Posted by Peter Brady on Mon 18th September 2006 at 08:07 AM, Filed in Travel Tips
Trying to secure that cheap flight deal has been made a whole lot easier in recent years with the advent of the internet. But there are other ways to secure a bargain.
Teletext
Week in week out, tour operators distribute details of the their latest special deals, many of which appear on teletext. Some of the deals appear nowhere else so it’s well worth taking a look.
Travel agents
Travel agents have long been the place of choice to book your flights and holidays. That’s not so much the case anymore. However, they do still buy considerable numbers of flights on which they negotiate competitive bulk deals, so there is a possibility that you might still get a cut price bargain. It’s always worth a visit or a phone call at the very least.
Standby
If you’re willing to go for a last minute deal then that can cut costs even further for you. You maybe going at unsocial hours and there’s a slim chance that you could be waiting a while for a flight with a spare seat. Nonetheless, you might be saving as much as 25% on your flight.
Internet
Of course there are the independant, no frills airlines offering online booking, but you may also want to check out other sites that offer flights from all sorts of carriers. For example, ebookers purchase large ticket allocations (at discount) from airlines and then resell them on through their web site. In theory, this gives you the possibility of a heavily discounted offer on a scheduled flight. Don’t forget that charter flights tend to suffer more delays.
Gaining access to the beautiful island of Petit St Vincent is via motor yacht from Union Island. The island incorporates 22 beach and hillside cottages offering some of the most spectacular beach views in the world.
Petit St Vincent is situated within “the Grenadines which are a group of islands sprinkled across what may be the most beautiful stretch of water in the Caribbean. Part of the Windward Island chain, the Grenadines drift southwesterly from St. Vincent, the largest of more than 30 islands that make up the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
“Petit St.Vincent (better known locally as PSV) which lies 40 miles south of St.Vincent, is a paradise of softly rolling hills spread over 113 acres surrounded by two miles of white sand beaches, PSV has been tamed just enough to allow for the presence of 22 discreet and simple, yet luxurious cottages. Lying well off the tourist mainstream, PSV could be best described by what is not there. There is no airport, no formal check in, no keys. There are no televisions nor are there telephones in the cottages.
Above all however, there is privacy. Here, amid untouched nature and surrounded by warm, crystal-clear, turquoise water, one senses that the island is one’s own.
The truly hermitic guest need never meet another visitor. Room service is available for all meals, either in your own cottage or at any other location on the island. Most guests however, choose to make use of the resort’s beautiful bar and dining room for at least some of their meals.”
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Posted by Peter Brady on Thu 14th September 2006 at 07:00 AM, Filed in Travel Gadgets
Many people on holiday tend to use a pedal bike at some point. It can be a wonderfully sedate way of seeing a country at close quarters. There are of course times when you’re confronted with a monster hill and all of a sudden your idyllic mode of transportation doesn’t seem so appealing.
That’s why as a lazy lad I loved this product when I first saw it.
According to Revo Power, “The Wheel is brand new patented technology, incorporating the engine and gear train entirely within the front wheel. It can be installed on most existing bicycles around the world. You simply replace your existing wheel!
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It can be helpful, particularly in vaguely dangerous situations, to have a GPS of some description. Some might describe them as little life savers!
This one from Suunto and called the GPS POD might be one to consider.
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Hiking through undergrowth over long distances requires stamina and a sense of direction. Keeping on a steady course is harder than you think, particularly for amateurs. A compass can help.
Check out this professional mirror compass (Suunto MC-2 Compass) which offers precise directional measurements.
The MC range of mirror compasses provides an invaluable tool for those who place a particular premium on accurate and reliable directional measurements; for example surveyors, miners, architects, rescue patrols, hikers, boaters and the military. The declination adjustment system, standard throughout the range, is especially useful when working in areas of large magnetic variation, while the sighting notch provides superior accuracy.
This compass includes:
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