Fantastic Travels Blog

The 2012 Franch Show takes place this month.  It is the Largest celebration of France held in the UK.  If you like the idea of wine tastings, property information, holiday homes, food sampling and more.  This will be a great day out and a good place to start thinking about your holiday suggestions for this year.

Other items of interest at the 2012 France show will be the Cancan dance troupe, live music and information on learning how to speak French.  The exhibition is being held at London’s Earl’s Court Olympia.

In the Travel and tourism area P&O Ferries, DFDS Seaways and Welcome en Limous are just a few of the exhibitors that will be present this year. There will be more than 150 exhibitors that will have all kinds of fabulous information about France.  Ranging from the Arts, Business, the French language, holidays, food and wine.

EVENT: The French Show 2012.
DATES: Friday 13th – Sunday 15th January 2012.
LOCATION:  Earls Court, London, SW5 9TA.
TIMES: Friday: 10AM – 5PM; Saturday: 10AM – 6PM; Sunday: 10AM – 5PM.
ADMISSION: £10.00.

I hope this year is one with less conflict, and a year of more peace around the World.  My Special New Year Message to you is:  Here’s hoping you have a very Healthy, Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous 2012.

As far as a special New year message goes.   I simply thought of want I would like,  And wished it for everyone around the World!

Have a good one!

Image: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Christmas bells are ring once again.  Yes folks, it’s that time again.  Christmas.  Jolly holiday spirits and yuletide cheer, jack frost nipping a your nose.  (Or so the song says).  Jack frost may be nipping at someone’s nose this Christmas, but definitely not anyone in London.  The Weather in London and the South East, on this eve of Christmas. eve, is around 11 degrees with a sharp blowing wind.  Still, it’s better than being snowed in with not enough logs for the fire.

Are you a big fan of Christmas?  This year more than ever, I’ve been hearing so many celebratory and festive activities going on.  The least or all, being the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  Now I’m not overly religious or anything like that, but isn’t that what the Christmas Holiday Season is suppose to be all about?

This year, I’ve heard few references to Church services, midnight mass, nativity plays and the like.  Maybe I’m not reading the right papers or listening to the right shows.  Anyway, my favourite part of the Christmas break is the Music and the Christmas movies.  I said I wasn’t overly religious.  What is your favourite part of Christmas?

My least favourite part of the Christmas break is the lack of public transport available for travelers on Boxing Day.  Are we NOT in the 21st Century?  Of course we are, yet the Rail Network seems to go to sleep for 2 days.  OK, have Christmas Day off like the rest of the Country.  But Boxing Day should be treated the same as Easter and all the other Bank Holidays we have here in the UK.  Reduced bus services are available, but the planned London Under Ground strike makes this year’s getting around on public transport even more difficult.

Major shopping stores are open, the high streets started promoting their Boxing Day Sales 3 days before Christmas.  But for those relying solely on public transport, getting around may prove difficult.  Given the very high cost of public transport which goes up at least 4% each year.  The Country’s public transport system needs to provide a better service during the Christmas holiday break.   

Speaking of Christmas Sales, it’s time to ring those Christmas Bells because Opodo have sent through their Super Sale Alert:  Hundreds of flights worldwide on sale, for travel throughout 2012.  Don’t delay – the sale ends on 24 Jan 2012.  And it gets better.  You can save an extra £15 off flights over £250!

Whatever your reasons are for celebrating those Christmas Bells this year.  Enjoy it, have fun and here’s hoping it’s a merry one.  Whether you’re at home, or away for the holidays,  attending midnight mass or an all night party, be safe.

Drop us a line or post your funny Christmas stories in our comments area, we’d love the share them with our readers.

Photo by Sanja Gjenero.

In todays’ economic market, cash back, reward points and air miles are very much in bloom.  This prompted me to have a closer look at the cash back offers within the travel industry.  Little did I know that there were so many around, it made my head spin. After two weeks of research and many headache pills.  I settled on one site that had dozens of travel cash back offers under one roof.

This UK guide Website is only for UK Residents.  But never fear, I’m still on the lookout for the best sites based in the USA and other Countries.  For now, if you are based in the UK, and want cash off your travel products.  This free website will give you lots of pounds.

All you have to do is search the type of travel product you are looking for in the top right hand search box.  A long list of cash back offers emerge.  I’ve seen cash back from 1.5% – 9% on many travel products.  And £2.50 – £70.00 cash back on many other products.

Travel Products You Can Get Cash Back On.

The list is endless, far too many to mention here.  A few examples would be flights, travel insurance, holiday package deals, mobile phones, travel accessories and more.  All of the cash back offers on the travel products are from well known household names.  Like Virgin holidays, Opodo, First Choice, Cosmos, Golfing travel, the Post Office, travel insurance Companies, Hotel booking agencies and many more.

When you visit the site, you’ll find out immediately how much you can save, and how much cash back you’ll get.  I took  up two small offers, and got £16.10 cash back. Not bad 10 minutes of my time.

There you have it, if cash back is your thing.  I guess it should be for all of us.  The free UK Guide Membership site will put hundreds of brand name products right  at your fingertips.

Photo by Sam Savine.

The London Zoo or more specifically known as ZSL London Zoo.  (Zoological Society of London). Is a great day out for all the family, especially animal lovers. With the Summer holidays in full swing. If you’re stuck at home with the kids with nowhere to go. The London Zoo could be just the distraction the kids need.  If you are planning to visit London in the coming weeks. This would also be a great tourist spot.

The London Zoo was first opened in 1828, but not to the public. It was opened to fellowship members of the Zoological Society. It was opened to the public in 1847, and today has the distinction of being the World’s oldest scientific zoo.

The ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (owned by the London Zoo).  Was opened to the public in 1931. It is 600 acres and has a white lion figure carved on a hill top of Dunstable Downs. ZSL Whipsnade Zoo houses larger animals such as bears, elephants and giraffes, many of which roam free around the park. Visitors can walk, ride or drive around to the various attraction areas.

As for the London Zoo, it has undergone some major renovations in the past 6 years. The renovations were made to recreate more open spaced natural living environments for the animals. Which make visiting the attractions more interesting, as you see the animals in environments that seem more like home to them. These new living quarters beats being cooped up in cages, and are much healthier for the animals.

The London Zoo has over 20 major attractions including Animal Adventure, an African Bird Safari, Gorilla Kingdom and Blackburn Pavilion (bird sanctuary with over 50 different species of birds). Lots of fun educations things to do for kids.

You can meet some of famous animals like, Bounty the squirrel monkey, Harry the Otter, Thug the Hippo, Karishma the Elephant, Spike the African Lion, Savannah the Giraffe, Maktoum the Cheetah and Elvis the Chimp. These a just a small selection of the inhabitants at the London Zoo. What must they be thinking about us Humans, gazing upon them day after day?

EVENT: London Zoo.
Location: Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY.
Times: 10:00am – 6:00pm.
Entry: Adults; £18.60 Children 4yrs+; £14.50, Seniors & Students; £17.10; Children 3yrs & under FREE. 10% discount online bookings.

London Zoo online bookings can be made at the official ZSL Website.

Photo by Lettieb.

Last month saw another travel company collapse.  As the South London based Tour Operator Goldtrail went into administration.  Thousands of holiday makers were sent into a holiday abyss, as they realised they were unable to take their planned summer break.  Approximately, 50,000 customers were unable to leave for their planned holiday.

Reports stated that there were approximately 16,000 customers already aboard “enjoying” their holidays.  Holiday makers in Greece faced the difficult perils of returning home.  Having to rely on the Civil Aviation Authority to step in and arrange flights home.  Well what could they do, leave them out there?  I think not!  Return flights from Turkey were okay.

Other reports I read, stated that Hotels in Turkey were asking the holiday makers to pay again for their hotel stay.  Otherwise they were NOT going to be able to stay at their chosen and already paid for accommodations.  Not sure how accurate that report was, but I would have thought that Hotels would have some kind of insurance cover in the event of a tour operator going into administration. And that they would have an easier time of claiming back any monies from the appropriate authorities.

Goldrail was ATOL protected, so customers can claim their money back through the CAA, (Civil Aviation Authority).  However, previous customers affected by a travel company collapse have said they waited months for a refund and some even up to 2 years.

Goldrail was based in Morden, South East London.  The Company was started in the 1990s and specialized in holidays to Greece and Turkey.  They used chartered flight services from Turkuaz, Viking and Onur Air.  Which I must confess, I’ve never heard of them. I generally fly scheduled flights only.

For anyone affected by the unfortunate Goldrail travel company collapse. You can find out about refunds from the CAA information line on 0203 441 0846.

It’s difficult to judge which Companies, travel or otherwise will continued in business these days.  I hope you were not affected by the Goldrail travel company collapse.

For safe European holiday bookings, see Opodo or Low Cost Holidays.

Photo by Ilker.

Easyjet’s new routes to Spain were announce a couple of days ago.  The low cost airline is once again expanding their services.  Much to the joy of people who holiday on the Spanish shores.  Next Spring, they will start operating flights to Spain from London Southend Airport.

This should be good news for people living in the Essex area.  Not to mention a few friends of mine.  The destinations were announced to be Alicante,  Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga and Mallorca.  Other destination that will be serviced from London Southend Airport, are Amsterdam (Holland), Belfast (Ireland), and Faro (Portugal).

Easyjet’s new route is well chosen, it not only services people living in or around the Essex area.  It will service people living in other London areas such as Stratford, Shoreditch, Hackney.  Bethnal Green and provide links to Docklands and Canary Wharf.  The new train station opened on 18 July this year. Has direct routes to London Southend Airport from Stratford and Liverpool Street.

It can be very tiring returning from your holidays, only to spend another one or two hours getting home from the airport.  Getting   home inside of an hour on a fast train, would be a welcomed relief.  The only downside being having to lug your heavy suitcases around (can’t have everything).  Still, it’ll be a lot cheaper than a £30-£60.00 (one-way) cab ride.  It looks like Easyjet’s new route could make a lot of people happy.

Check here for cheap flights and hotel deals.

Checking in with the latest holiday trends for UK travelers. It seem that sunny Spain is the number one choice. And why not, I enjoy my visit to Malaga some years ago. I know people who have holiday villas and other people who have immigrated to Spain.

Sunny Spain is close to the UK, it’s reasonably priced, and it has some of the most scenic and history sites to enjoy. A recent article I read stated that the top three Spanish destinations are:

1. Malaga.
2. Alicante.
3. Barcelona.

Well one of of three not bad, (I’ve only been to Malaga). I’ll be sue to correct this oversight on my behalf next year. I’ve always wanted to visit Barcelona.

Last minute deals will probably feature sunny Spain quite heavily.  See our last minute deals for more information.

You may remember back in February 2011, we outlined the top ten Countries to visit of 2011. Spain came out at number three. Of course there are probably dozens of top ten destination list. But I’m betting sunny Spain will feature in most of them.

The school summer holidays are less than 10 days away. If you’re stuck on where to take the kids, or just want to get away for a quick cheap break. Don’t forget to check out sunny Spain!

You can check for the best Spanish deals, cheap flights, hotels and car hire at, Opodo, Expedia, lastminute.com or lowcostholidays.com.

As always when traveling abroad, don’t forget your travel insurance.

Photo by Image: Matt Banks /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have we all gone Legoland crazy?  First I read about a new Legoland Theme Park opening in Florida, in October 2011.  Then I read about that a new Legoland Discovery Centre in Tokyo, Japan, due to open next June 2012.

The Legoland Theme Park here in the UK is located in Winsor (yes, as in Winsor Castle).  The attraction is aimed at children under 12 years.  Personally, I think theme parks are interesting for all ages.  Mostly a fun day out can be had by all.  I don’t think I’ve actually been to Legoland in Winsor, I should go!

I guess if I were going to put a new theme park anywhere.  Florida would be one of my first choices.  With the Disney attractions already stable. Who knows, Florida could soon become the theme park capital of the World – if it isn’t already.

The Florida Legoland theme park location will spread across 150 acres.  And, much like the one we have here in the UK.  It will feature many Legoland miniture towns and famous places.  Plus family shows, and rides.  Of course it will – it’s a theme park.

The Tokyo Legoland Discovery Center location will be at the Decks Tokyo Beach Mall, Japan.  It is due to open next June 2012, and include attractions such as miniland, Lego Factory, rides, Lego Studios with 4D cinema experience and much more.   Wouldn’t it be nice if some of the money generated from the theme park was donated to the Japanese Relief Fund by the Merlin Entertainment Group?

By the way, the same Entertainment Group, (Merlin Entertainment) plan to build a temporary Madame Tussauds, also at the Ecks Tokyo Beach Mall.  I like visiting Madame Tussauds, although I haven’t been in recent years.  I generally only go when I have visitors over for a holiday.  It’s a good tourist spot.

The soon to be available attractions is great news for all theme park lovers, especially the kids.  There’s nothing like a great day out.  And if you can take the kids along, hear the excitement in their voices and see their smiling faces. all the better!

There are currently four Legoland Theme Parks around the World.  Located in the California, USA, Denmark, Germany and the UK.  The two new theme parks will bring the total to six.

Photo by Cherryguy93; http://en.wikipedia.org

Virgin Atlantic have opened up a new holiday destination to their roster.  Soon you will be able to get Virgin flights to Mexico. The location being Cancun, one of Mexico’s most popular holiday destinations.  The new service is due to start in June 2012.

Cancun is one of the top honeymoon destinations in the World.  It is also amongst the top five holiday destinations that UK travellers visit each year.  Virgin flights to Mexico will depart from London Gatwick Airport.  Gatwick is the main departure point for flights to the Caribbean and many other US Cities.

Gatwick Airport is the closest airport to where I live.  I have travelled from there more often than Heathrow or any other London airport.  It’s a fabulous addition to Virgin’s holiday destinations. I’m thinking, about taking a round trip on Virgin flights to Mexico, vist the US and then home next year. – Good travel news!

If you fancy a trip to Mexico next year, why not Cancun?  I hear it’s beaches are fabulous and Resorts luxurious. Now I can’t say for sure, because I DON’T speak for Virgin Atlantic. But it wouldn’t suprise me if Virgin offer some very special deals to the run up of launching their new flight service to Mexico. Keep a look out!