If you are a parent, work hard and look forward to at least one holiday a year. Why is it the cost of taking the family away over the half term is so much more? Some companies have charged up to 85% more in the week of half term compared to prices the week after, while one company increased their prices up to a staggering 249%, Many schools do not agree with you to taking the children out of school in term time, but surely something has to be done to reduce the cost for parents to go away during the half term. Its not just the price of holidays, its also the costs of flights and it has been reported some foreign exchange companies have been adding extra charges on at airports, giving a very poor exchange rate. If you are going away for half term whether it be UK or abroad, For savings during half term and all year round, buy travel insurance, for a quote or to buy cheap travel insurance go to /
Don’t forget to set your clocks forward by one hour on Sunday 28th March 2010, officially the start of British Summer Time. We may be losing an hour but with extra daylight in the evenings and a long summer ahead, there’s plenty to look forward to after the clocks change. This year we have been predicted another heat wave. Last year's incorrect prediction of a BBQ summer was a wash out but now another forecaster(not the met office) is sticking its neck out and predicting the same for 2010. The Met Office's incorrect forecast for 2009 dissapointed families who had booked holidays in the UK and anyone looking forward to a bit of Sun. It was followed by a predicted "mild winter" - but the UK was brought to a snowy standstill in the coldest temperatures for 30 years. Positive Weather Solutions (PWS) - which employs just five staff at its office in Abergavenny, Mid-Wales , is claiming Britain can bank on a barbecue summer in 2010. PWS accurately predicted the Big Freeze, said there was a chance of a White Christmas and made a host of other accurate long-term predictions in the last two years, so the odds are on it could be correct. There's a good chance of record temperatures across the UK. The highest temperature record of 38.5C may well fall. The firm reckons temperatures in June, July and August could be higher than the hottest summer on record in 1976. For 15 days at the end of June into July that year the UK saw temperatures above 32C for 15 days straight. PWS also predicts the UK's highest ever temperature of 38.5C recorded at Brogdale in Kent, on August 10, 2003, will be smashed in the first half of August. "There's a good chance of record temperatures across the UK. The highest temperature record of 38.5C may well fall. lets hope they are right! Whether you decide to spend your summer holiday here or abroad buy travel insurance for a quote for single trip insurance, annual multi trip insurance, backpacking insurance, cruise insurance, go to /
A few key points: Mr Darling’s Budget
The stamp duty limit for first time buyers doubled to £250.000 as from midnight tonight. Funded by an increase to stamp duty on properties worth over 1 million pounds.
Inheritance tax - threshold frozen at £325,000 for four years.
£100 million is to be used to repair local roads after winter damage and £285 million for motorways.
Fuel duty has a 3p increase, but this will be staggered, 1pc in April, 1pc in October and the rest in January 2011.
Duty on beer, wine and spirits to rise 2%. Tax on cider increased by a massive (2p to a price of beer) (and 10p to a bottle of wine)10% above inflation from midnight on Sunday. Tobacco duty increases today by 1%(approx 15p a packet) above inflation this year, then 2%.
Savings
Mr Darling had previously announced that the annual limit on Individual Savings Accounts (Isas) was to be increased to £10,200, from £7,200, in April – the limit was raised the over-50s in October last year. In the 2010 Budget, he added that Isa limit would rise in line with inflation each tax year from now on.
Struggling home owners
The interest rate on a state benefit paid to struggling home owners called Support for Mortgage Interest will remain at 6.08pc for a further six months. The period for which this interest rate would apply had already been extended until June 2010 in the pre-Budget report in December 2009.
The benefit is designed to cover mortgage interest payments for people who have lost their jobs and are on means-tested benefits, such as income support, job seekers allowance and employment and support allowance.
Investors
Capital Gains Tax will remain at a flat rate of 18pc despite rumours that it would increase, although the annual exemption allowance remains at £10,100.
One price guaranteed not to change is annual holiday insurance, If you are lucky enough to travel more than once a year buy annual multi trip travel insurance for as little as £17.95, for a quote or to buy annual insurance go to /
source: The Telegraph.co.uk
Travellers with British Airways flights are being told to check the status of their flights as the strike by cabin crew continues. BA is facing its third day of disruption, and its busiest following the weekend walkout. Heathrow Airport BA has had to cancel a number of incoming flights to Heathrow, the worst-hit airport, including services from Toronto, Philadelphia, Houston, Cairo and Dubai. Short-haul incoming flights to the west London airport that were cancelled included Amsterdam, Zurich and Paris. BA flights leaving Heathrow that were cancelled included services to Lisbon, Nice and Malaga. Gatwick Airport All longhaul flights to and from London Gatwick are set to operate normally. Some 16 flights to European destinations have been cancelled. A further 16 incoming flights will not operate. London City Airport All flights in and out of the airport are running as normal. Newcastle Airport Three departures and three arrivals have been cancelled. Manchester Airport Six flights to Heathrow and one to Gatwick have been cancelled. Five incoming flights from Heathrow have been cancelled. Edinburgh Airport Six departures and six arrivals have been cancelled. Glasgow Airport Seven departures and six arrivals have been cancelled. Aberdeen Airport Five departures and five arrivals have been cancelled. Jersey Airport One departure and one arrival has been cancelled. Advice for passengers Passengers whose flights have been cancelled over the three days can either apply for a refund or rebook their ticket within 355 days, subject to availability. For customers who are booked on a package holiday, with BA as the carrier, the Civil Aviation Authority says they too should be covered. BA has urged people to check its website or call its helpline on 08444 930 787 for more details on which services will be operating and what happens to affected customers. However, refunds will not be allowed unless the fare rules for that particular ticket allow. The Association of British Insurers has given the following advice: BA is responsible for flight arrangements, so discuss the options with the airline Your travel insurance policy will set out what you are covered for Cover under travel insurance for cancellation will vary. Some policies may or may not cover industrial action Further strike action Another four-day stoppage is planned from March 27 and further action is expected from mid-April unless the deadlock is broken. BA said as far as the second planned strike was concerned, it would finalise its flight arrangements early next week. Wherever you are travelling do not forget your travel insurance for a quote or to buy travel insurance go to www.holidaysafe.co.ukSource: skynews.com
St Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in America in 1737 by those of Irish descent and since then has become a holiday celebrated by all. In Ireland St. Patrick's Day is a religious holiday. Patrick was a young boy who had been taken from his home in the British Isles and forced into slavery in what is now Ireland. He eventually escaped but went back to Ireland in the hopes of converting the people there to Christianity. It is believed that he passed away on March 17 461 AD.
While March 17th is not a national holiday in America, there are plenty of parades and from early childhood many wear green on this day. It is also a wildly popular day to head to your local Irish pub and order a green beer, sing some Irish tunes, and try traditional Irish fare.
One icon that is known by all on this day is the shamrock used by St. Patrick to explain the Trinity, it is now worn by many people as a way of being festive on this holiday.
Seattle and other cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1962 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges and had the idea to turn the river green for Saint Patrick's Day. Originally 100 pounds of vegetable dye was used to turn the river green for a whole week but now only forty pounds of dye is used and the colour only lasts for several hours.
Indianapolis also dyes its main canal green. Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. Missouri University of Science and Technology - St Pat's Board Alumni paint 12 city blocks kelly green with mops before the annual parade.
Whether you are Irish or not, St. Patrick's Day is a great reason to meet up with some friends at your local pub to celebrate and drink green beer
How to pour the perfect Guinness
A perfect pint of Guinness should always be a process of two halves and should take 119.53 seconds to create.
Pour the Guinness a fraction over half way of the pint glass and allow to rest until it has settled, then and only then should you top up the remainder of the glass, if your clever enough as you reach the top draw a “shamrock”
Wherever you are in the world celebrating St Patrick’s Day or if you are travelling to Ireland this year don’t forget to buy travel insurance, for a quote or to buy travel insurance for as little as £4.00 go to www.holidaysafe.co.uk
The world cup kicks off on 11 June in South Africa, It is estimated between 430,000 – 460,00 foreign visitors will visit South Africa this summer. Unlike the last world cup in Germany, a lot of us are not aware that there are not the free medical provisions for EU citizens. It is so important that we make sure we have the correct level of cover for the countries we are travelling to, for example making sure we cover lost or stolen possessions, insolvent accommodation providers and airlines. For example if you were to break your leg in Africa, you could be facing costs of up to £15,000 in medical expenses and repatriation. It is thought after paying for flights and accommodation; many fans will try and save money on their travel insurance. Many hotels are believed to have taken over bookings, to prepare for “no show’s” so many fans may find themselves trying to book into a room that is already occupied. Wherever you are travelling, research where you are going, and make sure you are covered for all impromptu events. To buy travel insurance or to obtain a quote for this years world cup, visit www.holidaysafe.co.uk prices are from as little as £10.90 for a 5 day duration to South Africa.
We appear to have so much convenience in our lives, fast food, ready made dinners, and above all purchasing every thing via the Internet. How many times a week do we say "I'll have a look on the Internet"?
Have we become a lazy nation?, and are we ourselves to blame for the dying “High Street”?
We can
· Buy our groceries and have them delivered
· Buy clothes
· Book an Appointment
· Buy Insurance
· Book a holiday
This year many of us will be booking holidays and flights online, as it is much easier to sit in the comfort of your own home, being able to compare prices, read non bias reviews, and research where we want to go as well as where we want to fly from,usually being cheaper in price to.
We use comparison sites, which seems to be popular in this day and age,
so what will become of the high street travel agents , supermarkets etc, is everyone under threat?
A few years ago it was the small “village” shop that were threatened by the supermarket's now it seems everything is.
The Internet is a wonderful invention, but will high street shopping still be here in a few years time? It’s a wonder how we ever coped without it.
you can purchase travel insurance for as little as £9.04 for a week, to buy travel insurance or for a quote please visit /
- If you are taking your mum out for a meal or buying flowers this
Sunday 14 March , are you aware of some of the reasons why?
Here are some very interesting “Mother's Day” facts
Mothers day is also known as Mothering Sunday, or Refreshment Sunday or Mid-Lent Sunday,
Mothers day in the UK is held on the 4Th Sunday (which is the middle Sunday) of Lent. (The period of fasting before Easter
Members of the working classes were often given the weekend off in the middle part of lent to visit their families, which eventually became associated with the bringing of gifts home to their mothers, especially flowers or a fruitcake called a Simnel cake. A simnel cake is a fruit cake with Marzipan on top , usually with 12 balls on top to represent the 12 apostles who betrayed Christ.
Ingredients for Simnel cake
Ingredients
300g/10oz self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
110g/4oz butter or margarine
110g/4oz brown sugar
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
350g/12oz mixed dry fruit
2 eggs
approx. 100 ml milk to mix
700g Marzipan
2 tablespoons of icing sugar for decoration
Method:
Rub the margarine into the flour, Add all the dry ingredients i.e. sugar, spice and dried fruit. Stir well.
Add eggs and golden syrup
Add milk to form a soft mixture
Stir well and combine the rest of the ingredients
Grease a round 8 inch tin
Place half the mixture in the tin. Roll out one third of the marzipan.
Lay the marzipan on top of the mixture. Add the remaining mixture on top
Cook on gas Mark 3 `150 C 325 F for just over an hour
When Cooled for a short time turn the cake out onto a wire rack
Allow to cool thoroughly mix icing sugar and spread on the top of the fruit cake for the marzipan to stick.
Then with the remaining marzipan make up 12 balls and stick with icing sugar.
As well as a cake and flowers if you decide to take your mum away as a mother's day gift, You can buy travel insurance for as little as £9.28 for a week away to Europe including Spain for a quote or to buy travel insurance please visit /
Irritability within the office can cause a simple day’s work to become a chore and an effort.
According to a recent poll of office workers, many felt frustration at IT, irritating staff, useless printers, unproductive meetings, smelly co workers and office gossips one of the most annoying is an intolerable increase in the use of “office Jargon.”
Which may include any one of the following: Thinking outside the box
Lets touch Base
Blue-sky thinking
Blame storming (sitting down and working out whose fault something is)
Drill down to a more granular level (Look into something in more detail)
Lets not throw pies in the dark (we need a plan rather than a haphazard approach)
I’ve got that on my radar
Push the envelopes
Bring your A-game (Be ready to do something to best of ability)
Get all your ducks in a row
Go the extra yard!
Proactive
And probably one of the worst (but the best) Low-hanging fruit – (Targets or goals which are easily achievable but do not require a lot of effort.
Then we have the usual annoyances:
Crisp munchers
Loud coffee slurper’s
Annoying mobile ring tones
The bosses voice
Personal Phone calls
Keyboard tapping
Hold music on a telephone
Other frustrations are those who choose to chat on “Facebook” whilst pretending to be incredibly busy.
Some go to use the bathroom at a specific time of day, every day.
Are we right to feel so annoyed or have we all just lost patience?
Be “Proactive” and "think outside the box", when buying travel insurance visit / for the best travel Insurance
|
|
Subscribe to