How charter holiday pricing works — Part 1

If you're an Irish consumer currently thinking of getting away for a week or two in the sun at the moment, chances are that you're experiencing one or both of the following problems: 1. There is very little availability left to many destinations 2. All the prices are very expensive And to add further insult to your injury, you've probably already found that the prices that airlines such as Aer Lingus and Ryanair are charging

When is the best time to visit Spain or Portugal?

How about now! June is an ideal time of year to visit either country as you get to enjoy the best of all possible worlds. You don't have to endure the high temperatures of July or August; The beaches, bars or restaurants aren't as crowded as school is still not out in a number of countries — most notably our neighbours across the Irish Sea — and perhaps best of all, there are still great bargains to

Summer has arrived!

I'm not talking literally of course — just figuratively — and wearing my travel agent hat! Easter has always traditionally represented the start of the summer season as this is when tour operator summer charter programmes begin and winter charter series end. It is also then an appropriate time to remind people of the kinds of things that they need to think of/prepare for, before setting out on their overseas travels. What follows is a

Fancy travelling business class?

Travelling business class is one of those experiences that most of us rarely get to enjoy — unless of course you're a corporate hotshot or you're loaded. You'll be delighted therefore to note that SAS airlines are currently running with a promotion that is offering roundtrip business class fares to various points in Scandinavia for as little as €296, including taxes. Travel must be undertaken between April 26th and September 2nd of this year. Like

Move out of your comfort zone

The world is a big place. We know that we're stating the obvious here but it's worth mentioning if only because we find that most people tend to return to the same places year after year. Nothing wrong with that at all, particularly if those places are ticking all the boxes in terms of cost, convenience, friendliness, value for money, accessibility etc. It's a shame though that more people don't push the proverbial boat out

You never need travel insurance — until you need travel insurance!

It could happen to you! A mishap that is. You could fall and hurt yourself. You could drop your camera and break it. You could be robbed. You might even have to cancel your holiday due to some unforeseen development. It's for reasons such as these that people really need to protect themselves against by taking out travel insurance. Surprisingly though, a lot of travellers nowadays still travel abroad without any insurance cover whatsoever and that really

Avoid making the classic mistakes!

Here's a simple rule of thumb that you should always bear in mind when planning your next trip abroad. If you're planning to travel using a scheduled airline (even low cost ones such as Ryanair, Easyjet etc.), always book your flights as far in advance of your date of departure as possible as the prices increases the nearer you get to your travel date. The reverse is true when it comes to charter services. The

The joys of international travel

Connected through Heathrow yesterday, having flown in from Dublin on Aer Lingus. Despite there being three hours connecting time between the flights, my bag never reached the Qantas flight in time with result that I have to kill 24 hours in Singapore in the clothes that I'm wearing. I got 100 Singapore dollars straight away which was something I suppose but it barely coverd the cost of a cheap shirt and underwear in M&S. Also

The art of getting a quote that is both competitive in price and relevant to your needs starts with gathering all the right information about what you want to do (or think you want to do!).