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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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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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Thomson Holidays
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Rating:
9
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Thomson holidays aim to offer you the perfect holiday. If they are unable to sort a problem while
you are away, they offer a moneyback guarantee for peace of mind. Thomson has an excellent reputation, and is committed to providing honest information and
publishes the opinions of past holidaymakers to help you find the right holiday for you. More customers come back to Thomson and they win more awards from
travel agents than any other holiday company. Thomson offer great deals on beach holidays, skiing, cruises, city breaks, lakes and mountain holidays, and
even the perfect wedding in the sun. The website has lots of special offers, online savings and late deals.
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With Eurostar you can travel from London or Ashford in Kent to over 100 destinations across Europe. Direct services run to Brussels, Lille, Disneyland Paris and Calais. They also offer a seasonal ski service direct to the French Alps. There is a loyalty programme available for frequent travellers, offering benefits such as reduced check-in time and earning points when you travel, which can be redeemed for Eurostar travel or other rewards. The website includes special offers on train journeys and hotel city breaks.
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Volunteer Travel
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Rating:
9
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i-to-i provides well researched, supported volunteer placements to those who wish to do something different and rewarding with their time off. They offer teaching, conservation, community development, and professional placements available in 24 countries around the world. All prices include full travel insurance, food and accommodation arrangements, emergency cover, a worldwide support network, and training provided for all volunteers.
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Haven Holiday Parks
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Rating:
9
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Haven Holidays offer fun-filled breaks at award-winning family holiday parks around the UK. With a choice of ‘All-Action’ parks for non-stop entertainment, or ‘Lively’ parks which also give the chance to unwind, there is something to suit the tastes of all family members. All the parks have excellent facilities such as all-weather sports courts, indoor and outdoor pools, crazy golf and mini-bowling, adventure playgrounds, kid’s clubs and much more. There are also daytime and nightime shows full of music and spectacular floorshows, often from big-name star performers, so you’ll never be short of something to do, day or night.
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Warner Holidays
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Rating:
9
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Warner holidays offer breaks exclusively for adults. They have a range of properties including historic hotels and listed buildings set in stunning grounds, or you could choose a more traditional holiday in a classic resort. Beautiful locations in the country or by the coast, the breaks include breakfast, a 3-course evening meal a wide range of activities and live evening entertainment. Special offers are available on their website.
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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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Macdonald Hotels
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Rating:
8
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Macdonald hotels are a leading name for specialist functions with a range of character properties across the UK. From elegant manor houses set in breathtaking grounds to contemporary city locations, Macdonald hotels are sure to have the perfect hotel for you. Dine on local produce served in their award-winning restaurants, or enjoy a specialist golf or spa break, a murder mystery weekend or find the perfect location for a wedding.
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Maps.com is a leading online map store. They sell folded maps, atlases, wall maps, digital maps and map software. They currently only ship to the USA and Canada, but overseas customers are able to buy digital maps for web use.
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Essentials4Travel
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Rating:
8
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Essentials4Travel was founded by experienced travellers. They are dedicated to helping people travel well by providing travel accessories which are both functional and stylish. They offer a range of luggage and leather accessories, maps and guides, laptop cases, travel software and electronic gadgets. Free UK delivery is available on all orders over £19.95. There is a PackSmart function on the website to offer personalised recommendations based on your needs.
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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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P&O Ferries is one of the most well known and trusted ferry services. Wherever you are travelling, on holiday or on business, P&O Ferries offers a wide range of routes: Dover to Calais, Portsmouth to Bilbao, Portsmouth to Le Havre, Hull to Rotterdam and Hull to Zeebrugge.
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Cheap4Ferries provide great deals on ferry trips from the UK to France, Spain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany and Holland. There are special offers available on the website and a price match guarantee on all routes. They also offer ferry and hotel deals.
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