General Chat

Has the rising cost of air fares put you off going abroad? I flew to England on July 5th. It cost me .£97.00. This was in school term time . I came back on the 15th July when some of the schools had broken up and it cost me £179.00 an increase of £82.00. I believe that now all the schools are on holiday the prices have risen again. Also some airlines charge more for hold luggage in the holiday periods. So...are the airlines cashing in during the holidays or are they losing out for the rest of the year or maybe breaking even over the whole of the year. I realise that airport taxes play a big part in ticket prices.

Tenerife, The Island Of Eternal Spring, depends on tourism to survive as do many other countries and it makes be wonder just how much longer people will be able to explore the world. I recently read an article that said that many Londoners were leaving London during the Olympics but mostly for other parts of England as air fares were too expensive. Good news for the UK financially but there is so much world to see.

I would be interested in other peoples views.

Wendy

Over the last 6/7 years i have turned more towards using the ferries for my holiday plans,

You can get a ferry from Plymouth to France, The car with 4 passengers for less than £200 a cheap flight would be about £160 per person the last quote i had was £360 pp from east mids

If you plan your route you can make the travel side of the journey part of the holiday

Flying is always the worst part of any holiday experience

Roy

Good thinking Roy and I must admit that flying bores me to tears but it's the only way to see my family

I have to admit to having no desire to go abroad.
There are many beautiful and fascinating places to see in Britain.
In my life, I've moved over 28 times, sometimes abroad, but mainly in Britain. I've lived in the Shetlands, the borders of Scotland, Wales and in Cornwall, Hampshire and Essex, but, as for the places in between - I've visited Warwickshire for a day, and had a holiday in Shrewsbury.
I really want to go to Whitby, Bristol, and Manchester :-D

I agree there are many beautiful places in England and I have only seen a handful of them but I need to be warm. My recent stay was wet every day. I am not a sun worshipper as I have fair skin but the warmth and never having to wear many clothes suits me fine. Also I enjoyed the challenge of learning another language. I was partly prompted to start this thread as my family complain a little that they don't see enough of me and the cost is the main reason for this.

I have traveled to most parts of the UK but I drive for a living.
I have had holidays and worked abroad Cyprus, gibraltar, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Holland belgium, Turkey Kenya, flying doesn't bother me but getting through airports is i pain..

On the ferry you drive to the terminal you drive through security and your on the boat, You can get high quality meals for abt 10 euros chill out and have a drink watch telly get some kip, get showered and changed plus chill out on deck the ferry docks and your through security/customs in no time and on your way.

You cannot get any of this in an airport or on the aircraft

Roy

I have the travel bug and am going to Australia this year for my Uncles 70th birthday and to USA next year to see 2 school friends that I haven't seen for more than 30 years.
It is cheaper to go in term time, but if I holiday here it is still expensive (although my fault) because I use public transport, as I don't like driving if I don't have to.

Good for you ZZzzz enjoy your travels while you can. Long haul travel offers many more comforts than shorter flights.

Unfortunately the low, shoulder and high season fares on airlines and package holidays have been around since at least the early 1970s.

When the children were young, we only took them 'abroad' twice, the rest of the years it was alternate stay-vacations or self catering somewhere in the UK

Airline fares include a stonking great airport/fuel surcharge although the airlines do raise their fees in peak season.

Has it put me off? No not really as we can travel outside of school holidays. What has probably put a lot of people off holidays abroad is the increased cost of living, the uncertain job security for those employed, or the lack of money for those who have lost their jobs.

Mind you, OH is really fed up with the security at the airports. Including the flying time, 2 days are eaten up in travelling.

We have just had a wonderful and inexpensive three days in Plymouth, but it was really only good because the sun shone every day. I too prefer to be warm and preferably dry. We have had great holidays in UK, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and the Lake District but in more recent years it seems the weather has been much more unpredictable. I love our holidays in Tenerife and Lanzarote and we too have travelled to many wonderful places - USA, Canada, Cyprus, Europe as well as the canaries. But air travel is becoming more restrictive, not only the cost but the hassle of immigrations.

Same as you Ann. Last year was a week in the soggy West Country, this year one week mid September on a Greek Island,

The thought behind it was that if the UK had a good summer weather-wise, then it will be a continuation of that. If not, then at least there is a good chance of sun and warmth.

We like to do touristy, visiting historical things, rather than sit on a beach. Although as a child I was taken to Tenerife, I don't think (and will stand corrected) there is a great deal to do. The built up holiday enclaves like the new(er) resorts aren't at all an attractive idea.

Four years ago, the extended family (16 of us) took a hoiliday in Tuscany. We rented a lovely house.
It didn't just rain - it lashed it down!!
Apparently that sort of rain is unusual in Tuscanny in June.

The next year we reted a house in Cornwall - rain again.

2 years ago, we decided to cut our losses, and went camping in Wlitshire, the hoard included 3 children and 1 baby.
It rained, but we had the option of going home when we got fed up with it, without losing much money.

We went home 2 days early.

Oh detective let me be the one to correct you on your views of Tenerife. The north and the south of the island are SO different (ask AnninGlos)

I live in the north in Puerto de la Cruz where here and the surrounding district has so much tradition, culture and history. The countryside is green and fertile with banana plantations and vineyards , to live here you may need a smattering of Spanish. We have warm days and hot days but rarely do we have cold wet days. The night skies are clear, colourful and full of stars. The people are friendly and welcoming and will share whatever they have with you.

The south is another story and perhaps this is where you went as it is built with the tourist industry in mind. Big screen televisions with football, fish and chips, annoying touts and too hot for most people. The terrain is dry and arid except for in the towns where plants have been placed to create gardens Nearly everyone speaks English part of the holiday for me is hearing the native language spoken. It is ideal for holidays when time is limited and you want to almost guarantee a couple of weeks of sun and beach.

Come and see the north and I am sure you will change your mind.

Wendy

In the late 80s I lived in Costa del Silencio South Tenerife for just under a year I wanted to come back home to Essex when I got pregnant.

The North of the island I found magical, La Orotava in particular.

North Tenerife is lovely, there are a couple of beaches and, of course there are touristy shops. But the food in the restaurants is more Spanish than 'everything with chips' as in the South (we have stayed down there a lot too but these days prefer Puerto). The people are friendly and remember you when you return, we had four weeks from around 22 April and we had one day and one night when it rained, the weather was glorious. We don't bother with a car now but there are places to see if you hire one. We tend to walk, stroll, sit, eat and drink and do nothing much. (ask Wendy!) Mind you she's the one who has us walking what seemed like down and up the side of a small mountain. :-D

Lesley I am pleased to have found another fan. La Orotava is 10 minutes up the road from me. Have you ever seen the Romeria or the sand carpets there?

DetEcTive you may like to google 'sand carpets La Orotava' or 'Romeria La Orotava' to see some of the local culture. Youtube has some really lovely examples.

Ann you and T could walk me off my feet ( must track down my map of mountain walks before you are here again). xx

Please don't think I'm knocking the Canary Isles, or Tenerife in particular. :-)

I can't remember which 'de la Cruz' it was - the one with the black sand? It was well before the 'new' resort with imported yellow sand was built! We did visit the Botanical Gardens and Mount Teide both of which were interesting. There might have been other places, but it was over 40 years ago! OH won't drive when we are 'abroad' which does tend to limit us to the places we can stay and local transport routes.

We, or rather I, get fidgety sitting by a pool all the time, and like to get out and about. When OH was working, he needed the physical rest, but its different now.

If I leave Oz again it will be to New Zealand (have 2nd cousins there).

Not interested in visiting cities ~ they all look the same after a while.

OH and I travelled for nearly 10 years with his job. Anyone who thinks it was a "jetset" lifestyle is dreaming :-D

I don't have a problem with security.

We saw the scattered plane at Lockerbie in 1988. A sight I will never forget.

Scozz, I don't have a problem with security either, but for people to have to queue for two hours or more, sometimes, to enter UK because they don't have enough Border control agency people is a joke. Well it is not a joke to the people in the queue, it reflects very badly on UK. And puts people off going abroad knowing they have that to face when they return home.

We all understand the need for security - part of the problem with us/me is OH.

He has a great fear of being late and normally insists we arrive at the airport before the check-in desk opens and almost immediatley go through to the departure lounge. We've even be known to arrive at the 'gate' before the airline crew! :-(

He always has trouble at Security - taking his shoes and belt off...then having to hang on to his trousers....and despite having nothing metalic always manages to set the alarm off. (I put it down to his fillings :-D )

He used to undertake frequent business trips abroad, so is no stranger to the proceedure