Holidaymakers planning family tours in Germany this year will be able to take advantage of a host of new attractions opening up at amusement parks around the country.
Germany’s most popular theme park is Europapark, which will be opening on April 4th and launching a new ‘catapult-coaster’, complete with three full 360-degree rolls and speeds of up to 100km per hour.
People who like their park visits to have a splash of water thrown in can visit Phantasialand near Cologne from April 4th to experience Wakobato, which is described as a "splash-battle style" attraction.
There will also be an aquatic theme at Legoland Gunzburg in Germany’s Bavaria region this season when it opens a new Atlantis zone, with interactive Lego models and an underwater glass tunnel.
Other attractions opening this year include the themed Valley of the Maya area in Heide-Park Soltau and the Curse of Novgorod ride in Hansa Park outside Lubeck.
People planning family tours this year can visit amusement parks all over Europe, including the recently opened Tibidabo in Barcelona, Disneyland Resort Paris or Terra Mitica in Benidorm.
Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.
Travel websites could be in for a bumper year as consumers flock to online providers for their holiday tours and other breaks, according to new research.
A major survey by eDigitalResearch and the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) came to the conclusion that online travel providers could be in for their best year ever in 2009.
More than half (57 per cent) of the respondents to the poll said they do not plan to change their travel plans this year but they do intend to search online for their trips to find the best prices.
Some 47 per cent of people said they are hoping to spend less on holidays in 2009 and 58 per cent said that price is the main factor they consider when making their travel arrangements.
James Roper, chief executive of IMRG, said: "Everybody needs a holiday – and this year more than ever, with stress levels high and people working harder than ever to keep or find employment.
"Prices are pointing in the customer’s favour and as everybody now knows, online is where to find the best deals."
American Express recently conducted a survey which found that price will be the most important consideration for holidaymakers this year, while the promise of good weather will also be a priority.
Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.
I’m a real scaredy cat - the one who hid behind the sofa during Dr Who and still buries her head in a cushion when creepy music comes on TV. So, when my grandson Josh said he wanted to visit the London Bridge Experience for his 13th birthday, my heart sank.
The London Bridge Experience is a new attraction but I’d heard it involved a trip into medieval burial grounds and a fair dollop of horror. But a birthday promise is a promise and off we went. “Bet you scream,” said my husband, who still bears scars from the time I dug my fingers into his arm during ‘Jurassic Park’. continue reading
Mallorca has gorgeous beaches and blue seas but Mother Nature can’t provide fun water rides - so luckily Aqualand is on hand to offer them.
Aqualand El Arenal can be found in the south of the island, near the beach of the same name.
While this is a great place to take the family, with three special areas for children: Polynesia, the Dragoland and the Mini Park, it also features some scarier rides like the Banzai, the Devil’s Tail and the Grand Canyon that provide thrills for older visitors.
Banzai offers a great opportunity for people who want to experience surfing but have never managed to stand up on a board - visitors speed down two slides on a small dinghy and then drop into a swimming pool after aquaplaning at speeds of up to 50 km/h.
Polynesia on the other hand is a slower paced affair, with lots of fun rides more suited to children.
Colours are in abundance, along with an Aboriginal mask that shoots water, allowing the smallest holidaymakers to get lost in their imagination.
Why not book the Caves Drach (North) tour in advance?
Easter celebrations on the island of Mallorca continue until the Sunday after the event, when the capital city of Palma de Mallorca indulges in Domingo del Angel, or Angel Sunday.
This free event includes a procession as well as lots of traditional Majorcan food, which makes the most of the island’s abundance of vegetables, including a native tomato called a Ramallet.
However, Angel Sunday is not all about culinary pleasures, with the standard Spanish festival practices of music, parties and fancy dress all well represented.
Visitors are advised not to party too hard however - festivities start in the wee small hours, when locals and tourists alike join in a walk from the town hall to the Castillo de Bellver, where the fun really starts.
The Angel Sunday celebrations have their roots in the 15th century, when the Festividad del Santo Custodio de Palma would feature a procession, along with a handing out of blessed bread to the poor.
Why not book the Western Water Park on your own tour in advance?
Anyone looking for a trip away during the Easter holidays should consider the Schonbrunn Palace Easter Market in Vienna.
Running from March 28th to April 12th, this is an excellent opportunity to sample Austrian culture in the most opulent of surroundings.
The grounds of the baroque Schonbrunn Palace are the setting for this celebration, which features more Easter decorations than can be imagined.
Every type of Easter egg is in attendance, as well as flower arrangements and palm leaves.
Visitors will be able to sample local foods from Vienna, the provinces and nearby countries, and there will be plenty of trinkets full of cultural nuances to buy as souvenirs, such as straw animals, glassware and ceramics.
The Schonbrunn Palace Easter Market is open daily from 10:00 until 18:30 and on certain days there will be jazz performances, while workshops will be available for children to make Easter decorations of their own.
Why not book tickets to visit Budapest in advance?
I know that Christmas shopping can feel like a daunting annual ritual, especially when conducted in a bustling city like London! With Pantomime season around the corner and Christmas just a day away, families are already flooding Central London to get into the Christmas Spirit.
This goes for visitors and Londoners alike: why not add some variety to your usual Christmas shopping routine by embarking on a special Christmas adventure? Here are some ideas: continue reading
British holidaymakers will not give up their annual trip abroad despite the current economic climate, it has been suggested.
According to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), people in UK are looking to "safeguard" their holidays in the face of financial difficulty.
ABTA research has found that 83 per cent of Britons who have taken a recent trip overseas are planning to do so again within a year.
This is contrasted with the statistic that 35 per cent of people feel the credit crunch will affect their plans.
A spokesperson for ABTA, Frances Tuke, said: "I think what it means is that in what we’re seeing and what we believe to be the case, people will probably safeguard one main holiday."
Ms Tuke also suggested that the UK could "clean up slightly" in 2009 from a rise in domestic holidays.
She also noted the increase in popularity of destinations like Egypt and Turkey, which are "good value options".
ABTA was formed in 1950 and represents over 5,500 travel agencies in the UK.
Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.
2 weeks into my new job at Isango, I jumped at the opportunity to try out the experiences offered by my company as I had booked to go for a one week holiday in Egypt prior to taking up my role. Been a solo traveller most of the time, I usually plan my activities at the very last minute where possible, and most of the time, just packing my backpack and going on the plane with an address to the hostel and a lonely planet guide in hand. As a few family members were joining me for the trip, I had to suppress my procrastination and did some pre-trip planning on the sights to visit and things to do in Egypt. Browsing our website for the Egyptian experiences was fairly straight forward using the quick search and filtering out the various type of tours which did not interest me. One of the things that irritated me slightly was the lack of a price sorting option to view the cheapest options available - that’s me, I am a typical backpacker, costs counts for everything!!! On the other hand, I was able to make use of some very clever slider filters to display only experiences within my budget - nifty!
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Older people are becoming more adventurous in their choice of holiday, an industry insider has claimed.
Elder members of society are increasingly likely venture further outside Europe than before, including destinations such as Austrialia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Derek Moore, chairman of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO), said: "The older generation are travelling more. Their kids have grown up and are much more self-sufficient these days so they are able to have a look at a bit more disposable income.
"I think with the older generation, when they were growing up a holiday was looked upon as being once a year, a treat."
He added that other destination such as the USA and south-east Asia "are always going to be popular spots" as well as countries in north Africa, for example.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that UK residents” visits abroad remained roughly the same at 17.8 million from 2007 to 2008, with their expenditure while abroad increasing by four per cent to £9.4 billion.
Seniors – Historic Tours – From the Roman Empire to the second world war, these tours bring world history to life.
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