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Archive for the ‘Aviation’ Category

With gasoline prices going through the roof and increased costs due to new security measurements, airline ticket prices have risen drastically in the last few years. Flights that were once under two hundred dollars can now cost up to three times as much as before. However, it is still possible to find a cheap ticket if you are willing to be flexible and to do a little research. The Internet is a great tool for helping you find affordable deals that leave you with a little extra cash to spend on your vacation.

Today’s most popular way to locate cheap tickets is through online discount sites like Expedia and Hotwire. These two sites and others like them are devoted to finding discount travel rates on cars, flights and hotels. You can type in a departure and arrival city and the dates you want to travel, and the site will search its databases and bring up a list of budget rates. The more flexible you are, the greater your chances of finding a cheap ticket.

There is a catch, however, when you book flights on Hotwire or Expedia. Most of the discount rates are available on unpopular flight times, typically with early morning or late night departures or arrivals. Also, if you have set dates and times that cannot be adjusted, it can be hard to find a cheaper rate. These website services work best if you have a two or three day window for both your departure and your return. That way, the site can choose from a wider variety of flight combinations, giving you the lowest ticket prices available.

Another cheap ticket seller on the Internet is Priceline.com. This website allows you to enter your travel dates and to offer your own ticket price. If your price is accepted by an airline, you can purchase the ticket at that guaranteed rate. This process can several hours, and if you receive the price you proposed, you are obligated to purchase the ticket. Because of this, you are not able to choose which airline you use. Though Priceline is not as flexible as other ways of purchasing cheap tickets, sometimes you can get amazing deals that you can’t find any other way.

Travel sites like Priceline and Hotwire do offer another advantage in addition to cheap airplane tickets. They also offer the options of booking hotels and car rentals at the same time as your flight. When you book all of your travel needs at once, you can save even more on your expenses, leaving you more money to spend once you reach your destination. Read the rest of this entry »

There are few things as exciting and inspiring as getting to plan a great getaway or vacation. Life seems to get more and more busy and stressful as it goes on, so the relief and relaxation that a vacation provides are desperately needed by all busy adults. One of the more stressful elements of planning a vacation is finding reasonable airline fares.

For some reason, it is always stressful for people to find great deals on airline fares. Many people look in what they thought was the best place only to find that they paid way too much in airline fares for their next vacation. As a former travel agent, it is my pleasure to help my friends who are in need of help finding the best airline fares for any upcoming trip or vacation.

My biggest piece of advice to anyone looking for the right airline fares is to slow down. Being in a rush planning a vacation or getaway is the best way to stress yourself out and to make poor decisions when it comes to choosing airline fares or any other important decision about your trip. The more relaxed and at peace you can be when planning your trip, the better deals you will find because you will be willing to wait. So take your time and don’t rush into any decision on airline fares or anything else about your trip.
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The advancements in science and industry in that last 100 years have left us humans somewhat baffled. You will often hear it said that in the last century, we as human beings have made more accomplishments than at any other time in recorded history. But did it all get a little big, a little to fast?

It seems that these days’ people tend to be more afraid of different things and as humans; we seem a lot more ‘phobic’ than our recent ancestors. I don’t for one minute think that we have evolved into complete phobic beings, but more like the world, science and industry have all evolved and left us behind, thus creating loads of new unnatural scenarios to intimidate us.

I believe that one of these ‘unnatural scenarios’ is flying. For instance it was only a couple of life times ago (if that) that the Write Brothers created their flying machine. And It wasn’t until the middle of the last century (not even a lifetime ago) that we began to fly commercially and start taking our holidays abroad, however just because it may be unnatural, it doesn’t mean that we have to keep any fears of flying that we may have.
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Traveling by air has always given the people of this planet the ability to hop from one continent to another in a matter of hours. There is no doubt whatsoever, airline travel has not only changed the way we travel, but it has also impacted on our daily lives.

Strawberries in the middle of winter, to packages sent the same day from the other side of the world. The aero plane has certainly made a big impact on society.

The airliner and the airlines have been the predominant choice for the majority of business people and holidaymaker’s alike, looking for quick, efficient and nowadays, a cheap way to travel. There are of course alternative ways to travel, but to some, seem a little outdated.

Many years ago, the train was the lifeblood of countries and economies. The train system, certainly in the UK can leave a lot to be desired at times, but this has been due to the continued under investment from successive governments.

Since the opening of the Channel tunnel in the late 90′s, the Eurostar train system linking the UK to mainline Europe has seen progressive growth, despite earlier faltering’s. Now this service seems likely to be the major opposition to the low cost airlines flying from the UK to Europe, especially from airports in the London area.

Typically, a flight from London Heathrow to Paris Charles De Gaul (CDG) airport takes just under 1 hour. That seems really quick especially if you need to be in Paris for a business meeting. Now consider these points. London Heathrow is not actually in the centre of London, nor is Paris (CDG). The distance from London Heathrow to the the centre of London is approximately 15 miles, and is pretty much the same from Paris (CDG) to the centre of Paris. With that said, that 1 hour doesn’t seem so appealing after all.

We arrived at the check in point at London Waterloo International at just after 14:00. The train we were due to travel on departed at 15:11, calling at Calais and Paris Gare de Nord (the north station). We had traveled by tube to get to Waterloo station, which took about 25 minutes, involving 1 change at Leicester square at a cost of £2 per person.

We had taken the opportunity to book the tickets for the Eurostar in good time and received a great deal. For just £59 return, per person, our total spend so far had totaled £120. Two Eurostar tickets at £59, and two underground tickets at £2 each. We had looked at flying from Heathrow with British Airways and their cheapest fare was £69 per person. Not much difference in the price, but the travel to heathrow and also from Paris (CDG) would probably equate to the same again. Not a good choice.

After initial security and passport controls, we took our seats at 14:55. At exactly 15:11 the train glided effortlessly out of the station with the view of the magnificent London Eye visible to our right. So far so good.

The journey out of London takes you through the suburbs of Brixton and then finally out into the countryside. It seems a little dated on the English side as regards the state of the railway, but after about 35 minutes into the journey, we turn off the old victorian railway onto the brand new, recently commissioned UK high speed line and race along the kent countryside at speeds up to 300kmh (186 mph).

It doesn’t seem long before we are going to say goodbye to England and the announcement informs us that the transit time in the Channel Tunnel will be approximately twenty minutes. In no time at all, we exit the tunnel to a glorious blue sky in France.
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