Buy Travel Goods and services; discounted, or get them Free!

MAPS!

All over the internet for free

Countries , cities and surrounding countries from:

www.wikipedia

www.wikitravel

www.wikivoyage

Photograph your local area map to visit parks and shop.

Photograph similar in your holiday destination.

Maps of London underground are at stations in racks. You could also do a panorama of the map inside the station or train. Mainline city centre stations such as Euston have a map with the small area around the station.

I saw this map produced by Rent-a-car. 

http://www.rentalcars.com

When I tried to make the typed link live, they sent me an affiliate link. I wish I knew what to do with it.

We had already booked a car with another company and thought we had the cheapest deal but I did like their map.  

http://www.rentalcars.com/?affiliateCode=google&cor=gb&label=generic-81_VZpeFBa*rXXunHBqMQwS177283651678&ws=&ppc_placement=&ppc_target=&ppc_param1=&ppc_param2=&aceid=&adposition=1t1&ppc_network=g&feeditemid=&ppc_targetid=kwd-28173230&loc_physical_ms=9045963&loc_interest_ms=&ppc_device=c&ppc_devicemodel=&gclid=CjwKCAjwssvPBRBBEiwASFoVd2pd-5s_104wTSRWrkRREniCtQLjNhWjFVKwiaWLk43YkX_6oiwgVRoC4AAQAvD_BwE

Looking at their map, it was worth remembering your favourite places, Bucharest, the capital is in the south, Brasov, second city, due north. Ask the car company for the map. Usually there should be one in the car, but maybe the previous drivers took it and the car company forgot to replace it. Alternatively, they might tell you that the nearby tourist office has one.

Here's the map of the route taken by the Bucharestcitytour open top bus. While waiting for the bus (buy tickets on board) I photographed the route to memorise it and plan where to get off.

http://bucharestcitytour.ratb.ro

BOOKS and Guidebooks
Amazon : Travel guides. Maps.
Ebay
HMSO (Her Majesty's Stationery Office): Maps
Map shop in Covent Garden, London, England.
Most bookshops.
Motorway station shops and petrol stations: UK Newsagents such as W H Smith with local books and maps.
Racks of free local attractions and County attractions, often with a local map on the back marking the cities, roads and attractions.
Similar free brochure racks are in many supermarkets in tourist areas, as well as local coffee shops.
Free brochures, local maps and hotel cards from most Government or local Tourist offices.

CLOTHING
Look for anti mosquito or anti-insect clothing (NOSILIFE), anti tick socks (sold in Singapore at the shop at the base of the Bukit Timah uphill trail); anti sunburn clothes and swimsuits, and pickpocket proof clothing with double closure, multi-pocket jackets, especially ski jackets with inside pockets and double front closure of press studs with a zip underneath.
You can buy concealed pockets in hats, belts, tee-shirts.
Another travel item is the coat or long jacket with multiple pockets for going on airlines which charge for luggage.

Craghoppers N o s i L i f e insect repellent clothing such as ladies and men's shirts.
https://www.clothingarts.com/products/pickpocket_proof_business_travel_pants
Stocked by several companies such as Blacks.
www.craghoppers.com

Clothing Arts Warehouse
Questions and enquiries about orders, call tel:646 422 9222
email: info@clothingarts.com
3611 14th Ave Number 403
Brooklyn NY 11218

'Wearable Luggage'
Beat the baggage charges, or Pay Less For Luggage:
https://www.skyscanner.net/news/best-wearable-luggage-jackets-reviewed-beat-airline-baggage-charges
Brands reviewed are:
Rufus
Basket
Jaktog

FOOTWEAR

Shoes
www.sportsdirect.com
American websites say sneakers. The British websites say trainers.
Boots
Sandals
Customised

FOOTWEAR Brands:
Sandals for walking around the city:
Clarks; Hotter; Josef Seibel.
You can also buy second hand on ebay - and sell this season's to somebody else if you like to keep up with fashion.
I have articles on buying sandals in
travelwithangelalansburyblogspot.co.uk

HOLIDAYS / BUSINESS
COMPLETE PACKAGES
ACCOMMODATION+FOOD+ENTERTAINMENT
Club Med.
Sandals.
Some hotels in Scotland, such as
Peebles Hydro, especially in school Easter and summer holidays, Christmas, New Year and half-term breaks.
Golfing Hotels.

Country Clubs
Accommodation attached to country clubs - your home club may have reciprocal arrangements, but clubs vary as to whether non-members, in booked accommodation, or visiting for a meal, can use only the restaurant or all the sports and entertainment facilities.
Websites:
www.Tripadvisor.co.uk
www.Lastminute.com
High street travel agents with nationwide branches.
Accommodation advice and bookings at tourist offices in many airports in Arrivals, but may only be open during the working day.

BAGS & SUITCASES SOURCES

BAGS
T r a v e l o n sell anti-theft bags, waterproof items, RFID blocking locking zipper, hidden compartments, chain link construction to ward off slashing of panels and slash resistant straps. Prices range from $45 for a small bag to $80 for a tote and $110 for a backpack (prices Oct 2017).
https://www.travelonbags.com/anti-theft-rfid

The British word is luggage; the American word is baggage.
You have to decide, heavy and robust, or lightest and flimsiest. I want little, lightweight luggage, with four wheels.
https://www.skyscanner.net/news/cabin-luggage-guide-hand-baggage-sizes-and-weight-restrictions

Where to buy bags? (Americans say purse for a handbag).
Amazon
www.amazon.co.uk (There's another version www.amazon.com .)
Department Stores such as John Lewis.
https://www.johnlewis.com
Sports Shops.
Supermarkets
Ebay
Airport Shops

SUITCASE Brands:
Samsonite.
Verify brands, check latest styles, then look for prices.

More will be added in blogs on this website which I am in the process of creating:(www:luxurytravelforless.co.uk/blogs)

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

Discounts, deals and finds in hotels in London

PROBLEM
How to find a reasonably priced hotel reasonably near central London.

ANSWERS

HOTELS, BUDGET HOTELS

Regarding hotels, you need to decide your budget. (If necessary, work out the exchange rate.)

IS BUDGET BEST?

When is a bargain a bargain? When is a bargain not a bargain?

The one star hotel chains are good value but can be a walk from the station. I used them when visiting the World Travel Market at EdExcel in the East End of London. Under £100. 

BREAKFAST INCLUDED?

The first night it was a nuisance not having breakfast in the hotel. I dashed off. The second night I found the eating place across the car park and discovered that I did not have to wait around but could buy a takeaway coffee and a bun from a cabinet just to grab when racing off to an early morning meeting. the third day, when I was checking out, I had saved  food from the day before.

The best deals are the week before on the late booking sites. 

STORIES

Years ago we did a tour of the Lake District in England. I insisted on stopping to see a hotel and restaurant which were way beyond our budget. I looked about, saw the menu, photographed the view, said were were travelling elsewhere but might come back another time, and left my card. 

Next spring we were posted or emailed an offer of a break of three nights for the price of two, or was it two nights for the price of one, accommodation and breakfast and dinner included. Lunch, a packed lunch, was also a bargain price. To my amazement, my budget conscious family did some calculations on the cost per night and the cost per meal and we went off to my dream hotel for a lovely stay.

This year (2017) we made a booking for an anniversary trip to Cambodia, as a side trip from Singapore. We found a reduced price deal on airfares, then booked a hotel through booking.com. The price for the hotel, three floors with no lift, just a little more than we wanted to pay, for what looked like a night in a hotel with a swimming pool, and free collection from the airport (not free return) turned out to be the late deal price for all four nights! (Lemongrass and Ginger hotel - I have more information in another post and on TripAdvisor.)

BOOKING SITES
Booking.com lets you choose the location and budget.
I find it a nuisance when I am browsing to have to fill in a date, especially if I don't yet know the date of travel. On the other hand, you might change your date if you can get a great deal on hotels a week later, or early, or at the weekend, or midweek, by hotel hopping, or by booking a minimum number of nights in one hotel.

You also want to consider whether you want to be in a hotel where you can chat to other tourists over breakfast (included), or would like an all suite hotel for privacy and the chance to cook your diet food, order food delivery or keep takeaways and store pills and leftover food in a fridge. You might also consider whether you want the predictability of a hotel chain, or something person and surprising such as a boutique hotel, a historic house hotel, or a home stay.

You might also want to have a getaway on the outskirts of the city after a busy week in the centre. If you are going back to Heathrow, you might pick a hotel near a station, on a line which connect to Heathrow, or near Heathrow, or even somewhere miles away with a coach connection to Victoria, such as a hotel in Watford, which has a museum - check opening times and days. Speaking of Watford, you might pick a central London hotel near an all attractions, such as Oxford Street or Kensington, or Watford for going to see the Harry Potter studios tour.

LATE

www.lastminute.com/hotels/cheap

www.laterooms.com

CHEAP

www.timeout.com

moneysavirngexpert.com/treavel/cheap-hotels

www.hoteldirect

a i r n b (spaces inserted because - spell checker keeps changing what I type)

LOCATION

ukhotels.com

staycentral.

HOTELS BY STAR RATING
PREMIER INN three star

IBIS one star

PRICE COMPARISON SITES

www.traveloka.com

hotels combined.com

triage.com

BOUTIQUE HOTELS WITH CHARACTER

My art teacher friend stayed in a hotel in London, England, near Oxford street based on illustrator and humorist Lear, more character than a chain but very expensive unless you get a last minute deal.

UNKNOWN HOTELS
I looked at Edward Lear Hotel in Oxford Street and up popped Seymour Motel, from £37, marble Arch Inn £55, Point A hotel, £56. Don’t know any of them. Another area with lots of small hotels is Notting Hill Gate, famous for featuring in a couple of films. Near the park.

ROOM CHOICE

Ask to see two rooms on arrival.  Decide if you want top floor or ground floor, front with lively street view, or quiet at back. Are you willing to pay more for top floor and/or room with view? Or for a hotel with an indoor or outdoor swimming pool?

You might want to swim. Even if you don't, you might like to sit by the pool and sunbathe or entertain a friend to cocktails by the pool.

TRIP ADVISOR DEALS
If you write a few reviews of restaurants or museums or hotels on TripAdvisor in your home town before leaving you will be offered discount deals and promotions on the TripAdvisor website. 

LOYALTY SCHEMES

You might also like to join a hotel loyalty scheme. Sometimes I have joined a loyalty scheme and been told that I only get reduction on my next booking, or I have to wait until I am posted a card. Check out loyalty schemes which work from your first visit, or which you can use to book a hotel as soon as you get the number.

Some loyalty schemes will give you upgrades to a club lounge floor. We once paid less than £25 to join a loyalty scheme in a hotel in Seoul in Korea. When we were told we had to pay to join the loyalty scheme, we said, "No thank you."

I asked, "Just out of interest, who we get?"

We got:
an upgrade to the club floor with a larger room with a better view,
the use of an English speaking concierge to help me book taxis and answer any questions,
plus a breakfast buffet,
all day coffee,
and evening cocktails and nibbles from 5 pm until 7 pm for both of us - for a week.

We said, "Yes please!" Five lots of coffee for two in the downstairs restaurant would have cost as much as joining the loyalty scheme.

We missed at least one of the breakfasts by dashing off early on business and on a day trip. We also missed a couple of the evening cocktails because we got back late or went off to dinner early.  Even so, just the room upgrade would have made it worthwhile, transformed our stay.  

AIRLINE DEALS

Your airline may offer a discount at a hotel at the destination of your journey or a stopover.

LUXURY BEYOND YOUR BUDGET
If you really like an expensive hotel or restaurant, it's worthwhile getting on their mailing list. Drop in and put your card in their restaurant's bowl. You might be offered a free meal, or a meal with a bottle of wine included. I had a free bottle of wine from a London restaurant.

ALPHABETICAL CHAIN & Group LIST
NB Some hotels are owned by one group and managed by another; some independent hotels of a certain type or character group together as consortiums for marketing.
Best Western
Britannia Hotels
Copthorne Hotels
Crowne Plaza
Days Inn
De Vere Hotels
DoubleTree by Hilton
Hampton by Hilton
Hilton
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn Express
The Hotel Collection
Hyatt
Ibis
Ibis Budget - cheap, from £32+
Jurys Inn
Leading Hotels of the World
MacDonald Hotels
Marriott
Mercure
Novotel Hotels
Old English Inns / Hotels
Park Plaza
Premier Inn
Q Hotels
Radisson Blu
Ramada
Relais
Small Luxury Hotels (SMH)
Sofitel
Thistle Hotels
Warner Leisure Hotels

CHARACTER, TYPES, STYLES, SWIMMING POOLS
Michelin Guides classify hotels with symbols for quality of food, countryside, views
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/the-best-london-hotels-with-a-pool/

RATINGS & CLEANLINESS
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/articles/Britains-best-and-worst-hotel-chains-named-in-Which-poll/

More Information
http://www.theaa.com/hotel-services/members-area/ratings (How they AA rates hotels, with VisitEngland VisitScotland and VisitWales)

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer,a author and speaker. I have several more posts on London, hotels, museums, statues on stations and countries around the world. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts. 

Mothering Sunday UK is Sunday 26 March 2017

Problem
When is Mothering Sunday? It varies year to year, and Mother's Day in America is not the same as the UK's Mothering Sunday.

Answer
How do I know that Mothering Sunday in the UK will be Sunday 26th March in 2017? Because restaurants are sending me offers by email.

Stories
I heard from the cafe at Cobbs Farm shop in England.

Tips
Enter important dates in your calendar on your laptop or mobile phone. Add a second date a week or more earlier to remind yourself to book a lunch, a card, or flower delivery, or book a last minute holiday.
http://www.cobbsfarmshop.co.uk/events.asp?contentID=206

Last Minute Cards
Need a card? 123 Greetings online, very handy if you forget and need to send something instantly. I particularly like the Happy Birthday with animation and c cappella (like a Barber Shop quartet - four male voice with no accompaniment).
http://www.123greetings.com/birthday/birthday_fun/happy_birthday_song_a_cappella.html
I also liked the card called Beak Boys reminiscent of the Beach Boys.
http://www.123greetings.com/birthday/happy_birthday/the_beak_boys_birthday_song.html

You can send a birthday or anniversary e-card with a customised message such as the venue for the lunch or a weekend away or holiday. Just tell the recipient to keep the date or dates free, and say details will be in the card.
http://www.lastminute.com
You can set the card up to be delivered at the right time, local time for the recipient, even if you are on a different time zone.

More Lunches
http://cinnamonclub.com/mothering-sunday-2017/ Indian food. Upmarket. See my previous review of this restaurant on this blog and on TripAdvisor.


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