It seems that many holiday makers find been charged extortionate prices for using Wi-Fi supplied in many hotels, bars and cafes that was advertised as free. Research carried out by Hotels.com found that three in four people believed Wi-Fi should be free of charge, with many guests finding that when they used the services extra charges were added onto their bill.

Holiday makers also listed car parking charges as another holiday annoyance, with 77% of people resenting pay for it whilst on holiday, as well as that holiday makers also did not like having to pay for bottled water, newspapers and gym towels in their hotels and thought that these should be taken into account into the price of a holiday.

Tourists on the French Rivera have been banned from swimming after a shark alert, at the height of the holiday season tourists visiting the popular French Riviera have been left unable to enjoy the waters after a shark sighting by lifeguards patrolling in a motorboat spotted a creature measuring more than seven feet long which in turn prompted a swimming ban. Michel Cagnaire, who is in charge of public safety in the resort of Cagnes-sur-Mer, near Nice said: “We were taking no chances and issued the swimming ban immediately.”

Other resorts in the area including Villeneuve, Loubet and St. Laurent-du-Var raised their red ‘no swimming’ flags as people in boats telephoned warnings about the suspected shark, which had a large dorsal fin and a white belly after been seen swimming some 150 feet off the coast. Its closeness to the shore prompted fears that it might be wounded or ill, and might start attacking holidaymakers.

However chief veterinary officer for the area, Veronique Vienet, questioned the hysteria, saying that the creature might actually be a large dolphin, stating that there has only been one fatal shark attack in French coastal waters since the 1840s. Also last July there was another shark scare at Antibes, but the creature turned out to be a harmless ocean sunfish which only eats jellyfish.

The ban has now been lifted however tourists are still cautious.

Crucial talks between BAA and Unite have been held today to try and avert the threat of strikes by airport workers which could cause misery for many holiday makers and travelers before the end of the school holidays. Leaders of the union and senior managers from BAA will meet in hope that they can resolve a row over pay involving over 6,000 security staff, engineers and firefighters at six airports. The airports involved which are Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen could cause severe problems for travelers if the strikes go ahead.

Unite members voted in favor of industrial action in protest at a 1 per cent pay offer, with Unite sating that its members accepted a wage freeze last year and cooperated with changes to their pension scheme, so deserved a bigger pay rise. However the Spanish owners of BAA offered them an additional 0.5 per cent but this was conditional on changes to the firm’s sickness agreement, the union stated.

Speaking about the talks which will be held at the conciliation services Acas BAA said it was looking forward to the Acas meeting, adding: “We hope that we can quickly conclude an agreement, in the interests of the travelling public, our airlines and our staff, the majority of whom did not vote for a strike.”

If there is no breakthrough at the Acas talks leaders of Unite will meet shop stewards today to decide their next move, which could lead to strike dates being announced, this could mean the airports would close down because of strikes and that travel plans of millions of holidaymakers and other passengers would be hit. The Union would have to give seven days notice of strike action which means they could go ahead before the end of the school holidays.

Greece was dealt another economic blow today due to the prospect of lost tourism as many tourists are worried about travelling to the country because of the recent threats from a terror organisation, the urban guerrilla group Sect of Revolutionaries sent out a declaration last week stating: ‘Tourists should learn that Greece is no longer a safe haven of capitalism’.

However the head of one of the UK’s leading holiday operators to Greece has said tourists shouldn’t be dissuaded from visiting the country even though the group which has already claimed the life of journalist Sokratis Giolias has also said they: ‘intend to turn [Greece] into a war zone of revolutionary activity with arson, sabotage, violent demonstrations, bombings and assassinations, and not a country that is a destination for holidays and pleasure’.

Looking at the recent threats, Noel Josephides, Managing director of Sunvil Holidays, said that although the company has been discounting Greek holidays in a bid to sell more late deals and that many of the major operators have been ’switching a lot of capacity from Greece to Egypt and Turkey which are a lot more fashionable this year.’ Also that: ‘people who know and love Greece are still going to go this year.’

However Mr Josephides conceded the country’s unsettled political situation could make those who have yet to decide where to spend their summer holidays think twice before travelling to the popular Greek islands. But with any situation there is an upside ‘There will be fewer people going to Greece over the summer, that means the beaches and resorts will be quieter, (and) prices about 10 per cent lower.’

In a public statement the Greek government is adamant that tourists will be safe stating: ‘In relation to the recent events linked to the terrorist group Sect of Revolutionaries, there is absolutely no danger to tourists or the Greek public’.

There is good news for those of us who love going on holiday scientists now say holidays can help us live longer, so best get that break booked ASAP. A recent study has found a link between travel and increased happiness and better health, which suggests trips could even be prescribed in the future as a way to beat depression.

The study which was conducted at Victoria University in Australia found that travel can affect three different elements of happiness, meaning the joy of a holiday extends well beyond the time you enjoyed away and could help prolong our lives.

The expert in travel and wellbeing at Victoria University, Dr Sebastian Filep, found that motivations for travel, experiences at the destination and the post-holiday reflection all contributed to the pleasure of a break abroad. With the first causing positive emotions in the traveller, the second giving them a sense of purpose and the third giving them a sense of involvement which are all key ingredients of happiness.

Dr Filep, said of the study: “I see an opportunity for a greater connection between tourism and health where holidays become a more important factor in leading a healthy lifestyle, we from studies in the US that experiencing positive emotions reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease, or that optimists live longer than pessimists. So happiness is good for overall physical and mental health and holidays are a good vehicle for experiencing happiness.”

He also noted: “Holidays may possibly lead to people living longer, as holidays make people happy. Happiness is the opposite of depression. If thinking about a holiday, going on a holiday and remembering a holiday plays a role in making people happy, than I certainly think prescribing holidays or travel could help beat depression. “

Many people are choosing again to enjoy a ‘staycation’ for their summer holiday plans, so many tour operators have found that their bookings are low again this year, which is good news for those who want a last minute holiday away abroad.

Many families are still worrying about the economic problems as well as the low value of the pound and fears about travel disruption, which is why many have opted to stay here in the UK, which is a great boost for UK tourism but not so for travel companies who offer holidays abroad. Compared to last year short-haul holiday bookings for this summer are down by 213,000 compared with this time last year, taking the figure to 1.739million, which continues the trend seen in 2009 where 10million fewer foreign trips were taken compared with 2008.

Many prices have been cut by a third so looking for a last-minute trip could save up to £800 on a Mediterranean holiday, with the Greek islands, Turkey, Egypt, Spain and Portugal offering the best bargains. Some of the best prices found were for the Greek island of Paphos, where the figure for a one-week family holiday was down £796 to £1,521.

Trevor Davis, who is the Co-Op Travel’s director of retail distribution, said: ‘This year has seen a number of incidents and occurrences that have created a unique scenario for the travel industry. It began with the heavy snow that stalled the traditional early booking period and grounded planes, and continued with an earthquake in Chile, riots in Bangkok, civil unrest in Greece, BA strikes and finally the unprecedented volcanic eruption in Iceland, which brought the industry to a standstill for a week. ‘The continued effects of the recession, the election and the football World Cup also impacted negatively on bookings. As a consequence fewer holidays have been sold, so prices have dropped to encourage more bookings.’

The Co-Op’s research found the biggest savings in eastern Mediterranean resorts, in particular Paphos, which is 34 per cent cheaper than a year ago, Crete, which is down 29 per cent and Zante at 26 per cent less. On top of that the price of holidays to Turkey is said to be down by almost a quarter, 24 per cent, compared with a year ago.

For many, especially families, the elderly or infirm airport trolleys are a necessity however many travellers this summer will be shocked to find the cost of hiring one this summer has gone up, if you are flying from London Luton Airport and Bristol Airport you will be hit by soaring coasts, with the price of hire rising from £1 to £2 pound this week.

Travellers will also find that this charge is also non-refundable, according to a Luton Airport spokeswoman, she said: “London Luton Airport notes that Bagport, the company running our trolley concession, has increased the fee it charges to hire a trolley from £1 to £2. This has been done at Bagport’s discretion and London Luton Airport has neither asked for this increase nor will it stand to benefit from it financially.”

This new charge will also hit those travelling from Cardiff Airport in the next few coming weeks as well as other airports over the course of this year.

A spokesperson for Bagport who offer the airport trolleys said: “This sterling price increase brings the charges in line with the current euro charge of 2. This price increase enables Bagport to continue to provide a quality service after the heavy shortfall of passenger traffic in the European aviation industry since autumn 2008. The new charges of £2/2 are also reflecting the international market leading prices as airports, for example in the US, are charging between four and five dollars per baggage trolley and they represent the cost increases to run the business since its introduction.”

The local council in the Spanish coastal town of Salou, on the Costa Dorada has brought in new by-laws aimed at reducing disruption at peak seasons. The town became infamous earlier this spring when thousands of British university students descended on it for the annual Saloufest, causing havoc with hordes of drunken and scantily-clad students wandering through the town’s streets.

Beachwear will be banned from all but beachfront bars and restaurants, meaning anyone seen wearing bikinis in the towns mains streets violating the ban will be fined between €100 (£81) and €300 (£245), additionally anyone caught drinking alcohol on the streets or having sex on the beach could also be prosecuted.

Pere Granados, the Town Mayor explained this week that the move is aimed at reviving the fortunes of the resort and helping it get away from its sordid reputation. “We want to ensure that Salou has a good image.”

Also Salou’s Councilor for Tourism, Alberto del Hierro, added: “It is not normal to go the market with your packet on show or round the tourist sites in a thong. One shouldn’t be allowed to walk the streets or enter public buildings in unseemly apparel. It gives the city a low-class look.”

You don’t have to go too far to enjoy a great holiday, there are plenty of places to visit here in the UK, and getting round is not as bad as people think, you can easily take flights to London or Dublin as well as flights to Glasgow or Edinburgh, from all smaller UK airports, and there will be one near to you. You can also hop on a train or a bus and travel all around England, Scotland and Wales with ease, you can leave your car at home and hire a car in the area you choose so you can save time on the hours spent travelling on the motorways.

There is so much to see and do in the UK we really are spoilt for choice, we have large historical cities to explore all with their own piece of history as well as museums and galleries, we have outstanding natural beauty in our countryside with many national parks. There’s also plenty of fun to be had at the coast, and if we get lots of hot sun this summer then who needs to go abroad for their beach holiday.

So don’t let the worries of delays at the stations or strikes at the airports put you off you can still have a Great British Holiday right here in the UK!

There is so much you can do here in the UK this summer to escape the World Cup, Wimbledon, Big Brother and Britain’s Got Talent.

There are many things to enjoy that won’t cost you anything, popular during the summer are fringe events which take place all over the country and are great for the whole family to enjoy, look out for one near you! Local summer fetes are also a great way to meet your neighbours and are great for the local community especially if you’re holidaying in the area.

If you want to enjoy some sporting activities for free head off to see the Oxford and Cambridge boat race, this tradition has been going for more than 150 years as both do battle on the Thames, some great spots to watch for free include Putney Bridge, Putney Embankment and Bishops Park (at the start), Hammersmith and Barnes (mid-course) and Dukes Meadows and Chiswick Bridge (at the finish).

There are great walking tours to take around many of the UK cities, many of which are available as pod casts and can be downloaded ready for you to use to explore.

Another great way to enjoy your free time for free is to take a tour of many of the UK’s main museums and galleries, entry to these are free as are the tours! The British Museum in London offers short tours that concentrate on different parts of their collection, the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh has one-hour tours and the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff has a range of themed tours.