The Mayor Boris Johnson has announced that bus and underground fares in London will increase by 6% in the new year. Some fares will be cut, with the introduction of a new off peak rate which is aimed at encouraging people to travel after 09.30. There will also be a new half price travel scheme for people on income support, the elderly and war veterans. The rise in fares will go towards helping to fund projects such as Crossrail and the improvements needed for the London Olympics.

A train company has some up with an idea to shut off the trains engines on downhill sections of the route to save money. First Transpennine Express has said the move will save around 7% of its fuel consumption without compromising customer comfort. It works because its trains have multiple engines. They can operate on one, two or three engines but one engine can be shut down on downhill stretches allowing the train to run on just two and so save energy.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Gadling. The blog covers a wide variety of travel related issues. One article deals with using the Internet on your phone whilst you are abroad. The author points out that you need to remember to turn off the international data roaming on your phone when abroad because it can be hugely expensive. It cites a few examples where people have managed to run up large charges without realising how much they will be paying. Using a 3G phone like the iPhone can easily run up charges of around $60 a minute according to the article, a very costly mistake just to access a few emails.

Another post looks at travelling with your pets. The article starts with looking at what trips are possible when travelling with pets. The key, it seems is research before you go. The article suggests calling the hotel rather than booking online, that way you can make sure you can organise a pet friendly room. You should ask for a list of restrictions and policies regarding pets and inquire about any perks that may be offered such as dog beds, treats and water bowls. The article also deals with taking your pet abroad and includes tips of what to pack so that it has a comfortable journey. It also suggests booking your pets flight early and calling to confirm that your pet is actually coming a few days before the flight. It also recommends arriving at the airport early in case of any problems. Its all useful stuff and certainly worth a read before taking your pet on vacation.

A confused Swedish woman checked herself in at Stockholm's Arlanda airport after misinterpreting instructions. The 78 year old lady checked in her suitcase and then climbed on the belt after it. She arrived in the baggage handling bay where she was rescued by surprised airport staff. The woman suffered no injuries and managed to get her flight on time. Perhaps this conveyor belt system could be a way of speeding up the check in process.

XL Airways have become the latest carrier to announce cut backs due to rising fuel costs. The airline has announced that it will cancel all flights to the Caribbean from November. It blames rising costs and the falling popularity of those routes and will affect flights to Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Barbados and Grenada. Travel operators will now have to find replacement flights for hundreds of customers who have already booked. Customers who have a flight booked from November are advised to contact their tour operator.

A solar powered spy plane has set an unofficial record for the longest continuous unmanned flight. The British built planes called the Zephyr stayed in the air for 82 hours and 37 minutes. It is powered by solar panels and a rechargeable battery for flying at night. The aircraft's designers believe that in the future the aircraft will be able to fly for weeks or months at a time.

Automatic number plate recognition scanners are being installed at Manchester Airport as part of increased security measures. Five of the cameras will be installed at the airport. They will be able to read around 500,000 number plates a day providing an extra level of security and allowing police to check whether there is any reason to investigate vehicles at the airport.

More than 40 post offices are likely to close in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. If the plans do go ahead 29 post offices will shut completely and 13 will be replaced by an outreach service. The proposed closures are subject to a six week consultation process during which the public will have a chance to put forward their views. A full list of the proposed closures is available here.

This weeks Travel blog of the Week is Package Holiday written by Ian Sims. The blog  aims to help people find the best package holiday deals. Whilst the blog is relatively new it already contains some useful articles and reviews on various package holiday destinations. The most recent article looks at package holidays to the Greek islands and more specifically to Kefalonia. It includes links to useful websites that are worth checking out before you go away such as Trip Advisor which offers reviews from real travellers. The article also gives an informative review of the package holiday offered through First Choice Holidays. The hotel called the Nine Muses gets a favourable review for being clean and modern and close to the beach. The author also highlights some nearby attractions in Scala which are worth checking out. The only disappointment appears to be that he was not invited aboard Tom Cruise's yacht which was anchored nearby. 

Other articles on the blog give reviews of travel related websites. One such website that I have not come across before is Sidestep a US based site that Ian recommends for finding flights. Although the site is US based he points out that it offers flights to and from any destination so is just as useful for people who live outside of the states. The website gets a good review for being easy to use. It also gets the thumbs up for useful features that it offers such as email alerts on the best deals for your destination and the fact that it saves your holiday dates for the next time you use the website, so you don't need to input them again. This blog offers more than a simple review of the package holiday itself, it goes beyond that and reviews the whole travel experience from booking and researching the holiday before travelling, to the journey and destination itself. Its certainly a useful resource and it worth checking out further.