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.”

Sitting around on a beach on holiday is not everyone’s cup of tea, some people like to get out and about and explore the sights and sound of this world, if you’re not looking to travel too far for your summer holiday and want to take in some history and culture then why not hop on a flight to Belfast and explore this fascinating city and its surrounding area.

The capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast is its largest city which is steeped in history, it is mainly remembered for the Troubles that dominated Northern Irelands Politics for nearly three decades and scarred many people’s lives over there and here as well. Although Belfast is still coming to terms with the aftermath of the peace process which was instigated by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement the city itself is starting to turn itself around, undergoing major redevelopment and trying to attract tourists.

If you have a keen interest in history then you will find plenty to keep you occupied, learning how the city began back in the early 1100’s as a cluster of forts, and how it developed its self from then on to become what it is today. Some places of interest include: St Anne’s Cathedral, Odyssey Leisure Centre, Ulster Museum and the Botanical gardens to name but a few.

Belfast also offers many great places to eat offering a wide range of cuisines as well as typical Irish food and drink you can also have a great night out in the city with many fun bars and clubs. For those who like some retail therapy you can indulge in some shopping too from designer goods to highstreet buys as well as local crafts and art so you have plenty to keep you occupied during your visit.

Northern Ireland is easy to get around and Belfast makes a great starting point to visit the rest of the country.

When you look for a holiday for your family there are a lot of things to consider, if you have small children will there be enough kids entertainment to keep them occupied, are there babysitting services and also is there suitable places to eat. If you have older children you will also want to make sure there are activities fussy teenagers would enjoy, and places for them to hang out on their own.

A cruise holiday can tick most of those boxes but for a real family holiday certain lines like Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise lines have all the boxes ticked.

If you have a young family then a holiday on one of the Disney cruise liners will be right up your street, their ships are designed with the Disney magic and can cater for all your family’s needs. Once you step aboard you will be greeted by all the favourite Disney characters and can spend the holiday having lots of fun with them, adults won’t be left out either with plenty to keep your selves busy with, you can take time out to relax in one of the spa’s, enjoy some cookery classes or just sit back in one of the many bars and restaurants. The Disney cruise ships sail around the Mediterranean and the Caribbean so you will defiantly be able to enjoy the sun on your holiday.

Disney show

Picture courtesy of Cruise News Weekly

If you’re looking to keep your teenagers entertained, (which can be very hard), then look no further than taking a cruise holiday on Royal Caribbean’s great cruise liner the massive Oasis of the Seas. On board you will find a whole host of features and incredible facilities as well as masses of space, which you know will be appreciated by your teens! The activities include ice-skating rink, rock-climbing wall and 9-hole miniature golf course and that’s on a small amount of what the ship has to offer. There is plenty of evening entertainment to keep everyone entertained including live music, a cinema, nightclub and a casino as well as a lot more. The Oasis of the Seas also cruises around the Caribbean, so you can also experience some beautiful tropical islands along the way.

Oasis of the Seas

Picture courtesy of plasmastik

A family cruise holiday also need not be expensive, there are some great cruise deals available and when staying with Disney or Royal Caribbean you also get full board so your meals are included which can save you a lot of money!

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.”

When it comes to booking a holiday many people look to see if they can get the best value for money, so with many people feeling the pinch still has meant some people are looking to the UK in hope of getting a good deal however some prices here in the UK can be higher than abroad, so what’s the best option?

A lot depends on what you’re looking for in a holiday, the type of accommodation you want to stay in and what you’re happy paying for food and drink as well as travel expenses’. Some popular resorts in the UK find that businesses impose much higher prices than normal for food and accommodation especially if you want to travel with your family during the school holidays that it can work out cheap to go abroad, even when comparing holiday rentals.

Sometimes it can be cheaper to holiday abroad if you are looking to stay in all inclusive accommodation as although it costs more initially you save money during your holiday because your meals and drinks are included at your resort, however factoring in the flights can bump up the price to more than a holiday in the UK.

If your confident that you can keep to a budget for your holiday then there are ways to save money, if you take a caravan holiday at a park in the UK you can share the cost with a few people, many static caravans can sleep up to 10 people, all you need to think about then is the cost of food which can also be split. Travel may be a bit more expensive but if there are a few of you then to travel around you could hire a mini bus, splitting the cost here will also be handy.

There are plus and negatives to both staying here in the UK for a holiday or going abroad, however with careful planning and comparing deals and prices, you could get a very reasonable summer holiday.

Now that summer is officially here and the temperatures are heating up across the UK and Europe it’s a great time to get your flights sorted for your summer holiday. You can get great deals and cheap flights when booking last minute and if you’re open to travelling anywhere even better offers.

You can travel to some great short haul destination or if you want something more exotic there are some good deals on long haul flights, you can even get some great deals on flights around the UK with many offers on flights to London, Glasgow and Dublin available. So get looking now for great travel deals this summer!

Some holiday destinations can make your break into a holiday of a lifetime and somewhere such as the Far East which is steeped in tradition, customs and superstation will be somewhere you will never forget. There is a lot to see and it can be quite hard to see even a small fraction however if you take a cruise holiday to the Far East you can fit in a lot more sights and sounds than you think, without worrying about travel and getting around.

You can experience the Far East on a cruise and stay holiday, which includes a stay in Hong Kong or Singapore, the number of nights spent on the cruise depends on how many places you want to visit, they range from 4.5 or six nights to 14 nights or if you wish even longer if you visit during a world cruise.

Whilst exploring Asia and the Orient you will see a contrast, from large bustling cityscapes to small sedate country life that has been unchanged for centuries, as you explore cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila and Kuala Lumpur you will find yourself immersed in their fast pace of life with sights, sound and smells that bombard your senses. You can also experience the calm whilst here when visiting one of the Buddhist Temples with sedate perfectly manicured gardens as well as learn their history and beliefs.

A Far East cruise holiday will really be a once in a lifetime holiday and nothing can prepare for everything you will encounter, and if all the hustle and bustle becomes too much then you can always retreat to you familiar surroundings of your cruise ship.

If you and your family are looking to take a holiday and there are a large number of you wanting to go, then you will need somewhere that has a suitable amount of accommodation for you all in one place. Villa holidays are a great option for large families and large groups, accommodation starts from 4 people for a small villa all the way up to 16 people for a large villa with plenty of amenities and you will find them in and around many popular tourist destinations around Europe such as France, Spain, Italy and Turkey and further afield.

Holiday rentals are great if you are looking to travel on a budget, you will be charged a set price for renting the villa no matter how many people stay so the more of you there are the more the cost can be split. You can also rent private villas with plenty of amenities such as a pool, air conditioning, BBQ areas and car parking so you can park hire car’s to get you out and about, so staying in a villa will be like being in a home away from home except with better weather to enjoy. You will find fully equipped kitchens and plenty of bathrooms for the size, plus the location of many holiday rentals is generally right in resorts or just out of them so you can easily get supplies or enjoy a meal out.

So for your summer break this year why not check out some amazing resorts and get booked into a villa that the whole family can enjoy, no matter how many of you there are.

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!

The summer sales are now starting and it’s not just clothing sales that have the best bargains, if you’ve not booked a summer holiday yet then now’s the time to check out the summer holiday sales and find yourself a bargain for a great holiday.

A cruise holiday is a great way to get away, from families, couples, groups to solo travellers, there’s something for everyone to hundreds of destinations around the world.

If you want to get away with the family this summer a 7 or 14 night cruise around the Mediterranean has plenty to offer for every on to enjoy with plenty of stops at destinations such as Majorca, Tunisia, Italy, France, and Spain. Another great choice if you want a family fun holiday then a stay on a Disney Cruise ship is just what you need. The little ones can enjoy the magic of the Disney Magic cruise ship whilst you enjoy a Europe Cruise.

For those who want to have an action packed holiday full of fun and excitement then have a look at taking a cruise such as a Las Vegas Stay and Hawaii Cruise, spending time in Sin City before moving on to California to start your Hawaiian cruise.  A Miami stay and Caribbean Cruise also has plenty to offer with a stay in one of the US party capitals before setting off and enjoying the best the Caribbean has to offer stopping off at amazing destinations such as Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, St Kitts and St Thomas.

There are also great destinations for couples looking for some romance with great cruise deals available in the summer sales to destinations such as Dubai with a stay and cruise, the Red Sea Stay and Cruise and a Grand Panama Cruise, great to get away and enjoy some fabulous sights.