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RyanAir Sale Extended, Again

Backpackers who haven’t yet snapped up cheap deals on flights around Europe might just be in luck.

Budget-airline RyanAir has (again) extended its sale on a variety of European routes for travel between October 2007 and March 2008.

One-way fares are going for £10.00, including general taxes and charges, which is pretty sweet.

But, as always with budget airlines and especially their cheapest tickets, don’t forget to factor in transport costs to and from the airport (cheapest flights are usually at inconvenient times when public transport is either partially running, or not at all), credit card surcharges and, if you have luggage, a checked-in luggage fee (RyanAir charges £10.00 for this little luxury).

This most recent extension ends midnight GMT on Thursday (27/09).

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RyanAir 6 Million Flights Sale: Extended

Backpackers looking for bargain basement prices on European flights might like to check out the Ryan Air sale. £10.00 one-way tickets to and from a variety of European destinations.

This ticket price includes general taxes and fees, but watch out for credit card fees, though, if you intend using one. Blackout periods do apply (school holidays etc), and bear in mind that the available flights are at times that make public transport a difficulty.

Sale ends midnight (GMT) tonight. Visit RyanAir for more info.

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Thai Budget Airline Crashes on Phuket: More Than 50 Foreign Tourists Killed

Horrible news from southern Thailand today. A Thai budget airliner carrying over 100 passengers, many of them holidaying tourists, crashed whilst trying to land on Phuket Island.

Chilling, especially considering I’m betting many of you backpackers out there have taken pretty much the same flight route (Bangkok to Phuket) at some stage (I certainly have).

At this early stage it appears to be unclear exactly why the plane went down, but the ‘black box’ flight data recorders have been recovered and will be analysed to figure out what went wrong.

More news here, here, here and here.

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Ryan Air’s Giving Away 250,000 More Free Flights For Europe

Seems like they can’t give them away quick enough… European budget airline Ryan Air is once again offering free flights to European destinations.

So, backpackers looking for a quick free ride oughta zip over to Ryan Air between now and midnight tomorrow (GMT) and see if you can find yourselves some freebies.

There are, as always, some limitations on the tickets, so check what days and times are available. Flights are for selected European routes between 1 September and 31 October 2007 and are subject to availability.

There’s a black out period for flights to/from UK & Ireland for dates 19th Oct ’07 – 31st Oct ’07 to/from UK & Ireland and all holidays, school breaks and major sporting events are also excluded from this offer.

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels in Europe – find and book your hostel online at special discounted rates
Airtreks Travel Planner – plan your round the world trip with Airtreks
Backpackers Travel Gear – buy backpacks and other travel gear
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in Destinations, Transport, Travel News | No Comments »

Grumpy Parisians Told To Be Nicer To Tourists

The inhabitants of Paris are well known for their grouchiness when it comes to foreigners. If you can’t master the language, you’re toast, and get the general snub for which they’re so famous (especially if you come from the other side of the channel).

Well, according to this article, in a bold attempt to change this unfriendly image, the mayor of the French capital has stepped in, introducing the very first Paris Tourism Day and encouraging ‘cab drivers to smile and telling waiters to try out their English’.

An interesting strategy… Mind you, if the number of tourists visiting my country equalled its entire local population (which it does), I reckon I might just be a little grumpy too.

Related entries:
Versailles’ Hall Of Mirrors Has A Pricey Facelift

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels in Paris – find and book your hostel online at special discounted rates
Airtreks Travel Planner – plan your round the world trip with Airtreks
Backpackers Travel Gear – buy backpacks and other travel gear
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel News | No Comments »

Versailles’ Hall Of Mirrors Has A Pricey Facelift

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, just outside Paris, is one of those ‘must-see’ sights on the tourist trail (sometimes even the most independent backpackers have to beat the well trodden path from time to time).

The vast brightly-lit hall, whose 73-metre length is flanked by tall windows on one side and 357 mirrors on the other, initially served for galas, or as a place to hang out in hopes of seeing the king. (IOLTravel)

Well, after several years of restoration, with a rather gob-smacking 12-million Euro price tag, the great hall is once again all shiny and good as new, if not better, so if you’re heading to Paris, be sure to stop in and check it out for yourselves (if you can dodge the queues, that is).

(via).

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels in Paris – find and book your hostel online at special discounted rates
Airtreks Travel Planner – plan your round the world trip with Airtreks
Backpackers Travel Gear – buy backpacks and other travel gear
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

(Photo by Katie/Flickr)

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Why Backpackers Don’t Need The New Seven Wonders Of The World

Remember the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? They were the tourist hotspots back in the days when there were no cars, planes, bicycles or cruise boats and getting anywhere that was beyond your backyard took weeks, months – even years.

In those days (we’re talking pre 200 or so BC, by the by), you couldn’t take a quick ‘I was here’ snap to take home with you, or even send a postcard, and the closest thing to the internet was extensive carrier pigeon networks (alarmingly vulnerable to voracious birds of prey and howling gales)…

It was so long ago, in fact, that six out of the seven ‘wonders’ no longer exist. Only the great pyramids of Giza in Egypt have withstood the ravages of time (and mankind).

And so, some bright spark decided it was time to start a campaign to find the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’.

Anyway, long story short: a list of 21 finalists was created (the Acropolis, Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal etc) and you, the general wayfaring public, are asked to cast your vote.

Frankly, though, I don’t think backpackers should be voting (I know I won’t be). In my opinion it’s just one more grand title to put on a tourist brochure, and that means more checklist-toting tourists heading that way, clogging things up for those of us who like to take our time.

But perhaps you feel differently, or want to sway the vote in a direction you prefer… and if so, you have 8 days and 10 hours left (and counting) to stake your claim on what will be the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’.

(What comes next I wonder – the Newer Seven Wonders?).

Related entries:
Selecting The New Seven Wonders Of The World

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Cheap hostels – choose from over 12,000 hostels worldwide and book them online!

Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

(Photo of Giza by Luke&Colleen/Flickr)

Posted in General Travel, Travel News | 5 Comments »

Tiger Airways Comes To Australia (More Low Air Fares For Backpackers)

Good news for backpackers travelling around Australia and New Zealand in the near future: Australian low-fare airlines Jetstar and Virgin Blue are about to get some extra competition.

Tiger Airways is coming to Australia in December:

The Singapore Airlines-backed Tiger Airways said Wednesday it would start flights from Melbourne to Darwin from December, with fares starting at $79.99 one way. (The Age)

The more competition there is, the lower the fares are likely to be – something penny-pinching backpackers always like to hear.

What Virgin Blue has, though, that the others don’t appear to have catered for (as yet), is ‘carbon offset’ a recent initiative aimed at reducing the greenhouse gas emissions caused by your flight.

So, for a small fee (it differs for each flight), you can experience that warm fluffy feeling one gets from doing something good for the environment.

You do get that feeling, right? Right?

Related entries:
Scandinavian Routes On Sale: Cheap One-Way Fares For Backpackers
Europe’s Low Cost Airlines Duke It Out
The War Of Europe’s Low-Cost Airlines: BmiBaby Joins The Fray
Europe’s Low Cost Airlines: Put To The Test

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Cheap Hostels – find and book your hostels online, at special discounted rates

Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in Transport, Travel News | 2 Comments »

And EasyJet Ups The Ante: 2007 Summer Sale Extended

This is getting quite entertaining… it’s the great scuffle of the skies. RyanAir vs EasyJet (vs bmiBaby vs Sterling vs vs…).

Hot on the heels of RyanAir’s “3 million seats from £10”:/blog/2007/06/21/ryanair-at-it-again-4-day-seat-sale-3-million-seats-from-£10 announcement comes EasyJet’s retaliating left-hook:

With our sale extended for a further week, easyJet flights are still from just £14.99 single including tax, so you can now squeeze even more out of your summer!

You’ve now got until midnight on Wednesday 27 June to book your flights departing from 1 July to 22 August 2007 inclusive – look out for the yellow promotional fares at easyJet.com.

Unlike RyanAir, EasyJet doesn’t charge extra for one bag of checked luggage per person, but watch out for their credit card fees – depending on what kind you have they can be quite steep (Mastercard – 7GBP!).

If there’s a toss-up between very similar fares, EasyJet’s planned environmental offensive (fancy talk for a lowering of carbon dioxide emissions) might just tip the balance.

Related entries:
Scandinavian Routes On Sale: Cheap One-Way Fares For Backpackers
Europe’s Low Cost Airlines Duke It Out
The War Of Europe’s Low-Cost Airlines: BmiBaby Joins The Fray
Europe’s Low Cost Airlines: Put To The Test
Europe Travel Tips: To Buy A Railpass, Or Not To Buy A Railpass…

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Seat61.com – find out how to travel around the UK and Europe in a more eco-friendly way (by train!)
SkyScanner – compares prices of low-cost airlines in Europe.
Cheap Hostels – find and book your hostels online, at special discounted rates

Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in Transport, Travel News | No Comments »

RyanAir At It Again: 4-day Seat Sale (3 Million Seats From £10)

Good for backpackers low on cash, not so good for the environment… RyanAir has announced yet another low fare sale on selected European routes.

This time, the UK-based European budget airline is offering 3 million seats from £10 (one way), including taxes and basic charges.

Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? Be aware, though, that the price excludes all those other charges that start pushing the price up again: credit/debit card fees, baggage fees, web check-in/priority boarding fees or any other optional fees.

If, like many travellers are starting to do, you’re questioning the effect your plane travel may have on the environment, you can always find other ways of getting around Europe.

RyanAir’s offer is open until midnight Monday June 25th 2007, for travel from 07 July to 27 October 2007. Valid for travel Monday to Thursday and Saturday and Monday to Thursday only July to August.

Subject to terms and conditions and availability.

Related entries:
Europe’s Low Cost Airlines Duke It Out
The War Of Europe’s Low-Cost Airlines: BmiBaby Joins The Fray
More Summer Sale Prices on European Routes
Europe’s Low Cost Airlines: Put To The Test
Backpackers Bookmarks: Alternative Airlines Web Portal
Europe Travel Tips: To Buy A Railpass, Or Not To Buy A Railpass…

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Seat61.com – find out how to travel around the UK and Europe in a more eco-friendly way (by train!)
SkyScanner – compares prices of low-cost airlines in Europe.
Low Cost Airline Guide – Low cost airline guide, primarily European airlines.
Cheap Hostels – find and book your hostels online, at special discounted rates

Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in Transport, Travel News | No Comments »