20 Jan
Travel Gadgets

Top Ten Travel Gadgets

Once upon a time in the not too distant past, we packed our suitcase and wondered whether we’d have access to a phone whilst on holiday. How times have changed; as today we have the ability to stay in touch with the rest of the world even when halfway up the Amazon. If you’re a traveller who likes to stay connected with life back home when you’re on your travels, take a look at the following top ten travel gadgets for the technological discerning traveller.

Sarah Dewsbury


 

15 Jan

Three great ski accessories for a 2012 skiing holiday

If you’re a skiing enthusiast then it is likely that you are deliberating where to take your skiing venture in 2012. Alongside thoughts of your destination, decisions about what gear you will take with is likely to be occupying a ski fanatic’s mind.

If you are having trouble deciding what ski-goodies you really need, then let us enlighten you to three great skiing accessories for the 2012 season.

Bolle Half Pipe Ski Helmet £115.00

With an ultra-thin outer shell the Bolle Half Pip Ski Helmet is a lightweight helmet that won’t weigh you down on the piste. With integrated vents, a front open-close system and a hypoallergenic padded liner, this super-stylish ski helmet controls the airflow so skiers stay cool and sweat is reduced to a minimum.

The K2 Rescue Shovel Plus

Accidents, unfortunately do occur on skiing holidays and it is always advisable to be prepared if an accident does arise on the piste. The K2 Rescue Shovel Plus is not only a sturdy aluminium shovel with a T-handle makeshift rescue sled, but also doubles pairs with K2 Backside or Factory Team skies to create a rescue sled used to pull an injured skier out of the snow.

Not only could the multi-faceted Rescue Shovel Plus help save lives, but it has also been designed to serve as a backhoe and a flat surface to balance a stove on in the snow.

Not bad for a modest $75.

The Wayback $140.00

If you are off on a skiing holiday this year the chances are you may be on the lookout for a new pack. Packs or rucksacks intended for a holiday in the snow need to be rugged, sturdy, waterproof and functional. The Wayback is a ski-friendly pack that features a versatile strap system to carry snowboards, skies and snowshoes with ease.

The Wayback also consists of multiple zippered pockets and compartments so that winter sports enthusiasts can keep all their gear organised. This fleece-lined rucksack has a padded waist belt for optimum comfort.

 

Paul Handley


 

10 Sep

Three great cameras for a holiday abroad

Cameras are almost as integral part of the items in your suitcase for your holiday as the sun cream, sunhat and Sangria.

If you are on the look-out for a great new camera to accompany you on your impending holiday, take a look at one of the best luxury villa rental websites Vintage Travel’s top three cameras for a holiday abroad.

IXUS 220 HS

With an optional waterproof case, the IXUS 220 HS enables you to explore underwater photography on your holiday. With a ‘Smart Auto’ function, the camera detects 32 different scenes including Beach and Sunset enabling users to take quality photos specifically designed for capturing shots on the beach as well as those beautiful sunsets we are likely to witness on holiday. With a stainless steel chassis the 220 HS is likely to withstand some more ‘extreme’ conditions than it is perhaps used to, such as exposure to water, dust and high temperatures, and will be a stylish accessory for your well-deserved holiday in the sun.

Panasonic DMC-FT10

This compact digital camera weighs just 157g and measures just 21.6mm and therefore can fit easily into your beach bag and will not weigh you down. The Panasonic DMC-FT10 is shockproof, waterproof and dustproof and will therefore be able to survive the dust of Spain, endure the penetrating beats of a club in Kavos and will live to see another day after being taken for a ride on a banana boat in Malta. And costing a modest £159.95, the Panasonic DMC-FT10 will not break you pre-holiday budget.

TX-10 Cybershot

This stylish camera is available in five different colours and would be a trendy accessory on your summer holiday. The TX-10 Cybershot takes 16-megapixel photographs and shoots HD videos, thus allowing your precious holiday memories to be captured in high-definition videos – perfect to help you overcome those post-holiday blues. Similar to the DMC-FT10, the TX-10 Cybershot is dustproof, waterproof and shockproof, meaning it should be able to handle all the potential damaging features a summer holiday may throw at it.

That’s the camera sorted, now all you need is somewhere to go. For one of the best luxury villa rental websites, come and have a look at Vintag Travel’s stunning portfolio of properties.

Paul Handley


 

03 Jun

Five best travel apps

With society’s increasing reliance on iPhones, travel apps are hastily becoming an almost as inherent component of the travel industry scene as travel agents themselves.

Given this surge in popularity, we feel a blog post dedicated to the five best travel apps available would make an interesting, or if not important, read.

Everytrail

Download Everytrail to your iPhone and you can immediately start plotting walks, cycling, skiing and even kayaking routes anywhere in the world. Users can attach photos and keep and log of the routes they have accomplished and then show them off to friends via Facebook and Twitter – perfect for the adventure traveller.

iPlane Pro

The days of having to leave your drink in the airport bar, wearily walk over to the departure board and squint up at the screen to find still no information about your flight has been displayed, are numbered, thanks to the iPlane Pro app. Install this little beauty and you will receive up-to-date information about the status of your flight, including gate numbers, meaning you can sit back and relax at the airport.

Translator

With 53 different dictionaries and phrasebooks conveniently located on your iPhone, you will never have to take a dictionary abroad with you again, giving you more room and weight on those stingy luggage restrictions. Pronunciation also accompanies the written translations, meaning you will walk off the plane with similar language skills as a local!

Touchnote Postcards

Desperately searching for a shop that sells postcards and then being face with the even more difficult task of finding a post box when you are in the back and beyond so that your loved-ones back home will receive their annual postcard from you is an affliction of the past, if you download the Touchnote Postcards app to your iPhone. Simply take a photograph, attach a note and an address and the Touchnote Postcard team will create a real-life postcard and send it to the address provided.

UrbanSpoon

Download this ultra-innovative app, shake your iPhone, watch the spin like a slot machine, and ‘hey presto’ your iPhone screen is engulfed by a ‘best of’ restaurant guide of the town where you are located – Does technology come much better than this?

 

Paul Handley


 

10 Dec

Tripit’s new gift card

A great Christmas gift idea for the travel buff.

If you’re wondering what to buy your travel-bugged loved one for Christmas this year, then look no further, as Tripit.com has launched a new online gift card designed to making life easier whilst travelling.

Tripit Pro Card, a great christmas gift for the traveller

In case you are wondering who tripit.com is, it is a mobile trip management company and mobile travel app, which assists people in planning their trips abroad anywhere in the world.

Hayden


 

29 Mar

Save up to £300 on a property on Turkey’s Lycian Coast

Savings of up to £300 are available this summer on a week’s rental of Koknar Evi – a lovely property on Turkey’s Lycian coast .

A lovely property on Turkey’s Lycian coast

The maximum saving is applicable during peak season weeks and means a week’s rental – from 19 July to 23 August – is reduced to £1195.  Or, in May, a week’s rental now leads in at just £395 (saving £100).

Prices do not include return UK flights and car hire, but these can be arranged independently or by the company on request.

Hayden


 

05 Mar

How to make the perfect Sangria

If you’re looking for the best Sangria recipe you’ve come to the right place. We’ve searched high and low (and tried a few of our own recipes hiiiic!) and are confident we have the winning formulas for variations of the drink.

Traditional Spanish sangria tends to contain all manner of ingredients, in fact ‘whatever fruits happen to be laying round the kitchen’. But we’re looking for perfection right, so making sure the ingredients are of the highest quality is the first thing to do.

Other important considerations:

  • Sangria must always be served ice-cold
  • Make sure you stir it properly
  • Ensure you get the balance of flavours just right
How toy make the perfect Sangria
Hayden


 

20 Feb

Our Favourite James Bond Travel Gadgets

We’ve been hunting high and low for some of the best travel gadgets currently available on the market and have come up with our top 6. There’s absolutely hundreds out there so as you can imagine it was a challenge to narrow it down at times.

Here’s our winners, enjoy!

GlobalSat GD-101 E-Compass

If you’re anything like me and have a serious co-ordination problem when out walking then you may want to take a closer look at this E-Compass which is a great gadget for hiking, climbing or biking. For  £51.99 you get a water resistant device that can be utilized to take you back to a point on your path that has been set as a destination or a favourite, you can view your co-ordinates, and use this device as a compass (e-compass functionality). You can set up to 5 destination points and can fiddle with the various settings till the cows come home. Loads of fun to be had with this gadget, although the battery lasts up to just 18 hours (but you can easily replace them).

GlobalSat GD-101 E-Compass
Hayden


 

02 Feb

Europe’s best travel blogs

If you’re a prolific internet user then it’s more than likely you’ve stumbled across a blog before… you can’t deny it because you’re on one now!

But with so much information about travel being published every second on the internet through blogs how do you know a good travel blog from a bad one?

Well to save you the frustration we’ve compiled our list of the top travel blogs suitable for the European traveller (in no particular order).

www.travel-rants.com

Set up in 2005 by Darren Cronian, Travel Rants is an enjoyable, light hearted read around Darren’s experiences with the travel industry. If you have a rant that you wish to share then simply email Darren from his site.

Travel Rants Blog

http://escapeblog.com

OK so I’m cheating by entering this one into the fray and it not being European, but it’s so much fun that I simply couldn’t leave it out! The site is a definitive guide to how to act in certain countries around the world. Did you know for instance that in Japan it’s not the done thing to pass food around, from one chopstick to another (now you do!).

Escape Travel Blog
Hayden


 

27 Jan
Have you got room for non-essentials?

The hairdryer and make-up are the first to be ditched on holiday

We’ve just been notified of a very interesting set of results from a survey undertaken by staysure.co.uk, a leading over 50s insurance provider, that have found nearly 60 per cent of holiday goers would forego their hair dryer, 2% would leave their toothbrush, 25%  would leave their make-up behind and wait for it… 5% would go commando!

Have you got room for non-essentials?

 

A possible reason why so many of us are happy to travel lighter may be the fact that baggage weight restrictions are getting tougher and more expensive, which is ultimately making us have to choose between essentials. Or perhaps we’re starting to let our hair down and losing our vanity on holiday!

Poll results (391 respondents)

If you had to forego one essential item what would it be?

Hairdryer             59%

Make-up             23%

Deodorant          9%

Underwear         5%

Toothbrush        2%

Hayden