Posted by Ruth Miller on Fri 1st August 2008 at 06:00 AM, Filed in Travel News
I was surprised and saddened to hear that a foam party in Turkey resulted in the deaths of three tourists.
The three people, included two Israeli tourists, who were accidentally electrocuted at the foam party in a luxury hotel in southern Turkey, the Anatolian Agency reported on Wednesday.
Apparently, the power leak that caused the deaths occurred when the foam machine operator slid and fell, dropping the device, Mehmet Yilmaz, manager of the five-star hotel in the southern province of Antalya, the agency said.
I think this incident throws up an important point. Are safety standards the same at popular tourist destinations as they are at home. The answer is quite blatantly no. Although, poor safety regulations do not appear to have played a part in this incident, you do wonder if things would have been conducted differently elsewhere.
One of the saddest stories of recent years was a couple who lost there two children to carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty boiler. The boiler had not been serviced or checked for some time. Under UK regulations boilers in rented accommodation have to undergo regular safety certification.
I suppose the point here, is that you need to be vigilant to slack safety standards. In the case of carbon monoxide, you can buy testers for a few pounds. In as far as foam party’s, water skiing, jet skiing, para sailing, scuba diving etc - just be aware of potential dangers like no certification, poor equipment and such like.
Posted by Ruth Miller on Wed 30th July 2008 at 06:00 AM, Filed in Travel News
Montenegro’s tourism business is growing.
The Montenegrin Ministry of Tourism announced that tourist arrivals grew six percent on the same period last year. And according to estimates, 1.3 million tourists will visit Montenegro before the end of the year, a 13 percent increase on last year’s 1.15 million total. The number of visitors in 2007 was already up 20 percent on 2006.
Montenegro is not somewhere I have visited, but if anybody wants to tell us about their experiences - either leave a comment or send us an article via our contact page.
Posted by Tom Wilkins on Mon 28th July 2008 at 06:00 AM, Filed in
For someone who is a devotee to sushi, this 50% off deal came as a pleasant surprise. In fact, only the other day I took an extended lunch break to take advantage of it. For anybody visiting London it’s a great way to get a reasonably priced meal.
The full details:
Until Tuesday 19th August 2008, YO! Sushi is providing a ‘Summer Passport’ allowing sushi lovers to fast-track to half price sushi heaven every Monday and Tuesday. YO! Sushi followers will need to register online at http://www.yosushi.com/summer_passport_offer to secure their ‘Summer Passport’ online voucher (valid for multiple times) and present it at the end of their meal to receive a scorching 50% off a wide range of delicious and nutritious dishes including their famous YO! Roll, Hairy Prawns and Miso Black Cod (excludes miso soup, drinks, take-away and delivery).
The YO! Sushi ‘Summer Passport’ online voucher can be downloaded from Thursday 26th June and is valid at participating UK YO! Sushi restaurants (excludes Harrods 102, Selfridges London, Paddington Station, Heathrow T3, Gatwick, Oxford, Reading, Dundrum Town Centre and Swords Pavilion, Ireland).
I can personally recommend trying the fried snow crab claws and the custard filled pancakes with raspberry coulis. Umm delicious.
If you’re travelling through an airport this summer you will more than likely come across a Trunki. The Dragon’s Den reject seems to have come of age this year and with good reason.
Having dragged my own daughter through the airport on a bright pink Trunki, the concept kind of clicked in my head. It quite simply converges 3 common problems that you will encounter with children in an environment like an airport. These are:
1. Carrying enough toys and books to keep your kids occupied.
2. Having somewhere for your kids to sit during long waits in lengthy cues.
3. Transporting your kids from A to B without wrenching your back.
Read more...
Posted by Patrick Woolmer on Thu 24th July 2008 at 06:00 AM, Filed in Travel Tips
Before going through airport security with my wife and child I was reminded of the security measures still in place. Some of which I had forgotten about, other’s I was unaware of.
Here are some reminders:
1. If you’re carrying any form of liquid in your hand luggage, this has to go into a plastic bag for presentation at security.
2. You will be asked to sip the liquid if it’s a drink for you or your baby. To be honest, all other liquids are better off going into hold luggage.
3. I was surprised to learn that things like lipstick, creams and pastes also have to go into the plastic bags before security.
4. Some airports insist on belt buckles being removed and x-rayed.
5. Some airports select passengers for checks on shoes. I can’t imagine that this is a pleasant job…...
6. You will always be asked to take your laptop out of it’s bag before being x-rayed. This may well apply to other electrical devices.
7. Be careful not to pack objects that are sharp and that might be construed to have malicious purpose. For instance, I purposely avoid packing sharp scissors in hand luggage.
8. For the smoker - you must remember to not take a lighter on board.
9. Be sensible. If you think that an item may cause an issue - double check security guidelines for the airport your flying out from and don’t forget the airport you’re flying back from. Security measures can differ from country to country.
10. If you’re acting nervously or suspiciously - don’t be surprised to be pulled to one side for a thorough check over. Try and act normal and keep calm for a smooth ride through security.
