Tips on how to retire early and travel full time on a low budget

Getting started with House Sitting

2019-05-24T18:25:00.004+01:00

We've done a number of house sits over the years but all in Australia and for friends or friends of friends.

As we like being with animals and occasionally enjoy living in a house this works well.

So why would someone want you to stay in their house for free whilst they go away?

Many homeowners don't have to put their beloved pets into care and prefer to have people visit and not only care for the pets but also look after their home.

Having a spell without a motorhome we decided to explore our options or more house sitting and signed up to Trusted Housesitters as recommended by a friend.

Not all websites have fees but we quickly realised that the ones you pay for have more people using them and a better overall website. Lets face it in the whole scheme of things you only have to house sit for a couple of nights to recoup your money.

You can even SAVE 25% ON YOUR FIRST SIGN UP BY CLICKING THE LINK ABOVE.

So you've signed up and need to get going.

Create a profile all about yourself and your interactions with animals. Be sure to include as many picture as possible of you with different animals. Also explain a little about why you want to house sit and yourself in general.

Get references from as many people as possible, the best ones are from people whose pets you have looked after but other vouching for you as being honest and trustworthy.

Now get searching. As always I like to cast the net wide and then narrow it down if it brings up too many options.

I quickly learnt that that some sitters like to wait for many applications before deciding who they want.

Others take a long time to reply whilst some reply almost instantly and if you are not on line to respond then they go to someone else.

We wanted a house sit in the summer for 1 - 2 months somewhere warm. Cats or dogs were our preferred choice but poultry, small animals and fish would have been fine too. Check out all the different filters you can apply to get better results.

We ended up with a number of options, in South Korea, Canada and USA.

READ THE PROFILES CAREFULLY before applying and remember to include some facts that show you have done so. For example the place we ended up house sitting clearly said it was in a retirement village and you had to be over 55 years old. They had many responses but ours was the first to acknowledge this and to be of the correct age.

Research the area of the house sit in relation to the duration, time of year and what you may want to do in the area.

Figure out how to get there, if you need to hire a car and look at those costs.

I mention this when I apply so they know we are serious.

For our first sit I had positive replies from all but one of my applications (and that was because I was not on line frequently enough to respond to a question from them).

I then began studying in greater detail and bit by bit eliminated some of them.

My next step was to write to the one we liked best and officially reply but also to ask for confirmation within a week.

We didn't get a reply so went on to our second choice with the same type of message and within a couple of days had an affirmative.

Over the next week we communicated and got to know each other a little and agreed the deal. (During this time I did get a reply from 1st choice but decided to go ahead with 2nd choice).

So here we are house sitting in an over 55's area of Arizona. We have 2 lovely cats to care for and must be home to feed them in the morning when we get up and around 5pm or 6pm for their supper.

We clean out the cat litter, brush them, clip their nails and give them love and attention.

The rest of the time is ours. Car hire would have cost over £1000 so we negotiated for them to lend us a car and paid to cover their insurance and wear and tear.

Most properties in the area belong to a homeowners association giving people access to over a dozen recreation centres. We've been able to go to swimming pools, hot tubs, join card groups and have many other options available.

It's for 11 weeks which is a bit longer than we were looking for and may be longer than what we will do in the future but for a first sit we are delighted.

So much so that we have locked in one in England a week after we leave this. Next time it will be 2 poodles so from that we should learn whether we prefer cats or dogs or like to mix it around.

Neither house sits are in places we specifically wanted to go to but we are open minded and always find things to do wherever we are.

TRAVELLING LIGHT - FOR WOMEN

2019-04-13T17:50:00.001+01:00

JUST SOLD - OUR MOTORHOME IN EUROPE

2018-10-24T09:15:00.002+01:00

NOW SOLD

FOR SALE 2013 DETHLEFFS ESPRIT T7150EB COMFORT MODEL £43000

Inspired to return and do another trip to USA and Canada we are selling our motorhome “Georgie”.

Available with free delivery within Europe after a 10% deposit has been paid.

This luxury German model is a low-profile 4 berth on a Fiat Ducato 2.3 diesel engine, service record and MOT each year. It has an alko chassis and fully winterised with a double insulated floor. Registered as 3.5ton it can be driven on a regular licence. Perfect for driving in Europe as it is left hand drive and also has cruise control and reversing camera.

Excellent fuel consumption returning 30 miles per gallon – or using 10 litres for 100km of diesel.

Fully alarmed and fitted with an immobiliser.

7.6m long, 2.33m wide, 2.98m high exterior, 2.03m high interior. Although a long vehicle it legally fits into a regular parking spot with overhang.

Kitted out to be self-contained with a large solar panel, 2 leisure batteries and an inverter. It has 2 Safe-fil fibreglass refillable gas bottles which last us 6 weeks. Fill them at the gas station using the pumps for very cheap gas.

Inside the motorhome the comfortable cab seats have arms and different seating positions and ability to recline. These swivel round to create part of the lounge area.

To one side is a small sofa. Opposite a French Dinette with “floating” table that can be moved in all directions and “L” shaped dining seating with seat belts for 2 to travel. This area can easily convert to a single bed or with additional cushions a small double.

Above are 2 huge skylights that open to 90 degrees creating lots of light and ventilation. Wall cupboards all around.

The entry door has electronic steps.

Just inside is a 2-tier shoe cupboard, above this the TV (with swivel so it can be watched even in the bedroom) and above that a glass fronted cocktail cabinet.

Opposite is the kitchen with 3 burner stainless steel stove and kitchen sink.

Large drawer opens out underneath and at the side of them is a slide out storage cabinet. More storage available above. Opposite a large 3-way fridge with separate freezer.

Within the floor are 2 lockers, one we used for tinned food and the
other as a “wine cellar” for drinks.

A sliding door can close off the rear bedroom.

View from back of motorhome towards the front

A small step takes you to the bathroom with shower on one side and toilet and sink opposite each with their own sliding doors.

There are storage cupboards to the side of the sink and below it. We have an additional toilet cassette for extended stays.

The standard layout is twin beds 200cm x 80cm and each have their own 12v massagers built in.

We’ve had extra slats made enabling the mattresses to be turned across the motorhome to create a king-sized bed as well as twins. There are wardrobes on both sides and wall cupboards all around. Additional cupboard under one bed. 2 more underfloor lockers are handy for extra shoes etc.

Under the back of the motorhome is a garage with access doors on both sides. This is great for extra storage and could hold a couple of bicycles or a motor scooter easily.

The motorhome is built and kitted out to a high specification and insulated for winter use. It has a large fresh water tank, hot water boiler and gas fired central heating.

Our intention is to take some clothes and medication but the rest of the contents will be sold with the motorhome.

This includes guide books and maps, pots pans and cookware, linen, outside table and chairs and essentially everything you would need to get started on your journey.

Ideal for a first-time motorhome or someone arriving from abroad.

We can help with details of a contact in England who, for an annual fee, offers a mailing address and motorhome storage and camping.

Video of a similar model https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO5LdM9XA7o

Having sold to people from abroad in the past we can provide you with their contact details for references.

Price £39995

Contact Email glenswatman@gmail.com

+44 7761078025

Cheap mobile phone usage when abroad

2017-04-05T09:47:00.000+01:00

If you are touring abroad and need mobile phone contact it can be a real pain changing cards in each country.

Check out Toggle Mobile for a new system enabling you to receive calls for free and make calls from for example Spain to UK land line or mobile for only 3p a minute. SMS are 7p and data 15p per mb.

Similar favourable rates apply almost everywhere and there is a simple call rate chart giving you full information for calls between any of the countries covered.

Start off by ordering your SIM for £25 including that amount of credit and build from there.

To get the best value you need to register for a local number in each "Toggle" country that you visit free if you only want the number to last for 1 month (then you can get another for the next month free) of £5 to retain that number for 1 year.

For even better value you can register numbers for any toggle country so friends from that country can call you cheaply or even free if they have a plan. EG If you are travelling in Spain and have friends in Australia and USA then register for a Spanish, Australian and USA number. All incoming calls are free.

MOTORHOME journey from Dunkirk to Malaga mainly using Aires

2017-01-03T08:36:00.003+00:00

MOTOROME JOURNEY AND STOP OVERS FROM DUNKIRK TO MALAGA
(More motorhome posting here

We use a number of resources to find places to stay in the motorhome. I do a bit of research on line before we leave but once on the road prefer not to have to rely on the Internet.

We carry 2 books –

ALL THE AIRES BOOKS for the relevant country have great info but certainly not “All” of them. CAMPERSTOP EUROPE BOOK is great if you only want one book as it covers all Europe.

CAMPER CONTACT is a great app for your phone and for £4.99 you can download maps and use it off line. Unlike a book it is constantly being updated with people leaving reviews and new ones are often added.

Co-ordinates are in different forms depending where I got the info and the * replaces degrees. Most Satnav will accept the different formats.

Our destination was Malaga in Spain so I initially keyed this into Satnav to find the quickest and also the most direct routes then jotted down the major towns suggested. This formed the basis for our journey from which we detoured to points of interest or Aires’ that looked particularly nice.

We always aim to arrive at our destination by lunch time and achieved this throughout the trip and on some days drove for less than 30 minutes!

If you don’t want to drive far on the first day then Watten is close to both Dover and Dunkirk and has a very pleasant waterfront Aire. The town has an ATM, Netto supermarket for cheap groceries and Carrefour for fuel. There are only 6 official spaces but late comers parked by the waterfront. It is free and you just have to buy a token in town if you want to use the services. Although near the railway we were not bothered by the noise but did have a rude awakening
with a cacophony of bells at 7am

WATTEN - N50*49.8803’ E002*12.5016

With a beautiful abbey in town Jumieges was our next stop. The Aire is on gravel but many motorhomes continued to the field behind. You’d be unlucky not to find space here at any time. The abbey is just ruins but nice to see from the outside and you can make a circular walk taking you down to the banks of the River Seine. Free grey and WC dump but charge for water.

JUMIEGES – N49*21.8611’ E000*48.8758’

There’s not a lot to do in Rugles which may be why they draw you in by offering free facilities for motorhomes including electric. Pleasant spot by a park and the town is fine for a short walk around.

RUGLES – N48*49.4433’ E000*42.6706’

At the bottom of a hill by a fishing lake we finally found a spot to entice us to stay a couple of nights. Easy level parking and a short walk back up the hill to a large Super U store.

ST LANGIS – N48*31.1521’ E000*31.7556’

We cut across country to visit Le Mans 24 hour race circuit which led us to our next stop. Richelieu is an unusual purpose planned town with lovely gardens just outside the walls and adjacent to the Aire. No facilities purely parking. It’s not the quietest of stops as the road is nearby and there are probably better choices.

RICHELIEU – N47.010822, E000.322784

Futuroscope is a theme park based around different types of films shown in unusual buildings. There’s space for an unlimited number of motorhomes on the car park with a reasonable price to stay for 24 hours. Although by a main road it was not that noisy in the night. Toilets are at the entrance to the park. Free wi-fi from the kiosk where you pay for parking and you can order bread for in the morning. You can save around Euro 10 pp by buying your tickets
in advance on line.

POITIERS FUTUROSCOPE – N46*39.7951’ E000*22.1171’ Euro 7 (£6) 8am-8am

The Aire at Gencay used to be in the town and the (free) services are still there but the Aire is now by a lake on the edge of town. It’s a pretty spot with space for about 5 motorhomes but we were the only ones. The tourist office in town has a brochure listing a number of walks around the area. We stayed on a Friday night and were disturbed quite early on Saturday morning by fishermen arriving, walkers with dogs and joggers. Reckon this would be a better spot during the week.

GENCAY N46*22.3847’ E000*24.7037’

1^st October and although the book said otherwise both the Aire and campsite at Confolens were closed. There is parking on the southern outskirts of town in a lorry park diagonally opposite Lidl but it would have been very noisy. The next nearest Aire heading south is a small detour to the village of Chirac. Again there’s little to do but they lure you in with free facilities including electric. Space supposedly for 3 or 4 motorhomes but you could easily fit more on. We like to spend money in places like this but both the bar and supermarket were closed down. This is a really peaceful place at night. On Monday when the Marie opened we went in to thank them and enquired where we might get Wi-Fi and they kindly gave us their code.

CHIRAC N45854.8395’ E000839.4415’

Out of season the Aire at Bourdeilles is free and spills over onto the grassy area beside the football pitch. This is a lovely spot where you can get your chairs out and settle in. Some spots are right beside the river where you can paddle. You can dump your toilet waste for free but must pay for water. A short walk across the bridge takes you to the very attractive town with numerous restaurants and a small shop. There’s a castle with museum but that’s about it.

BOURDEILLES N45*19.3822’ E000*34.9487’

Intending to stop at Sourzac we found the Aire to be sloping and at a busy road junction. The Aire in Ste Foy is another pleasant riverside spot but within minutes of pulling up we heard the bells from a church about 100m away. The French motorhomers next to us said it went on all through the night. We finally dropped lucky in Duras with an Aire just outside the campsite which is only open in July and August. The Medieval town is lovely; free Wi-Fi at the tourist office and lots of restaurants and a few shops.

DURAS N44840.6652 E000810.6867’

There are dedicated bays right on the canal side at Caumont and from the first few you could reach the service area if you needed electric. There’s a public toilet at the entrance to the aire. Advice is to reverse in along the track as it is too narrow for you to turn around and easier to back into the space then drive out. There are a few walking tracks listed on a board in the centre of town, and a vending machine for buying French Sticks twice a day. The canal provides entertainment with boats passing by and at the weekend lots of rowers.

CAUMONT SURE GARONNE N44826.5186’ E000810.6785

Labastide D'Armagnac is named for the spirit they produce. The Aire is a massive open field on the edge of town and a really nice place to sit out. Unfortunately the church bells chime every 15 minutes and there is a second church that echoes this a few seconds later. However it is a fabulous town to explore and such a nice Aire that we still stayed 2 nights in spite of getting little sleep.

LABASTIDE N43858.3504’ W000811.2237’

Our Satnav wanted to send us through town to get to the next Aire but signs directed us around it and we heeded them. This took us past a large Carrefour supermarket where we found a self service laundrette in the car park. Euro 4 gets your washing done , includes soap and 30 minutes later it comes out almost dry so no need to use the tumble dryer. A short distance away is the Aire next to the tennis courts and sports fields. The paved area was already full with vans parking on the grassy bit next to it. No one sat out or put anything outside their motorhomes at all. A short walk takes you into the old town which is worth a short wander around. Distant church bells but nothing to disturb our sleep.

VILLENEUVE DE MARSAN N43*53.2423’ W000*18.3787’

It was only about half and hours’ drive to our next riverside stop at Ardour. This is quite a tourist town as it is en the Santiago pilgrim’s route which may be why they charge Euro 5 to stay on the Aire. A girl came round in the evening to collect the money and issue a ticket. The excellent tourist office is nearby with English speaking staff, info and maps on surrounding areas plus free Wi-Fi. We were given a leaflet in English showing a walk around town. There’s a free public toilet just behind the tourist office.

AIRE SUR L’ARDOUR - Euro 5 - N43.703434* W000.2555710*

The main route takes you right through Pau and past the Place de Verdun which is used as an Aire and free of charge. In October 2016 the car park was having major work down and very noisy so we opted just to do a quick visit. We loved Pau and hope to spend more time on a future visit. Last stop in France Oloron with the Aire for 7 capable of taking 14 if motorhomes use the car parking bays opposite. As often is the case the Aire quickly filled up at lunch time. This is a lovely spot from which to explore the different areas of the town. The tourist office has free Wi-Fi and a mock train where you can sit and watch short films about the local area. Most of the museums in town are free. About 500 metres along the road from the Aire is a Leader Price supermarket. We’d read that it was recommended to head through the Somport Tunnel (free) on a Sunday as it is used by lorries and they can be intimidating on the French side which is twisty and narrow in places. We did the journey on a Saturday morning, saw just 1 lorry coming towards us and no traffic whatsoever in the tunnel.

OLORON SAINTE MARIE N43.184007* W000.608202*

The road becomes dual carriageway on the Spanish side and it is an easy run down to the first big city of Jaca. It is probably better to approach the Aire from the far side of town rather than taking the first turn off. The Aire is being developed and the parking area now has a barrier but apparently this has been there for ages and is not in use. There’s a free area for grey and toilet dump and fresh water. Parking is opposite the coach car park which is a bonus if you get the free Wi-Fi from some of the buses. You can walk through the adjacent park and up the hill into the city which has a number of attractions. Unless you particularly want to see Jaca at night then we’d recommend moving to our next stop to stay over.

JACA N42.567985* W000.545396*

Less than 30 minutes journey to Sabinanigo. The car park that used to be used for the Pyrenees model village is now a motorhome stop. Again better accessed from the far side of the town rather than driving through. The Police come round and collect Euro 4 for 2 nights stay and this includes electric and all other facilities. We did see a number of motorhomes just pull in to use facilities for free. Although near the road the noise was not obtrusive. Directly outside the car park entrance to the right is a street with bars, small shops and a hotel and if you carry on over the bridge you get to the main town. There are no major tourist highlights here but it’s a good Aire to stop over. Turn left out of the site and head towards the museum then over the bridge for a pleasant riverside walk.

SABINANIGO - Euro 4 for 2 nights - N42*30.3425’ W000*21.3817’

AT ZARAGOZA THERE IS AN OPTION TO HEAD SOUTH EAST VIA TERUEL TOWARDS VALENCIA. We went west towards Madrid

Finally we start to move off the 000* so I guess this means we have taken a pretty direct route south so far. Leaving Sabinanigo there is a short stretch of single track then dual carriageway all the way to Malaga. The views are superb as you go over the hills. Medinaceli is a small town on top of a plateau from which you get excellent views. Signs expressly forbid any camping activities. The tourist office is opposite the parking area and has free Wi-Fi and a map of the town pointing out the few places of interest. The Roman Arch is famous as being the one whose outline is used on signs for historical monuments throughout Spain.

MEDINACELI N41*10.3028 w002*25.8767’ -

CAMPERSTOP Campo de San Nicolás, 42240 Medinaceli, Spain

GPS:

N 41.17134, W 2.43147

N 41°10'17", W 2°25'53"

The free motorway takes you well clear of Madrid and is simple to navigate. It’s easy to find the Aire at Puerto Lapice although boulders across the top of the road may make you think it is closed off. This is a purpose built aire for motorhomes - but not designed by a motorhomer. All the places are sloping and the super smooth concrete makes the levelling ramps spit out. It is ambiguous as to whether the sign saying “no camping activity including levelling jacks” means ramps or the type that come down from the vehicle itself. 2 free electric sockets in the box on the right on entering if you are there first. Fresh water tap on the left walk at the entry and waste dump and water at the far left hand corner. A real tourist town based on the fact it is on the Don Quixote trail so a few interesting things to see including a free museum.

PUERTO LAPICE – N39.326415* W003.483513*

Sierrercilla, 13650 Puerto Lapice, Spain

GPS:

N 39.32659, W 3.48348

N 39°19'36", W 3°29'01"

We checked out the recommended bus parking area on the edge of Cordoba but it didn’t feel secure so continued to the official Aire at Centro Historico car park. You enter down a one way street then immediately before the pedestrian crossing turn sharp left to the car park entrance which is via a barrier. Take a ticket and then pay Euro 12 for every 24 hours on exit. Motorhomes congregated at the top of the hill, under trees near a park. It’s quite sloping so levelling ramps are needed. Directly across the road are the walls surrounding the old city. The mosque is absolutely stunning and alone worth the visit to the city but the icing on the cake is the streets, patios, sculptures and more. Unfortunately when we got back to our motorhome around 5pm the Police were in the car park. A German van in front of us had been broken in to via the caravan door and the French van next to it had the bedroom window removed. Shortly after an English couple returned to their van above ours and had also been broken in to via the caravan door. Not sure whether we were lucky by having a Truma additional lock on the motorhome door or being parked further down and amongst other motorhomes. The car park attendant said this had never happened before. Still recommended for the great location but advise parking at the bottom amongst the cars in the day then move up the top when you are in the vehicle parking amidst others rather than right at the top or alone.

CORDOBA CENTRO HISTORICO PARKING Euro 12 (£10.50) 24 hours – N37*52.4457’ W004*47.2750*

We normally like to stay at least 2 nights at each place but for various reasons moved quickly through Spain and felt unsettled after last night’s incidents. Dona Mencia Aire was listed a “quiet” in the Camper Stop book. It is a purpose built motorhome stop, from EU money, and has 7 bays then further parking on grass. There are 4 electric sockets on the back of the old railway station building above the water tap. The old railway line is now a long walking track or you can hire bike from the station building. Another building is now a restaurant. Parking is beside an extremely busy road used by lots of lorries so we took a spot furthest away on the grass. It was still very noisy with light traffic all night. All the other motorhomes were Spanish and there was lots of noise with vans arriving after midnight and people letting their dogs out barking and kids playing. Not recommended unless you are hard of hearing or not bothered at all by noise.

DONA MENCIA N37.546414* W004.3532340*

20 minutes down the road the town of Cabra has 2 Aires. One is close to the centre of town and a French motorhomer told us it had been very noisy. The other is well out of town and has only 2 places but we were the only ones there anyway. It was a fairly quiet night in spite of being in a regular car park but again signs prohibited any camping activity. OK for a 1 night stop over.

CABRA N37.466147* W004.423794*

Well ahead of time by now, (having spent only 8 days through Spain compared to 3 ½ weeks through France), we opted to explore west of Malaga first. A relative living in Fuengirola told us the motorhomes parked at the fairground and sure enough there were about 20 there. Many were winter holiday makers in conventional motorhomes but there were also old panel vans with people who appeared to be staying long term. Police drove round regularly but didn’t approach anyone. There’s a market on the adjoining car park each Tuesday and a car boot sale on Saturday. At night the road noise was mainly from scooters and motorbikes whilst the coastal railway stops from around midnight until 6am. A great free spot if you want to be right in the thick of all the action and only 5 minutes walk from the beach. There is access to fresh water and a grate that people lifted to dump toilet waste.

FUENGIROLA 1 – N36.549053* W004.619625*

About 20 minutes west along the coast is Cala de Mijas aire. The sign on entry prohibits access for camping but continue to the spots right behind the golf course and you will see new instructions on an official board. Providing you register you can stay for 2 nights then cannot return within 10 nights. Registration is at the Town Hall/Police station 10 minutes away. Walk under the main road and straight on until you get to a big building behind a statue of a donkey. Go inside and upstairs following the pictures of a motorhomes. Show your V5, passport and insurance documents. The offices are only open until 2pm so if you turn after 2pm you can stay 3 nights. The village is attractive and there’s a superb walk along the back of the beach for miles towards Marbella. Within the car park are toilets that are open during the Wednesday and Saturday markets roughly between 10am and 2pm. There’s a fresh water tap and a grate where WC waste can be dumped. There is some road noise but it is not obtrusive. A few minutes walk up the hill is a new ALDI store.

CALA DE MIJAS – N36.504741* W004.684174*

MOTORHOME STORAGE near Malaga airport and cruise port

2016-12-26T07:36:00.004+00:00

Checking out motorhome storage options near Malaga we came across Autocaravans Seyla

Compared to other options the prices are very reasonable. Our motorhome was stored securely in a walled compound with guard living on site with his dogs.

During recent flooding of the area there were no problems at all on site.

Owner Sergio speaks good English and is quick to answer E-mail queries. For motorhomes up to 8m long he charges Euro 50 a month.

Fresh water fill up and both grey and black water dumps plus toilets are available.

Additional services include an Aire style stop over before and/or after your trip for an additional Euro 5 a night.

After leaving our motorhome for over 5 weeks the only thing we noticed on return was a little dust.

Although there is a bus stop nearby it only runs Mon - Fri but for just Euro 10 extra Sergio will take you or pick you up from the port or airport and this price is for up to 6 people in his mini van.

There is also a shop with motorhome supplies and motorhome rental and sales. If you book in ahead repairs can be done and parts made available.

All round and excellent business and a great company to deal with.

CMV ASTOR 42 nights from Tilbury to Auckland

2016-08-28T10:39:00.000+01:00

Way back in Jan 2015 an advert of 2 for the price of 1 caught our eye for a cruise to Australia. It seems this is a regular offer and for an outside cabin the total cost was £4946 for 2 people 56 nights to Freemantle. There is an option to disembark in Auckland for New Zealand then Sydney, Adelaide or Perth for Australia.

The ship leaves from Tilbury which is easily accessible by train from central London. It's the original port from where the £10 poms set sail to Australia.

The ship only holds 600 passengers so the boarding process was quick and efficient. As an older ship the card system works for on board purchases and boarding and disembarking but for the cabins you have quite a hefty key. Safe keys are available free of charge at reception.

There are few double cabins with double beds as the single beds cannot be pushed together due to fixed furniture in the middle. In the basic cabins there is a fridge, TV, dressing table, writing desk and wardrobes but probably not enough hangers. Lovely fluffy white bath robes were provided.

The bathrooms were a decent size with complimentary soap, multi purpose shower and shampoo gel, sewing kit, shower caps and nail kit. As well as hand and bath towels there were face cloths. Extra blankets, pillows and 2 large beach towels were in the wardrobes.

We had cabin 104 on deck 3 towards the front of the ship. It should have been a family cabin with an additional room containing bunk beds. It was very quiet in the cabin although we did notice splashing outside when the seas were a bit rough.

Most facilities are on deck 5 making it very easy to find things. We had lowered our expectations knowing this was a lower grade cruise ship but in most areas we were very impressed.

Food was varied and they had lots of special nights, themed by country or party style out on deck. Leaving Mexico we had a tropical buffet with all the unusual fruits that had been taken on board.

Needing a gluten free diet my needs were very well catered for in the Waldorf restaurant bur not so well in the Ubersee buffet. Many people did not understand gluten free and when asked if a product
contained gluten they would answer "yes it has milk in". However it never seemed any trouble to get someone to bring up what I had ordered from the Waldorf menu.

There were some superb shows such as Abba, Phantom of the Opera, Rocky Horror Show spoilt slightly by the fact that the theatre is badly designed with many pillars obstructing views.

Of the many activities things got a bit confusing as times were changed often. Morning exercise classes were very good when put on but not available every day.

Quizzes were held in the Captains Club which wasn't really big enough for the number of people attending. Fortunately we were all sympathetic to the entertainment crew reading out the questions with their foreign pronunciation.

The main area where we and the majority of people on board thought things could be improved was down to the cruise director. He was not keen to listen to comments or constructive criticism and insisted on doing thing the way he always had in spite of this being a little different as a long duration cruise with many sea days.

Overall we would highly recommend this cruise and were surprised how many first time cruisers were on board for the full 56 nights and all thoroughly enjoyed it.

AUSTRALIA Great phone rates on ALDI MOBILE

2016-01-30T10:45:00.001+00:00

I doubt you could better the pay as you go SIM from ALDI which backs on to the great coverage of Telstra network.

For $5 you get a SIM with $5 credit which lasts 365 days. You can use this in conjunction with their packages. .

Call rates are very reasonable on the pay as you go package . Within Australia 12c a min and SMS 12c. International calls can be even cheaper e.g 10c a minute to UK landlines and mobiles.

30 day value packs with calls SMS and data cost between $15 and $45.

The data packs are $15 and $30 over 30 days or 6GB over 90 days for $50.

NOTE you cannot combine a data pack with a value pack.

ALDI to ALDI calls are all free.

Read on for full prices...

Pay As You Go – Plan Rates
The Pay As You Go plan provides the user with credit to be spent on calls, messaging and data
as outlined below. The credit expiry period is 365 days.
The SIM starter pack plan comes with $5 of PAYG credit included. You can purchase $15 and
$30 denominations of PAYG credit either online, using our mobile app, over the phone, or by
purchasing scratch card vouchers from an ALDI store.
The tables below show the inclusions and call rates, keeping you informed of how many calls
you'll be able to make using your credit.
Standard Services
All in Australia
Rate Flagfall
Calls to Standard National
Fixed lines and Mobiles
12c / min 0c
Calls to 13xx, 1300xx / 1800xx
numbers
12c / min 0c
Voicemail retrieval 0c
Voicemail deposit 0c
Standard National TXT 12c per TXT (160 characters) N/A
Standard National MMS 35c per MMS (160KB) N/A
Data 5c / MB N/A
Special Services
All in Australia
Rate Flagfall
Call Forwarding 32c / min 0c
National video call 90c / min 0c
International video call $2.49 / min 0c
Standard International TXT 25c per TXT (160 characters) N/A
Standard International MMS 75c per MMS (160KB) N/A
Video MMS $1 per MMS N/A
Calls are charged per minute, data is charged per 25KB. You can view your balance and usage by
logging in to My ALDImobile.
International Calls
Please refer to our International Calling Rates document on our website for the latest information
on call prices.
Important information about your plan
You should be aware that international roaming, calls to Sensis and access to Premium 19xx
numbers are not available on ALDImobile pans.
You can view the Critical Information Summary for this plan on our website
www.aldimobile.com.au/legals
12c / min
0c / min

Pay As You Go – Plan Rates
The Pay As You Go plan provides the user with credit to be spent on calls, messaging and data
as outlined below. The credit expiry period is 365 days.
The SIM starter pack plan comes with $5 of PAYG credit included. You can purchase $15 and
$30 denominations of PAYG credit either online, using our mobile app, over the phone, or by
purchasing scratch card vouchers from an ALDI store.
The tables below show the inclusions and call rates, keeping you informed of how many calls
you'll be able to make using your credit.
Standard Services
All in Australia
Rate Flagfall
Calls to Standard National
Fixed lines and Mobiles
12c / min 0c
Calls to 13xx, 1300xx / 1800xx
numbers
12c / min 0c
Voicemail retrieval 0c
Voicemail deposit 0c
Standard National TXT 12c per TXT (160 characters) N/A
Standard National MMS 35c per MMS (160KB) N/A
Data 5c / MB N/A
Special Services
All in Australia
Rate Flagfall
Call Forwarding 32c / min 0c
National video call 90c / min 0c
International video call $2.49 / min 0c
Standard International TXT 25c per TXT (160 characters) N/A
Standard International MMS 75c per MMS (160KB) N/A
Video MMS $1 per MMS N/A
Calls are charged per minute, data is charged per 25KB. You can view your balance and usage by
logging in to My ALDImobile.
International Calls
Please refer to our International Calling Rates document on our website for the latest information
on call prices.
Important information about your plan
You should be aware that international roaming, calls to Sensis and access to Premium 19xx
numbers are not available on ALDImobile pans.
You can view the Critical Information Summary for this plan on our website
www.aldimobile.com.au/legals
12c / min
0c / min

Pay As You Go – Plan Rates
The Pay As You Go plan provides the user with credit to be spent on calls, messaging and data
as outlined below. The credit expiry period is 365 days.
The SIM starter pack plan comes with $5 of PAYG credit included. You can purchase $15 and
$30 denominations of PAYG credit either online, using our mobile app, over the phone, or by
purchasing scratch card vouchers from an ALDI store.
The tables below show the inclusions and call rates, keeping you informed of how many calls
you'll be able to make using your credit.
Standard Services
All in Australia
Rate Flagfall
Calls to Standard National
Fixed lines and Mobiles
12c / min 0c
Calls to 13xx, 1300xx / 1800xx
numbers
12c / min 0c
Voicemail retrieval 0c
Voicemail deposit 0c
Standard National TXT 12c per TXT (160 characters) N/A
Standard National MMS 35c per MMS (160KB) N/A
Data 5c / MB N/A
Special Services
All in Australia
Rate Flagfall
Call Forwarding 32c / min 0c
National video call 90c / min 0c
International video call $2.49 / min 0c
Standard International TXT 25c per TXT (160 characters) N/A
Standard International MMS 75c per MMS (160KB) N/A
Video MMS $1 per MMS N/A
Calls are charged per minute, data is charged per 25KB. You can view your balance and usage by
logging in to My ALDImobile.
International Calls
Please refer to our International Calling Rates document on our website for the latest information
on call prices.
Important information about your plan
You should be aware that international roaming, calls to Sensis and access to Premium 19xx
numbers are not available on ALDImobile pans.
You can view the Critical Information Summary for this plan on our website
www.aldimobile.com.au/legals
12c / min
0c / min

ALDImobile International Call Rates
ALDImobile International call rates are charged per minute with no connect fee (flag fall).
To ensure you’re viewing the latest version of these call rates, please make sure you have accessed
this file from www.aldimobile.com.au.
Country Rate per min
Afghanistan $ 1.540
Albania $ 1.540
Algeria $ 1.540
Andorra $ 0.623
Angola $ 1.540
Anguilla $ 1.540
Antarctica $ 1.540
Antigua $ 1.015
Argentina $ 1.015
Argentina Mobile $ 1.015
Armenia $ 1.540
Aruba $ 1.015
Ascension $ 1.540
Austria $ 0.623
Austria Mobile $ 0.623
Azerbaijan $ 1.540
Bahamas $ 1.015
Bahrain $ 1.540
Bangladesh $ 0.100
Bangladesh Mobile $ 0.100
Barbados $ 1.540
Belarus $ 1.540
Belgium $ 1.015
Belgium Mobile $ 1.015
Belize $ 1.540
Benin $ 1.540
Bermuda $ 1.540
Bhutan $ 1.540
Bolivia $ 1.540
Bosnia Herzegovina $ 1.015
Bosnia Herzegovina Mobile $ 1.015
Botswana $ 1.540
Brazil $ 0.623
Brazil Mobile $ 0.623
Brunei $ 1.015
Bulgaria $ 1.540
Burkina Faso $ 1.540
Burundi $ 1.540
Country Rate per min
Cambodia $ 1.540
Cambodia Mobile $ 1.540
Cameroon $ 1.540
Canada $ 0.100
Cape Verde $ 1.540
Cayman Is $ 1.015
Central African Rep $ 1.540
Chad $ 1.540
Chile $ 1.015
Chile Mobile $ 1.015
China $ 0.100
China Mobile $ 0.100
Colombia $ 1.015
Comoro Is $ 1.540
Congo (formerly Zaire) $ 1.540
Congo Rep $ 1.540
Cook Is $ 1.540
Costa Rica $ 1.540
Croatia $ 1.015
Croatia Mobile $ 1.015
Cuba $ 1.540
Cyprus $ 1.015
Cyprus Mobile $ 1.015
Czech Republic $ 1.015
Czech Republic Mobile $ 1.015
Denmark $ 0.623
Denmark Mobile $ 0.623
Diego-Garcia $ 1.540
Djibouti $ 1.540
Dominica $ 1.015
Dominican Rep $ 0.623
East Timor $ 1.540
Ecuador $ 1.540
Egypt $ 1.015
Egypt Mobile $ 1.015
El Salvador $ 1.540
Equatorial Guinea $ 1.540
Eritrea $ 1.540
Estonia $ 1.540
Ethiopia $ 1.540
Faeroe Island $ 1.540
Falkland Island $ 1.540
Fiji $ 0.623
Fiji Mobile $ 0.623
Country Rate per min
Finland $ 0.623
Finland Mobile $ 0.623
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia $ 1.015
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Mobile $ 1.015
France $ 0.100
France Mobile $ 0.100
French Guiana $ 1.540
French Polynesia $ 1.015
Gabon $ 1.540
Gambia $ 1.540
Georgia $ 1.540
Germany $ 0.100
Germany Mobile $ 0.100
Ghana $ 1.015
Gibraltar $ 1.540
Greece $ 0.623
Greece Mobile $ 0.623
Greenland $ 1.540
Grenada $ 1.540
Guadeloupe $ 1.015
Guam $ 0.623
Guantanamo $ 1.540
Guatemala $ 1.540
Guinea Bissau $ 1.540
Guinea Rep $ 1.540
Guyana $ 1.015
Haiti $ 1.540
Honduras $ 1.540
Hong Kong $ 0.100
Hong Kong Mobile $ 0.100
Hungary $ 0.623
Hungary Mobile $ 0.623
Iceland $ 1.015
India $ 0.100
India Mobile $ 0.100
Indonesia $ 0.100
Indonesia Mobile $ 0.100
Inmarsat A $ 1.694
Inmarsat Aero Indian & Pacific $ 1.694
Inmarsat B $ 1.694
Inmarsat GAN ISDN $ 1.694
Inmarsat M - Atlantic & Global $ 1.694
Inmarsat M - Indian & Pacific $ 1.694
Inmarsat Mini M $ 1.694
Country Rate per min
Iran $ 1.015
Iran Mobile $ 1.015
Iraq $ 1.015
Ireland $ 0.100
Ireland Mobile $ 0.100
Iridium Satellite $ 1.694
Israel $ 0.623
Israel Mobile $ 0.623
Italy $ 0.623
Italy Mobile $ 0.623
Ivory Coast $ 1.540
Jamaica $ 1.015
Japan $ 0.100
Japan Mobile $ 0.100
Jordan $ 1.015
Jordan Mobile $ 1.015
Kazakhstan $ 1.540
Kenya $ 1.015
Kenya Mobile $ 1.015
Kiribati $ 1.540
Korea PDR $ 1.540
Korea South $ 0.100
Korea South Mobile $ 0.100
Kuwait $ 1.015
Kyrgyzstan $ 1.540
Laos $ 1.540
Latvia $ 1.015
Lebanon $ 0.623
Lebanon Mobile $ 0.623
Lesotho $ 1.015
Liberia $ 1.540
Libya $ 1.540
Liechtenstein $ 1.015
Lithuania $ 1.540
Luxembourg $ 0.623
Macau $ 1.015
Madagascar $ 1.540
Malawi $ 1.540
Malaysia $ 0.100
Malaysia Mobile $ 0.100
Maldive Is $ 1.540
Mali $ 1.540
Malta $ 0.623
Malta Mobile $ 0.623
Country Rate per min
Mariana Is $ 1.540
Marshall Is $ 1.540
Martinique $ 1.540
Mauritania $ 1.540
Mauritius $ 1.015
Mayotte $ 1.015
Mexico $ 1.015
Micronesia (FS) $ 1.540
Moldova $ 1.540
Monaco $ 1.540
Mongolia $ 1.540
Monserrat $ 1.540
Morocco $ 1.540
Mozambique $ 1.540
Myanmar $ 1.540
Namibia $ 1.540
Nauru $ 1.540
Nepal $ 0.623
Netherlands $ 0.623
Netherlands Antilles $ 1.015
Netherlands Mobile $ 0.623
New Caledonia $ 0.623
New Zealand $ 0.100
New Zealand Mobile $ 0.100
Nicaragua $ 1.540
Niger $ 1.540
Nigeria $ 1.015
Niue Is $ 1.540
Norfolk Island $ 1.540
Norway $ 0.623
Norway Mobile $ 0.623
Oman $ 1.015
Pakistan $ 0.623
Pakistan Mobile $ 0.623
Palau $ 1.540
Palestinian Authority $ 1.015
Panama $ 1.015
Papua New Guinea $ 1.540
Papua New Guinea Mobile $ 1.540
Paraguay $ 1.540
Peru $ 1.015
Philippines $ 0.100
Philippines Mobile $ 0.100
Poland $ 0.623
Country Rate per min
Poland Mobile $ 0.623
Portugal $ 1.015
Portugal Mobile $ 1.015
Puerto Rico $ 0.623
Qatar $ 1.540
Reunion $ 1.540
Romania $ 1.015
Romania Mobile $ 1.015
Russia $ 0.623
Russia Mobile $ 0.623
Rwanda $ 1.540
Samoa (US) $ 1.540
Samoa (West) $ 1.015
San Marino $ 0.623
Sao Tome & Principe $ 1.540
Satellite including iridium and inmarsat $ 1.540
Saudi Arabia $ 0.623
Saudi Arabia Mobile $ 0.623
Senegal $ 1.540
Serbia and Montenegro (Yugoslavia) $ 1.015
Serbia and Montenegro (Yugoslavia) Mobile $ 1.015
Seychelles $ 1.540
Sierra Leone $ 1.540
Singapore $ 0.100
Singapore Mobile $ 0.100
Slovak Republic $ 0.623
Slovenia $ 1.015
Solomon Is $ 1.540
Solomon Is Mobile $ 1.540
Somalia $ 1.540
South Africa $ 0.100
South Africa Mobile $ 0.100
Spain $ 0.623
Spain Mobile $ 0.623
Sri Lanka $ 0.100
Sri Lanka Mobile $ 0.100
St Helena $ 1.540
St Kitts & Nevis $ 1.540
St Lucia $ 1.540
St Pierre/Miquelon $ 1.540
St Vincent & Bequia $ 1.540
Sudan $ 1.540
Surinam $ 1.015
Swaziland $ 1.540
Country Rate per min
Sweden $ 0.623
Sweden Mobile $ 0.623
Switzerland $ 0.623
Switzerland Mobile $ 0.623
Syria $ 1.015
Taiwan $ 0.100
Taiwan Mobile $ 0.100
Tajikstan $ 1.540
Tanzania $ 1.540
Thailand $ 0.100
Thailand Mobile $ 0.100
Togo $ 1.540
Tokelau $ 1.540
Tonga $ 1.015
Trinidad & Tobago $ 1.015
Tunisia $ 1.540
Turkey $ 0.623
Turkey Mobile $ 0.623
Turkmenistan $ 1.540
Turks & Caicos Is $ 1.540
Tuvalu $ 1.540
Uganda $ 1.540
Ukraine $ 1.015
United Arab Emirates $ 1.015
United Arab Emirates Mobile $ 1.015
United Kingdom $ 0.100
United Kingdom Mobile $ 0.100
Uruguay $ 1.015
Uruguay Mobile $ 1.015
USA (incl. Alaska & Hawaii) $ 0.100
Uzbekistan $ 1.015
Vanuatu $ 1.015
Vatican City $ 0.623
Vatican City Mobile $ 0.623
Venezuela $ 1.015
Vietnam $ 0.100
Vietnam Mobile $ 0.100
Virgin Is (British) $ 1.540
Virgin Is (USA) $ 0.623
Wallis & Futuna Is $ 1.540
Yemen AR $ 1.540
Zambia $ 1.540
Zimbabwe $ 1.540
Zimbabwe Mobile $ 1.540

INDIA VISA application for a UK PASSPORT holder visiting AUSTRALIA updated 2016

2016-01-13T23:53:00.000+00:00

We have just had to repeat the process of buying a visa for India whilst in Australia and a few things have changed since we last did it and I blogged in 2011

All applications are processed by VFS Global

On the website

Start clicking PREPARE YOU APPLICATION

Click on the type of visa you require for more info to decide which variant you may want. We found out that anything less than a 1 year multi entry is still the base price so you might as well go for that as a minimum which was a whopping $303.70 (yes that is the absolute minimum assuming you pay cash, take the forms to the office and collect it from there)

You can get the correct 2" x 2" photos on line for just the cost of a regular photograph (65c) and this gives you 4 pics. Free passport photos

Click on CHECK LIST AND APPLICATION FORMS.

Print the

Tourist Visa Checklist

Form D

Others that apply to you

PLUS You must take a copy of any appointment that you make

and a copy of your entry to Australia visa grant

Now's proceed and submit your on line visa application.

Some questions may appear a little difficult to answer -

REFERENCES -

We were on a cruse so for our reference in India put the cruise company and ship name and for phone number 000000.

For a reference in Australia we used a friend.

When they ask for countries visited in the last 10 years and places previously visited in India there are a number of characters. We would have been way over on both counts so for countries I picked some that had visas stamped in our passports and for places in India I just listed the major cities. For the address of a place stayed in India we just put down one at random that we had the full address for.

You can save the form on line as you go through but when you go back one or two sections need completing again. Once you have completed this and gone to the print mode you cannot go back to edit and must start again if anything changes.

CHECK, CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK THAT YOU HAVE EVERYTHING COMPETED AND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TAKE TO THE OFFICE.

Click on how to apply and this will show you the different offices in each state. NOTE THAT YOU MUST APPLY FOR AND EITHER COLLECT OR HAVE THE VISA DELIVERED WITHIN THE SAME STATE. So you cannot apply in Melbourne, travel on the Brisbane and have it posted to an address in Queensland.

We felt it best to front up in person in case we had got anything wrong and it turned out we had forgotten form D.

We went to the Melbourne office on Swanson street just a block up from Flinders Street Station.

Arrived before our appointment time and tapped in to the ticket machine to say we had an appointment. We were seen a good half an hour ahead of time by a very helpful assistant who processed both applications at once. She was not officious at all and helped by printing our missing Form D and allowed us to fill it in whilst she was dealing with paperwork.

Initially she quoted a slightly higher price that included $2 for an SMS to say the visa was ready but as you get a tracking number and can follow it on line this may not be necessary.

It says they take 10 working days so do allow plenty of time.

At the Melbourne visa office there were passport machines and people to take your pics all at $15, photo copy machines at 50c a copy and lots of computers for you to use to access info.

Other than the application seeming daunting and the massive fee (it has just gone up to £100 in UK) the process is very smooth and efficient.

P.S. Inspite of not asking for SMS updates we did get them and were also able to track online. Passports were back at the Melbourne office in 7 working days. In spite of being told you could only collect between noon and 3pm we were able to collect earlier. Funnily enough they asked for ID before releasing them to us and when I suggested they check our passport photos they laughed and said they couldn't do that as they were in sealed envelopes.

Useful CAR PARKING website and app

2015-07-30T10:31:00.002+01:00

Recently stumbled on Parkopedia website and app.

This is a fantastic search showing car parks in cities and towns worldwide.

The results show up on a map giving basic prices and then you can click on each car park for further info. Full pricing details are shown (including where disabled parking is free), address, directions, street view and even reviews.

You can also click on an icon for "places nearby" and have restaurants, hotels and many other local attractions displayed on the map with the same type of info as for car parking.

Brilliant, well done Parkopedia

Fabulous private villa rental in CALIS BEACH TURKEY

2015-07-19T19:07:00.000+01:00

Just returned from a fabulous holiday in Turkey. We stayed at friends 3 bedroom villa in Calis Beach with a private pool. It turned out to be a superb location, No more than 10 minutes walk to the beach with wonderful promenade, main street with tourist shops and restaurants, local cheap shared taxi's all around and a supermarket at the end of the street.

Aly & Martin have set it up for their family to use so it has everything you may need and more and is extremely comfortable. They offer great rates for friends of friends which is why I am blogging it because if you are reading this you must be my friend right ???

Check out the info on their villa rental website but mention this blog for a great discount.

Villa Rental webiste

THOMPSON SPIRIT cruise ship review

2015-07-02T20:30:00.002+01:00

THOMPSON SPIRIT REVIEW

We have recently done a 7 day Eastern Encounters cruise on the Thomson Spirit. We booked about 5 weeks ahead of departure with Cruise UK and got a deck 1/2 outside cabin with flights from Norwich for £480pp.

Thomson staff met us at Dalaman airport and directed us to the bus that took us to Marmaris Port. As the first flight to arrive check in for the ship went very smoothly and but friends arriving on later flights were left waiting on their coach as the check in hall was so busy.

Unlike the newer ships with one card Thomsons give you a card for on board purchases and checking on and off the ship but a different one for accessing your cabin. We were in 862 on Deck 1 an ample sized cabin initially set up with twin beds. All the lower cabins just have one small port hole and on this deck you frequently got waves splashing on to the glass. Our beds were turned into a queen but this caused problems as there was little room to get around on the one side and on both sides it was difficult to walk down the side of the bed due to bunk beds folded into the side walls. It was nice to find a kettle in the room with a good choice of coffee and teas. An additional charge was made if you wanted to use the safe. By way of toiletries there were shower caps provided, hand cleanser at the sink and body wash and shampoo in the shower all in dispensers. There were sockets for 2 round pin and 2 flat pin but due to the positioning of lights on the dressing table it was impossible to put an adaptor in then a plug. Eventually I found a clear socket on the floor just before the bathroom and used that.

We fund the ship seemed very basic compared to the newer liners and certainly in need of refurbishment. Many seat cushions had been cleaned but were badly stained. There were no wow factors at all and most areas felt quite cramped. Due to bad design you had to walk through the show lounge then through the buffet in order to get to the swimming pool on the lido deck.

We begin eating in the Compass restaurant but found the menu quite basic and an extra charge for steaks. I needed a gluten free diet and they did a good job catering for me by modifying the starters and mains but most of the desserts were a block of bland jelly like stuff. Up in the Lido buffet restaurant they produced an excellent gluten free fruit crumble on a couple of occasions. Breakfast and lunch could also be taken in the Compass restaurant although they were self service. It wasn’t until part way through the cruise that we found out you could order things like eggs Benedict and in fact quite a few other items at no extra charge.

Most of the entertainment was by the ships group and average to quite good. A comedian Phil Melbourne performed on 2 occasions and was excellent in our opinion. Other entertainment was quizzes and game shows in the High Spirits lounge. All the crew were extremely friendly and approachable with the exception of the shore excursion staff. At the ports of call meeting they gave our almost no info for travellers not wanting to do the ships tours. Even when approached directly they were evasive and at one point gave totally misleading information saying first it was too far to walk into Beirut from the ship and then that it was very difficult to find your way out of the port. In reality it was 700 metres to the city centre and a straightforward walk from the port. They were trying to sell their £5 shuttle bus but could only tell us it went to the Virgin shopping centre but not where that was in relation to the historic centre. On arrival there was a free duty free shopping bus and it turned out the Virgin shopping centre was the souk adjacent to the historic centre. We did a couple of very expensive full day tours and reported some problems. These were acknowledged but the attitude was pretty much tough luck.

The only place to get free fresh drinking water was in the lido buffet or by the lido pool. Waiters and bar staff refused to provide water unlike all other ships we have sailed on. There was an extra charge for any food served to your cabin.

Unusually you are able to take alcohol on board with you at the start and from ports of call and also if you bought anything at the duty free shop you could have it to use on board.

Formal night was not formal at all. Whilst a minority of guests dressed up with men in dinner suits and women in evening dresses the majority did not and even men without ties or in polo shirts were permitted in to the dining room.

Organisation was generally poor. On the last day on board we had letters giving our times for departing the ship and mentioning there would be no announcements. We walked down early and as there was no queue we got off and walk to the port entrance. There we found the luggage unattended. After putting our bags on to the bus with our destination airport name we were surprised to find the coach departed at the time we were supposed to leave the ship. There was no head count so most likely some people were still onboard.

Generally speaking this felt more like a package holiday at sea than a cruise. Many people were repeat customers and loved Thomsons but said the Spirit was the worst of the fleet. Others cited the value for money as a reason for picking them. We picked this cruise for the unusual ports of call as we have had better per person per day rates on 5 star liners in a balcony cabin.

Would we sail with them again – only if they were going to ports of call we wanted to visit and we had no alternative.

Magical MALTA without breaking the bank

2015-03-01T09:52:00.002+00:00

Just returned from 6 weeks in Malta. They say it is like Marmite you either love it or hate it. For a 6 week break we loved it although I am not sure we would want to live there !

We put together a package ourselves starting with cheap Ryanair flights from Leeds Bradford airport, £51 return.

On arrival we were soon on our bargain airport transfer shuttle to the hotel.

Ideally we wanted to have a warm room, self catering, nice view, clean, indoor swimming pool, on the coast.

Booked through Hotels 4 U we paid £107 for a 1 bedroom land view apartment at Sunny Coast Resort and Spa. We were a bit shocked to find the "land view" actually had no view of land at all but was looking at buildings and above a busy road. Luckily they were able to offer us a 2 bedroom sea view apartment at no extra charge. Whilst it was a lovely complex and apartment we found that it was north facing and we got no sunshine at all. We were even moved to a corner apartment that in addition to the sea view balcony had others over the road getting the sun from early afternoon but found it had too much road noise. Steve was unwell so we negotiated a second week at Euro 150 whilst checking out alternatives.

Topaz Hotel ticked all boxes other than having a pool rather than sea view and being on the coast.
We booked directly with them and were able to negotiate a better deal than on line where the apartments are rarely listed. Paid Euro 9 pppn in a 2 bedroom apartment. This was really warm and cosy and we had sunshine on both balconies from first thing until 4pm. Although the location and indoor pool were not as nice the compromise was well worth it.

In winter Bugibba/Qawra seem to have just the right balance between having enough things open to entertain you but without being too busy. There is a central bus station with connections to everywhere on the island that buses go. Euro 1.50 buys you an all day ticket and Euro 6.50 a weekly pass. Oracle casino has fantastic value meals. The lunch at Euro 5 includes a main, dessert and drink and on certain days they even give you Euro 2 gambling money as well (don't forget to take photo ID on your first visit to sign up for free membership). For supermarket shopping Trollees and Piscopo's cash and carry are amongst the biggest and cheapest.

Sliema was incredibly busy and adjoins St Juliens and Paceville, These seem to be the places to visit if you want a lot of nightlife.

Melleiha is that the town is up on a hill with the coastal resort below and whenever you want to go anywhere you have a long journey on a bus that is often crowded.

Paradise and Ramla Bay are the western most points on the island and although there are lovely hotels for beach holidays you are very isolated and there are no facilities in the area.

Golden Bay is home to just the Radisson Hotel which is extremely isolated.

For cheap eats look out for the "hole in the wall" bakeries with pea or cheese pasties from 25c each and big squares of pizza from Euro 1.

Highly recommended as a place for a winter break. Not as warm in the day as many spots on Spain and probably more wind and rain but you don't seem to get the cold nights and with the public transport system you have the whole island to explore.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS at bargain prices

2015-02-01T09:09:00.002+00:00

Normally we use local buses to get from the airport to our destination. That is until we came across the company Resort Hoppa .

Recently in Malta we booked the speedy shuttle (no more than 4 stops) from the airport to our hotel and using one of their frequent discount codes it only cost £2.75 for the 2 of us. Compared to Euro 1.30 (£1) each on the local buses it seemed well worth the extra 75p.

The cheapest option is a shared shuttle with a speedy shuttle doing a maximum of 4 stops for about 20% more.

You can also book a private transfer in a car of 1 - 4 people or at the top of the price range private luxury transfer for 1 - 4 people. .

These are their top destinations but they do cover many other places as well so it is worth checking out.

Top Destinations

Barcelona Airport

Tenerife South Airport

Benidorm

Budapest City

Fuerteventura Airport

Sharm El Sheikh Airport

New York City

Marrakech City Centre

GREAT CAR HIRE COMPARISON SITE and warning about a hidden extraS in Spain

2014-12-30T17:25:00.002+00:00

If you want to do a really good car hire search and also car hire excess insurance then Money Maxim works brilliantly.

Key in the pick up and drop off details and then opt whether to have the results Emailed to you or just see them on screen.

The results are shown based on the most basic car with prices increasing from the left to right.
Click on any of the other car types for results relating to them.
Below is the offer of car hire excess insurance to go with it (it is worth checking out the annual policy if you are likely to hire more than once or for a long duration.)
Other filters are available so you can custom the results even further.

Once you decide which deal suits best click on the car and you will be directed to another website to book. This leads you to a different search site from which you complete the deal. This is unlikely to be the actual rental company which will be allocated at a later stage of the booking process. This is the time to read their small print re fuel policy etc.

WARNING The latest fuel policy on ALL car hire in Spain is that you pick up the car and pay for a tank full of fuel. You have the option of returning it with fuel at any level and they will refund what is left to the nearest 1/8 tank (in their favour of course). If you want to return it full be sure to top it up at the nearest fuel station to the airport and hand in the receipt.

So what's the catch? An administration fee of Euro24 and upwards depending on the car type and company. This fee is to cover admin and refueling ready for the next client but still has to be paid even if you return the car full. The only advantage in returning the car full is that you will get a full refund of the price they charged you initially which is probably higher than the price of the fuel you put in yourself.

Having previously felt the pay for a full tank and return empty policy was a con this one is even worse as you would then have been likely to return the car with less than Euro 22 worth of fuel in.

UK AIRPORT, beat the liquid and baggage allowance and make life easy

2014-10-24T16:09:00.000+01:00

Since the introduction of limits on liquids in hand luggage travelling light has become a little more difficult.

I have recently discovered and very easy and convenient way to get around this problem.

All airlines (including budget ones such as Ryanair) must now allow passengers to carry on a duty free bag of goods in addition to their regular cabin baggage allowance.

This means that you can buy goods including toiletries in the airside shops at the airport, (any size liquids) and take them on board.

This does not affect your baggage allowance weight.

You can even save time and be sure your goods are available by ordering on line for pick up at the store. A classic example is Boots where you place an order 5 - 14 days before departure.

If for any reason you cannot pick up your order it is returned to Boots head office 14 days after the order was placed and you receive a refund.

For further savings go through a cash back website where for example Top Cash Back offer between 1.5% and 8.7% (depending on the product type) cash back on your a Boots order.

The icing on the cake is if you see a space for a promotion code when you are checking out your on line order. At this point you can do a search for current codes. I searched "voucher codes for Boots" + the month and year and came up with a further 10% off my order total.

If you are taking connecting flights Boots will seal your goods in a special bag and give you a ticket enabling you to continue on your journey with everything.

Taking a baby abroad this is a great way to deal with the bulk of disposable nappies.

I guess the starting point for all this is to go to the departure airport website to see which stores are on the airside and their opening hours. Next find out if they have a website with on line ordering for collection in store as I know that WH Smiths also offer this service and there are bound to be others.

DIAMOND PRINCESS Ancient Capitals 9 day cruise to Japan and South Korea

2014-10-07T18:46:00.001+01:00

Just got back from a truly amazing cruise. Never intended doing this one but it found us when it jumped out of a news paper back in May.

The deal from Travelbag had a lead in price of £1199pp for a 14 day package - return flights from UK, 3 nights hotel in Tokyo with 2 full day tours, 9 night cruise and transfers. We opted to go for the balcony at £1399 but somehow got myself up sold to £1500 but that's another story.

We're not used to packages and usually book flight only then make everything up as we go along but this time we needed an easy option.

Mistake number one was not fully appreciating that after a 3 hour then 12 hour flight we would arrive at Shiba Park Hotel in Tokyo after 9pm. We had to be ready to go on tour at 8am next morning and with the 8 hour time difference from England this was a tough call. With hindsight we should have negotiated a deal where we flew in a full day earlier.

The tours were a great introduction, one a city tour and another to the countryside and invisible Mount Fuji.

Day 3 we were transferred to Yokohama port to board the enormous Diamond Princess.

Cabin B607 on the Baja deck had a balcony and was not overlooked unlike most balcony cabins. It also had cabins above and below so was nice and quiet.

The ports of call turned out better than expected and easy to do on your own. In each port a Tourist Information stand was set up, free wi-fi was offered and except Nagasaki a free local shuttle bus was provided. Finally when we left port the locals put on a wonderful send off show. Never known anything quite like it in terms of hospitality.

These are our ports of call and what you can do on your own -.

KANAZAWA - Take the shuttle bus to the train station. At the far end of the building you will find the bus station where you can buy an all day bus ticket for Yen 500 (£3). Using the loop in either direction you can easily hop on and hop off and we managed to see the fish market, samurai district, Kanazawa castle, Kenrokuen Park and the geisha district with plenty of time to spare.

You can take part in a green tea ceremony in Kenrokuen Park but on busy days there is a wait so if you want to do this it might be a good idea to go there first and book in before wandering around the gardens.

MAIZURU - At the port information desk you need to buy the special Yen 1600 (£10) day pass to go to Amanohashidate. (The pass includes local transport in Maizuru, some museums in Maizuru, train to Amanohashidate , boat, bike hire, chair lift and funicular.
The free shuttle drops you at the railway station where you board a single carriage train along the coast. It's a short walk through the village to the pier where you can take the boat across the bay. (If you buy the Yen100 (60p) chips the birds will feed out of your hands).

At the other side leave the boat then walk past the temple to the funicular and chair lift station. If you are going to do both then I'd recommend the funicular to go up and the chair lift to come down but we opted for the chair lift both ways. It's rather unusual and like a suspended office chair with no safety bar - however you are only ever a few feet off the ground or a safety net. Once you alight you will appreciate the views of the amazing bay with the sand bar. 2 things you should do here are first to bend over and view the sand bar between your legs turning it into a bridge to heaven.

Next you need to buy (or hang around near a tour guide to get them free) special flat stones and for luck you must throw one through a hoop. You can climb a bit higher to an area with a large bell or just take the chair back down. Back at the pier you can pick up bikes to cycle across the sand bar or you could just walk. Steve went for a swim and pronounced the water to be refreshing. I just enjoyed the cycle and looking at the different temples and shrines en route. Back to Maizuru on the train and there you can walk back to the ship around the mountainside. This way you pass Budhist temples and Shinto shrines. One was open and a monk was inviting people in for green tea and to show them around which was very special. This would probably be a tied first place with Nagasaki as our favourite outing.

SAKAIMINATO - Again a free bus to the train station and then another free bus to Yushien gardens.

At some point it is well worth a walk along the main street to admire dozens of "spirit monster" statues and other related art work around town. As you walk along some of the posts start playing the theme tune music and there is another street that you must drive down at 50kph in order to hear the whole theme in time.

Yushien gardens are delightful (Yen 400 £2.40) and there's a nice cafe at the end with panoramic glass windows. Around Yen 500 (£3) for a drink but it includes biscuits and a glass of water and is a lovely place to sit. With a local host I also went to Matsue Vogel Park with incredible flowers but I'm not sure how you would do that freelance.

BUSAN (SOUTH KOREA) Yet again a free bus that drops you off outside the Phoenix Hotel in the main street. It was pouring with rain due to a typhoon the day we were there so it was handy to have all the underground shopping malls. This would make a nice circular walk especially on a nice day!
With your back to the hotel turn right then turn right again up the Busan International Film Festival street. At the top of here you will reach the main modern thoroughfare with all the top name shops. Turn right and wander along enjoying the music blasting out from each one. You will spot lots of interesting sculptures on the footpath.

When you get to a junction with a nice sculpture in the middle take a moment to check out a small side street to your right, this will link in with a cross street with street art on the walls. Continue along the main drag and you will either see the signs pointing to or the escalator on your left leading to Yongdusan Park. After you have wondered around return the same way then continue along the main street to the junction at the end. Here you can drop down into the subway and cut virtually straight across and up a ramp to Lotte department store. (If you happen to arrive at about 10.15am before the store opens you will be served free drinks in the lobby and then see the opening ceremony with staff lined up inside)

Once you enter begin by admiring the fountain in the atrium, if your timing is right you will also catch the musical display. Take a lift to the top floor and emerge on the open air roof top with a cafe, min zoo and lots of great viewing points in all directions. Leaving the store cross the main junction by taking the underpass to emerge on the opposite side of the street you started on and by the fishermens' stores. From here you can meander to the port area and the huge fish market. Leaving the fish market head up the street with the archway then drop down into the underground shopping mall. (Note most stores don't open until 10.30am). Head to the left and finally emerge by the Phoenix Hotel by taking the street exit on your right. Back in the port the adjacent Maritime Museum is free of charge and also has a free wi-fi hot spot.

NAGASAKI No shuttle buses needed here. Within the port building there is an information desk where you can buy a Yen 500 (£3) all day tram passe and pick up a street map. A short walk left along the street takes you to the tram stop.

I suggest you first head to Nagasaki Peace park from which you can either walk up hill to the famous Ukrami cathedral then circle back to the Atomic bomb. Yen 200 (£1.20). museum area or you can back track and go straight there. Don't miss the Peace Memorial Hall and opt for the longer circuit where you go underground to see the columns and also view a 3D movie of the day the bomb dropped. Return to the tram via the Hypercenter and catch a tram to Suwa Shrine (a 250 step climb). Back track to the tram stop and use the subway to cross the road.

From here you can make a really pleasant walk following the river bank passing numerous attractive bridges as well as the famous Spectacles Bridge. You can now either hop on a tram or continue to walk to visit China Town and then on to Dutch Slope (didn't find the particularly spectacular). I walked the Dutch slope and emerged at the other side opposite the sky walk to Glover Gardens. It's then only a short walk back to the cruise terminal.

GALAXY S4 ZOOM is it a phone, is it a camera ? Wrong it's both

2014-10-06T19:52:00.000+01:00

We like to travel light and I was in need of a phone upgrade and also a new camera I set my trusted nephew on coming up with options.

This time he surpassed himself suggesting one item that does both very well.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom has all the features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 phone but also a 16mp 10xzoom camera.

Still haven't fully figured out all the camera options but you can use it on auto, manual or many different pre programmed modes. I'm still having fun with these including the panorama and a special one for taking pictures of babies as the camera makes a noise to attract their attention.

Picture quality is superb and the fact that you hold it and press a button like a conventional camera makes it much easier than using a phone as a camera. I've also added a cheap case and strap to protect it and feel much happier leaning over things to take a picture knowing the camera/phone is secure around my wrist.

Possibly the only downside is the slight bulk and weight but if you need a camera and phone then I would say this is almost certainly lighter and less bulky than carrying both.

Luckily ASDA direct had it on offer at £169 instead of the recommended £249. Another plus of buying from a supermarket is that should anything go wrong (my first one had a tiny chip within the lens) you just buy another then when you have transferred your info across you get a refund on the faulty one. Far easier and quicker than going through a dealer.

Well worth considering as a 2 in 1 and way cheaper than an IPhone.

MOBILE PHONE CHARGERS are not all equal

2014-08-23T09:08:00.001+01:00

I've just bought a new mobile phone (more about that later) and reading the instructions found out that they insist you use their charger and USB connector otherwise you could invalidate the guarantee.

I decided to do a bit of research into this in case it was just a ploy to market their own brand cheaper accessories and low and behold there is some truth in it.

I found an excellent article all about why not all phone accessories are interchangeable and now understand that whilst some are others are not due mainly to the amount of output amperage each phone requires. Already I have discovered that my old HTC phone is different from my new Samsung one therefore I shouldn't use the same charger or USB cable for both.

Using the wrong cable could not only cause your phone to overheat and be damaged but may also undercharge the battery making the battery usage shorter.

Whilst I don't pretend to fully understand it all I did feel it worth sharing this info in view of the number of travellers who borrow chargers and also the incidence of people needing to charge phones at airports etc.

MOTORHOME British Isles free or cheap camping

2014-08-21T03:40:00.000+01:00

Possibilities for free or low fee camping in Brtain seem to be increasing in some area but in others car parks and parking areas are banning motorhomes so it can pay to do research ahead of time.

When we first started motorhome travelling in UK in 1997 we had no Internet and little access to information so had to make it up as we went along.

If we were ever visiting a pub or restaurant we would ask the owner if we were could stay overnight in the car park and were always told yes.

Many small towns have car parks where the local council will permit you to stay if you ask.

We often write to people in the hospitality clubs to find out whether they have a place for us to park overnight. Couchsurfing actually has a group for people who either have space for a motorhome to park or need a place. We had an unexpected surprise after parking at Kevin & Ruths. Inspired by us they sold up their home and set out full time travelling in a motorhome.

It is often worth joining one of the clubs to have access to their sites or information.

One of the newest "clubs" you can join is Brit Stops . For just £25 a year you are issued with membership and a very explicit directory. This shows you where the stops are located, the type of stop (pub, farm shop, vineyard etc), facilities, info on access and more.

The Caravan Club has some great CL's - these are locations often on farms where they have space for up to 5 caravans or motorhomes to stay overnight. Fees are low and facilities often minimal.

The Camping and Caravan Club is much the same but also has people camping in tents.

The Motorhome Stopover lists over 400 stopover options.

UK Motorhomes is a very interesting site and on it they have a directory of stop overs

Wild camping is a site where members post information on good places they have found for wild camping.

Recently we were trying to arrange a meet up with friends in their motorhome and wanted a pub where there was overnight parking. A simple google search keying in the country + pub + motorhome gave us some excellent results although we did have to be detectives to narrow down exactly which pub it was in some cases.

Don't be afraid to look for other alternative parking spots but as a courtesy please consider other people in the area you are parking. Ask for permission if possible and behave responsibly and don't draw attention to yourselves in order to maintain these possibilities for others.

Apparently in Scotland you have a "right to roam" but must still observe local signs which can be a little sneaky as we saw some advertising "no parking between 1am and 3am".

Above all we always thing that if you show CONSIDERATION for others when choosing a parking spot you are much more likely to be left alone.

TRAVELOCITY TRAUMA and wealth warning.

2014-08-19T20:24:00.002+01:00

An American friend recently came to visit us. He booked his KLM flight from Amsterdam to Norwich using an app on his i-phone for Travelocity.

Arriving at the airport for his 9.15 am flight he was stunned to find out that he was in fact booked on the 9.15 evening flight. After huge discussions with KLM they would only let him board the morning flight by paying an additional Euro 200 as he had supposedly booked a cheap ticket. (When you read on you will see that all tickets were offered at the same price although the one booked was listed as the cheapest).

On arrival we checked things out on line to figure out how the mistake had been made and you may find this hard to believe.

Whilst the www.travelocity.co.uk site shows flights in the 24 hour system the travelocity.com site and iphone app shows flights on the 12 hour system. Worse still the website doesn't even do that properly and just shows a or p after the flight time.

The confusion was worse as the flights were listed in almost random order.

First flight listed was the evening one and was shown as the cheapest when in fact it was exactly the same price as the next 2 flights.

The next flight listed, the afternoon one, said fastest but was the same duration as the other two.

Finally the 3rd flight list (the same price and duration as the other 2) was the morning flight.

Where is the logic in that ????

Moral of the story, take extra care when using Travelocity especially on a phone as it is difficult to see things clearly.

Brilliant hotel multi search saving you time and money

2014-08-12T09:58:00.000+01:00

Hotel Combined guarantee they will find you the cheapest price so this has to be a good starting point when searching for a hotel.

In one search it will check out many other hotel search sites including Agoda, Expedia, Hotels.com,Late rooms, Hotel Club, Easy click travel,Hrs.com, Dhr,Travelocity and more.

You have options as to how you want the results displayed, by distance, popularity, price, star rating. You can see maps, reviews and photos all on the one page.

UPDATE

Another multi search that has become popular is Trivago which claims to search over 200 sites at once.

However these sites often miss showing chain hotels such as :-

Premier Inn
Travelodge
Holiday Inn
Ibis Budget

AND

Don't just stop there, if you have time then double check first on a website like Top Cash Back to see if they match the price and also offer cash back

AND

Finally if you see that the booking form has a place for a voucher code then do a quick search to see if there are any current discount codes showing up on line.

Here are a few more tips on getting more from cash back sites

However don't forget that more often than not the biggest savings are made in the first 15 - 30 minutes so unless you have lots of free time then don't beat yourself up if you only do one of the above things, every little helps.

Motorhome / RV - A list of essential items for outside the vehicle

2014-07-30T04:00:00.000+01:00

Fourwinds 5000 motorhome

When buying an RV/Motorhome it can be hard to know what to buy initially.

Generally we find it better to manage without things and buy later rather than overload the motorhome with things we don't really need and believe me there is a big difference between what you do need and what you might think you need.

Having had over 10 motorhomes we now feel we have a pretty good idea of what you really might need.

This is a list of things for inside the RV/motorhome .

Here is a list of the external items we like to have, obviously this list is subject to the amount of storage space and payload available. Other considerations are the number of passengers, countries to be visited and expected weather.

Leveling blocks

Solar panel or 2 if you can afford it and have space for them

Inverter - generally a cheap non pure sinewave one is sufficient for charging phones, laptops and running a TV.

Awning

Outdoor carpet - breathable plastic is preferable
Door mat

Gas bottles or LPG tank

Picnic chairs - check the height for us when dining at the table.

Picnic table

Sun lounger bed - a bit of a treat but it is really handy if you like to lie on your stomach and the ground is rough.

Small table - handy if you just want to put drinks on rather than getting the full table out and also can be used to put your feet on when you are sat in the chair.

Lots of cheap tarps - you'd be amazed how many uses you find for these.

General tool box

Assorted nails, screws etc,

Stanley knife

Hacksaw

Tape measure

Silicone gun
Flexible silicone - we like Sikaflex

WD40

Rope

Tent pegs

Washing line

Clothes pegs

Washing whirly round thing to hang on wing mirrors

Clothes horse (size to fit in shower stood up for hanging washing or coats on wet days)

Extension cable

Adaptors for the different electrical sockets you may encounter

25 litre water container

Ramps

Hose pipe

Hose pipe adaptors

Strong rubber gloves

Solar shower bag

Warning triangles

Luminous safety vests

Trowel or small spade

Torch

Duct tape

TRANSPORT FOR LONDON - OYSTER CARD

2014-07-28T09:40:00.001+01:00

You may have heard that London public transport has now gone cashless.

Any contact less card can be used but if you buy an Oyster Card you also get discounted fares.

All the info is on the website but remember that you have paid a deposit on your card so if you are not returning in the near future you may want to get a refund on your balance and the card before leaving.

Swipe the card each time you start and finish a journey. You will either do this at a barrier or find a machine nearby. You must do this even if the barrier is open as you are automatically charged the maximum day rate if you miss any swiping.

TAKE CARE Even doing everything correctly the system sometimes fails. Travelling as a couple we noticed our card balances were different and found out one card had double swiped on exit. After taking the matter up with Transport For London we eventually got a refund and in fact found out that both cards had been overcharged on another journey. Best thing is to keep an eye on the balance that is displayed on the machines.

FANTASTIC FLIGHT SEARCH

2014-07-27T23:21:00.001+01:00

I am a fan of Sky Scanner but think I have gone one better with Jet Cost

This site is a beauty if you have some flexibility in dates or airports.

Once you have keyed in your preferred dates and airports the search results come up with exact matches but also lists (in price order) things that are pretty close.

This may be slightly different dates or a combination of airports close to the chosen departure one, close to the arrival one or even both.

Select the flight that suits you and this will re-direct you to the website where you can make your booking.

Whilst I now prefer Jet Cost here are a few other fare checkers you may want to try out - however when I did my "test" search they were all more expensive.

Fly.com
Which budget
Charter Flights
Flight checker only trips up to 31 nights or one way
E Dreams
Cheap Air mainly USA & Canada

Please leave a comment if you find a website that comes up with better prices than Jet Cost.