Economies and Expenses to Budget For When Travelling

Hiking - cheap or expensive?

Is hiking a cheap holiday? It can be. 

But, to be safe, you might need outdoor clothing, food, drink, maps, phone and charger. 

Plus the climbing or hiking clothes, and gear such as poles, ropes, boots, torches, maps, GPS devices.

The big cost can be flights and connecting flights. Within Europe you have Ryanair. For example, from Stansted.

Also, budget for the cost of taking a car into a National Park (not a car park, but a tree and wildlife park).

Sticks - cost, design and check-in 

A stick for climbing rough grounds has a tip, which must be covered on aircraft. 

A walking stick for city walking has a flat rubber base, which may be allowed on some planes, or can be packed if it folds. You may need to buy a stick with points, or a pair of sticks, at the destination.

UK costs: driving

Toll on the bridge into Wales.

Parking costs at hotels, and visiting museums.

If no parking in city centre restaurant areas, you may need to budget for taxis. 

If drinking or wine tasting, you may need a taxi back to your hotel.

Europe - driving

Toll roads in France.

USA Parks and vehicles

In the USA and many countries, entry costs at entrances of national parks for pedestrians and vehicles.

ASIA - costs

India required my family, who were holders of British passports, to buy visas. 

Nepal cost cutters

A cheap country such as Nepal has cheap food. 

However, you may have to pay a hefty fee for the permit to climb e.g. Everest. Also the cost of a guide. And porters to take tents and cooking equipment and food for the entire trip. Allow not only the time of the climb but any hike to base camp, and time to acclimatize. 

Camping Costs - Research, Money, Time, Planning, Experience

 Our son practised camping by putting up a tent in our garden. 

Some people run in their shoes or boots. 

My husband spent more than the cost of a night in a hotel, and a taxi to a hotel, on buying a tent, and a  on a sleeping bag, bag liner, hiking boots, torch and most of the contents of the camping shop website.

Home Swap Advantages

We did a home swap with a family in the Channel Islands. We saved on accommodation.

Home Swap Challenges

We had to pay our fare to get there and back, plus our foods and entertainment at the destination. But we saved on accommodation.

Packing for a holiday takes time. But clearing your house for a family of four to move in takes longer.  You must clear space.

You need to pack away valuables. We had to leave new matching crockery in sets of four.

Hotel Extra Charges

Parking

You might have to pay for car parking outside the hotel, Or pay for use of the hotel's garage. Or pay for valet parking.

Some airports have introduced drop-off charges.

Extras At Hotels & Restaurants

A five star hotel might also charge for service, taxes.

Incidental extras might be phone calls. 

Watch out for cover charges. Service charges. tourist taxes. State taxes vary around the USA, and are added when items are posted from one state to another.

Drinks - Extras

Also drinks, water. Also watch out for the mini bar contents. 

Drinks Included

Many buffets have free sparkling wine, Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava, or French Champagne, at either breakfast, or evening dinner, or both. But they might not tell you. Have a look or ask if it is included.

Find out the cost of an upgrade to a room whose cost entitles you to use of a Club Lounge or private breakfast room with a fancy name. If they run all day or intermittent food and drink, this could save you paying extra for water and wine with meals. Or for coffee and tea and cakes mid-morning and tea time. Apart from the cost, it is a time saver.

Spas, Saunas - Time and Money

The indoor pool might be within a spa which charges residents as well as outside non-resident guests.

Hotel Extras Included

Some hotels have free swimming pools with spar baths, or complete spa centres with saunas, and steam rooms.

In the Canary Islands we had a free indoor pool at the Parador in Tenerife. They closed early, 6 pm. The same applied to the outdoor pool at the Parador hotel on La Palma, which closed at 5 pm in their off-season June 2026, although later the next month.

On Tenerife the outdoor pool was free, included in our room and breakfast package. We were given one free session in the indoor spa which had lovely massaging pools and water jets. We were there two days, but did not get a free session for each day, just one free session to tempt us to make further bookings.

Some ask payment per hour rather than the whole stay free, or paying for one day.

Souvenirs and Supplementary Bags

You may buy souvenir clothing, books or bulky items, or bring back leaflets. You might need to buy another suitcase, and to pay the airline for extra bags or bulky or heavy luggage.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

My Reaction To Amusing Story About Ryanair Boss Charged Extra For extras in restaurant

I read in my daily dose of the Daily Mail about a Ryanir boss who was charged extra by a restaurant in Ireland, mimicking his budget airline's extra charges. I got to thinking what else the restaurant could have jokingly charged him extra for.

They could have charged for late check-in.

They could have taken his briefcase, and jacket, put them on their 'carousel'. And returned the briefcase half an hour later. They could have asked him to take off his shoes for security. 

I have flown on RyanAir. They do cheaply from Stansted to France, to airports such as Beziers. (Note that the spelling of Stansted has only one a. Unlike the London NW area of Hampstead which has a second letter a.)

RyanAir plane. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright

Useful Websites

Daily Mail

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14539427/Ryanair-CEO-Michael-OLeary-extra-charges-Irish-restaurant-practical-joke-airlines-hidden-fees.html

Ryanair

The restaurant

Ryanair in Europe, to France and the sunny south

 

I like the yellow and navy blue colour scheme and the smart clothes of the air crew.

Is it black or navy?  Navy.

I said the sunny south. Yes, sunny, but warm in winter was wishful thinking. The temperature in January was around 6-8 degres C, compared to 2 in London, with a chill wind. My husband and I both ended up buying woolly hats.

Hit on the head by carry-on luggage in airline cabins? How many people are affected? What can you do?

One estimate says about 45,000 people a year are hit by luggage on planes, resulting in law suits. That is without those not going to court, and those in other countries. Plus people like me who want to report the supposedly minor incident, but are unable to do so.

Angela's Incident

I was hit on the head, by a suitcase, downloaded by a passenger from the overhead locker.

I was on a Ryan Air flight, which had arrived at the destination airport, Stansted, from Paphos in Cyprus. Jun 9 2022. Afternoon flight.

I told the passing flight attendant who told me to report it to the person at the front of the plane. I don't know who we spoke to, a couple of cabin crew, two re, three, one left, two. To my surprise the airline staff made no record when I tried to report the incident.

I said, "If you won't report it, I would like to report it. Do you have a comments form?"

They said, "We don't have a form."

At the time, I thought, that is odd. But later, in retrospect, I realize that everybody has gone paperless. I shall look online.

If I had been on a Singapore Airline flight, I could have asked for a comment form, and got one. I once asked for a comment form so I could say I liked the dessert.

The steward anxiously wanted to know, 'Do you have a complaint? Is it anything I can put right?'

On Ryanair, the two or three staff on the plane asked, "Was it was a member of our staff who had struck/injured you?"

"No. A passenger."

They asked if I could 'identify' the passenger.

I could not.

(I could only identify that he was a grey haired tall man in the seat across the aisle from mine.) My seat was an aisle seat.

I had two witnesses. The woman (initials J P - whose name I know) seated in the middle seat beside me heard the noise and my yelp.

The readl visual witness was a well-spoken young woman (young British blonde) seated behind the person who removed the suitcase saw what happened.

She said to him, "Did you know, you hit that woman with your suitcase."

He replied, "No, I didn't. How could I? I am over here!"

(Ryan air flies only Airbus 737-800, my husband says. (Unlike Singapore Airlines which flies the giant double decker 380s). The smaller plan'es aisle is so narrow, it is only the width of one person facing fowards, so that you have to stand sideways to pass somebody else.)

I did not get the blonde's name. But she accompanied me to speak to the pilot/steward. But they did not take her name or mine.

To give them credit, they listened patiently. If I had been bleeding or visibly bruised the airline would have called for medical assistance.

But they made no record of the incident. I was surprised.

Things are done differently in other organizations. When I fell over, slipping on a floor wet from rain, by the swimming pool at a condo (Cashew Heights) in Singapore, the security staff made a report. Even though I soon got up and walked away. (And at least two of the staff kept enquiring when I passed days later if I was feeling better and had recovered.)

Once, at a private swimming pool club (Harrow, UK) I was hit on the head by another swimmer. (She was doing backstroke in a laned pool. She was very apologetic and later insisted on buying me a drink and offering me food at the bar.)

The staff insisted on calling an ambulance to check my pulse etc, even though I declined to go to hospital for an x-ray, before letting me leave.

I wrote a brief mention of the RyanAir insiceent with the suitcase on Facebook which has a higher readership and more personal friends to see if friends and fellow travellers had experienced anything similar). However, I have more to say on this here on my travel post.

Airlines always (? - certainly frequently - so it must have happened before, and often) make an annnouncement about being careful when removing items from overhead lockers. It must happen a lot.

But my incident was not reported. So my incident is extra to the annual statistics of anybody who keeps records.

I was asked by the airline crew, "are you ok?"

"No, my head is aching."

"But you don't want medical assistance. So you are OK, to walk?"

"Yes, but what if I get delayed reaction? What if I had collapsed an hour later, or a day later? I might not have a claim against the airline, but I might have a claim on my insurance."

I might have found that I needed to prove to my employers that I had had a genuine accident.

My GP might ask me to fill in a form. I might be asked later if I had ever had a blow to the head. A blow to the head is serious.

An x-ray can show up lesions from blood clots in the brain. Blows to the head can result in numerous problems, years later. Brain problems. Parkinsons disease.

Aircraft need to be redesigned. The system for lifting down heavy objects from overhead lockers with people next to each other needs re-thinking. You pull an item out of an overhead locker and it hurtles down. I wasn't even standing in the aisle standing. I was sitting down in the aisle seat. But the next day I am still shaken, mentally, and my right hand is trembling as I write this. What do health and safety departments think about this?

Let me end on a lighter note. I can write a humorous speech about this. I can buy myself a lightweigh cyclist's helmet to wear on planes. When people ask if I am going cycling, I shall reply, No, I am protecting myself on the flight from flying suitcases.

Tips For Travellers

What can you do?

Make Records

The first thing is to have a complete record of when and where the incident took place. The day, the time, the people. The event. The after effects.

Witness Contact Details

Ask for the name address and contact detail of witnesses. If they decline to give you their contact details, give them yours. They might decide to contact you later to ask if you are ok, or even to say that they do not wish to be a witness.

Visual Evidence

If possible, photograph the seat, the aisle, the luggage, the assilant, the witness, the staff person helping you with the incident.

Any bruising. Even the person sitting looking dazed. Looking angry. Sympathizing. Shouting. Accusing. Denying.

Video or record the voice of the witness. If they don't want their name, they might allow you simply to record their voice. Then you have their words.

Medical Checkups

You can visit your GP (general practitioner in the UK), or go to an Accient and Emergency area which might involve a long wait. (Avoid the wait by going privately.) You can get legal advice for free in the UK by calling Citizens Advice Bureau.

On Facebook, another friend wrote to me that such an incident falls under Work Health Safety. They have a duty of care.

another comment referred to authorities:

Danae Penn

I am so sorry to hear about this, Angela. The UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal has Passenger Facilitation Groups in each continent. The one for Ryanair is part of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) and Ireland and the UK are members of that. Singapore (where you live?) will belong to an Asian equivalent. Ryanair have a bad reputation, including for passengers with reduced mobility. Perhaps the UK Consumers Association 'Which?' could advise you.

Useful Websites

Statistics

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB879112846832468000#:~:text=One%20new%20estimate%20says%20that,thousands%20of%20lawsuits%20or%20claims.

RyanAir View From The Window of Wind Farm's Wind Turbines, clouds and land between Stansted, UK, and Paphos, Cyprus

 

Ryanair wing, sea and land. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Wind Farm At Sea Off the Essex, UK coast. Taken from a RyanAir plane from Paphos Airport, Cyprus, to Stansted airport, UK. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I had the aisle seat but I knew what to do. Ask the person in the window seat to take a photo. You have to hope that they will not fall asleep. 

You see wind turbines on a  wind farm on the drive from London, England, up to Derbyshire on the M1.

Wind farms around the world are listed in Wikipedia, in the UK (England, Scotland and Wales), the USA, China, Japan, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. They are also listed by sea location, in the Baltic Sea, Irish Sea, and North Sea.

Useful Websites

Ryanair

https://www.ryanair.com/flights/gb/en/flights-to-cyprus

Wind Farms

History of one wind farm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfleet_Sands_Offshore_Wind_Farm

List of farms with number of turbines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_offshore_wind_farms_in_the_United_Kingdom

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_offshore_wind_farms

Secrets of Suitcases, wheels and strong sides, and belts with holes to fit - our perfect purchases from Gogo

I had packed light in a ten kilo small size suitcase (cheaper than 20 kilos) checked in and only a handbag to carry on which both economised on our Ryanair flight from Stansted in London, England, to Pathos in Cyprus (the Greek-speaking side). However, after buying wine bottles, and clothes, we needed a larger suitcase for the return journey.

In Larnaca, we went to a Gogo suitcase and travel goods shop. The lady in charge showed us their range of suitcases. The cheapest Suitcases from 15 Euros for a small pull along bag, were only two wheels. We wanted four wheels. In fact, much of the time, we had pulled the bags along on two wheels going up and down between the car park and the Stamsted terminal. That might wear out two of the wheels and eventually make the suitcase tip to one side.) On level ground, your suitcase pulls along lightly on four wheels. If you have not packed over-full so the suitcase bulges and tips over with heavy front pocket.

She also explained that the cheapest of the bigger cases were plastic which is more likely to split/break. The dearer option is the PTFE, another stronger type of plastic (I though she said silicon.) The middle price were the expanding suitcases, which I prefer, which have a soft front where the second zip extends the suitcase forwards.

Spills?

I would prefer to have liquids, such as wine, as well as food, completely separate, with solid souvenirs, packed away from clothes, in another suitcase, or carry on luggage.  

The Gogo shop

The Gogo shop has their own brand of goods. Suitcases. Bags. Belts.

My Red Belt's Holes

I bought a red leather belt to co-ordinate with my red leather and imitation sandals. The red belt also goes with my red (synthetic) shoulder/handbag. But what about the holes.

Making More Holes

I tried the belt and could see it was too big. In a department stores, often if you ask for an extra hole in a belt, they glare or shrug. 

I asked the lady if she could make more holes to fit me. She produced a hole punch from under her desk. She measured the distance apart of the holes. She tried the various punch sizes on the rotating ring so the holes were matched in size as well as large enough for the buckle spike. 

My husband said he could have made holes. We have tried this before. It works. But I would have to wait to wear it. DIY back home with a pen knife, scissors, in awl, takes longer, and could cause an argument between us. Besides the holes would have been less regular in shape. A cut risks splitting the belt. 

I had taken a photo of all the belts in case I wanted to go back for another. This was good, because I looked and could not see orange. Which stopped me worrying about it. 

Later in Nicosia I saw another Gogo shop. Interestingly, the suitcase styles, sizes and patterns, were completely different. So it is worthwhile shopping around from city to city.

Useful Websites

https://www.facebook.com/gogotravelgoodscy/

I was pleased with what she did, willingly, at no cost. I should have had one more hole, more than I thought I needed for the trousers with a shirt tucked in. Later, on a thin dress, the belt was slightly loose.

Useful Websites

https://gogotravelgoods.com/

Delayed Flight - Stuck on A Plane - Paying For Water - On Ryanair

A recent fuss about a five hour runway delay, when passengers had to pay for food and drink, reminded me of my experience in America.

Delay On The Runway In The USA
I was on a plane stuck on a runway in the USA. We asked why we were not allowed to get off the plane or be served meals. The crew told us that the plane had to be ready to fly so the tray tables had to be up.

The crew could not let passengers off because the airline could not chase us all over the airport to get everyone back if we were suddenly told we were ready to leave and had a takeoff slot scheduled.

Solution
A passenger with babies and children with serious conditions negotatied for just one person to be allowed off to fetch a pizza - promising to be back in under 15 minutes.

Hearing this another passenger gave the passsenger about to exit a twenty dollar bill and said, "Please get my familly a pizza, too."

Another person, said, "And me!"

The passenger who left the plane ended up coming back with about twelve boxes of pizza. I thought, silly of me to be too mean to offer to buy a whole box of pizza and too shy to ask him to carry one more box.

Then I was offered a single piece, leftover.
I asked, "How much do I owe you for the slice?

No charge.

By now everybody had had enough.

Pizza choices
Not everybody wanted the pizza. Some people wanted meat and not vegetarian, or vice versa. Some had already eaten their own food. Some were asleep.

Some of the families had enough leftovers to sell half a box. Then some shared around a piece or two for free to everybody else in that cabin.

Slices and Seats
Researhing online I see that Pizza Hut offers the largest box with 12 slices. Ten boxes would be 120 slices.

How many seats in a cabin? Depending on the size of the aircraft. In some cabins in Economy as many as 301 seats.

If you let three passengers off to buy 12 pizzas, that would be enough. At a small pizza outlet, would the first man ordering 10 pizzas delay the second man?




Ryanair
So, what about Ryanair? I have been on Ryanair several times. They offer cheap flights. They make up money by charging for food and drink. According to comments in the Daily Mail, staff are not allowed to give out free food and drink and even have to buy their own food.

Some people are outraged and complain that other airlines give out free water or both free food and water during delays.

Other comments are along the lines of you get what you pay for. You shuld not expect nor demand more. One phrase used was 'beer money for Champagne service'.

Other budget airlines which may have different policies include:
You could check the company's food pricing policy and write and ask the airline what happens during delays if you are not prepared to pay in those circumstances, before making future bookings.

EasyJet plane with the company's phone number.

Water And Laws
In my opinion the law should require an airline to stock and serve free water after a two hour delay. Or allow one passener per cabin to go off and bring back supplies. Or for the airline to order a delivery to the plane.

Useful Websites
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7516081/Delayed-Ryanair-passengers-furious-crew-charge-water.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed#reader-comments
ryanair.com
singaporeair.com

Angela Lansbury
Please share links to your favourite posts.

Airline and Holiday Horror Stories Told Over Supper: Lost Luggage & cameras and keys, buying property and a dead body a dead body

"Don't get me started!"
Around the table at supper we all told our stories:

Airline Horror Stories
Everyone has a favourite airline and a favourite airline horror story. Walter prefers Easyjet to Ryanair.  However, he complained, 'Luggage allowances are getting smaller and smaller. I was asked to pay for luggage. I had bought a cheap ticket with NO luggage allowance!' When dealing with an unknown airline, the moral is, check the luggage allowance.

I asked, 'What of the early days of plane travel? Was it always so much better?'
Walter said: 'Years ago we got on the plane and a family who had never travelled before got on with us. First they changed from their clothes into their night clothes. Then they unwrapped their cooker and prepared to light it to cook supper!
'I called an air hostess who came running to stop them.'

Nicky, a hotel owner warned us about the hazards of buying property abroad in Asia.

Warnings About Buying Property
Nicky said: 'I went to buy a property and I could see from the plan that it wasn't the area they claimed. When I asked the girl, she replied: "The common area outside the lifts is divided between the six flats on that level so that counts as part of your floor area."

'I then asked about the swimming pool. She said, "The residents can use it free for five years. After that you have to join the club owned by the management to use it." '

I asked Nicky, 'Have you heard the story about the hotel guest who mistook the bedroom door for the bathroom door and locked himself out - in the nude - in the hotel corridor! Do you think it's a true story?'

Nicky said, 'Of course it is. Lots of hotels have self-locking doors. If you have a hotel with fifty or a hundred rooms, somebody locks themselves out every day. Once a week somebody is in their underwear or semi-dressed. And every month or year somebody will be completely nude. This happens all over the world. What is surprising is that once somebody thought it wasn't a true story. You don't believe anybody was that naive, do you?'

Hotel Horrors
The Dead Body
The story goes that a man checked into a hotel, collected his key, and found a dead body in the bed. When the living guest returned to reception, the receptionist didn't seem the least bit bothered. He simply handed over another key and said, 'Try this room.'

I am told that deaths in hotels, as well as on planes and coaches, are something staff have to prepare for. You can cover a body with a blanket and pretend the dead person is sleeping or resting. Or move them behind a curtain, in first class. Or down into the crew sleeping area.

Hotels wheel out dead bodies, covered with cloths, like dinners, on the large dinner trollies for room service, or wheeled tabled used for conference catering.
When a relative of mine was in an old people's home we were asked to stay in the room with her for ten minutes. Later, I asked the supervisor why. She explained that they were wheeling out a dead body, not unusual in a home for the elderly, and wanted all the living in their bedrooms so as not to see and get upset.

Hospitals, in the UK, move bodies on covered trolleys in separate lifts to the basement.

The Wrong Key
In a New Orleans hotel I could not get the door to open. The bell-hop arrived with the luggage. He tried the key and the door opened, a man in a bath towel frowning.

I gasped, 'What are you doing? This is my room.'
He retorted, 'No it isn't. It's my room!'
The porter shrugged, resigned, 'Oh, no. They can't get the keys right. They do this to me all the time.'

Let me move on to lighter subjects.

Video Lost
A honeymoom couple returned and showed their video to the whole family, including me. The husband turned on the video and proudly announced, 'This is our honeymoon video.' The opening shots were blank. He wound on. Still blank. He wound on further. Still blank. He would to the end. Still blank.

It could have been a tragedy. Luckily one of the audience had a sense of humour. She said, 'It's all censored. You just have to imagine it!' She burst out laughing and soon the whole room was in hysterics.

Camera Catastrophes
Finally, a mixed blessing story. Tom dropped his camera on a stroll up a mountain near a friend's house in New Zealand. The pair retraced their steps several times but could not find it. A year later the New Zealand friend reported, 'I found your camera. It was broken and unusable but I have retrieved the memory card with all your holiday photos!'

As Shakespeare said, Alls's well that ends well.

About the Author Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts. What are your favourite memories?

Check in Online - good idea or not?

Problem
Do you check in online?

Answers
Depends on the airline. For example, you may wish to check in online for Ryanair because you can print your boarding pass which saves you time and money.

However, on Singapore Airlines, once you have checked in your seat is confirmed. You might want to switch seats if you are in an empty row and it suddenly fills up, but another row has empty seats. By waiting you still have the option of switching seats.

Your choice is also affected by your personality. According to Myers Briggs personality typing, judgers, a J type, like to make decisions and stick to them.  However, perceivers, a P type, (I call them procrastinators - I am a P) hate making decisions and like to keep their options open.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
See my other blog,
http:luxurytravelforless.co.uk

Spring Breaks: Flowers and Fruit in France in February

Problem
Where can I find flower and fruit festivals? Where can I go in February? To the south east of France. You could drive to the south west, then across to the south east and do two coasts.

Answers
Lemon Festival
Menton in France for orange and lemon festival. Menton is 'the lemon festival capital of the world'. You mean there are more? Yes, California, of course.

Lemon Festival, Fete du Citron, Menton, France. Photos by Bohyunlee from Wikipedia.

Mimosa festival in France in a whole string of towns and villages.

Story
A friend of mine, call him Richard (he's shy about being named) books every year. His top tips:
"France is not great for anybody who keeps kosher or is vegetarian or vegan. If you want vegetarian, you are better off in America or Italy.

Kosher Restaurants
"If you want kosher restaurants in France, try Nice and Cannes. In these seaside resorts you will find two or three, one opposite a Chabad place. But they are pricey.

"In France non meat eaters can eat risotto and tuna and tuna sushi. But that does get monotonous afer a while if you are staying for a week or two in summer. Okay for a long weekend spring break."

What's Free or Cheaper
"The festivals charge for seats to watch the parades. Quite expensive.

Budget Accommodation
"To economise, instead of hotels, opt for airb and b. Or bed and breakfast.

"But the French in bed and breakfast places in the south don't speak much English. Fine if you speak French."

Brush up on your French with Dulingo.com free online language courses.

White Clouds and blue skies from a plane window. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Cheap Flights
What about cheaper flights? What about Ryanair?

I am very happy with Ryanair prices.

However, my friend says, "I wouldn't go on them if you paid me. I prefer Easy Jet."

He says, "I pay extra for more leg room (he is over six foot tall) and extra luggage and seating together. Even so, my wife and I pay no more than £200,  return fares from England to France, for the two of us."

Any other advice on bargains. What about late booking?

"That's great if you just want a holiday at a reduced price, and don't mind where. But if you have a specific destination in mind, book early to get the best fares."

What to see in Menton
Jean Cocteau Museum

Jean Cocteau Museum, Menton, France. Photo by Paolo Schubert in Wikipedia.

Jean Cocteau sculpture, Villefranche-sur-mer, next along from Nice, France.

Travel Tips From These Handy Websites:
https://wikitravel.org/en/Menton
http://uk.france.fr
https://www.tourisme-menton.fr/-Menton-French-Riviera-.html?lang=en
https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/
https://www.easyjet.com/en/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts. For more on Jean-Cocteau, see next post.

Prosecco in Italy: a guide to guided or self-guided tours

 At the World Travel market in ExCel London 2015 I went looking for a tour of Prosecco. Prosecco was originally both a place and a grape. Confused? So was everybody else.

So they changed the name of the grape from prosecco to G l e r a and let other people nearby make Prosecco. Still confused. Never mind. Just have a glass of Prosecco and smile.Want to take a tour and find out more? Here is one suggestion.

 Wine tasting in Capello Andrea winery, aperitif at Bar Alpino, dinner at Salis Ristorante Enoteca.

I made notes for myself. You could fly from Heathrow to Treviso on Ryanair; or on Alitalia to Venice. Or drive there taking the ferry from Dover to Calais. Then drive via France to taste Champagne and do a Champagne tour; then drive on across the border to Italy via Milan. 

If you did not stop at all it would be 15 hours of driving, which is possible if you have two or more drivers, in relay, such as a husband and wife, a foursome of two couples, a stag party, business associates, or two generations of an adult family with parents and children who drive.

In Italy you could drive with stops at Milan, Verona and Padua and Venice then north of Venice is Prosecco.

More details: Champagne: On your way through France, stay in Rheims or Epernay and book a tour at one of the Champagne cellars. If no tours are available, stop at a champagne shop or two and look around. 

Milan, see the cathedral in the main square. Even if you don't go inside, the facade is impressive. Verona, see the courtyard with the statue of Juliet of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, under the balcony. Verona , still on the Shakespeare theme (two gentlemen of Verona).Venice is another possible stop. More photography, Venetian glass.

Speaking of glass, then on to Prosecco.

Can't wait? Your supermarket will have plenty of bottles to get you in the mood. Here's the Waitrose bottle with the reminder that to avoid confusion with the place name and grape name being the same, the grape name was changed from Prosecco to G l e r a. (Letters separated because Spell checker keeps changing names.) J a n c i s Robinson, British wine expert, author of the Oxford Companion to wine, in at least one of her books, if I remember rightly, makes a point of using the original old grape name Prosecco.) 

Only 11%. You would not think it makes much difference but it does. The lower alcohol content means it doesn't knock you out so quickly.

More on alcohol from waitrose.com/alcohol

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, speaker and author.

Malta and Gozo - My Trip and Future Plans

Malta is the European capital of Culture in 2018 and many areas are being refurbished with signs saying that the projects are jointly funded by local sponsors and the European Union. How do you get there from the UK?

Flying to Malta
Stansted airport has a short term car park beside the terminal or you can take a shuttle bus to the long-term car park. My family found you did less walking and dragging luggage by taking the shuttle bus, rather than walking to the far end of the short-term car park. Also the short term car park is so expensive that a few hours delay bumps up your parking charge which is by the hour.

Flight on Ryanair.
The flight of just over three hours went quickly. Seats, three across, were very squashed. More room sitting in the toilet! But we slept on the journey out. Great price flights for a last minute bargain break long weekend.

We had our own healthy salad. Cheese and biscuits, two small crackers and only one small morsel of cheese in foil seemed poor value . It would be cheaper to buy one of those circular boxes of processed cream cheese which gives you about six small portions. Also invest in a pack of crackers. Olives were good value, several for each of two of us.

Let's Go magazine has travel articles and food and drink and gift illustrations and prices. The small bottle of Prosecco at 6.50 Euros seemed fun. The gifts included lip balms tasting of Coca Cola, six of them for 13 Euros. The biggest delay was queuing to collect our hire car.

Malta - Introduction
Once we arrived it was delightfully easy. The two main languages are English and Maltese, which is an Arabic base with words from Italy and other countries. The religion is Roman Catholic, with many statues of madonnas and saints on the outsides of buildings and numerous churches and cathedrals and chapels. The only word I learned or needed was Triq which means street. Once you've worked out that San is saint, Triq San Anna is Saint Anne's Street. Foreign words are most the same, just spelled funny. The Maltese ones are all translated by your maps and guide books. A tourist office in the airport has lots of brochures. Hotels also have leaflets.

Population 400,000 approx.
Size - small, 316 square kilometres.
Weather: www.maltaweather.com

Saturday Flight Stansted-Malta on Ryanair
Hertz hire car from airport, an automatic which are apparently less in demand than manual cars. Very good value, about £10 a day, but more if you buy insurance.
Excelsior Grand Hotel Room overlooking front garden, lovely. (Sea view cost extra but you can see that from the hotel's rooms downstairs.)
Snack supper of cheese plate in bar with live music.

Photo by Angela Sharot from Valletta's Great Siege road looking over to the three cities which have two harbours between them, one for the cruise ships.

Sunday
First view of the yellow historic UNESCO heritage city by daylight. Walked around Grand Excelsior hotel, whose outdoor pool was shut, as was the tiny beach, the only one in Valletta and looked at the harbours opposite.
Breakfast in the hotel with great view of the harbours and cruise ships.

Walked along Great Siege Road, where a plaque tells you about the Great Siege of 1565, past impressive bastions, overlooking the three cities.
Saw statue of Vallette who defended the fortress and said the Turks would come back. He built a wall big enough to protect thousands of people. The city was named in his honour.
around Valletta.
We swam in the Excelsior Grand hotel indoor pool.
Dinner in Valletta at the Legligin (meaning glug-glug) restaurant.

Monday
MALTA - main island - Drove through St Julian's.
Over-developed skyscraper seaside.

GOZO - island of Calypso, where Ulysses delayed, according to Greek legend.
Ferry
to Gozo. Very simple. Just drive on. No ticket needed. Like driving into Wales over the Severn bridge, going there is free - you pay on the way back. Passed the midway island of Comino which has a blue bay, and side trips.

Gozo Sights:
1 Capital city Victoria, small, originally called Rabat but renamed for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Everything was closed on an off-season lunchtime Monday last February.
2 Lunch at the wonderful elegant hotel Kempinski.
3 Drove to Azure window, a see-through arch out over the sea (a picture you see at the airport , the tourist office, restaurants and many places), and another arched cave in a cliff face above a blue pool, overlooked by the clifftop opposite where a cafe/lunch place offers a great view.
4 Craft village. Watch the crafts people at work.
5 Winery shop.
6 Ferry back - you pay on the way back - confusing slip roads, this one for the ferry, no that's for lorries, take the other one for cars, but, oops, the third one to buy tickets. The ferry heaved and rocked sideways a lot so I sat in the middle. Before we had time for a drink it was time to land. First I looked out of the window to see Comino as we passed, uninhabited except for a hotel and tourists there for the day, so no major building, then I looked around the handy shop. I bought two Guidebooks, one on Malta, one on Gozo.

Valletta, capital of Malta.
Monday night we drove back into narrow Strait Street to see Chris at the glut-glug restaurant.
Evening meal in Excelsior Grand hotel, which has buffet starters and desserts. You order your main course from the a la carte menu.

Tuesday
Winery tour. Wines include Franc named after founder.
Back to our hotel for our luggage where I bought from the hotel shop the magnetic notepad holder we'd had in the bedroom.
Drove to the Three Cities.
Mdina, hilltop 'silent city, used to be the capital until Valletta was built. Outside the walls is a cafe with view over the plain.
Mosta Dome Rotunda interior with magnificent exterior, interior, and replica of the bomb which nearly destroyed it in WWII (see separate post). Cake shop.

Rabat - another tiny town where you drive into the tiny central square, look for a parking place take the road out and in twenty minutes, unless you've stopped at the main attraction, connected here with St Paul, you've driven around the place three times. 

For us the main attraction is the small Parruccan confectionary kiosk, Publius Cutajar Parruccan Confectionary where a jolly man beckons you to the kiosk and offers you a free taste of something, nuts and sugar, okay.  If you don't immediately buy he offers you another . Then another, answers all your questions, his late father started the business. He lets you try the home made traditional confectionary he makes, including macaroons with Gozitan bitter almonds, Maltese honey rings, nougat, dried figs and orange marmalade in fruit tarts. Some of them are quite dry but my family loved them. The owner is smiling and chatty. 

Bought red and white bottles of Maltese wine from duty free shop:
The Winery on the Waterfront
Paola
Malta
www.delicata.com

***********************
My next trip:
WHAT to see in Malta
Valletta
Malta 5D show with shaking seats, water spray and scents.
Mdina Dungeons Museum. Looks gruesome. www.dungeonsmalta.com 10 am-4pm
St Paul's Catacombs, Rabat.
Marine world Malta national Aquarium complex in Qawra, has La Nave Bistrot and cafe del Mar.
Siggiewi - limestone heritage, in a quarry, diorama museum and 30 ft waterfall.

WHAT to see on GOZO
Megalithic monument - two Gjantija Temples, buy ticket.
Windmill.

COMINO
Blue Bay.
Second optional excursion to a cave.

TOUR OPTIONS
Hire a car from the airport.
Get collected by your hotel's car and then travel by chauffeur driven car tours; hotel Transport office direct line(00356) 2319 2229. or within the hotel extension 2229..
Take local buses.
Open top bus hop on hop off (see Tripadvisor).
Captain Morgan Cruises. www.captainmorgan.com.mt
Jeep Safari.
Underwater Safari.
Dragonara Casino. wptdeepstacks.com
dragonaracasino.com

EVENTS
Malta Wine Festivals are held every year
....................................
Aug 6-9 2015, 7 pm to midnight
Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta
Buy a souvenir glass and wristband and get tastings.
Maltese grapes are Girgentina and Gezlewza.
details from delicate.com/nadur-gozo-2015
Local specialities likely to be available include fried rabbit.
www.visitmalta.com
Marsovin summer wine festival.

Malta is only 93 km South of Sicily and tours go to Sicily.
Media photos from viewingmalta.com

Taking a Trip To Malta - Travel, Airport, Airline and Package Options, Passenger Rights

We travelled to Malta booking Ryanair from Stansted, very pleased with the low cost of our Ryanair flight, and the price of rooms at the Excelsior Grand Hotel, a top class hotel with an indoor pool in the capital, Valletta.

However, views differ. Our neighbours who have a timeshare and have often flown to Malta told us they now preferred to pay just a little extra and go on Air Malta. Our friends said they preferred Air Malta which provided wider seats, from another nearer airport.

But with a timeshare, their accommodation cost was already taken care of. They were just looking at the cost and convenience of flights. Their timeshare was in an all-jumping resort complex, far away from other places, except for a taxi ride to a small town with an authentic rabbit stew restaurant. We were quite satisfied with Ryanair.

What other options are there? What if you want a complete package, trips to pre-historic monuments, underground caves, museums, numerous cities, all organised for you?

I have a travel brochure from the UK's Sunday Times. (I mention UK because Singapore also has a Sunday Times.)

The travel brochure title is European and Worldwide Escorted Tours. Having just returned from Malta, I was interested to see what was included. Prices for 8 days from £819 per person (sharing) at Golden Tulip hotel Vivaldi in St Julians, more for another hotel. The cheaper hotel has a restaurant and two pools. You can fly on Air Malta from Heathrow or Gatwick.

St Julians is a waterfront resort. If you are taken around it doesn't matter where you are because the island is only about half an hour 's drive across. (Although this extending to an hour's drive in peak hours depending on traffic and road works diversions, especially with detours on narrow lanes blocked by coaches, delivery vehicles, cranes outside building works, you name it.)

We chose to stay in the capital, within walking distance of the centre which we walked around on Sunday. We could not take more than four days and flew with Ryanair from Stansted and stayed in Valletta the capital, a city holiday rather than a resort-based holiday. The advantage of the escorted tour is that you see much more, as well as having company.
timyriviera.co.uk

Air Passenger Rights
ec.europa.eu/passenger-rights

Angela Lansbury BA Hons, travel writer and photographer.

Travelling With Ryanair To Malta and duty free Maltese wines

The flag of Malta is red and white, just one of the things I learned on my trip to Malta. Tickets to Malta on Ryanair in off-season February were a bargain, about £37 each way per person, still under £100 per person return for a warm break in a country which was new to us.

You do have a small allowance for your check-in bag and your carry-on bag. We had our own hand-held weighing device which we used when packing the night before. Malta is not the rocky, grey outcrop I had imagined, but a colourful country, with red and white flags and red and white wine grown on vines in the green fields and hillsides. (More about the colours of Malta in my next post.)

This small weighing device we took with us to use on the return trip to check our souvenirs had not added too much weight. The advantage of buying your wine to take home at the Malta airport from duty free is that you are beyond the weighing point.

The red bottle has the red wine and the white bottle has the white wine. These wines are not too alcoholic, only 11.5% for the white and 12.5% for the red, so you can drink more of the white without getting too tipsy. As the back of the bottle tells you the wine is produced and bottled for the Nuance Group by Emmanuel Delicata winemaker at the Winery on the Waterfront at Paolo. 

I thought the red and white bottles were rather jolly, to display when talking about my travels or Maltese wine to a group such as Toastmasters International Speakers clubs. Afterwards when the wine has been drunk, you have a rather jolly pair of bottles to display or use as flower vases.