Tag Archives: Holiday

ABTA Travel Trends Report 2017 – An Interesting Read

TravelThe ABTA Travel Trends Report 2017 provides some interesting information about the travel industry including a review of 2016, what the prospects are for the industry in 2017 and some destinations that are worth keeping an eye on. Below we highlight some of what the report covers but you can view the full report on the abta.com website.

What happened in 2016?

In 2016, there was a rise in the number of people in Britain going away on holiday with a 7% increase in the year to September of last year in comparison to the previous 12 months. Also, individuals were taking more holidays. Interestingly, British holidaymakers were not jetting off on as many holidays on the beach but the number of breaks to cities rose.

Places like Turkey and Tunisia saw the number of holidaymakers drop due to safety concerns. Countries that benefitted included Portugal, Spain and Cyprus that saw increases in numbers of 23%, 20% and 17% respectively.

Another interesting statistic was that 53% of people enjoyed a package holiday with this being in excess of 10% more than back in 2011.

In 2016, there was a significant increase in the number of domestic holidays in comparison to 2015. In 2015, 64% of holidays taken by British people were domestic ones but in 2016 this had increased to 71%.

Prospects for 2017France

It was forecast that this year there would be a rise in the number of people choosing an all-inclusive holiday. In 2016, 18% of holidaymakers enjoyed such a holiday yet it has been predicted that in 2017 25% of people intended to enjoy such a holiday.

More people are expected to take long haul city breaks visiting such cities as Dubai, Cape Town, Los Angeles, Washington, Tokyo and New York to name but some.

There is expected to be an increase in the number of people enjoying adventure holidays such as horse riding expeditions and kayaking.

Possible Destinations

There are many wonderful holiday destinations around the world. One or more of the likes of Bermuda, Croatia, Andalucia, Vietnam, Sardinia, Chile, USA or South Africa may appeal for varying reasons. For instance, Andalucía for the warm climate and South Africa for the exchange rate.

Here at AIB Insurance, we have arranged holiday insurance for a huge number of people whether it is for a short break to the likes of Venice or an all inclusive holiday in the South of France. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 to discuss your requirements and obtain a competitive quotation.

Cruise Critic Publishes UK Cruisers’ Choice Awards

If you are interested in taking to the high seas for a holiday on a cruise liner then you may find it of interest to visit the website of CruiseCritic.co.uk that has recently published details of the winning ships in their UK Cruisers’ Choice Awards for 2017.

CRUISE SHIPThe awards are based upon reviews carried out by a number of people going on cruises in 2016 and cover cruise liners that can accommodate 2,000 or more passengers (Large Ship), 1,200 to 1,999 passengers (Mid-Size Ship) and 1,199 passengers or less (Small Ship).

Below are some of the awards: –

In the Large Ship size, Celebrity Cruises vessel called Celebrity Reflection won the awards for Best Overall, Best for Value and Best for Cabins. Best for Public Rooms and Best for Service were won by Celebrity Silhouette.

In the Mid-Size Ship size, Oceania Cruises vessel called Riviera did particularly well winning six of the awards – Best Overall, Best for Service, Best for Dining, Best for Cabins, Best for Embarkation and Best for Public Rooms.

In the Small Ship size, Viking Ocean Cruises did well. Viking Star won the top awards for Best Overall, Best for Public Rooms, Best for Value, Best for Embarkation and Best for Service. Viking Sea won the top awards for Best for Fitness and Recreation, Best for Cabins and Best for Entertainment.CRUISE SHIP

The Best for First Timers award was won by Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas that is a large ship. The Best for Families award was won by Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas that is also a large ship.

As well as publishing reviews from holidaymakers about cruises they have gone on, Cruise Critic provides other information about cruises. So, as well as doing other research, you may find the website of assistance in helping select a cruise that you feel is suitable for you.

Of course, if you are considering a cruise, you will no doubt wish to make sure that you have suitable travel insurance in place. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team about such cover.

Motorhome Holiday Experience Of A Lifetime For Young Family

MotorhomeA number of our customers love taking to the roads both in the UK and Europe in their motorhomes to enjoy a family holiday or travel as a couple. Whether it is to go away for a weekend or a couple of weeks, they enjoy being able to stop off for a night or two either at a campsite that they had pre-arranged to stay at or spontaneously pull over in the countryside and spend an evening enjoying the panoramic views before settling down for a good night’s sleep.

However, there surely cannot be many people that have done what the Hurst family chose to do. David Hurst, his wife Debs, their two sons Daniel aged 6 and Darley aged 4 as well as their dog called Colin have spent 12 months, on and off, travelling about 25,000 miles around Europe in their motorhome – a Swift Escape 696.

Having previously enjoyed hiring a motorhome in 2014, they made the decision to downsize Motorhometheir home and purchase the above motorhome and then set off on what appears to have been a wonderful experience.

During the twelve months they visited almost 200 family and friends in 12 countries including the UK, France, Spain, Belgium and Morocco. Whilst on their travels they “home taught” their oldest son and generated additional income by writing. It certainly would appear that they have all had the most amazing of adventures and will have memories that will last for a lifetime.

You can read more about their travels in the Mail on Sunday in which Mr Hurst has provided some useful information about some of the places that they visited. You may find this useful should you be planning to visit some of those places.

Of course, if you are considering purchasing a motorhome, you will wish to ensure that it is suitably insured. In this respect, why not pick up the phone and speak to us here at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 and we will discuss your requirements with a view to obtaining a competitive motorhome insurance quotation for your consideration without any obligation.

Going Skiing This Winter? – What To Take With You.

SkiingIt will not be long before the winter season is upon us. For those of you that enjoy skiing you may be looking forward to a week or two holidaying in a delightful ski resort either in the likes of a country in Europe such as France or Italy or perhaps further afield in Canada or the USA.

Whether you are an experienced off-piste skier or are planning your first skiing expedition on the more sedate nursery slopes there are a variety of things that you will want to bring with you. Some of the items you will take on any overseas holiday but some are exclusive to being required on a specialist skiing holiday.

To avoid the embarrassment of discovering that you have forgotten to bring one or more items with you, we thought that you would find the following list of things to pack a useful document to refer to when packing your suitcase.

Essential Holiday “Documents”

• Passport/Visa.
• Airline/train/coach tickets
• Debit and credit cards plus cash
• Driving license if you are going to be hiring a car or driving your own vehicle
• Holiday accommodation details including directions/map
• Travel Insurance to include winter sports cover
• Ski hire details

Ski Clothing

• Waterproof ski trousers, jacket and gloves
• Ski socks
• Hat
• Fleeces
• Thermal trousers and tops
• Goggles and sunglasses
• Neck warmer

Ski Equipment

• Skis and poles
• Ski boots
• Helmet
• Water bottle
• Rucksack
• Probe, shovel and transceiver for off-piste skiing

General Clothing

• Underwear
• Fleece/jumper
• T-shirt
• Trousers/jeans
• Socks
• Gloves
• Coat/jacket
• Scarf
• Boots/shoes
• Nightwear
• Swimwear

Sundries
• Toiletries including makeup
• Sun protection
• Mobile phone/charger/overseas plug adaptor
• Reading materials
• Chocolate bars
• Medicines
• iPad
• Camera
• Wrist/knee/ankle supports
• Snow chains for those of you driving a vehicle
• Hand and boot warmers

SkiingWe do hope that the above list takes the strain out of deciding what to pack to take on your skiing holiday and avoids the embarrassment of forgetting to bring something important with you. Why not print the list and use it to tick off the items as you pack them.

Whilst most people will enjoy a trouble free skiing holiday there are some that will be unfortunate to have their break shortened due to suffering an accident on the ski slopes. Should you be one of the unlucky ones, it is important that you have suitable travel insurance in place to cover most mishaps. In this respect, here at AIB Insurance, we can arrange extremely competitive high quality winter sports cover to give you peace of mind. So, why not give one of our experienced team a call on 02380 268 351 and we will be pleased to discuss your travel insurance requirements.