9. Great Barrier Reef, Australia 10. Snowshill, Cotswolds, UK The results compiled by the World Travel Organisation, revealed…
STUNNED readers of high-brow daily newspaper The Independent had the shock of their lives when a full page advert for a holiday to Canada featured a phallic-shaped rock. Shown on page 14 of the UK’s youngest national daily newspaper on Thursday, the rude full-page ad shows a picturesque coastal scene – with three canoes gently weaving their way around some rocks. But despite the clear, blue skies and calm seas encouraging readers to “keep exploring” Canada, it is the phallic-shaped rock that dominates the image – spoiling the peaceful scene. And while the rock would be sure to raise a…
Easter week is celebrated at Skansen, Sweden in different ways. On Maundy Thursday children all over Sweden dress up as witches to deliver Easter letters and receive candy. On Skansen they can make their own brooms and pretend they’re taking off for Blåkulla. In some of the houses the Easter feast is prepared and traditions explained and on the Bollnäs square there is an Easter market selling birch twigs with the traditional feather decorations, sweets and food. During Easter, you can visit some of our houses and farmsteads to see what Easter was like a hundred years ago or more. In Skånegården,…
The Ionian islands of Greece are world renowned for their paradise beaches, calm seas and laid back lifestyle. Corfu, the largest of these islands, has been a British holiday favourite for decades. But how has this popularity been affected by the recent troubles in Greece, and what do economic changes mean for Brits who already have summer holidays booked? Currently in the grip of economic crisis and receiving bale outs from the rest of Europe, Greece has been receiving a lot of bad press recently. Images of angry crowds are accompanying headlines describing crisis and unrest; shocking debt figures are…
When it comes to choosing a holiday destination many of us flick through the enticing images in a glossy holiday brochure. However these printed country guides could soon be leaving travel agents shelves according to Europe’s largest tour operator boss. There has been an increase in travellers using mobile devices such as tablet and phones to look for trips online. This means within the next five years the holiday brochure could soon disappear. Nick Longman, the distribution and online director as Tui Travel, revealed that he was in no doubt that travel companies could soon become completely brochure free. His…
2012 is a big year for Chicago with the G8 summit heading there in May. With so much to see and experience, it’s one of the must see travel destinations for 2012 and one you can’t afford to miss out on. International flights arrive daily into the city via its two airports: Midway International on the south of the city and O’Hare International on the northwest. No American trip is complete without having sampled life on the open road, so ensure you do your car hire comparison before you travel. Located on the shore of Lake Michigan in the American…
“A return to normality,” for many tourists who enjoy the world famous beach on the island of Praslin, after the swim ban was lifted last week. Voted year after year as the World’s Best Beach, Praslin, the tourist Mecca of the Seychelles, has seen the introduction of lifeguards on its beach at Anse Lazio, following the freak shark attacks mid-last year. Experts from South Africa have been assisting the Seychelles government with a long list of what to do, which the authorities have been following as they prepared to reopen the beach. The popular Anse Lazio Beach is popular with…
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…