Stag Abroad, one of the UK’s leading providers of stag and hen weekends, has recorded a 200% increase in bookings for Benidorm stag weekends over the past six months. John Tarr, Managing Director of Stag Abroad, remarked:

“Once upon a time, Benidorm was regarded as package holiday hell. Now, it’s an entirely different story. Increasing numbers of stag groups are choosing to celebrate with a weekend abroad. Spain is a perennially popular choice. We recently conducted a poll of the top stag weekends and Benidorm came in the top three destinations.”

Economic factors are thought to be partially responsible for the popularity of the Benidorm stag weekend. The credit crunch has resulted in people tightening their belts when it comes to holidays. Grooms still want to go away but Stag Abroad has found that they’re increasingly looking for destinations that offer sun, sea, sand and great deals on flights, drinks and accommodation.

John Tarr went on to say:

“Benidorm is a good all-rounder. You’ve got sandy beaches, great weather and hundreds of bars, pubs and clubs within walking distance. There’s plenty to do during the day as well with activities, water parks and theme parks for the more adventurous stags. Most importantly, stag groups don’t have to spend a fortune to have a good time.”

Benidorm’s recent renaissance in popularity is also believed to be due to regeneration in the area. A fresh crop of lively bars, superclubs and restaurants has made the resort more appealing to a wider market.

The popularity of the ITV British comedy drama series ‘Benidorm’ has also had a significant effect on the popularity of Benidorm stag weekends. The series, created by the co-writer of The Catherine Tate Show, has struck a chord with British stags looking for good times on a budget. All the characters have one thing in common – a commitment to getting value for money.

ENDS

For more information on this story and Stag Abroad, please contact Zoe Medwell or visit www.stagabroad.com

Millions of holidaymakers will have to fork out up to hundreds of pounds this year on excess baggage charges, according to a recent report. Findings by Kelkoo show that some 3.8 million will incur fees in 2012 which will add up to £37 million in the six week summer season.

The study found that last year an estimated £186 million was spent on excess baggage and it is budget airlines that are making the most from travellers.

These results come at a time when the Government has revealed that new hi-tech scanners will be introduced in airports, meaning the airline ban on liquid restrictions will be eased. From April 2013, the liquid regulation will be relieved allowing passengers to carry toiletries and bottles of liquid in their hand luggage.

A complete ban was put in place in 2006 meaning no-one could carry liquids over 100ml onto aircrafts but the transport bosses have confirmed that the ruling will be changed.

It can be difficult to pack all the essential travel accessories with limited weight allowance and regulations but with Essentials4travel they have everything you need in compact sizes so you can still take your necessities away with you.

All carry-on bags and luggage are the appropriate sizes and dimensions and they will fit all travel tools in including laptops, books, iPads- whatever else you might need in transit.

So whether you need a wheeled carryon luggage or backpack, or some travel accessories such as travel clock, wallet and shoe bag, look no further than www.essentials4travel.com; there’s bound to be something to suit you and your budget.

Go Travel Snoozer Travel Pillow

A computer generated designed travel pillow to insure maximum travel comfort.
Price: £5.99

Go Travel Worldwide Travel Adapter

This allows input of plugs from the UK, Europe, USA and Asia and the sliding mechanism selects the pin compatible with electric systems in over 150 countries.
Price: £19.99

Skyflite Satellite Carryon On Travel Bag

This carry on travel bag provides everything that you need for all your plane travel and the bag’s multiple pockets provide easy access to items when on the move.
Price: £25.95

Go Travel Passport Control

This travel wallet will keep all your essentials under control and it is really durable but lightweight. It comes in a discrete black and the Velcro sealed flap holds all content securely.
Price: £7.99

 Go Travel Sentry Combination Lock

Recognised by the Transport Security Administration, this combination lock will secure your luggage safely and is ideal for holdalls, suitcases and luggage trolleys.

Price: £6.49

The UK tourism industry is worth more than £90bn and statistics reinforced that 7 out of 10 people choose to take their holidays in the UK, statistics do not lie, and added to this the tourism industry in the UK is expected to grow largely as a result of the impending 2012 Olympic Games in London.

There are many countries and cities in the world that one would like to visit, thus choosing a holiday destination can be a difficult task. The choice of taking a holiday is determined by the length of time we have free to spend on a holiday but more importantly the budget we have set aside for this purpose.

The reason more and more people are holidaying in the UK is they can choose cost effective locations, and according to recent research 8 out of 10 people plan to stay in the UK for their holiday in 2012.

Many celebrities are now flying the flag for not only a holiday in the UK but caravan holiday parks, these parks are now in the limelight when celebrities such the singer Cheryl Baker and East Enders actress Patsy Palmer are now choosing these parks as their holiday destinations, having enjoyed caravan holidays in their childhood, now love to have fun with the family at holiday parks.

One of the most popular UK destinations is the counties of Devon and Cornwall, with its stunning nature and scenery, furthermore miles of lovely sandy beaches. Cornwall caravan parks are an ideal destination for those taking both a long or short break. Caravanning and camping have become increasingly more popular among British holidaymakers and even those visiting from abroad, either choosing a campsite Devon or other sites in Cornwall, and records are being broken all over the country, recently The Caravan Club revealed a record 70000 holiday bookings on the opening day for the year 2012.

Other records such at the weather are being broken and the Met Office revealed that 2011 was the second warmest on record, furthermore the recession has heightened the desire for holidaymakers to receive value for money, and although many more consumers are buying their own touring caravans, this has been a catalyst for the rising number of people booking into campsites in Cornwall and all around the UK.

Devon and Cornwall have for many years been the number one destination for holidays, and the popularity of a caravan park Cornwall has escalated in preference to staying in guest houses or hotels, the fresh air, freedom and pure luxury of the accommodation proves to be a favourite. A spokesman for Wooda Farm Holiday Park located in North Cornwall on the border with Devon said “so many people are choosing to tour Devon and Cornwall either with a touring caravan, or motor-home, and stay either on a Devon caravan park or right here on out superb park in Cornwall. With more consumers purchasing their little home on wheels this has become the ‘in’ thing, we welcome it, and we think our park has the perfect holiday to offer. Accommodation in static caravans, or set up on a great camping area, with plenty of activities also of course the wonderful scenery and beaches”.

For further information visit: www.wooda.co.uk or you can check them out on Facebook to see what other campers have enjoyed during their recent visits, or follow them on Twitter.

Hotel.info, one of the leading global hotel comparison sites, is offering budding writers the opportunity to win £100 worth of hotel vouchers in an exclusive competition for the Student Gems community. All entrants need do is choose a hotel from great list of Paris Hotels and Berlin Hotels on the hotel.info site and write a 200 – 500 word article/post  explaining which hotel they would most like to spend a night in.  Entrants should take into account far more than just the star rating; judges will be looking for information about location, surrounding attractions, and even the hotel ‘vibe.’

The competition is part of a special promotion for Student Gems members.  To become a member, search for Student Gems and sign up for a free account.

Offering some of the best deals for hotels around the world, Hotel.info is also offering the chance to win a 2-night stay in the capital’s luxury 4-star Tophams hotel, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace and London Victoria Station.  This competition is open to anyone over the age of 18 and asks entrants to only write about London Hotels chosen here.

With a plethora of great features, this hotel provides room service, great restaurant options, wide screen TVs and concierge services to help navigate your way around the city.  The surround area will give you a great taste of the London buzz, boasting theatres, bars and traditional London pubs

For full terms and conditions for the over 18s London Hotel Competition please visit the Hotel.info site.  The Student Gems £100 voucher competition terms and conditions are available on the Student Gems Advert.

Hotel.info was established in 2001, and currently employs around 470 people.

A completely free service, Hotel.info will search through its global database of 210,000 worldwide hotels to find the perfect accommodation for your stay.

Scottish travellers could expect to save as much as two hours on their trip to and from Glasgow Airport soon, thanks to a new meet and greet parking service launching in April.

The new service provided by Stress Free Parking will allow passengers to drive straight to Glasgow Airport’s departure terminal in their own car. On arrival, they will be met by a uniformed chauffeur who will then transfer their vehicle to a secure holding facility while they head inside to check-in.

On their return to Glasgow Airport, passengers will be met outside the arrivals exit with their vehicle ‘warmed and ready for their onward journey’.

According to recent research conducted by airport parking price comparison website Looking4Parking.com, meet and greet parking services of this kind can save travellers up to two hours on their journey. This is something which Stress Free Parking hopes will resonate strongly with Scottish passengers.

Martin Mansell, Managing Director of Stress Free Parking Said:”With pressures on our time increasing and current security measures at airports often causing delays, cutting down on time spent getting to and from the airport just makes sense. We’re hoping the new service at Glasgow Airport will resonate with the Scottish public for this very reason.”

Stress Free Parking already runs meet and greet operations at several other airports around the UK, including Heathrow, Luton, Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford and Southampton. The launch of their Glasgow service, however, represents their first foray north of the border.

The new service launches on 5th April and a week’s parking starts from £57 when booked via www.stressfreeairportparking.com.

Ends

About Stress Free Parking
Stress Free Parking operates a national Meet & Greet business at seven major UK airports – Luton, Heathrow, Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, Southampton and Glasgow. This is in addition to a new service at Southampton Port.

The majority of Stress Free Parking products are accredited by the UK Park Mark for safer parking.
As well as providing a direct customer-facing operation, Stress Free Parking also sources and sells Meet & Greet parking at the UK’s other major air and seaports via their price comparison website www.stressfreeairportparking.com.

The best new travel gadgets for the upcoming year have been revealed.

Tech expert Phil Dalbeck of travel search site Skyscanner has disclosed the top five travel gadgets emerging in 2012 that are handy for being portable, rechargeable and fun.

Mr Dalbeck said: “Travelling doesn’t mean gadget freaks need to be parted from their latest prize possession.”

According to the research, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera powered by Android is the number one travel essential because it enables the user to instantly share through over 400,000 apps like Twitter and Flickr. In second place, the industry expert named I’M Watch as a budding tech for your wrist that connects wirelessly to your smartphone via Bluetooth and displays calls, emails and texts on the screen.

The Mushroom GreenZero wall travel charger is also one of the top travel buys because it reportedly shuts off from the mains when the device is full charged; and in fourth rank is Recon Instruments MOD Live which are Alpine goggles and are ideal for travellers going on a skiing holiday.

And finally in the top fifth place is the UWater G4 chrome MP3 player which manufacturers claims is the world’s smallest 100% waterproof MP3 player.

Mr Dalbeck added that finding the right gizmo for each individual can be difficult and that the right travel accessories and gadgets can make or break a trip.

Essentials4travel.com offers the most comprehensive range of tasteful travel essentials in the UK with everything from laptop bags and wheeled holdalls, to travel wallets and portable alarm clocks.

Go Travel Europe Plug Adaptor

This continental adapter lets travellers from the UK use their electrical appliances across Europe. Don’t miss out on using your hairdryer or straighteners!

Price: £4.49

Go Travel Alarm Call Travel Clock

Don’t lose out on valuable holiday time with this portable alarm clock. The silver gadget is a perfect to put in your suitcase and has a snooze option so you can still have a lie in and enjoy those extra minutes of essential shut-eye.

Price: £9.99

Colombia Overnight Leather Laptop Bag

Available in colours chocolate, black and tobacco, this laptop bag is ideal for business people to store their computer and cables as well as a couple of change of clothes for an overnight trip.

Price: £119.95

Go Travel Sonic Travel Toothbrush

Forgetting your toothbrush or being away from home should never be an excuse again for not cleaning your teeth. It provides more than 20,000 micro vibrations every minute and is small and compact making it ideal for travelling.

Price: £11.99

Go Travel Drysounds Waterproof iPod/MP3 pouch

There may be costly MP3 players out there that are 100% waterproof but you can always play it safe and sound by covering your device with a protective pouch that is waterproof too to 100 metres. And it’s less than a tenna!

Price: £7.49

One of the largest independent car hire companies in Spain has recently announced that they will cease trading.

AurigaCrown have been operating under administration for around two years, however, due to increasing costs and lower revenue, it has been decided that they will cease trading. As a result the availability of hire cars across mainland Spain will plummet. The loss of 15,000 vehicles in the market will cause prices to rise significantly in the coming months according to Economy Car Hire, one of the UK’s leading car hire brokers.

In both 2009 and 2010 there were availability issues due to the economic situation in Spain, making it difficult for car hire companies to raise finance in order to equip their fleets. 2012 is in danger of being even worse due to the fall in the number of cars.

Economy Car Hire warns customers that they must book early if they want to secure a hire car this summer. The costs of car hire will also rise, meaning that customers may end up paying more than double if they leave booking until the last minute, if there are any vehicles left at all. “It is clear that the recent raft of exceptionally low prices has taken its toll on the car hire companies of Spain” says Rory Sexton, Managing Director of Economy Car Hire. “There is no doubt that following the failing of one company, the rest will increase their prices. The message is clear, book in advance.”

If you have already booked your holiday for the summer, Economy Car Hire advises that you book your hire car now. This way, you can choose the most suitable vehicle for your stay and not be left with something hugely inappropriate, or worse still, nothing at all. It is not yet known exactly when AurigaCrown will cease trading, however, as a precaution Economy Car Hire have already moved affected bookings to an alternative provider. Customers who have a car hire booking with AurigaCrown made through another broker or agent are advised to make alternative arrangements.

Economy Car Hire provides car hire services in over 26 countries worldwide, including the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Turkey, Jamaica and Australia. Prices include Full Collision Damage Waiver with No Insurance Excess, Unlimited Mileage, Free Additional Driver and Airport surcharges.

It seems that a soaring number of Brits are looking to banish away the winter blues by browsing and booking a get-away online.

Thomson.co.uk has revealed that January has been at its busiest ever and the firm predicts that this is because more consumers are looking to escaping the reality of the British weather after a cold Christmas.

Page views on the website have increased by 11% year-on-year as Brits go on online to book and get inspiration for a holiday. According to the holiday organisation, the third weekend in January traditionally has the most bookings; however this year the 8^th January was the biggest day in terms of searches and bookings.

If you already want to book a holiday for 2012 and are keen to get away, make sure to check out Netvouchercodes.co.uk. From an Alpharooms discount code to Easyjet promotional codes, you can find great deals on your next holiday.

The analysis showed that consumers are not only looking for their summer holidays but also to get winter sunshine too. The most popular summer destinations were the Canary Islands and the Balearics and the most well-liked winter sun destinations were Tenerife, Sharm El Sheikh and Mexico.

What is more, Spain was a common choice due to the falling rates of the Euro- more specifically the traditional Costa destinations. The Cape Verde islands in the central Atlantic Ocean was the seventh most searched for destination and Croatia searches more than doubled from last year.

It seems that many people are looking for a last minute vacation too. The website page with the biggest number of views, with 1,023,306 impressions, was the page for holidays departing in the next six weeks. This has risen by 26% from the same period in 2011.

Visit Netvouchercodes today to take advantage of the many voucher codes they have on offer and save yourself a bargain by using a lowcostholidays discount code to book your 2012 trip.

ENDS

Track down Contiki travellers in Europe for a chance to win

Contiki Holidays is taking the online social community by storm with the launch of their innovative new online game, This Way to Amazing. Beginning February 15^th, Contiki is giving away a European tour every week for a month to the follower lucky enough to find the youth brand’s travellers in four of Europe’s hottest destinations.

Follow along as the Contiki team posts video clues featuring adventurous Contiki travellers exploring the sights, sounds & backstreets of Europe.

Mixing video with Google Maps and Street View, the game allows users to hunt for the travellers’ locations and enter for a chance to win. Each week will feature a different traveller to follow as they explore a new city, uncovering the local and authentic experiences only discovered on a Contiki trip.

Once a user tracks down one of the Contiki travellers, they will automatically be entered to win a European trip for themselves, with the opportunity to check out some of the amazing locations featured in the game.

In true Contiki fashion, the game integrates the hottest music from up-and-coming artists to keep users entertained as they digitally weave their way through European streets. The Contiki crew also know how much their youth travellers look for the latest in food, fashion, music and lifestyle, so the game includes the most current trends and styles.

Fans vying for a chance to win can ensure they don’t miss out on the video clues by following any of Contiki’s social media platforms to get reminders. Simply visit Contiki on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest or Foursquare to get the most up-to-date news on the contest. Good luck!

About Contiki Holidays:

 Contiki Holidays has inspired 18 – 35 year olds to travel to the world’s most fantastic destinations for 50 years. The trips are hassle-free and include the perfect mix of sightseeing, culture and free time. Choose from over 190 itineraries throughout Europe, Russia, Egypt, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Mexico, Canada & the USA. For more information, visit www.contiki.com

View the online press kit & media contacts at www.contiki.com/amazingpr

Famous for being the honeymoon destination choice for Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Seychelles Islands are undoubtedly amongst some of the most beautiful in the world, boasting stunning beaches, crystal clear waters and home to a multitude of fascinating wildlife and marine life. What many people don’t realise is that unlike somewhere like the Maldives, each island in the Seychelles has something unique to offer. Its islands range from steep rocky mountains covered in rainforest; scattered low lying coral islands surrounded by reefs; and raised coral atolls such as Aldabra and Farquhar.

Whether you are seeking a romantic getaway or an adventure under sail or under the water, Aqua-Firma’s new Online Island Guide to the Seychelles is the perfect start point to find out all that these islands have to offer.

There are more ways to explore this wonderful archipelago than you might imagine, including sailing from island to island via one of Aqua-Firma’s Bareboat or Skippered Sail Yacht Charters, combination Yacht & Lodge Safaris, relaxing in a Private Eco Island setting or by enjoying an action packed Whale Shark Research and Conservation Experience by scuba or by snorkel.

Aqua-Firma’s new online Island Guide has been specially designed by its team of Seychelles experts to help you decide which islands to visit and what to do whilst you are there. Activities described include diving, snorkelling, trekking, kayaking, bird watching or simply relaxing on one of the Seychelles’ stunning beaches. Not only that, but it also contains a wildlife and marine life guide to each island.

On land, there are more Giant Tortoises in the Seychelles than in the whole of the Galapagos. On Praslin Island, the Vallée de Mai contains the World’s largest nut, the Coco de Mer.

The Seychelles underwater oasis attracts tropical fish, dolphins, rays, and green and hawksbill turtles and remains one of the best places in the world to observe the elusive whale shark. There is an array of endemic bird species to be discovered too, including the endangered magpie robin, black parrot, paradise flycatcher, the pure white fairy tern and the magnificent white tailed tropicbird. Whilst the island guide is a useful reference, you can skip a step by simply calling an Aqua-Firma Seychelles expert on 0844 412 0848 (local rates) or 01428 620012 to discuss your interests and let them come up with a proposed itinerary to suit you.