Why familiarity sometimes breeds contempt!

If you look up any dictionary meaning of cliché, it reads something along the lines of '... a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought ...' I think that that is a rather harsh interpretation myself. Clichés become clichés simply because they're true and represent the most succinct and accurate way of describing a particular concept. The above title is a particular case in point. I recently had a

How travel decisions can sometimes be based on incomplete information

Trip Advisor is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The global review site started out life above a Pizza shop called Kosta's in Needham, Massachusetts in February, 2000. It is a great site without question and I must admit that I have started contributing to it in recent times as I realised, belatedly, that I had a lot to contribute given the amount of travelling I do (and have done). What prompted me to write

You’ll have a cordial time here alright!

Rarely does one come across a resort property that ticks most or all of the boxes. Some hotels may be located right on the beach but consequently suffer from the noise generated by late night revelers. Or it might have all the facilities known to modern man but you'd need a kings ransom to settle the bill at the end of your holiday. Worse still are those properties (and believe me, there are many), where

All legacy carriers are created equal — right? Wrong!

What is a legacy carrier anyway, I hear you ask? The term 'legacy' is used to differentiate the old style (usually national) airline carriers from those that espouse the low cost model. Legacy carriers traditionally charge more but also offer more for those consumers who are willing to pay for a better service or for things considered as 'extras' with carriers such as Ryanair. Some airlines (Aer Lingus for example) sit somewhere between the two

A little piece of paradise on our doorstep!

The word 'paradise' is an extremely overused and abused term to describe all sorts of places that appear to tick a lot of boxes and so its meaning has become debased somewhat over the years but which i think still applies to someplace like Mogan, a small fishing village located about 72 kilometres from Las Palmas in the canarian island of Gran Canaria, just a few miles beyond the popular resorts of Maspalomas and Playa

Turkey is in the news of late — but for all the wrong reasons!

Having said that — don't always take as gospel, what you hear on the news as everything is 'spun' these days. Not from a propaganda point of view you understand. It's just TV's way of competing with the sensational headlines mentality that you often see demonstrated by certain tabloid press. Even the 'serious' news channels get caught up in this behavior. The reality(and consequence) of such spin/selective editing, was graphically demonstrated to me about 10

When paying more money can cost you less!

Regular readers of this blog will know that one of the recurring themes that we re-visit from time to time is that of trying to get people to realise that cheaper isn't always better — in fact it rarely is. Value for money needs to be your constant mantra if you are a consumer who wants to get more bang for their proverbial buck. Some perfect examples of this truism came across my desk earlier this week

Choose your holiday based on value for money rather than price alone!

It's perfectly understandable that intending holidaymakers should compare prices between competing products, destinations or suppliers when researching whom they should book their next travel arrangements with. It's all too easy though to lose sight of the most important criteria of all — which one represents the best value for money? Everyone is familiar with the old saying 'You get what you pay for' and rarely is that more true than when making travel arrangements. Because the true cost of a holiday

Breaking out of your comfort zone — Part 2

Let's not mince words here — it's been a crap summer this year! It's rained so much over the course of the past few months that I'm now worried that I might  develop webbing between my fingers and toes. If you are one of the countless disappointed souls who waited and weaited and waited this summer to see if prices would drop or that you might benefit from some last minute deal that never happened then you

A bitter pill to swallow?

I think we all agree that the summer of 2012 is best forgotten as, by all accounts, it has been the worst in living memory as far as sunshine and good weather were concerned. Of course the consequence of all this is that many people who perhaps had previously decided that they would not be holidaying abroad this year subsequently changed their minds — further adding to the pressure on a limited capacity of both

How charter holiday pricing works — Part 2

Last week, we explained in more or less simple terms how charter pricing works. This week, we focus on scheduled airline fares and the fundamental manner in which they differ from charters. Scheduled airline fares apply only to scheduled air services. These are operated by airlines. A scheduled service must operate on the date, time and frequency specified — whether  the flight is full or empty. As a general rule of thumb, the further out

How charter holiday pricing works — Part 1

If you're an Irish consumer currently thinking of getting away for a week or two in the sun at the moment, chances are that you're experiencing one or both of the following problems: 1. There is very little availability left to many destinations 2. All the prices are very expensive And to add further insult to your injury, you've probably already found that the prices that airlines such as Aer Lingus and Ryanair are charging

The art of getting a quote that is both competitive in price and relevant to your needs starts with gathering all the right information about what you want to do (or think you want to do!).