Trading standards officers have been handed out leaflets at airports to warms passengers holiday makers about bogus holiday clubs. The scams involve fake Spanish holiday clubs with the tourists being lured by a tout handed out scratch cards and claiming they have won a prize. The cards are often a ruse to lure unsuspecting tourists to a high cost sales pitch. They are then persuaded to sign up for a fake holiday club that can cost thousands of ponds in membership fees. The OFT said "In most cases, consumers find they have bought little more than access to an internet booking service offering the same service they could get at a travel agent for free". Victims of the scam have lost an average of £3,030 each.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Life of Justin written by Justin Wright. The blog  looks predominately at hiking destinations within the US. One of the most recent articles looks at the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. The article gives a positive view of the caverns which can be viewed for just $6. The review helpfully mentions that there is a lift to take you down to the caverns but does not recommend using it if you can make the walk as it skips some of the best parts of the walk. Despite warnings that the hike is strenuous Justin comments that its a fairly easy hike but does recommend hiking shoes as it can be quite steep. Its all useful information and worth checking out if you are planning a visit to the caverns. The article is also illustrated with several stunning pictures such as the one on the right.

Another post deals with another very different hike. This time its backpacking at the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The interesting thing about this hike is that instead of following the path as you would normally, here you follow posts in the ground looking for the next one on the horizon and then walking towards it. Camping overnight under the stars looks to be a really cool experience and the shots of the stars in the sky are worth checking out. Overall this hike gets a favourable review.

A slightly more conventional day out looks at the Arizona Science Centre in Phoenix. As a family day out the venue gets a rather poor review which is partly down to it being fairly pricey and partly to the number of exhibits that are out of order. The initial thought here is that are too many unsupervised children and that the venue seems more like a zoo than a science center. This is obviously not a day out for people without children. The exhibits, however, are described as very cool but the science center gets a poor review because many of them are broken or have an out of order sign stuck on them. The center is also criticised for not including the special exhibits in the entrance price, if you want to see these they cost an extra $9. Overall as a family day out the costs would amount to around $92 for a family of four, the verdict is that at these prices it is simply not worth the money and you might be better off looking around for something that is a little better value. Its well worth checking out some of the other posts on this blog.

The City of Derry airport has spent more than £19 million on safety work. The money was used to extend the airport's runway with the demolition of 17 homes in nearby Donnybrewer. The British and Irish governments paid £14m towards the work with the remaining £5m being paid for by Derry City Council.

BAA has announced a £230m funding package for the Crossrail project. The scheme which will cost a total of £16bn will connect Maidenhead in Berkshire to Shenfield in Essex via Heathrow and central London. The project which received the parliamentary go ahead in July is expected to start running its first trains in 2017. The new rail route will provide four fast trains an hour Heathrow and will run direct services from Heathrow airport though central London, the City and Canary Wharf. It will also mean creating new stations Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and the Isle of Dogs. The 74-mile route (118.5km) will be underground for 26 miles (41.5km) and allow for stops at 38 stations.

Profits at Ryanair have fallen 47% in the first half of the financial year. The fall has been put down to a doubling in the price of fuel. Although oil prices have since fallen Ryanair still expects to make a loss within the last six months of the financial year. Despite the fall in profits customer numbers have continued to grow with numbers being up 19% between April and September. Chief Executive Mr O'Leary has said that if oil prices remain below $80 a barrel that profits will recover.

The budget airline Ryanair will offer flights to the US for just eight pounds under a new scheme. The airline will buy planes from struggling rivals as part of a plan to beat the recession. Under the plans Ryanair will buy an additional 50 aircraft in an effort to try and undercut more expensive rivals. The cheap flights are likely to be available by the end of the year and will be available for those who book early. Airport taxes will be payable on top of the ticket price. Flights are expected to be available from Stanstead and Dublin to New York, Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Travelsphere. The blog contains a number of useful articles both destination specific and general travel tips. One article entitled 7 Top Tips to Pack Light and Right looks at how to pack less and so save money on checking in multiple bags. The tips include planning your outfits around your shoes as shoes take up valuable space in your suitcase. It suggests starting with two or three pairs of shoes that you will be taking and then working your outfits around these, rather than packing an extra pair of shoes just because they go well with a particular pair of trousers. The article also suggests packing neutral colours like black, white and cream and adding a few brightly coloured tops and accessories to liven them up, after all there is no point packing a lime green top if it doesn't go with any of the other item in your suitcase, the chances are it will come back unworn. Packing low maintenance fabrics can also save you space, the article suggests choosing fabrics such as nylon that don't wrinkle easily. Not only do they not crease as easily as linen but they can also be rolled up into a ball to save on that much needed space.

Another useful article looks at the Top Ten Way to Travel Cheaply and Stick to a Budget. This post is aimed predominately at first time backpackers. The tips include swapping items with other backpackers if you no longer need them, travelling overnight to save money on accommodation a purchasing discount cards. Other suggestions include opting for shared accommodation such as shared dormitories and where ever possible walking rather than using public transport. Its all great advice and just a taste of what you will find on this blog. Its definitely worth checking out the other articles if you are planning trip abroad.

Travelodge will open 22 new hotels before Christmas. The hotel chain is benefiting from the credit crunch as people seek lower cost accommodation. Travelodge will spend £125m on the new hotels which are part of its plans to increase its number to 1,000 hotels by 2020. The move will create 450 jobs. Travelodge already has 339 hotels in the UK and 11 overseas.

The budget airline Sterling has collapsed because of financial problems. Two flights to Billund in Denmark were scrapped at Gatwick airport as well as three to Copenhagen and one to Stockholm. The carrier has warned people that have booked direct through the website that they will not get a refund. Around 500 to 700 passengers are thought to be affected. Those who have booked by credit card have been told to contact their credit card company.