Europe & Beyond

A day in London will feel like a minute. There is just so much to see and do. Perhaps one of the best ways to visit the city is on the London Eye. Despite being only a decade old, the London Eye has quickly gained fame all over the world. Just imagine staring out over London from the world’s tallest Ferris wheel…..it is the perfect place for a romantic proposal of marriage or the grand ending to a wonderful holiday in London.

If you don’t have a lot of time on your hands to visit every tourist attraction, you can see everything in one go by taking a flight on the London Eye. All you need to do is book cheap flights to London and then get cheap tickets online for the London Eye. It is easy…

The London Eye Flight takes around 30 minutes and each glass-enclosed gondola which forms the wheel can hold up to 25 people. From the glass box you will see famous landmarks such as Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace. For a more exclusive flight you can book a private capsule or romantic Champagne Flight and guided tour.

NB the animation shown here is much faster than the Eye’s actual speed – animated image credit http://www.barnabu.co.uk/london-eye-millennium-wheel-animation/

Cheap and convenient: why annual travel insurance is often the way to go

With the vast majority of British Airways cabin crew voting to take strike action once again in March in a move to protest proposed working condition changes and staff cuts, the importance of having a solid travel insurance policy in place before travel has once again been underlined.

But while holidaymakers are often on the ball when it comes to shopping around for the best single-trip travel insurance quotes, they often miss another, often more economical, option. While discount deals on single-trip insurance can often be incredibly tempting, for certain travellers taking out an annual travel insurance policy would work out better.

For those people who make more than a couple of trips a year, annual travel insurance will often come in significantly cheaper than buying several single-trip policies. It’s worth adding up the amount you spent on insurance for your last few trips and comparing it to a competitive quote for an annual policy; there are larger savings to be made than you might think.

The other huge advantage of annual travel insurance, of course, is simply the convenience of not having to organise a new policy each and every time you travel. This is invaluable for the more spontaneous crowd, who want to be able to take a city break over a long weekend at the drop of a hat without having to worry too much about meticulous planning.

With an annual travel insurance policy in place, you can simply book the tickets, pack your bags and head to the airport. Taking several spontaneous trips in a year using single-trip travel insurance, on the other hand, will soon add up to a big extra expense.

Naturally, annual travel insurance isn’t always the best choice. If you’re not completely certain that you’ll be making several trips in the coming 12 months then it might be worth hanging fire and just making sure that you search for the best single-trip insurance deal on an ad-hoc basis every time you travel.

And while annual travel insurance can often cover everything offered by single-trip insurance, there are some insurance requirements, such as extreme sports cover, that are sometimes not included in general annual policies – or if they are, the associated price jump no longer makes it a valid option. It’s always worth checking all of your options though, as specialist providers will likely be able to match your requirements at a price that suits you.

As always, do your research before making any concrete decisions. Surround yourself with as much information as possible when choosing whether to go down the annual policy route or to stick with single-trip insurance. There are plenty of good deals out there on both sides of the coin, so find the best option for you.

Jerez Horse Fair – Feriade caballo

2-9 May 2010

One of Jerez’s biggest fiestas is the annual Feriade caballo – the Jerez Horse Fair, the most prestigious equine heritage event in Spain, which showcases the region’s finely bred horses. Jerez is well known as an equine centre, and is the home of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art – a riding school of comparable status to Vienna’s world-famous Spanish Riding School.

Travelling to Jerez and getting around Andalucia

Only a few budget airlines fly direct to Jerez – the airport is an ex military air base – so most visitors will fly to the Andalucian city of Malaga and hire a car or take the train eastwards to Jerez.  Be warned central Jerez has narrow winding old streets that offer little parking should you choose the option of car hire Spain.

Jerez Fireworks

A spectacular firework display marks the start of the festival late in the evening on Sunday 2 May, followed by 6 days of celebrations.

Lit with fairy lights at the city’s Gónzalez Hontoria Park, the colourful show features a fairground and shows celebrating many of the region’s richest cultural traditions: parades of horses and elaborate carriages, spontaneous Flamenco performances, and stalls selling delicious regional cuisine.

Visit http://www.jerez.es for further information about Jerez.