Travel
Leaving it late to book a break
Filed under: Travel
Around 5% of holidaymakers booked their summer break this year just two weeks before departing, a survey shows.The average cost of one-week, last-minute deals to Spain was £670 this year, the poll by Sainsbury's Credit Cards found.
James Bond's Aston Martin is still king of the road
Filed under: Loans, Travel, Entertainment
When it comes to flashy cars, Italian racers and German engineering aren't enough of a draw for British drivers: most of us dream of getting behind the wheel of a classic British sports car.In fact, the classic Aston Martin - as driven by the nation's favourite spy James Bond - races ahead of European makes such as Ferrari in the polls as the top choice for more than six million Brits.
Electric cars more expensive to run than petrol models?
Filed under: Travel, Technology and Online
If you are thinking about buying an electric car, be warned: it may cost more to run than a petrol machine. Britons are about to get the chance to order the Nissan Leaf, which Nissan says will be the world's first mass-produced electric car. Nissan says the Leaf's running costs will be as low as 1p per mile. But the BBC reports that it has been given figures from rival car company Mitsubishi saying that, over three years, it could be cheaper to run a petrol car.
EasyJet attacked for wheelchair weight restriction
Filed under: Travel
EasyJet has come under fire for imposing an on-board weight restriction that excludes most powered wheelchairs, preventing thousands of disabled people from flying with the budget airline.The no-frills carrier refuses to carry one-piece wheelchairs that weigh more than 60kg with their batteries detached - but most wheelchairs weigh a lot more, some even twice as much. Disabled people wanting to fly with the company must therefore dismantle their wheelchairs into separate parts weighing less than 60kg each.
Bumper Bank Holiday spending predicted as Britons flock abroad
Filed under: Credit Cards, Travel
It's no surprise that many people are looking to escape to sunnier shores this Bank Holiday weekend given the appalling weather we've had of late. According to Barclays, this particular Bank Holiday exodus will lead to the biggest surge in overseas debit card spending and cash withdrawals seen this summer.
1.8 million to head abroad over Bank Holiday weekend
A massive 1.8 million Britons will leave the UK this Bank Holiday weekend, according to figures from travel association ABTA.
Of these, more than 420,000 will be leaving from Heathrow, 250,000 from Gatwick, 136,000 from Stansted and 65,000 from Luton. Anyone heading to one of these airports is therefore being urged to leave extra time to account for the crowds.
How to beat the Bank Holiday traffic
For many people Bank Holidays are synonymous with travel chaos and family rows in the car. And with more than half of the population planning a trip this Bank Holiday weekend, the mayhem caused by traffic jams, strike threats, delays and cancellations on public transport could be even worse than usual. You can ease the pain with a bit of planning, though.
Britons lose £902 million a year in unused foreign currency
Filed under: Travel
The typical British tourist returns from their travels with leftover foreign currency worth about £30, according to new research from Visa Europe.
Consequently, the card company estimates that some £902 million worth of dollars, euros and other currencies will be squirreled away in people's homes by the end of the year.
Rail firms' off-peak charges slated
Filed under: Travel
Some train companies are charging peak rates well outside busy travel times, according to Which? magazine.The East Coast train company and West Coast Main Line operator Virgin Trains both start their "evening peak" from mid-afternoon, Which? said.
How to pay off your holiday debt
Filed under: Credit Cards, Travel, Budgeting & Planning
It's well-known that cash strapped Brits would give up almost anything else but their summer holiday in the recession. As a result, according to insolvency trade body R3, 2 million of us are in debt after borrowing to afford that getaway. R3 also estimate that it will take us on average seven months to pay it back.Now the holiday season is drawing to a close, if you've started to feel the backlash as the credit card bills drop on your doormat, here are five things you can do to pay off that holiday debt quickly.
