PLAN FAMILY HOLIDAY WELL IN ADVANCE, SAYS AITO
planning a family holiday well in advance can help secure the best deals, the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) has advised.
Ian Bradley, a spokesperson for the AITO, said: "One thing is to plan well in advance if you can, don”t leave it as late as possible … If you are thinking of going on holiday next year start thinking about it now."
He said that families are tied to school holidays, and so it is a "real difficult period" to travel because everybody wants to go at the same time, which is what makes it so expensive.
"The airlines put up their seats, the hotels put up their rates and a lot of that is passed onto tour operators and they have no choice but to increase their prices as well to actually meet the prices that are being passed on to them," he said.
"It”s really a case of look ahead as far as you can as a family and decide what you want to do and get that booking in as early as possible."
In the 2008 ebookers Travel Opinion Report, 51 per cent of respondents said they were booking their holiday early as a result of the credit crunch.
Family – Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.
BAIT AL NABOODAH MUSEUM IN SHARJAH
The museum shows Sharjah life as it once wasThe Bait Al Naboodah in Sharjah is the former residence of the pearl-trading Al Shamsi family.
A two-storey house dating back to 1845, visitors enter through its grand doorway to explore and admire traditional Gulf architecture.
Built around a large courtyard you can see walls made from coral, learn about innovative methods of ”air conditioning”, and view decorative carvings in both plaster and wood.
Learn about daily family life and routines through work by Arabian craftsmen on display here.
In addition there are several themed rooms – the fashion room, for instance, has on display a collection of popular fashion items, jewellery and ornaments dating from the Al Shamsis” time.
The popular games room reveals the interesting games children used to play at that period, while the palm tree room informs visitors about the role of the palm tree in the life of the Sharjah people.
The museum is open from Mondays to Thursdays between 8:00 and 20:00, and on Fridays it is only open between 16:00 and 20:00.
Culture and Sightseeing – City Tours – Whichever city you are in these tours will help to ensure you do not miss a thing.
VISITOR INFORMATION AVAILABLE IN UK BOOKSHOPS
More than 20 branches will take part in the new scheme National tourist agency VisitBritain has partnered with high street bookseller Waterstone”s in order to provide visitors to the UK with information that may be useful to them during their time in the country.
More than 20 Waterstone”s branches will display free leaflets on local places to visit and events on a specially designed leaflet rack, Travel Daily news reports.
There will also be ”Enjoy England Information Point” signs on display in windows or doors, while staff will be trained to deal with frequently asked questions and enquiries about local attractions.
Amanda Smyth, general manager for England marketing at VisitBritain, told Travel Daily News: "This is an exciting initiative that supports our commitment to providing consumers with high quality tourist information ”on demand” – whenever and wherever they need it."
Stratford upon Avon, Southampton West Quay, Plymouth Drake Circus, University of Essex, London Science Museum, Lowestoft and Lincoln are some of the branches to benefit from the partnership.
While the number of visitors to the UK is down as a result of the credit crunch, VisitBritain forecasts an increase of two per cent for this year.
London – Ride the London Eye, visit the Tower of London or take a day out the city to see Stonehenge.
PUKE ARIKI MUSEUM IN NEW ZEALAND
The Puke Ariki Museum in New Zealand tells the stories of the Taranaki region and people, which gets its name from Mount Taranaki, the second-highest peak in the country.
Located in New Plymouth, Taranaki”s biggest city, the museum describes life in the region through exhibitions, displays, collections and technology.
Puke Ariki has four permanent exhibitions on display – Te Takapou Whariki o Taranaki, Taranaki Experience, Taranaki Life and Taranaki Naturally, all of which hold treasures that belong to and have shaped the history of the people and place of Taranaki.
Delve deeper into the stories of the region, some of which can be sourced to previously unpublished Maori writings – these accounts from the past are told using light, sound, and push-button interactives.
The museum is open from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, except Thursday when it is open until 21:00.
On weekends, the opening hours are 9:00 to 17:00.
Culture and Sightseeing – City Tours – Whichever city you are in these tours will help to ensure you do not miss a thing.
SANDCASTLES AND BIKINIS BANNED IN ITALY
Building a sandcastle in Eboli could cost you £200Mayors of several Italian towns who have recently been given extra law-and-order powers have introduced a number of bans on certain activities, in a move aimed at cracking down on crime.
For instance, wearing a bikini anywhere other than the beach is banned in Caprini, those who indulge in sandcastle-building in Eboli face up to a €250 (£200) fine, and public displays of affection can land you with a penalty of €500 (£400).
If you”re caught smoking on the beach at Oristano in Sardinia, you”ll have to pay a €360 (£285) fine, and anyone going to the mountains of Alto Adige should resist picking mushrooms – or face a charge of €113 (£90).
Feeding pigeons in Lucca, lighting fireworks in Positano, apart from on Saturdays, and mowing lawns in Forte di Marmi at weekends are all forbidden.
In July, Rome City Hall banned people from snacking near tourist attractions.
Rome – Visit some of the ancient landmarks such as the Colosseum or tour the opulent Vatican
HOLIDAYMAKERS ”COMPLACENT” WITH CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS
Britons travelling abroad on holidays are sometimes "a bit complacent" with their credit or debit cards, a card fraud expert has warned.
Kerry D”Souza of CPP said that when people are on holiday, "you”re relaxed and you”re not necessarily thinking about what”s going out of your bank account – you might not want to think about it".
According to CPP figures, instances of overseas card crime shot up by 77 per cent between 2006 and 2007, costing British holidaymakers a massive £207.6 million.
Ms D”Souza warned that implementation of the chip and PIN system does not mean that card fraud has stopped – it has just moved to other countries where a chip and PIN system is not in place.
She advised holidaymakers to seek some kind of card protection insurance before they go away.
The chip and PIN system has been in the news a lot, after last week”s police crackdown on a gang in Birmingham who allegedly found a new way to steal card details by tampering with chip and PIN machines in shops.
Culture and Sightseeing – City Tours – Whichever city you are in these tours will help to ensure you do not miss a thing.