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# Monday, 28 April 2008

After 40 years the Wrexham to London Marylebone train service has resumed. The service will run five times a day and will re-establish a direct link to Shropshire, Walsall and London. The train stops at ten stations between Wrexham and London. Although only 11 passengers used the service today it is hoped that demand will grow as word spreads.

posted on Monday, 28 April 2008 19:10:25 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Sunday, 27 April 2008

blogoftheweek_thumbThis weeks travel blog of the week is The Edmeads Family Adventures. The blogs charts the adventures of a family of four as they travel around the world on a year long trip. The unusual thing about this blog is that the family includes two young children of 4 and 7 years old.

Thailand_A__08__17_The blog starts off showing the preparations for the journey including the vaccinations before  they set off and all the items they need to pack to take with them. One of the Thailand_A___120408more recent posts sees the family visiting the Similan Islands in Thailand. A protected national park the islands have a wealth of interesting wildlife including turtles. The family slept in a camouflaged tent on the beach for the night (pictured left) and the next day were lucky enough to go swimming with turtles, much to the delight of the children.

This blog has many more interesting posts, illustrated with great pictures and is certainly proof that travelling the world with kids is not only possible but also an enjoyable experience for all.

posted on Sunday, 27 April 2008 23:10:56 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 24 April 2008
It appears that you can’t always rely on your Sat Nav. One mini bus driver following directions from his sat nav system managed to end up in the river. He was on his way to collect a fare in King’s Lynn when the sat nav directed him into the River Nar. Trusting the device, the cab driver kept going until he couldn’t go any further.

posted on Thursday, 24 April 2008 14:17:36 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Sunday, 20 April 2008

blogoftheweek_thumbThis weeks travel blog of the week is The Perrin Post written by Wendy Perrin. This blog is particularly useful because it deals with several issues that have been in the news recently, such as what to do when your flight is delayed or when you are stranded at the airport. 

One useful post entitled top ten things to do when you are stranded at an airport has useful advice on how to amuse children if your flight is delayed. It includes suggestions such as using cots and blankets to make a fort and building towers out of packs of Starburst Fruit Chews. Another useful post includes advice on what you are entitled to if you are bumped from your flight and another post has ten ways to keep your children occupied on a plane without toys. It includes games such as "what shape is that cloud" and a "find the city" game which you can play using the air route map, as well as other advice to buy a drink for the other passengers within earshot. Its all very useful and should make travelling with children a little bit easier.

posted on Sunday, 20 April 2008 13:59:11 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Friday, 18 April 2008
Figures released by the Civil Aviation Authority have shown that passengers that use Heathrow airport suffer longer delays that at any other British airport. The figures also showed that flights left on average 21 minutes late. In contrast Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris experiences average delays of just 15 minutes despite the fact they operate more flights.

posted on Friday, 18 April 2008 18:55:48 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 17 April 2008
Some travel insurance policies will no longer offer cover for baggage that is lost at Terminal 5. Direct Line and Churchill have decided to exclude baggage loss and delays from any new insurance policies. Policies that have already been brought will not be affected so any customers with annual cover would still be entitled to a pay out. Many other insurers including including Norwich Union, Saga and direct travel cover provider InsureandGo are still offering cover.

posted on Thursday, 17 April 2008 14:23:40 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Lonely Planet has denied recent claims by one of its authors that he made up large sections of content. The writer Thomas Kohnstamm has claimed that he sold drugs to supplement his income, made up content and didn’t even visit one of the countries he wrote about. He claims that he plagiarized work from other publications and accepted gifts whilst working on researching the guide. There have also been claims that some authors do not check facts or review hotels and restaurants in person, because they are not paid enough to do so. The claims are made in Thomas Kohnstamm’s book entitled Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? which is published this month. Lonely Planet stands by the integrity and reliability of its books and says “His claims are not an accurate reflection on our authors, who are enthusiastic, hard working and take immense pride in their jobs. This is just one guy making these allegations.”

posted on Wednesday, 16 April 2008 16:37:54 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
Gareth Kirkwood the director of operations and David Noyes the director of customer service are leaving BA. The airline will not comment on whether they have been fired or have resigned but BA did say "The airline is looking to appoint a chief operations officer to combine both roles.” It is not clear whether the departures are connected with the recent problems with the opening of Heathrow’s Terminal 5.

posted on Wednesday, 16 April 2008 16:26:58 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Eurostar has reported a 21% increase in passengers in the first three months of the year. 2.17 million customers travelled between London, Paris and Brussels during this period, an increase of 21.3% on the same period in 2007. The companys commercial director has put the increases down to shorter journey times and more customers from around Britain now that the service has moved to St Pancras.

posted on Tuesday, 15 April 2008 17:41:14 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback