Secluded Vacation

The Oyster smart card has massively improved London’s “tube” system.

An Oyster card lets you make use of the majority of the London transport system (even though some places choose to stay outside the scheme).

It provides a big discount on standard fares and also helps save you time in queueing to buy tickets.

The system automatically saves you money as it works out the cheapest fare at the end of the day (based on the journeys taken).

If you travel more than you expected to initially, it only charges you the lowest fare instead of pricey singles and returns.

So does this scheme have any pitfalls?

It can feel a bit daunting initially as you must purchase an Oyster card. This will cost a small deposit, which you ought to quickly recoup in the money you save.

You also need to “touch the card in and out” for all legs of your journey. But you’ll pick this up fast if you mimic the scores of London commuters you’ll see every weekday.

So unless your trip to London is a mere day-trip, you’re advised to get yourself an Oyster. Based on current information, Oyster cards don’t expire, which allows you to re-use them on future London trips.  Read more...

There are loads of websites online which can tell you what they consider to be the top ten holiday destinations. However, with these sites it is usually ones that they are trying to get you to arrange your next holiday to. But when it comes to really discover where the top ten holiday destinations are in any given year the best place to start your search is using the World Tourism Organisation website.

Each year they release information regarding which countries had the most visitors in a year compared to others. Also they provide information which clearly shows those countries which have seen a marked increase in the number of visitors from abroad visiting them. They also help to break down this list into the various continents showing which countries within Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas were the most popular.

A favourite holiday destination in Europe is Italy, closely followed by France, Spain, UK and Germany. 18% of all holidaymakers choose Europe because of its history and culture. The weather is even good in some places!

Some other destinations that are very popular with travellers are South Africa, Tunisia and Morocco – Travelling outside of Europe normally guarantees hot weather which is always great when holidaying.  Read more...