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# Saturday, 31 May 2008

Jet lag can really eat into your vacation time especially if you can only get away for a short break. This article suggests that simply by not eating during the flight you should be able to rapidly adjust to a new time zone. Studies carried out on mice found that the brain has two internal clocks, one activated by light and the other activated by meal times. Apparently the daylight clock usually takes precedence so we are more sleepy at night but travelling across time zones sends this out of synch and causes jet lag. With mice, fasting means that they will forage for food outside of daylight hours. Similarly the problem of jet lag can be overcome by fasting for the plane journey, up to around 16 hours and eating when you land, helping your body adjust more quickly. Having not tried it I'm skeptical but its worth a try, plane food is usually awful anyway.

posted on Saturday, 31 May 2008 21:09:02 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 29 May 2008

BA have announced an increase in fuel surcharges on all tickets sold from Tuesday 3rd of June. The surcharge will increase by £3 per flight to £16 on short haul flights and increase by £15 per flight to £78 per flight on long haul flights. The increase comes at a time when the airlines are facing rising costs of jet fuel due to soaring oil prices. It is likely that other airlines will now follow suit.

posted on Thursday, 29 May 2008 18:55:51 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Monday, 26 May 2008

Monday the 26th is a Bank Holiday in the UK meaning there is no mail collections or deliveries. Any mail sent after close of business (5pm) on Friday 23rd of May will be posted on the next working day Tuesday 27th of May.

posted on Monday, 26 May 2008 14:23:09 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Friday, 23 May 2008

Last summers storm has meant that bathing water at beaches across the UK is more polluted. As a result the number of beaches with excellent water quality has fallen by 10% on last year. 779 beaches were tested, with 443 getting a good rating compared with 495 last year. The tests were carried out between May and September last year coinciding with the wettest British summer on record. The society has said that heavy rain would have washed sewage and animal waste into the rivers and the sea making the waters more polluted than normal. The tests also found that the number of beaches failing to meet the minimum standard has tripled from 17 to 53. If you want to find out how a beach scored before swimming you can see the results here.

posted on Friday, 23 May 2008 16:43:37 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 22 May 2008

American Airlines will bring in a charge for checked bags from the 15th of June. They will charge $15 for the first checked bag and already have a $25 charge for the second checked bag. It will also raise other fees for service such as reservation help and fees for oversized bags. The changes come because the airlines fuel costs have increased by nearly $3 billion since the start of the year. Other airlines such as United Airlines are also looking at whether to impose a fee on checked luggage. It seems checking in baggage free of charge might soon become a thing of the past.

posted on Thursday, 22 May 2008 17:49:44 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 21 May 2008

If you are planning on using your credit or debit card when you go on holiday abroad then you might want to check how much your bank charges. That's the message from some financial experts who warn that many holidaymaker's are charged much more than they expect for using their card abroad. Many banks have increased their fees for using cards abroad in the past year. These increases mean that if you withdraw £100 from a cash machine abroad you could be charged as much as £4.95 whereas spending £100 on a credit card will incur a charge of up to £3. Whilst the charges may seem relativity small if you unaware of them it can soon add up so the message is to check how much your bank charges before you go away.

posted on Wednesday, 21 May 2008 20:11:52 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Tuesday, 20 May 2008

blogoftheweek This weeks travel blogs of the week is The World Is Not Flat.

Usually when we choose a travel blog we like to make sure it has been updated regularly to ensure its current. On this occasion we have chosen a travel blog that is "frozen in time". The main purpose of The World Is Not Flat was to record the 2 years travels of Lee and Sachi LeFever. At the end of their travels they catalogued their experiences into Favourite Overall Countries, Favourite Experiences, Not So Favourite and Favourite Cities.

The blog is vast and covers travels through places such as Japan, New Zealand, China, Russia, Thailand and Portugal with a wealth of photos and articles of their experiences. From scamming tax drivers to how to deal with street hawkers in India.

posted on Tuesday, 20 May 2008 23:56:18 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Friday, 16 May 2008

It has emerged that hundreds of foreign passengers have passed through Terminal 5 without proper checks. Problems at the airport have led to confusion meaning that overseas passengers have been treated as domestic arrivals and have passed through the airport without going through immigration or customs controls. In one case passengers arriving from Libya left Heathrow without having to show their passports and there are claims that six passengers from a Tripoli flight have never been found. The security breaches occurred when shuttle drivers collected passengers from overseas flights but dropped them off at a gate meant for domestic arrivals. BA has admitted there have been a small number of incidents and have said there are aware of 10 flights where passengers were taken to the wrong gates.

posted on Friday, 16 May 2008 10:05:42 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 15 May 2008

Postal deliveries on Saturday may be discontinued under plans by the industry regulator. The proposals are part of a new plan to cut costs for Royal Mail. Under the new proposals deliveries would be reduced to five days a week and fewer first class letters would arrive the next day after they are sent. The regulator has also suggested that Royal Mail's delivery targets are lowered. A member of the  Communication Workers Union, which represents most of the Royal Mail's 130,000 delivery workers, disagreed with the proposals saying: "It is absolutely shocking for the regulator, of all people, to suggest moving from a six day service to a five day service." "We should be investing, not cutting, what was once the leading postal service in the world." The Royal Mail announced a slump in its profits this week and claimed it had lost £100 million in its last financial year from fulfilling the "universal service".

posted on Thursday, 15 May 2008 12:20:09 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Tuesday, 13 May 2008

blogoftheweek This weeks travel blog of the week is Sixintheworld, covering the travels of a family of six's year long trips around the world. The reason they decided to do the trip was to build family relationships and teach their kids that they have the power to make a difference in the world through good deeds along the way.

The site is well laid out featuring items such as the family's Itinery, Non Profit deeds and Photo collections. The family is so famous for their travels they have even been featured in national newspapers

posted on Tuesday, 13 May 2008 23:49:16 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback

British Airways has announced that it will move its long haul flights to Terminal 5 on 5 June. The move will include its services to New York, Abuja, Bangalore, Beijing, Cairo, Cape Town, Lagos and Phoenix. Flights to 40 other long haul destinations will continue to operate from terminal 4 for the time being but will be moved at a later date.

posted on Tuesday, 13 May 2008 12:10:38 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 01 May 2008

BA tickets will get more expensive because they are due to increase their fuel surcharge. Passengers on long haul routes will now pay £30 more for a return flight. The decision comes as the prices of oil continue to rise. The surcharge for short haul flights will also increase by £6 for a return flight, rising from £20 to £26. The increases will affect all tickets issued after Friday.

posted on Thursday, 01 May 2008 18:29:29 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback