Travelodge targets business travellers

BUDGET hotel chain Travelodge has announced it will be targeting cost-conscious business travellers looking for bargain alternatives to their trips to foreign countries.

The announcement came after the chain reported a £5 million rise in annual revenue in 2016, as revenue rose year-on-year by almost seven per cent to almost £600 million.

There are currently a total of 543 Travelodge hotels offering 40,847 rooms across the world. A total of 19 of these were new hotels that opened last year and a further 15 hotels are expected to open in 2017, with this number expected to rise to as many as 25 new hotels by the end of next year.

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Travelling with sports equipment can be costly

SPORTS-mad Brits, inspired by high-profile competitions including the Tour de France, the Olympics or the golf majors, need to read airlines’ small print before heading off to tackle one of the world’s iconic sporting challenges according to Cheapflights, the global flight search and travel deals website. Failing to do so could see them incurring hundreds of pounds’ worth of extra costs.

It doesn’t pay to be spontaneous about taking sports equipment on holiday. Most airlines charge an extra £10 each way for items that haven’t been pre-booked. Equally, it is best to be decisive about which item to take when flying with easyJet, as the airline only allows one piece of sporting equipment per passenger.

Phil Bloomfield, Global Head of Communications at Cheapflights says: “Each airline has its own rules about how sports equipment must be packed to travel, and it pays to check these well in advance and be prepared. For example, Jet2.com asks cyclists to remove bike pedals, deflate the tyres and wrap bicycles in stiff cardboard; whereas Monarch demands that pedals should be padded but tyres can remain inflated. British Airways, meanwhile, asks that bikes are carried in a recognised protective bike bag. We urge travellers to research the varying regulations on airlines’ official websites and, if in doubt, double check over the phone. Most importantly, make sure that you have insurance for these items. Taking them onboard a flight is at your own risk and any damage can not only be very costly, but also ruin your holiday.”

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Fancy a short break . . . in Mumbai?

A recent TripAdvisor study finds #Mumbai is the second cheapest city in the world for a short break.

Comparing the cost of a short three day break between 27 key city destinations around the world the cheapest top ten cities were:

1. Hanoi
2. Mumbai
3. Cape Town
4. Kuala Lumpar
5. Bangkok
6. Moscow
7. Bali
8. Madrid
9. Berlin
10. Vienna

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Picture Credit: 111661024@N07/28697653420 Mumbai Independence Day via photopin.com

How to find the cheapest flight

ACCORDING to global travel statistics studied by momondo.co.uk, Brits can save money by booking flights at least 53 days in advance of their departure.

By analyzing 12.6 billion airfares worldwide, the site found that by booking travel early – just under two months in advance of departure – consumers could save an average of 26% on flight costs. Conversely, the most expensive tickets are to be found when travellers chose to book their trip on the day of departure. 

Prices can also vary hugely depending on the day of the week, with the cheapest departure fares typically found on Tuesdays and the most expensive on Saturdays. The average flight cost difference between these days of the week was 11.5%.

The time of the day is also important to consider when booking. momondo's statistics suggest that it’s normally cheaper to fly between the hours of 6pm and 12am. 

Travellers can explore the six factors that affect fares with momondo's unique free money-saving tool Flight Insight, which is available on more than 10,000 routes worldwide. 

momondo.co.uk

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Sterling's strength boosts UK travellers' Xmas markets spending power

THE INCREASED purchasing power of the pound against the euro and other European currencies is giving British travellers up to 13% more spending power this winter over last year. 

The calculation comes from the latest analysis by Post Office Travel Money which identified #Budapest as the best value for a #Christmasmarkets break.


At £405 for a weekend break for two – comprising return flights, B&B accommodation, airport-city centre transfers, two evening meals for two with wine, coffee, festive drinks and snacks at the Christmas Markets – Budapest has overtaken its Eastern European rivals to become this year’s bargain choice.

This makes the Hungarian capital more than a third cheaper than Vienna (£653), the highest-priced city surveyed.

However, Prague remains cheapest of 12 Christmas Market favourites when it comes to meals, snacks and drinks for a two-day break, as well as travel to and from the airport. At under £72 for these items, Prague is 11.7% cheaper than Budapest and prices are almost two-thirds lower than in Stockholm (£207). When accommodation and flights are added to the barometer, Prague come second to Budapest with a total cost of £458.

The good value available to UK visitors has been boosted by sterling starting to rise in value against European currencies in the past two weeks. The strong pound means visitors to all 12 of the cities surveyed will have greater spending power than last year – almost 12% more in eurozone destinations, rising to 13.7% extra in Budapest.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11946969@N00/11381802236">Christkindlmarkt</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(license), http://www.flickr.com/photos/38218238@N03/14953777085">Budapest at Night - Chain Bridge</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(license)