Great ‘cheap when you get there holiday destinations’ hunt

NafUk

David_Bicker wrote: »

Ok ok, slightly off topic is this little "discussion" but I'm going to add my opinion....travelling accross Europe by air actually emits less CO2 per person that most other modes of transport. Yes - this doesnt necessarlily hold true for long haul travel as air is often the only (sensible in terms of time) way to get there.

But, Tony_H has it right - air travel globally emits way way less pollution than any of the super powers.....so stop picking on the easy target of air travel and get out there and see the world!!

Please don't use opinions, please use facts. Flying in Europe emits more per mile than flying long haul since the take of and landing, which use a lot more fuel than cruising, are a larger percentage of the flight time. See http://www.chooseclimate.org/flying/mf.html

For the people who are environmentally conscientious and thus not totally selfish, there are many other people who are considerate to the environment and future generations so please do not feel too disheartened by the neolithic comments posted here.

Just because you can do something does not make it correct. Do you really think flying to New York for the weekend to go shopping is a good thing?

Also, as far as emissions, planes currently produce 10% but this is set to rise to 25%, When you consider the chemistry of their total emissions (not just CO2) and where the emissions are made this makes matters a lot worse. A person flying uses approximately the same amount of fuel as a car driving the same distance. If you have 5 people in the car you use 5 times less fuel. Then there is all the infrastructure of flying - buildings, planes, personnel etc. etc.

As for new fuel efficient planes, the configuration of the them means they are less efficient than the old 747. Also, the comparisons they use from the past were the very old fuel inefficient planes. Some turbo prop planes from the past were more efficient than current jets. New technology may see this design returning instead of jets (their servicing intervals/down time has been improved).

As for carbon offsetting, this is a temporary measure since when the trees die they release the CO2. This also has side effects such as narrowing diversification, salination of soils, species decline etc. Carbon offsetting does have its uses since the climate is so out of control that these temporary measures may be needed.

I'm not sure what "super powers" have to do with improving the future. Imporovements will only be done by people, not governments. For example, if we waited for governments or the church to improve things slavery would still be around. Don't pass the buck, do it yourself.

Just remember that things never change for the good via agreeable people. One has to disagree with the norm to start change.

beckyboop_2

Myself and a load of workmates went to Benidorm in june. We set ourselves a task of how cheaply we could have a good night out. We started in our apt with some cheap plonk. Then we headed down to the square which houses all the niteclubs. They all offer you a free drink to entice you in. We would go in, drink their free cocktail or shot and move on to the next club. Once we were done (and drunk) we bought a few of our own and it cost us 4 euro 90 cents for the night!!!
Benidorm beach is lovely but they charge you 4 euros for a lounger and the same for a umbrella. So just buy a good lilo and also a brolly (about 8 euro and surprisingly light to carry) you send up saving a small fortune.

Also if your self catering make sure you dont pack many clothes but stash away food especially stuff that can be pricey over there like tea, coffee. Even bananas can go in your hand luggage!!! Always have a look around at the cafes and pubs, theres some cracking cheap places in Benidorm as there is so many of them they are in constant competition with eachother. Beware the pubs with live entertainment as you will pay much more for your drinks.

I hope this helps someone.
This is my first post lol!!!

Tony_H_6

Please don't use opinions, please use facts. Flying in Europe emits more per mile than flying long haul since the take of and landing, which use a lot more fuel than cruising, are a larger percentage of the flight time. See http://www.chooseclimate.org/flying/mf.html

No one said this wasnt the case, actually.

For the people who are environmentally conscientious and thus not totally selfish, there are many other people who are considerate to the environment and future generations so please do not feel too disheartened by the neolithic comments posted here.

There is nothing selfish about being able and choosing to travel anywhere you want to. People do it because they can, simple as that. We dont all have to think about the environment 24/7 just because some other people do.

Just because you can do something does not make it correct. Do you really think flying to New York for the weekend to go shopping is a good thing?

Nothing wrong with that, if you can afford it. Mind you, I bet the jet lag is a killer...!!!

Also, as far as emissions, planes currently produce 10% but this is set to rise to 25%, When you consider the chemistry of their total emissions (not just CO2) and where the emissions are made this makes matters a lot worse. A person flying uses approximately the same amount of fuel as a car driving the same distance. If you have 5 people in the car you use 5 times less fuel. Then there is all the infrastructure of flying - buildings, planes, personnel etc. etc.

Unfortunately, you cant take a car to New York, or Santorini, in case you didnt know.

As for new fuel efficient planes, the configuration of the them means they are less efficient than the old 747. Also, the comparisons they use from the past were the very old fuel inefficient planes. Some turbo prop planes from the past were more efficient than current jets. New technology may see this design returning instead of jets (their servicing intervals/down time has been improved).

Its true more consideration is being given to turbo prop planes now. And you cant compare the efficiency of a wide bodies plane like an old 747 to the smaller shuttle planes used by most airlines, next gen 737s, Airbus', etc, as the whole point is these smaller planes fly to places that the larger ones cant, and anyway they wouldnt fill the seats if they did use them, so pointless comment.

As for carbon offsetting, this is a temporary measure since when the trees die they release the CO2. This also has side effects such as narrowing diversification, salination of soils, species decline etc. Carbon offsetting does have its uses since the climate is so out of control that these temporary measures may be needed.

I'm not sure what "super powers" have to do with improving the future. Imporovements will only be done by people, not governments. For example, if we waited for governments or the church to improve things slavery would still be around. Don't pass the buck, do it yourself.

Its the likes of the Chinese and US governments, who cause more problems environmentally than anyone else, who can choose to do something about it, but they choose not to. A few individuals saying "I am not going to fly to help the environment" wont actually mean a thing, as like I said, those flights will continue to fly. I want to ski, and I want to sit on the beach in the Greek Islands, therefore I have to fly. Many people have to fly for their businesses too. We cant all run our cars on rubbish, cow pooh, or fresh air.....

Just remember that things never change for the good via agreeable people. One has to disagree with the norm to start change.

One is also entitled to fly if one wants to, or run 3 car in ones family if the need arises. Thanks.

Aymeric

Hi marluc,

I like to use singapore airline as they are the fastest (only one short transit in singapore, after that usually direct to most main cities in Indonesia). You can book directly from their website, usually cheapest. There are many other airlines cheaper than sing air, e.g. Emirates, Qatar etc, but they usually involve several transits, great only if you want to have stop-overs. Expedia, e-bookers and opodo sometimes have cheap deals too.

Best time to go there is (for me anyway) in UK's spring time or early summer, as it's just the end of the rainy season, so not yet too hot (dry season there can be very hot).

My sister in law went for their honeymoon to Sulawesi, and she loves the place so much she had to go there again. So she went again few years back. She used local agent (she's french, so, agent in france) to arrange for everything there.

My personal view is, it's best to avoid the most touristic area in Indonesia, so try to go anywhere apart from Java and Bali, but even if you have to go to Bali, don't spend too much time in the south, go up north where it's more peaceful. If you want to explore Java (which is actually very rich in culture) try to go to the small villages, or better still get local acquaintances, they are likely to invite you to visit their place. If you go to small villages, the locals will serve you like a king if you speak a bit of Indonesian (terima kasih = thank you, selamat pagi = good morning etc).

Finally, if you have nowhere to start, have a look at indonesian embassy website for a quick overview of what and where, also links to some travel agents. http://www.indonesianembassy.org.uk/tourism.html

Oh btw, the expensive part of your holiday will only be your flight, after that, everything is unbelievably cheap there.

Hope you have a lovely holiday

marluc wrote: »

Hi Sam Bee.
Just wondered who you booked flights and accommodation with? It sounds an amazing area. We're looking for somewhere "special" next summer for our 10th wedding anniversary.
Thanks in advance.:beer:

marluc

Aymeric wrote: »

Hi marluc,

I like to use singapore airline as they are the fastest (only one short transit in singapore, after that usually direct to most main cities in Indonesia). You can book directly from their website, usually cheapest. There are many other airlines cheaper than sing air, e.g. Emirates, Qatar etc, but they usually involve several transits, great only if you want to have stop-overs. Expedia, e-bookers and opodo sometimes have cheap deals too.

Best time to go there is (for me anyway) in UK's spring time or early summer, as it's just the end of the rainy season, so not yet too hot (dry season there can be very hot).

My sister in law went for their honeymoon to Sulawesi, and she loves the place so much she had to go there again. So she went again few years back. She used local agent (she's french, so, agent in france) to arrange for everything there.

My personal view is, it's best to avoid the most touristic area in Indonesia, so try to go anywhere apart from Java and Bali, but even if you have to go to Bali, don't spend too much time in the south, go up north where it's more peaceful. If you want to explore Java (which is actually very rich in culture) try to go to the small villages, or better still get local acquaintances, they are likely to invite you to visit their place. If you go to small villages, the locals will serve you like a king if you speak a bit of Indonesian (terima kasih = thank you, selamat pagi = good morning etc).

Finally, if you have nowhere to start, have a look at indonesian embassy website for a quick overview of what and where, also links to some travel agents. http://www.indonesianembassy.org.uk/tourism.html

Oh btw, the expensive part of your holiday will only be your flight, after that, everything is unbelievably cheap there.

Hope you have a lovely holiday

Hi Aymeric
Many thanks for your detailed information.
Our anniversary is 9th August, so that is when we will be away. We went on honeymoon to the Maldives and it rained every day. We are not bothered about the weather, we just want to see some amazing sites and meet local people rather than other tourists, if you know what I mean.:beer:

MetMetCookie

zipman23 wrote: »

I'm glad you said that! 6 of us have just booked up to go to Sharm-el-Sheikh next June, 14 nights AI for £600. I dunno if thats cheap or not or of its the fact that its ages away so got a while to pay for it but I like it! Its gonna be off the hook!

Egypt is definately a cheap destination, I came back money left over!

£600 is the typical price that you pay if you go through travel agents etc but anyone who is looking into going to Sharm el Sheikh should seriously consider going independently - this is what we did and we ended up paying 14 nights AI for £385 each (3 of us) in a 5 star hotel for this June (10th-24th)... and we only booked about 2 or 3 months in advanced!!! We initially booked a triple at the Sunrise Island Garden Resort (also 5*) but got upgraded (for FREE) to triple room at the Sunrise Island View Resort which we booked online at www.sunshine.co.uk. This is the better sister hotel which has its own private beach but Garden Resort is only round the corner. Hotel itself was flawless and because AI we only ate out a few times, but food is extremely well priced in Egpyt - a typical Egyptian restaurant in Nama Bay (the touristy area) cos less than £10 pr head including drinks etc and portions are massive. But you could get cheaper. Typical international chains (KFC, Pizza Hut etc) are much cheaper then here in UK.

We flew with Easyjet who were to be honest fine - ok no food onboard extortionate, just eat at the airport before you fly and buy some food in duty free to take on with you. They even played a film (In Her Shoes) i think. The cost of flights were £224 each and the total cost of the hotel for 2 weeks was £485 (£161 per person!) - bargain or what???

When u get to egypt you can easily get taxi to the resort, dont pay anymore than £10 they'll try to charge you £15 but realistically the price is £7! (to Sharks Bay anyway) .... taxis are cheap in Egypt costs around £4 to get from Sharks Bay to Naama Bay or Old Sharm...

We did so much during our stay and total spending money was approx £250 for 2 weeks!!! We did quad biking (£15), climbing Mount Sinai & St. Catherine's Monastry (£15-£20), day trip to Tiran (£8-£10), Paragliding (£17), Snorkelling on private beach (£5 hire of snorkels all day and better underwater life than on Tiran), Aquapark (highly recommended, £18 including lunch!), day trip to Cairo via bus (£25 - yes i said £25! but pay bit more and book through your hotel), Bedioun Night (£15)


Be careful of booking in places in Naama Bay and DO NOT book with Cataract Travel (said Nile Cruise was included in day trip to Cairo and it wasn't (but only about £7 anyway!) or anybody who approaches you and takes you into their office (they dont even hav a name but work from a shisha cafe in naama bay) - so much trouble with their trips!!! jus book with people around your hotel!

Wanted a trip to Jerusalem but they only catered for Russians.. don't know why!

Egypt is definately value for money but make sure you take advantage to go and see some real culture and not stay in the touristy bits! Trips to Luxor from Sharm are also good value for money we just didn't have time. Any questions feel free to ask me!!!!

David_Bicker

Please don't use opinions, please use facts. Flying in Europe emits more per mile than flying long haul since the take of and landing, which use a lot more fuel than cruising, are a larger percentage of the flight time. See http://www.chooseclimate.org/flying/mf.html

No one said this wasnt the case, actually.

I did use facts. I wasnt saying that flying long haul was better than short haul. I based my comment on something I read in the easyJet inflight magazine recently - not sure they would away with printing something to be untrue to be honest.

For the people who are environmentally conscientious and thus not totally selfish, there are many other people who are considerate to the environment and future generations so please do not feel too disheartened by the neolithic comments posted here.

There is nothing selfish about being able and choosing to travel anywhere you want to. People do it because they can, simple as that. We dont all have to think about the environment 24/7 just because some other people do.

I agree Tony_H - I'm hoping that the poster is not saying that I am totally selfish just because I want to go on holiday. If you are then thats just totally out of order. I am environmentally concious and considerate to the environment, demonstrated by the choice of car, recycling, choice of other products I purchase.

Just because you can do something does not make it correct. Do you really think flying to New York for the weekend to go shopping is a good thing?

Nothing wrong with that, if you can afford it. Mind you, I bet the jet lag is a killer...!!!

Didn't say it made it correct.

Also, as far as emissions, planes currently produce 10% but this is set to rise to 25%, When you consider the chemistry of their total emissions (not just CO2) and where the emissions are made this makes matters a lot worse. A person flying uses approximately the same amount of fuel as a car driving the same distance. If you have 5 people in the car you use 5 times less fuel. Then there is all the infrastructure of flying - buildings, planes, personnel etc. etc.

Unfortunately, you cant take a car to New York, or Santorini, in case you didnt know.

Here here. If using the plane emits the same as a car (as you say above) then what's your beef about using the plane anyway!!??

As for new fuel efficient planes, the configuration of the them means they are less efficient than the old 747. Also, the comparisons they use from the past were the very old fuel inefficient planes. Some turbo prop planes from the past were more efficient than current jets. New technology may see this design returning instead of jets (their servicing intervals/down time has been improved).

Its true more consideration is being given to turbo prop planes now. And you cant compare the efficiency of a wide bodies plane like an old 747 to the smaller shuttle planes used by most airlines, next gen 737s, Airbus', etc, as the whole point is these smaller planes fly to places that the larger ones cant, and anyway they wouldnt fill the seats if they did use them, so pointless comment.

I wanst trying to compare short haul and long haul travel, as I said. Agreed Tony_H.

As for carbon offsetting, this is a temporary measure since when the trees die they release the CO2. This also has side effects such as narrowing diversification, salination of soils, species decline etc. Carbon offsetting does have its uses since the climate is so out of control that these temporary measures may be needed.

I'm not sure what "super powers" have to do with improving the future. Imporovements will only be done by people, not governments. For example, if we waited for governments or the church to improve things slavery would still be around. Don't pass the buck, do it yourself.

Its the likes of the Chinese and US governments, who cause more problems environmentally than anyone else, who can choose to do something about it, but they choose not to. A few individuals saying "I am not going to fly to help the environment" wont actually mean a thing, as like I said, those flights will continue to fly. I want to ski, and I want to sit on the beach in the Greek Islands, therefore I have to fly. Many people have to fly for their businesses too. We cant all run our cars on rubbish, cow pooh, or fresh air.....

Governments are people. They run the country. They make the policies. It's not passing the buck, its just fact. People are green - like me - in other ways. The Americans often make my skin crawl with their needless 5 litre engine cars (as do the Chelsea Tractor drivers in the UK). Ban them = instant emissions reduction.

Just remember that things never change for the good via agreeable people. One has to disagree with the norm to start change.

One is also entitled to fly if one wants to, or run 3 car in ones family if the need arises. Thanks.

...and one is also entitled to do their bit for the environment their own way. Thanks.

jtz

dmg24 wrote: »

Marrakech! x

I'd definitely say this is a good cheap holiday! food is cheap and many attractions are free! Just make sure your hotel is not too far away from the main attractions or you'll be forking out for taxi rides. Also reccommend a day trip to the waterfall....sorry can't remember the name...definitely worthwhile and can be very cheap if you have a taxi driver you are friendly with and would spend the day for you to get there and back.

Roger_Rampant

Rosip wrote: »

Not true. Demand drives supply - it just takes a little time to percolate through. Stop filling the planes and the planes will stop flying. It's the nature of commerce. That's why boycotts do work.

Or maybe they will start using smaller planes, which are less environmentally friendly... :rotfl:

satay30

I have to say that although the airfares were higher this year. There were some great offers around for villas. Seems that many owners were struggling because when I emailed a few from rentinspain asking them if they could offer a reduced rate as I was booking late the all came back with an affirmative. Saved £50. Better than nothing eh?