One of the UK's leading budget airlines, Flybe.com specialise in regional flights to prominent European destinations such as London, Paris, Milan & Geneva. Flybe operate from many regional airports making them the ideal airline wherever you are based in the UK. They offer a number of great deals so be sure to check in regularly to keep up to date on the best offers.
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Virgin Atlantic
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Rating:
10
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Founded in 1984, Virgin Atlantic is now one of the UK’s largest long-haul airlines. Flights depart daily from Heathrow and Gatwick to over 20 worldwide destinations including the USA, Caribbean, Africa, India and the Far East. Their Flying Club enables you to earn air miles on almost all flights including full fare Economy class. Virgin Atlantic regularly wins awards for business and leisure travel, including those for Best Long Haul Airline, and Best Transatlantic Airline, and has received numerous awards for their innovative in-flight entertainment, which includes individual seatback TVs with a choice of at least 8 channels. Flying Upper Class enables you to experience their award-winning Upper Class suite, which boasts an on-board bar area, and the largest fully flat bed offered in business class by any airline. Virgin Atlantic provide a great in-flight experience and excellent customer service.
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Singapore Airlines
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Rating:
9
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One of the leading Asian flight operators, Singapore Airlines have extensive coverage across central Asia and the southern hemisphere as well as important European and US destinations. They operate daily scheduled services to long haul destinations in key eastern cities. Their service has been highly commended over recent years and is supported by one the youngest fleets within the industry.
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The Royal Dutch Airlines have built an enviable reputation as one of Europe's leading airlines. Having recently merged with Air France, KLM are now in a position to offer an even greater service with over 500 destinations world wide. Frequent flyers can earn air miles to be used on all KLM and Air France routes. They have extensive coverage across many regional UK airports and have an excellent reputation for first class service and hospitality on their scheduled services worldwide.
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With Eurostar you can travel from London to Paris in under 3 hours. Eurostar travel direct to cities such as Paris, Lille, Brussels and Avignon and offer connections to over 100 destinations across Europe. You could take advantage of the huge range of special offers available by booking your hotel and travel together and save money. Travelling on Eurostar is convenient and simple, and the carriages are spacious and air conditioned. It's easy to see why Eurostar now carries more passengers between London and Paris than all of the airlines put together!
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OpenJet search for flights from 13 major low-cost airlines, to allow you to compare and combine tickets and book online, ensuring you get the best deal available. The website is designed to be easy to use and they aim to provide a high level of customer care.
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Holiday Autos are part of LastMinute.com and they are the world's largest leisure car rental broker with 4000 locations throughout the UK and worldwide. This means that they are able to offer low prices from the best rental companies, and they offer a price tracker promise where they check their prices against their main competitiors to offer the lowest priced fully inclusive deals. Check out their website for the latest offers!
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EasyCar is represented in over 30 countries with 1,400 rental locations and access to a fleet of some 350,000 cars! As part of the Easy Group which operates the highly successful Easyjet, you can be sure you are getting something just that little bit different at the lowest possible price.
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Travel Insurance Online
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Rating:
9
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If you need travel insurance in a hurry, then look no further! Travel Insurance Online offer instant cover, and you receive your policy and certificate online. They offer low-cost comprehensive rates for all types of trips including single or long stay, and special discounted rates for under-35's. Great for last minute travel!
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XL are the budget airline with a difference. Their planes are fitted with leather seats and linen headrests for maximum comfort. They have an excellent punctuality record and you can save money by booking your in-flight extras online of which there is a huge range, including meals for those with special dietary needs and seats with extra legroom. Destination guides include forthcoming events, so that you can see what is happening there before deciding when to travel.
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Sixt offer all types of car hire, whether you want to hire a car in the UK or abroad. They offer quality cars at 1500 locations in over 60 countries worldwide. In addition to providing a huge range of holiday cars, they are also able to offer convertibles, vans, 4x4s and limo services. There are constantly changing offers online with extra low internet rates.
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Sixt offer a large range of vans, trucks and minibuses for hire throughout the UK. Their website has constantly changing offers to bring you quality car and van hire at extra low internet rates.
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If you are looking for a low cost, no frills airline then Germanwings may literally be the ticket. With budget flights available from as little as €19 to 22 destinations in Europe, there really is nothing to fault them on. Germanwings also fly you direct to the centre of many popular european cities reducing onward travel to the absolute minimum. Quite simply budget flights without the budget service...
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Thomson Flights
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Rating:
8
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Specialising in low cost charter flights, they offer a number of great deals especially for the holiday maker. Formerly known as BrittanniaDirect.com, they are of course operated by the Britannia Airways fleet. The site offers a straightforward flight search for a large number of charter destinations. Bargain flights can certainly be found so for a low cost charter option to many popular holiday resorts, Thomson Flights could be just the ticket.
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Helpful Holidays
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Rating:
8
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Helpful Holidays are based in the heart of the West Country. They have a choice of over 500 holiday cottages and houses throughout the area, all of which are regularly inspected. Interior and exterior photos of all properties are available online to help you select the right one for you. The website allows you to search by area and add properties to a shortlist. You can check availability, pricing and book online. Helpful holidays started as a family-run business over 20 years ago and their knowledge of the local area and level of customer service means that the majority of their business comes from repeat customers.
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Hotels.com offer you savings of up to 70% on over 17 000 properties in 400 destinations worldwide. In-depth hotel information with maps and photos, make choosing your hotel easy. Hotels.com also offer a lowest price guarantee and specialise in providing accommodation when cities are sold out.
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Hotelopia is part of First Choice Holidays plc. They offer discount accommodation in over 500 destinations worldwide. From budget to 5*, they cater for both the business and leisure traveller. They guarantee the lowest prices and have a huge choice in the most popular European cities and holiday resorts and long haul destinations.
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Thomsonfly is a new low cost airline. Flights depart from Bournemouth, Doncaster and Coventry airports, to cities and popular resort locations across Europe. Great bargains are always available on their website. Thomsonfly are commited to providing an excellent all-round service, especially regarding punctuality, flexibility and hospitality.
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QuickRooms specialise in providing low cost hotels, villas and apartments. Search from over 42 000 properties worldwide and in the UK. QuickRooms offer a huge range of beach, city and worldwide locations. The website is easy to use with just 3 clicks to book. They are an independent, impartial travel service, and therefore are able to offer you the best deals available.
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Airfares Basement
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Rating:
8
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Airfares basement aim to offer you the most competitive holidays and flights in the UK from over 400 leading and specialist tour operators. They are not aligned with any tour operator and therefore are able to offer you a truly impartial travel service. Customer service is a priority and their website is easy to use with a fast live search facility and 3-click bookability.
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Real World Travel
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Rating:
7
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With Real World Travel you can search for holidays from some of the best specialist tour operators. You could choose to go trekking in Nepal, a self-drive tour or safari in South Africa, a Nile cruise, a honeymoon in Victoria Falls or Mauritius, or a holiday in Kenya, the Far East, or South America. Whatever you decide, you'll have the freedom to explore the country at your own pace allowing you to stop and visit places which interest you.
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Despite the best efforts of the power to its north, the
sun still shines on Cuba. It's the Caribbean's largest and
least commercialized island and one of the world's last
bastions of communism. The island's relative political isolation
has prevented it from being overrun by tourists, and locals
are sincerely friendly to those who do venture in - even
blockade runners from the US get a warm welcome! The Helms-Burton
Act has allowed Cuba to find its place in the post-Soviet
world gradually, without the sudden destabilizing shock
of mass consumer tourism from the United States. It's only
a matter of time before American-imposed travel and trade
barriers fall. No doubt millions will come when flights
from Miami resume. Clearly, the time to go is now.
Although you can't quite hear the colonial architecture
peeling in the streets, even Cuba's larger towns are pretty
relaxed. The most frenetic it gets is in the middle of an
enthusiastic chachachá, and the loudest it gets is
behind one of the huge finned American cars chugging the
streets. If you want it even quieter, Cuba's backcountry
and beaches are perfect chillout destinations for hikers,
swimmers, cyclers, spelunkers or those who just want to
smoke a fine cigar under a palm tree.
Cuba has undergone a transformation since it first opened
its doors to global tourism after almost three decades of
isolation. Most noteworthy has been the rapid growth in
private accommodation, the extensive network of casas particulares
allowing the independent traveller the opportunity, not
only to experience life more as it is lived by the average
Cubano, but also to explore corners of the country that
had previously been inaccessible or off-limits. Good news
for the tourist is the growing choice of resorts and the
number of new or refurbished hotels that are opening in
towns across the country. While eco-tourism is still in
its infancy and much of the island’s extraordinary
natural beauty remains to be discovered, the government
is already making strides in the right direction
Cuba really can offer something for all types of travellers
and holiday makers. Whether you are looking for a picture
perfect paradise with palm trees shading the pure white
sand beaches and blue lagoons, or for an interesting baptism
into a culture moulded by its unique history and political
climate, next time you draft up your short list of vacations...
make sure Cuba is on it.
VITAL STATISTICS:
• Full country name: Republic
of Cuba
• Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean
Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida
• Geographic coordinates: 21 30 N, 80 00 W
• Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
• Area: total: 110,860 sq km
• Land: 110,860 sq km
• Land boundaries: 29 km
• Water: 0 sq km
• Population: 11 million
• Capital city: Havana (pop 2,200,000)
• People: 60% Spanish descent, 22% mixed-race, 11%
African descent, 1% Chinese
• Language: Spanish
• Religion: 47% Catholic, 4% Protestant, 2% Santería
(many Catholics also practice Santería
• Government: Communist republic
• Head of State: Fidel Castro
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1st4Phonecards are one of Europe's largest online retailers of international phonecards. They aim to provide you with the cheapest, high quality phonecards online. The phonecards are pre-charged with credit and can be used from almost any touch tone telephone to make domestic or international calls. Using these phonecards will typically save you over 80% on the cost of the call, and as the card is not physically required, details can be emailed to you making it convenient for use when travelling.
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0044 were the first UK company to focus on pay-as-you-go global roaming solutions. Using a mobile phone abroad can cost £2 a minute to make and £1.80 a minute to receive. By switching your SIM card for a foreign one, you can receive calls free of charge and make calls at local rates, saving you up to 90%.
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A highly polished travel site which has established itself as a leading internet travel company. Expedia
offers an extensive list of flight options and searches making it easy to find the right flight at a budget to suit.Of course, like all good travel sites
they don't just provide flights but also offer a whole host of travel amenities including car hire, hotels, holidays, insurance... Quite simply one of the
best.
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Great value rooms across the UK. All rooms offer king size bed, en-suite bathroom, tv and coffee/tea making facilities making your stay simple and pleasant. Each Travelodge is normally situated to good travel links and other local amenities such as bars and restaurants. If you are looking for a nice simple place to put your head down for the night then you can't beat Travelodge for quality and good value.
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Lunn Poly is a leading travel retailer, offering holidays from the UK’s major tour operators. They offer
a huge range of UK and overseas holidays including cruises, flights, ski holidays, city breaks and sun holidays. Their website has special offers which are
exclusively available online, and plenty of late deals to choose from. The website also offers online auctions where you can bid on Thomson late deal
package holidays from £1. They have a high level of customer service and excellent value for money. Booking online is easy, and can be done in 5 simple
steps.
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The Met Office has to be the most comprehensive website for UK weather. It shows regularly updated weather warnings for the UK and offers a 5-day forecast for most towns. This website is a great place for UK statistics, with charts showing average temperatures, rainfall, hours of sunshine and even number of days of air frost for each month for regional weather stations. World weather forecasts and past weather statistics are available with detailed information on world climate for countries, major cities and holiday destinations. A 5-day UV index, shipping forecasts, satellite information, rainfall animation and a UK 4 week forecast are available. A great website for those wanting more detailed information and statistics.
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Weather Channel
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Rating:
10
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The Weather Channel is a great place to get general information and statistics about the climate of your holiday destination, or even for where you live at any time of the year. It gives average monthly temperatures and rainfall, and you can even look at the actual dates that you expect to travel to see the average temperatures for those dates, and sunrise and sunset times. There are 10-day forecasts for most UK towns.
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Direct Holidays
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Rating:
10
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Direct Holidays is the UK and Ireland's leading tour operator for direct sell holidays. By selling direct they are able to cut out travel agents commission and pass the saving on to the customer. For added convenience, they fly from main and local UK airports. They have a huge range of late deals and special offers on their website.
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