This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is matadortravel. The site aims to give travellers detailed information so they can the most out of a tight schedule. It contains a number of useful destination guides written by local experts who have visited and enjoyed the places they write about. One article entitled How to Enjoy Italy on 30E Per Day looks at how to cut costs when visiting Italy. One suggestion for finding cheap lodging is using a network such as Couchsurfing. As the name suggests the network helps connect people looking for accommodation with a place to sleep and vice versa. Whilst the network is not specific to Italy, Rome currently has around 1,400 registered couch surfers so you certainly have a good chance of finding a place to stay. The article offers a few tips for eating out in Italy that could help save a bit of cash. The first is don't feel obliged to tip as the service charge is usually added to the bill. Eating at the bar rather than sitting down can also save you money as it can cost 5 times the amount of an espresso for the privilege of a seat. Other tips include staying away from restaurants close to major monuments, choosing pasta courses that will fill you up and ordering the house wine which is often cheaper than water. This is just one of many useful articles on this website, you might also want to check out How to Enjoy Paris on $100 a Day, The Best of Ireland on a Budget and 10 Things to do in Europe that will make you Smarter.

Boris Johnson has lent his support to plans to close Heathrow and build a new airport in the Thames estuary. If the idea were to go ahead it could mean a new four runway airport in the Thames estuary that could run 24 hours a day because it would not be subject to noise pollution rules which govern Heathrow flight times. The advantage would be that instead of landing and taking off over residential areas planes would fly over the North Sea causing minimal disruption compared to Heathrow. The airport would be connected to the high speed Channel tunnel rail link and would be only 35 minutes away from central London. If it were to go ahead Heathrow could be turned into a business park or used to create more housing for the area.

Ryanair will offer discounts on seats selling £5 million for just £5 each. The move is an attempt to boost demand as customers start to feel the effects of the credit crunch. The seats will be on sale during October and the first two weeks of November and the fee will include taxes and charges.

BA have suspended flights to and from Pakistan due to security fears after the bombing of a Islamabad hotel. 53 people were killed in the blast which happened at the Marriott Hotel at the weekend. No one has claimed responsability for the bomb but it thought the investigation will lead to al Qaeda and Taliban militants. British Airways have suspended its six flights a week to the country and have said "Our people at headquarters are reviewing the security situation."

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Cool Travel Guide written by Lara Dunston. The most recent article looks at Dubai on a budget. The article tries to dispel the myth that Dubai is expensive with a look at lots of stuff you can do for free. The author suggests visiting some of Dubai's museums many of which are free or only charge about one dollar. The Heritages and Diving Village also gets a mention. The village is a reconstruction of the first settlement at Shindagha and gives an insight into what Dubai used to be like. It includes barasti pal frond houses, old wooden boats and traditional performances. Another recommendation is to visit Bastakiya where you can visit some traditional Persian merchants' houses that have been restored and now house cafes, hotels and art galleries. There are lots of good ideas here which are sure to help people trying to save their hard earned cash.

Another post also on the Middle East looks at 9 reasons to love Ramadan. Although many tourists avoid visiting the Middle East during Ramadan the author points out that it can be a good time to explore during the day when the streets are usually empty. In contrast you can expect to enjoy lively nights during Ramadan as everyone breaks their fast at sunset and shares a communal meal with their families or at a mosque. Many of the hotels hold lavish Iftar buffets which are great value and are shared by Muslims and non Muslims alike. Its all good advice which should give readers an idea of what to expect when travelling during the holy month. These are just a few posts from a blog that has lots of useful articles on a wide variety of different topics, it is definitely worth adding to your RSS feed.

After much speculation BAA have put Gatwick airport up for sale. The chief executive Colin Matthews said the continuing inquiry into BAA by the competition commission was a "big chunk of the motivation" in putting Gatwick up for sale. It is expecting to receive interest from state backed investors and sovereign wealth groups such as Abu Dhabi Investment Capital, the Investment Corporation of Dubai and the Kuwait Investment Authority. Manchester Airport Group and Virgin Atlantic have also confirmed an interest in Gatwick.

Plans have been unveiled for a £400m revamp of Reading station. The plans would include five new platforms, an elevated railway, a new station entrance and a new train depot. The measures would allow more trains to run through the station and reduce delays and overcrowding. Work will start in 2010 and should be completed by 2015. The plans are being displayed at a series of exhibitions in Reading Town Hall.