For many families jetting off to the sun, the time spent in the airport departure lounge is often one of the most arduous periods of any holiday experience. Keeping the kids amused while you wait for your flight can be particularly difficult – especially if your aeroplane is delayed for any reason. After all, kids really aren’t interested in browsing the duty free shops and they’ve already read the comics you bought them for the journey. So what else can you do to keep them amused?

Some airports have made attempts to help alleviate the problem of bored kids by introducing facilities especially for children, such as soft-play areas and arcades. While younger children might enjoy the soft-play areas, older children are still likely to experience boredom relatively quickly – especially when they realise that they could be spending all their holiday money in the arcade before they even get on the plane! Furthermore, some foreign airports don’t offer any sort of kids’ facilities, which can leave parents and children at loggerheads.

If you’re travelling with kids this summer, investing in a hand-held console could help banish those boredom blues and allow peace to reign in the departure lounge. What’s more, a hand-held console can also help keep kids occupied during the flight, and your holiday hotel stay as well. The two most popular consoles available are the Nintendo DS Lite and the Sony Playstation Portable (or PSP), with both offering a range of options to help keep your kids amused.

The Nintendo DS Lite has two screens, one of which is a touch-screen that allows greater interaction with in-game elements and is capable of Wi-Fi connections. This means that your kids can play games with other children from anywhere in the world, while the console’s ‘Pictochat’ feature allows short range instant messaging between users. The Nintendo DS Lite also boasts a large choice of games, including kids’ perennial favourites, Pokemon and Super Mario, as well as being backward compatible with games released for Nintendo’s older Gameboy Advance console. Music fans can also purchase a MP3 player, which can be added to the console to provide music playback capability.

Sony’s Playstation Portable (PSP) is a single-screen console and, like the Nintendo DS, also offers a Wi-Fi connection to other users as well as internet capabilities. In addition to having a wide range of games from which to choose, including favourites such as FIFA and Tomb Raider, the PSP console can also play movies, with many blockbuster films available for the gaming device. Furthermore, the PSP console can also play MP3 files so kids will be able to listen to their favourite music when they’re not playing games or watching a movie.

With each console offering so much, there’s never been a better solution to battling kids’ boredom. With games, films, music and chat capabilities aplenty, a hand-held console will ensure kids will be entertained for hours on end, enabling you to relax while you wait for your flight to finally be called.

For your typical city occupant folding bikes usually are the most appropriate way to get around. With a lot of Londoners living in flats and apartments with little if any storage space a foldable bicycle is going to be much more convenient when compared to a standard sized cycle. The bikes fold up rapidly and are generally small enough to be tucked away in the home or taken on trains and buses during the particular times that ordinary cycles are restricted on account of passenger overcorwding.Folding bikes can in fact be taken on the tube system, taken on buses and even taken on Croydon’s Tramlink system. Officially the bikes may need to be in a small bag but in practice Transport for London rarely enforce this and if they do then a pair of black binliners will suffice. A folder will permit a person to circumvent the train companies’ cycle restrictions and you could actually take your folding bike home in a minicab on a Friday night following a few bevies at the pub!
There are plenty of different kinds of folding bicycles available, from leading manufacturers including  Dahon, Brompton and Pashley. Each model has its own advantages and down sides, so remember to examine the information on each of the models within your budget. Many manufacturer’s internet sites have specification comparison charts so that you can see instantly the information that interests you.Folding bikes come in a variety of models, each with their own features. Brakes, frames and gears vary according to the design of bike you select. Mountain bikes and racing bikes are also available as folding bikes. These are definitely the best choice if you have only a little space but would like to take up biking as a new sports activity in the greenery that encompases London or in one of the Royal Parks where cycling is allowed for example Richmond Park or Regent’s Park.
A lot of people regard the folded dimensions as the key feature of any folding bike. When space is tight or you want to store your bike under a desk in the office, you may need a compact bike. Measure the height, width and depth of the space where your bike is going to be stored so you can see immediately which bikes will squeeze into the available space.The weight of the bike may also be a primary consideration for anyone traveling on the London Tube or buses. In order for you to lift your bike off and on public transport, a light and portable bike can make it easier. You’ll find the weight of the bike listed in the manufacturer’s specifications.
As you can’t fold wheels up you’ll find all folding bikes have small wheels. Some companies have added a suspension system to their folding bikes to counteract the rough ride that smaller wheels give hence it might be worth paying a bit more for a bicycle with suspension to provide you with additional comfort if you are nervous about a back injury being aggravated by the potholes of the London streets.
Prices of cycles vary, so planning what amount you would like to shell out is usually a good place to start. Although most cyclists who use folding bicycles will realise that the money they save on car or transport expenditures far exceeds their original outlay on their folder. Folding bikes are the same as regular cycles; the more you pay the better quality of bike you’ll receive. That is not to say you can’t find a bike to your liking within budget, there are plenty of inexpensive folding bikes available. Should you be after a good deal, check out the prices for last year’s designs or look for discounts on second user online websites like Folding Bikes For Sale. There are many to select from so there will definitely be a folding bike available for you to benefit from in London.

TripTouch is launching their travel widget for Netvibes and iGoogle. The widget is updated automatically to the user location. It’s suitable especially for frequent travelers and / or travelers during a trip.

It features updated local information and services for more than 5,000 destinations worldwide. The widget includes travel guides, activities, restaurants, current events, accommodation, transportation, weather, currency rates, nearby travelers and more. For many services online booking is available.

“We launched our travel homepage last November”, says Gil Ruda, TripTouch’s co-founder and CEO “we’ve got good reviews and our travel community is growing. Now we thought that we could use our platform to serve our users and new audiences in more ways, and we’ve decided to develop a widget for start pages”.

Currently the TripTouch platform aggregates and integrates content from the best sources in the web: Wikitravel (travel guides), eventful (worldwide events) , Google maps, Kayak (transportation), Priceline (hotels), OpenTable (restaurants), Viator (activities), Sportsevents365, HostelWorld.

That’s a question credit users are asking themselves these days with increasing frequency. We’ve all heard the buzz about airline miles credit cards. After all, who wouldn’t be talking about a way to use credit to manage their everyday expenses while being rewarded for it with free airline miles? However, we all know that a program’s being beneficial doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for us. The following are a few guidelines to help you determine whether or not you stand to benefit in a big way by applying for a frequent flyer credit card.

You travel at least occasionally.

Do you have family that lives far enough away to necessitate the occasional airline ticket purchase? Do you ever travel by plane on vacation or for business purposes? Do you tend to spend money on hotel accommodations and car rentals when away from home? If so, then you could be saving a bundle on your travel expenses by trading in your traditional credit card for an airline mileage credit card, as you’ll be earning points to help you with all of the above.

Just imagine the possibilities! Let’s say your monthly expenses total $3,000 each month and you typically use your credit card to manage and consolidate them. What if your credit company were willing to match that $3,000 with a minimum of 3,000 free airline miles to use toward your next ticket? Could you find a use for them? Then you can benefit from an airline miles credit card.

You need a credit provider that really takes care of you.

Airline miles credit providers have what is considered to be some of the best customer service in the entire credit business. To start with, you’ll have access to knowledgeable, efficient customer service representatives 24 hours a day. If you have questions or concerns regarding your account, they’ll put your mind at ease in a flash. Many frequent flyer creditors also provide 24-hour fraud protection. You can’t police your account all the time, and when you can’t? Your credit provider is there making sure all is as it should be. Many accounts even offer 24 hour concierge service to help you find events tickets and make reservations while you’re away from home… all just to make your vacation a little bit more special. How can you beat that?

You pay your balance off in full each month.

If you’re the type of person who pays their credit balance off in full at the end of each month, then you are among those that actually stand to make money by applying for one of these cards. Credit providers glean an income through the interest they charge on existing balances. If you never allow your balance to accumulate interest, then your benefits are truly free. The best way to use credit – especially rewards-oriented credit – is to utilize it to manage necessary expenses and consolidate bills and pay off everything owed at the end of each billing cycle. Then the creditor is basically paying you in airline miles to use their service. You win!

So if you have great spending habits, want to get the most out of your credit program, and could find a use for the occasional free airline ticket, you really can’t afford to be without an airline miles credit card. Compare programs online, fill out an application online afterward, and you could be making more of your credit within seconds! What are you waiting for?

No wonder airline traveling has become the number one choice of travelers throughout the world. With its easiness, greater access and no hassles, online ticket bookings have become really popular. To get a comfortable and affordable travel, doing a ground research on types of flying options, price ranges, and other associated benefited can prove really helpful. These days, lots of low cost airlines have arrived with their user-friendly offers. To avail these offers, you have to visit their websites regularly and register yourself with them. Sometimes, to get a full pack flight at the last moment, these low-cost airlines sell their tickets at considerably lower rates. As a result, local travel agents are facing a great competition with these low cost airlines. The greater benefit of buying tickets from the websites of low cost airlines is their volume. One can get a major advantage passed by these airlines through the Internet then through a local travel agent.

Availing the best and cheapest air travel offer can be really quick. Generally, the websites of these airlines features options including destination, price range, and schedule to chalk out something special for you. Just enter your details and wait for the transaction to get completed. You will be awarded with an unmatched offer that is planned especially for your air charter travel. Cheap tickets and appropriate discounts, you actually can’t get more of it. When you get satisfied with your arrangement, use the order option and within a short span of time, your ticket will be delivered directly to you. Imagine your happiness of receiving the ticket to your one of the most amazing experience from the comfort of your homes.

So, if you are planning to take a small break to refresh your senses or rejuvenate the lost pleasure, checking out the websites of these low cost charter airlines could be a wise thing to do. Check, compare, think and order to enjoy your vacation to the fullest. Do not wait, log in now and start exploring your option, who knows a golden chance may be waiting for you.

Standing in line at immigration be it at the airport or on the road can be frustrating. I remember once waiting for 3 hours at Ambassador Bridge at the Detroit border crossing; I had two bored kids in the car and a screaming baby. Nowadays there is no need to wait in line for long periods. The NEXUS card offers expedited travel by road, air and sea. NEXUS cardholders can cross the border much faster by using designated NEXUS lanes; there is also less intrusion from customs and immigration officers.

Qualifying as a NEXUS Card Holder

NEXUS cards are given to low risk travellers who are permanent residents or citizens of either the US or Canada who have lived in one or both countries on a continuous basis for at least the last three years. Low risk means that you have no criminal record or previous border violations. Even the simplest of offences will count against you no matter how many years have passed since the crime or violation was committed. Border officials security check every applicant to make sure that their immigration and citizenship details are correct and legal. Criminal history is checked with the US FBI, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, CSIS and Interpol. No-fly lists and databases tracking known terrorists are also checked – for every applicant.

Applying for a NEXUS Card

Getting the card is simple. You can fill out an application online at the Global Online Enrollment System or print off a paper application from the Canadian Border Services website and mail it to the NEXUS offices in either Niagara Falls or Montreal.  Filling out the form online takes around one hour providing you are computer literate, but the benefit is that you don’t have to scan in documents for submission with your application. Some of the jargon is technical and you must check your application thoroughly before you certify that the contents are accurate – incomplete or inaccurate information will result in your application being delayed and in some instances denied. The paper application contains a lot of detailed notes but they are not laid out in a user friendly manner. Nevertheless, there are fewer questions to answer with the paper application – but nothing to significantly reduce the form filling time from an hour. A point to note for those who despise filling in forms is that every person in your family or party must be a NEXUS card holder if you are to fast track the border together; even young children have to have their own NEXUS card. This can mean a lot of work to those applying with family, friends or loved ones. The cost for each application is $50 payable in US or Canadian dollars.  Once your application is conditionally approved you attend an interview for an iris scan, fingerprinting and a chat with a border official about the NEXUS program. After this your card is issued and you can use it immediately. The best news is that the NEXUS card is also accepted in place of your passport when travelling between Canada and the States.

Apply now for your Nexus card !

In anticipation of an upcoming trip to Auckland, New Zealand (NZ) I was on the search for accommodation. With so many options to choose from – bed & breakfast, motels, lodges, serviced apartments and hotels (to name a few) – I eventually decided to choose Auckland hotel accommodation. Now my issue went from: What kind of accommodation do I want to stay in? to: Which provider do I choose?

It’s fair to say that had I booked my trip through a travel agent they may well have been able to suggest the right provider for me, but in this day and age of online travel bookings, I had no need to talk to a travel agent. So keeping in line with my online flight bookings, I decided to book my accommodation online too. First though I decided to find out what other people were saying about Auckland hotels, to see if anyone had some good suggestions for me.

I’ve heard all this talk about user reviews becoming more and more popular in today’s online environment, and I can now see why. It’s much like talking to your family or friends and asking if they can recommend somewhere to stay, but in this event you have access to a wider range of opinions. The other advantage is that the feedback which is posted on the site is no longer filtered by the providers so that you only read good reviews, instead they are a much more transparent and honest assessment of the hotel.

There are many online travel review sites available, but I must say that it’s important to find one which isn’t just a general site allowing people to sign up and post comments unanimously, as these are open to unverified reports and even overly positive and sometimes fraudulent comments from accommodation providers themselves. So my first step was finding a trusted Auckland hotel review site/s.

This came in the form of an online booking site. The comments on these types of sites can only be posted by people who have actually booked and stayed at that particular Auckland hotel. This results in me being able to read honest reviews from actual guests. Not only that but it was easier to read the reviews on the same website I could end up booking on, than having to read one site and then find another for the actual Auckland hotel I chose.

Most of the reviews I came across, had a 1 to 5 star rating system where :
1 = poor
2 = below average
3 = value for money
4 = great value for money
5 = excellent experience

This method of rating means I could easily gain a general idea of the value without having to read every review over the past twelve months. From there, further investigation of the hotel was required, which involved reading each of the reviews that caught my attention. At this point it was very important for me to remember that one or two bad reviews did not necessarily reflect poor service on the part of the hotel. People do have bad days, and unfortunately hotels do to. But if dripping taps, poor showers, noisy rooms or bad service is mentioned in a number of the reviews, I considered it safe to assume that the majority of guests are right.

In the end, the one trend that showed up in the majority of bad reviews, is that at times people were expecting more from the hotel than it provided. Such complaints as “the restaurant was closed at 11pm”, “no room service” or “I had to carry my own luggage”, all show on investigation that these services were not offered by the Auckland hotel in the first place. There is still the perception that a hotel has 24 hour front desks and bar, pools, gymnasiums and spa. Where as today’s demands have removed the non essential offerings and services in order to provide a better price to the consumer.

So after reading numerous reviews and now feeling more informed than when I started, I managed to locate an Auckland hotel which meet my needs, not only in terms of service, but in terms of location, price and facilities. Ultimately the reviews were one component of my decision and needed to be viewed alongside my own personal criteria, in order to make my final decision.

Tour operator software planning tours is easy

We all love holidaying with friends and family and planning vacations is something none of us like to do! What if you could leave the planning to someone else and get access to the best deals? This is all possible with tour operator software. Such travel software is geared to help you get the most competitive prices, best bargain travel deals and hotel reservations you could dream of!

How does it work?

Travel agency software is meant to help you plan your travels and vacations. With such state of the art tour operator software you get to reserve hotel rooms at the most competitive prices, get access to the best bargain deals and get to stay in your favorite destinations! That is not all, with travel software you also get to know about all the special offers, complimentary schemes and discounts being offered by hotels and accommodations. In this manner, you not only save millions of dollars but also leverage all the benefits offered by such schemes.

Ease of use

One of the most important benefits of such tour operator software is that it allows novices to get the benefits of such systems easily. Installation of such travel software is extremely easy and once you have the software on your desktop all you have to do is start using it! If you happen to have any doubts, there are separate help sections, which are very user-friendly and easy to follow. Otherwise, you can always contact the support staff of the tour operator software company. In this manner, you can clarify all your doubts and become a pro at using such software.

Knowing the difference

Probably one of the most useful advantages of tour operator software is that it allows you to compare subtle differences between deals in software. For instance, while most people tend to go by price alone, tour operator software will help you compare travel deals based on other features as well. For example, apart from price, aspects such as features, amenities, discounts, special deals etc. will all be provided in such travel software. The result is that users of such travel agency software can make more informed decisions. Instead of comparing based on price alone, which can be misleading, you can compare between differences in service levels, amenities and much more. Often, you will find that if a travel deal is low in price it will most likely be short of certain services. By comparing the differences, you will be in a better position to understand the shortcomings of different packages. While one deal maybe cheaper, you may end up getting many more services from a package, which is higher in price. Such an array of services will obviously compensate for the higher price. This is where tour operator software can be so beneficial for you.

Today, people all over the world use travel management software to plan vacations beforehand, get the best bargain travel deals online and get access to special benefits. If you want to reserve your accommodations, plan your travel itinerary and get competitive rates on travel, in advance, then tour operator software is the best option for you!

Given our current economic condition, it seems as though it would be cheaper to spend vacation leaves at home watching DVDs than to travel to the other side of world. With the finances reaching an ultimate low, it would be in everybody’s best interest to just enjoy quality family time or keep to one’s self at home. But if this were always the case, you will eventually grow stressed of your condition. As such, occasional travels should be planned. With Expedia’s travel deals, one can still enjoy making trips to other countries without compromising their budget. See, aside from the discount travel packages Expedia has, the traveler can also avail of value added services like assistance in getting hotel reservations, travel insurance, car rentals, and a lot more.
Expedia was started by the famous multinational computer technology corporation, Microsoft.  It is an online travel reservation agency which is based in the United States. Operating for more than a decade already, Expedia became one of the most in-demand online travels booking site.  Up to the present, the company continues to generate the highest number of recreational and vacation travel bookings compared to other travel agencies. Aside from the online portal, the company also uses telephone travel agents to meet the growing demands of both leisure and business travelers.  To widen their services and create more attractive travel deals, the company also has partnered with a lot of suppliers like hotels, airlines, tour operators and car rental companies.
Aside from partnering with the best suppliers in the travel industry, Expedia became one of the top associates of Find Savings. The latter is an internet-based merchant who specializes in bargain hunting and supplying high quality online coupons, promotions and discounts for a large number of online stores.  Through Find Savings, Expedia was able to easily promote their hot discount travel packages.  
Find Savings has been helping a lot of budget conscious consumers for years. It was also able to distribute a lot of Expedia coupons and coupon codes to travelers who were seeking affordable travel deals in the World Wide Web. This is why it has won the hearts of numerous multinational consumers and dealers.
Find Savings’ unique advertising and marketing strategy has helped drive traffic and sales to various online dealers; helping them earns more. By marketing Expedia’s products and services, Find Savings was not only able to raise its reputation in the internet; it was also able to assist in generating income for the online agency. With marketing concerns out of the way, Expedia was able to improve and widen the value added services that they provide. The current Expedia site, for example, has incorporated its tools with that of Find Savings to allow consumers to check and book a travel deal securely. With all the additional online offers these sites have, end users will be able to shop responsibly.  
Now, there would be times when the offers you see on the sites are too good to be true. Well,   with Expedia, consumers can conduct thorough research on the travel deals they are interested in to ensure that all their transactions will be processed safely. Expedia doesn’t want to compromise their clients’ security if and when they decide to purchasing travel deals online. So with Expedia, savings is not the only thing that matters. The customers’ security and satisfaction are also given proper attention. Thanks to Expedia’s hot discount travel packages, everyone has the opportunity to explore the world.

Cut Down Your Summer Trip Expenses Through Free Holiday Pass

Are you thinking of canceling on this year’s summer vacation trip because of financial reasons? Think twice before doing that. Summer is the time when you can go about enjoying the time with your family only. It’s not like the winter holidays when festivities bind you in other pleasant family obligations. So it’s not so wise to cancel you summer trip if you are falling short of couple of hundred bucks.

If you are reading this article then you are absolutely at the right place. If can have access to this article that means you are an internet user. Then you can have those couple of hundred bucks added to your vacation plan added easily to have an exciting summer vacation. This can be done through Holiday passes which can be won online easily. This has become a fashion at various sites where if you register or play something like online game or prize draw then you get the chance to win a holiday pass membership for free. Most of the free gaming or UK survey portals sites offer these things to its registered members as prizes. And besides this they also offer free holiday packages.

One of these sites which are very popular amongst the people of UK is 1uksurvey.co.uk.

This site offers you free holiday pass membership worth ?99 only for registration with them. Isn’t that exciting? Besides this once you complete a short and simple free online survey of theirs, they will enter your name for various prize draws which includes various holiday packages that will allow you to spend your holidays in United Kingdom and various other places. This is not the only site where you can win holiday gifts for survey or holiday pass memberships for free. A simple search will find you thousands of such sites. Other sites like win99.co.uk also offer various holiday packages and various other prizes. So before canceling your trip for this summer, surf the internet and get registered at such sites. Register at as many sites as possible. The chances are, if you register at ten sites you will at least win at four sites. Based upon your requirement register at those sites first like 1uksurvey.co.uk where on registration itself you will win a free holiday pass membership of ?99. So start registering and winning……..and enjoy your summer trip.