Posts by : Izy Berry

Airport parking can be expensive, especially if you choose not to book in advance. However, there are countless benefits to driving to the airport, including enjoying the comfort of your own car, being able to arrive whenever you need to and easily being able to transport your luggage with you. I remember one holiday when I was in Paris, my boyfriend and I were too cheap to pay for a taxi to the airport and were busy running through the streets at 5am to make our train to the airport. If you’ve ever lugged a suitcase through the streets of any city at 5am, you can attest to how frustrating this is – and it can really put a damper on your holiday.

Book Ahead:

If you’re flying in or out of large airport, they usually have great facilities to ensure there is enough parking for everyone. I’ve always avoided parking at Heathrow airport because it’s expensive, but if you choose to book in advance you can land some really great deals, saving up to 60% on normal parking fares. Some airports even offer car-washing services, so while you’re away your car will be cleaned, buffed and shined. Other airports, such as airport parking Luton, offer long stay parking discounts so that it can work out to be cost effective even if your car needs to be stored there for a while. The best way to save money on your airport parking is to book ahead and to look around – there are numerous options available to meet any budget or holiday length.

Avoid it all Together:
In many cities around the world, such as Singapore, the entire city seems to live and breathe on the Metro. You can easily get from most parts of Singapore to the airport without having to worry about a car or airport parking. If you are avoiding airport parking, you can look into a number of public transport options including metros, trollies, taxis, mini vans or buses.

The option you choose will depend largely on how far you are from the airport, how much luggage you have and how many people are traveling with you. When traveling to and from the airport in Auckland, New Zealand, the cost of 2 or more people taking the public bus almost costs as much as a taxi – for that price it makes sense to pay a little more to enjoy the comfort and convenience of a taxi. Most cities around the world add on an airport surcharge for any fares going to or from the airport, making driving and parking at the airport even more appealing.

Whether you’re looking for parking at Edinburgh airport or for airport parking in Auckland, you’ll get the best deal by booking online in advance – saving you both time and money. If you want to avoid driving to the airport there are a number of ways you can get around it, for varying prices and levels of convenience.

What’s your favourite way to get to the airport?

Until 1994 UK trains had no means of leaving the mainland. Then came the Eurostar, which utterly transformed the concept of rail holidays forever.

The world is becoming increasingly connected and almost two decades on from the Eurostar’s inaugural trip, it’s now possible to get almost anywhere in the world by rail.

Europe may be reachable with ease, but just how far can you travel by train from London?

Staying close to home

The growth of the rail network in Europe does not alter the fact that you can still enjoy all that the UK has to offer by rail.

While you may be attracted by the allure of the Côte d’Azur, taking a trip through the Yorkshire Moors on a steam train can be equally breathtaking.

Nipping onto the train in London, heading up to Harrogate and taking in the delights of York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, the National Railway Museum and the historic city of York, you won’t be stuck for things to see on your journey.

Discovering Europe

While the Eurostar has made the major travel hubs of Europe – including Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Greece – effortlessly accessible by rail, the more adventurous have also discovered easy access to more far-flung European holiday destinations, such as Russia.

A trip to Moscow from London may not be for everyone, but it’s certainly possible if you’re willing to make your rail holiday a little more daring.

Beginning by taking the Eurostar from London to Brussels – or Paris – followed by a high-speed train to Frankfurt, passengers can complete their voyage of discovery by hopping on the daily sleeper train from Frankfurt to Moscow, for a two night journey.

While it may be tempting to try and complete the 2,000 mile journey across Northern Europe in one go, if you have a little more time, there are plenty of sights you could still see along the way.

On to Beijing

If you’re planning on making your rail holiday truly memorable and are not pushed for time, Moscow need not be the end of your railway jaunt.

If you’ve always wanted to discover the delights of the Far East, six nights aboard the Trans-Siberian railway, starting in Moscow, will see you arrive in Beijing. There are only a handful of trains that leave Moscow for Beijing each week, so a little forward planning is required. If you’ve got the stamina though, after boarding the Eurostar in London, you could find yourself exploring the Forbidden City or traversing the Great Wall!

The Canary Islands are well developed tourist destinations and, as such, resorts there often offer plenty of entertainment and activities, from bars and nightclubs to watersports and kids clubs.

But, while these can be fun, an oft overlooked quality of the Canaries is their outstanding natural beauty. Most of the islands feature unspoilt coastline, plunging cliffs, imposing mountains, awe-inspiring volcanoes, mysterious caves and an abundance of marine life.

So rather than spending all your time enjoying the man-made pleasures of the Canaries, escape the tourist crowds and explore some of the islands’ natural wonders.

Tenerife

There’s no better place to start when discussing the Canaries’ natural beauty than Tenerife as the biggest and most-visited island in the chain is also home to some of its most spectacular scenery. The landscape is dominated by the Pico del Teide, which, at 3,718m, is Spain’s tallest mountain peak. This mountain is in fact an active volcano – the third highest in the world, although there haven’t been any eruptions since 1909. Over the centuries, lava flows have created an almost other-worldly landscape of rock formations and intense volcanic colours across the surrounding area. The volcano and its environs form the Teide National Park, which has an area of 18,900 hectares and is ideal for walking and hiking trips.

Lanzarote

The volcanic landscapes of Teide National Park may be impressive, but the awesome power of nature can really be appreciated at the lava fields of Lanzorate. Timanfaya National Park makes you feel like you’re on an alien planet rather than an island in the Atlantic Ocean. The scenery is littered with volcanoes and bizarre rock formations created by the flow of lava over thousands of years. On organised tours of the park you can witness guides undertaking geo-thermal experiments to demonstrate just how hot the earth is under the volcano, while learning about the five villages which were completely buried during the last eruption serves as a reminder of the destructive power of mother earth.

As with other islands in the Canaries, Lanzarote is also home to number of caves and exploring these can make for a fun and different holiday experience. The Cueva de los Verdes is actually a vast network of underground chambers created around 3,000 years ago by lava flows and are among the most spectacular caves in the archipelago – a visit is highly recommended.

Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura has perhaps the greatest biodiversity and unspoilt natural landscape of any of the Canaries, as indicated by its designation as an official biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2009. There are 13 natural protected parks and areas on the island with nearly 50 per cent of the total land area under legal protection or conservation status. This makes it a great place to spot wildlife and the island is home to one of only two surviving populations of the Canarian Egyptian Vulture anywhere in the world.

Fuerteventura is also an ideal location for spotting marine life, with whales and dolphins often visiting the waters nearby.

El Hierro

A great deal of the Canaries’ natural beauty is hidden offshore beneath the ocean, and there are great diving opportunities off the coast of most of the islands. Perhaps one of the best for diving, however, is El Hierro – the southernmost of the Canaries and also one of the most remote, making it ideal for those wanting to escape the built-up tourist resorts of the better-known islands.

The best diving is at the Mar de Las Calmas, where the water is clear and pleasantly warm most of the year round and there is an abundance of colourful marine life to see beneath the waves.

Of course, the suggestions above merely scratch the surface of the many natural wonders of the Canaries, with all the islands in the chain offering something different.

No longer are cruises something for the elite, the elderly or the super-rich. Cruise holidays have progressed so much since the turn of the century that they’re one of the biggest must-do holidays for many people! Royal Caribbean for example are launching new cruise liners every year, with more luxurious and entertaining facilities on board, they’ve become all-inclusive holiday resorts to rival most luxury destinations around the world. So many new things to see and do on cruises, I’ve put together my five top tips for a 21^st Century Cruise Holiday.

1. Book it Right

If it’s your first or thirty-first cruise, you want to know you’ll be looked after on your holiday. A cruise is just like any other holiday; you still need to research destinations, accommodation and anything else you want from your holiday. A reputable cruise operator can be your one-stop for everything you need, from ship descriptions to tour ideas and tips on where to visit.

2. Make it About the Stops

It’s not just about the cruise liner, despite everything you have within, the luxury spa, the restaurants and the entertainment. You need to make the most of visiting all the countries along your route, make sure you are on a cruise that takes you to places you want to go! If you’ve always wanted to see Rome, then make sure you have a stop on your cruise!

3. Indulge

You’re on holiday, make the most of it! On days when you are at sea, floating along between ports, what else is there to do but sunbathe, eat and drink? Cruise ships employ some of the greatest chefs in the hospitality industry and serve food from all over the world. Every dining experience is entertainment in itself, cocktails for any spirit and taste, food to meet every diet.

4. Enjoy Extreme Entertainment

Taking 21^st century holidays firmly in their grasp, cruise liners are decked out with climbing walls, surf simulators and even aboard the new Quantum of The Seas, bumper cars! If you’ve always wanted to try any of these or the other sports then take this chance and do them in the strangest of environments floating on the ocean!

5. Socialise

Holidays should be about meeting new people, socialising and making friends. A cruise holiday is the perfect holiday to do this on, everybody (literally) in the same boat spending days, even weeks, together visiting the same tourist spots and all dining together, sunbathing together, travelling together. I’m not suggesting you make friends for life, but good for you if you do, but make more of your fellow holidaymakers and your time aboard will be that much more enjoyable. Meet 1^st-timers, hardened cruisers and share tips, great holiday stories and have a lot of fun sociably!

I’m not saying this is the be all and end all of how to enjoy your cruise holiday, but with the holidays and the cruise ships adapting to the 21^st century, I don’t see why we can’t follow suit and make these holidays as good as can be!

Flights are expensive; depending on how far from home you venture, they will often be the most expensive part of your holiday. If you are creative with how you pay for your flights you can save a bit of money or at least earn some rewards for other things!

With your credit card:
Paying for flights with your credit card is one of the easiest ways to pay for flights. Almost everyone over the age of 18 these days has a credit card for online shopping, so there’s nothing extra to set up. Booking flights on your credit card can be really great because many credit card companies offer free travel insurance for flights booked with their cards. Other credit card companies offer specific rewards for dollars spend on credit cards that you can then redeem for gifts, travel vouchers or shopping vouchers. If you’re planning to spend a substantial amount of money on flights it can be a good idea to call into your bank and see what benefits they can offer you.

Pay for your flights with airpoints:
Airpoints are accumulated when you fly with certain airlines. You have to be a member of the airpoints system in order to collect the airports, which often costs a registration fee. If you fly regularly with the same airline career or are planning a long haul journey it can be a good idea to look into airpoints. Round the world flights often accumulate enough airpoints for a domestic flight or a flight within Europe. Free flights are the best flights so make sure you look into whether joining a frequent flyer program will offer you any long term benefits.

Pay for your flights with a loyalty program:
There are numerous loyalty programs that offer rewards for spending money. Simply swipe the card and collect points which you can them redeem for numerous travel related things such as flights, accommodation, car hire, Eurostar and so on. Different countries have different loyalty programs. One of the most popular is Avios, which allows you to easily spend points earned on almost anything travel related! Turn your everyday purchases into travel with Avios, allowing you to free up money to spend on more trips or other essentials.

What is your favourite way to pay for your flights? Do you have any tips for keeping the costs of flights down?

I’ve written a guide to finding cheap flights that you might find helpful!

If the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear “Southern California” is Disneyland, you’re likely not alone. SoCal is well known for the very popular theme parks that make it a destination for young and old alike. But don’t let the art lover in you miss out on your next trip to the Golden State – Los Angeles is home to some of the most impressive and well-known art collections anywhere.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Considered the largest art museum in the western United States, LACMA attracts almost a million visitors annually to view its holdings of more than 100,000 works in 21 different collections that focus on art from all areas of the globe, plus contemporary art, decorative art, modern art, photography and more.  You’ll find works by such artists as Rembrandt, Paul Cezanne, Mary Cassat, Paul Gaugin, Claude Money, and George Bellows, to name a few.  The museum also hosts many special exhibits throughout the year, a current and upcoming selection of which include Stanley Kubrick, Henri Matisse, and James Turrell.

The museum campus consists of nine buildings that house the not only the art, but an auditorium, a theater, a café and a bar.  Also on the campus, you’ll find several permanent art installations, including the well-known Urban Light, a sculpture by Chris Burden made of 202 antique cast-iron street lights from various cities in and around the Los Angeles are.  The street lights are functional and turn on in the evening, powered by solar panels. Another is Levitated Mass by Michael Heizer, a 340-ton boulder that sits upon a 456-foot long trench that gradually deepens to 15 feet, allowing visitors to walk under and around the massive rock.

Getty Center

One of two branches of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Center specializes in pre-20^th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts, and 19^th– and 20^th-century American and European photographs. It’s one of the most visited museums in the U.S., with 1.3 million visitors each year, and features paintings such as Irises by Vincent Van Gogh, Arii Matamoe by Paul Gauguin, and Portrait of a Halberdier by Pontormo. The building itself, designed by architect Richard Meier, is a work of art, and it’s completed with outdoor sculptures, terraces and gardens, including the 134,000 square-foot Central Garden, which contains over 500 plant varieties. Multiple tours and talks are available for visitors, and the museum offers a full calendar of lectures, films, concerts and festivals. And don’t forget your camera, because the views of L.A. from the Getty Center are some of the best you’ll find.

Getty Villa

This 64-acre museum complex, which houses 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Estruscan antiquities dating from 6500 B.C. to 400 A.D., sits on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, on property adjacent to the former home of oil tycoon and founder J. Paul Getty. The Villa was modeled after the Villa dei Papiri in Herculenium near Pompeii and consists of 29 galleries on 2 levels, as well as an outdoor theater and gardens. Like the Getty Center, it’s as much about the architecture as the art collection; the site was created to give one the sense of being at an archeological dig. And also like the Getty Center, the views are fantastic – this time, however, you are looking out to the Pacific Ocean.

The Norton Simon Museum

While the Norton Simon Museum may be smaller that the LACMA and the Getty Center, its collection is certainly just as impressive and is highly regarded world-wide. The Upper Level of the museum houses European and American Art from the 14^th to the 20^th century, and contains works such as Madonna and Child with Book by Raphael, Portrait of a Boy by Rembrandt, Mulberry Tree by Vincent Van Gogh, and The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil, by Claude Monet. Other artists include Matisse, Renoir, Manet, Cezanne and over 100 works by Edgar Degas. Also notable are 45 works by Pablo Picasso, about a dozen of which are on display at any given time.

The museum’s Lower Level is home to an extensive Asian Art collection, representing India, Tibet, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand and other South and Southeast Asian countries. Several outdoor art displays round out the museum’s offerings, including the Rodin collection at the front of the museum, which includes one of 12 copies of Rodin’s Burghers of Calais, as well as several of his studies used in creating the six-figure sculpture.

BIO

This is a guest post by Alicia Russo who works for CityPASS. Hitting the museums is great, but if you’re in the area make sure you also take time to visit Disneyland Resort and the other theme parks. You can get discounted admission on a few of them with the Southern California CityPASS.

I’d like to share an experience with you, one that has firmly put me off train travel with a large amount of luggage ever again.

I thought I was being clever, I thought I was saving the environment, when all I ended up saving was my sanity when I decided I would never do it again.

Anyone who has ever tried to get from their house to the airport, with a very large suitcase, a very large carry-on bag and themselves of course, with two train changes in-between, will understand where I’m coming from with this. I had to stand all the way, my suitcase was constantly in the way, I was tutted at and sighed at more times than I could ever count, and by the time I arrived at Dublin Airport, I was certainly regretting wearing sandals, as my poor toes were bruised, practically flat from being run over so many times, and my lovely pedicure was, quite frankly, ruined.

Disaster.

This is what led me to find another way, and like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, I discovered airport parking. There will be no going back now!

It may sound dramatic, but airport parking has saved my stress levels, my soaring blood pressure, and my pedicure. Oh, and money too, let’s not forget that little gem.

Most large airports offer a service, including the one I’ve used many times since that fateful train journey – Airport parking Dublin . I would highly recommend this for anyone with a car, who wants to get to the terminal with their sanity intact. I find the convenience fantastic, meaning I can load my car up at my leisure, set off when I want, sing along to the radio on the way to my heart’s content and arrive at the terminal, knowing my car will be looked after until I return back from my two weeks’ in the sun.

Of course, airport taxis are available, and if you haven’t got a car, this is a great alternative, however they can be expensive and you don’t really have the control you have when driving yourself. Last month I booked Airport parking East Midlands , and again found the same level of service and great price on offer.

I think it’s safe to say I won’t be going back to dragging my worldly belongings across the train platform with a harassed expression on my face.

Through discovering airport parking, I also found a couple of other airport add-ons, which are fantastic for making your holiday start in a relaxed manner – which is what a holiday should be, from start to finish. If you have an early flight for example, or if you’re travelling long-haul, I’d really recommend booking a night in an airport hotel, for a little extra shut-eye before you embark on your journey.

The other great value add-on I discovered was the airport lounge. For a minimal charge, around the same, if not less, than the money you would spend in busy, bustling airport restaurants, you have a controlled, chilled-out space to wait for your flight in, with unlimited drinks and snacks. No stress, no hassle and no headache. Perfect.

So the next time you’re heading off on a summer jaunt, remember these little extras, such as airport car parking with Park BCP, and you’ll be wondering why you ever put yourself through platform or coach station hell!