Airline baggage charges

I wrote a few weeks ago about the cost of taking checked baggage on flights.

Here's what the Daily Telegraph has to say on the subject today:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10025059/Airline-fees-and-baggage-charges-soar.html

Do remember that the kind of travel jacket manufactured by Rufus Roo enables you to carry an extra 10kg or so at no cost.  There's a link to their site at the bottom of this page.

Need to change a name?

The first thing to say is that if you are travelling by coach / ferry, there is no problem right up to the last minute (but make sure your insurance company is aware).

If you are flying, however, it could be costly.

The no-frills airlines tend to charge a fixed fee (each way) for each change, plus the difference between the fare at the time of booking and the present ticket price.

It could be less expensive just to book a new ticket at the present price - it is certainly worth checking both options.

Passport due for renewal at an awkward time

You are going to visit a country that needs a visa, and you have to apply just at the time you are due to go on holiday with your family.

Or maybe you are visiting a country which requires you to have a passport valid for three or six months beyond your visit dates, while your passport is due to expire just two months after your travels.

While this can be a nuisance, it need not cost you any more than regular passport renewal.

You can renew your UK passport at any time within its last six months of validity and it will be valid for ten years from the date of expiry of your present document, not from its own date of issue.

In fact, as passport fees only ever go up, maybe you should consider renewing six months early as a matter of course.

New destinations from Manchester

easyJet are introducing three new destinations from Manchester - of interest to Geography / Geology, History and Art teachers:

Iceland, Prague and Venice all now feature from this group-friendly airline.

Twentieth Century German History

I have been working on an itinerary recently for a long-time client and I have to say that I am really pleased to see that some can still make the commitment to a long tour.  For those studying the Third Reich, our tour to Nuremberg, Prague, Kraków, Auschwitz and Berlin carries a powerful impact which I am told is reflected in the students' work after such a series of visits.

In ten days, they become familiar with the early years of Nazi power and rapid growth, with the conduct of the War and the Holocaust and with the downfall.

More than that are the contexts - walking in the immense Rally Grounds, travelling from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz, standing in the peaceful lakeside villa by the Wannsee where the detail of the administration of the Final Solution was delivered.

The price?  Just over £65 per day per student, including all travel, accommodation in good hotels, three meals a day, visits and guiding.

Call us on 01691 88 61 61 to discuss a similar tour for your students.

Like us on Facebook

If you find my postings here useful, you might find that by liking our Facebook page, you will not miss any of my offerings:   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Culture-Trails-for-Schools/204820429609781

The page is a copy of my postings here in the blog.

Flying with easyJet? No more airport check-in.

If you are flying with easyJet, then you need to be aware that as from 30 April, you will need to arrive at the airport already checked-in and with your boarding passes for both outward and return flights printed off.

All check-in desks will be converted to bag-drop only.

Of course, if you have no checked luggage, then you may proceed directly to security.

If your booking has been made by a tour operator, you should contact them to ensure they check your group in online and send you the boarding passes in good time.

Make sure you are getting an inclusive price!!

It was last Easter that I first posted this message, and from feedback I get from teachers who have booked tours in good faith from even some of the largest school tour operators, I think it bears repeating.

How do I choose between tour operators?

It's the time of year when the school tour brochures start arriving, and to be sure many of the offerings look inviting.

It is tempting to look for the lowest prices, but this is not necessarily the best solution, as often they are achieved by including as little as possible in the quoted price - possibly no lunches or evening meals included.

Even worse are the history or geography study tours (or those in other subject areas) which do not include all the necessary visits and guiding.

I have always felt that it is best to have totally inclusive prices for travel, accommodation and meals together with all visits, entrance fees and guiding included in the tour.  This way, you will not be going to parents some way through the process to ask for more than originally budgeted.

That said, of course, if you are travelling with senior pupils, you might well decide that allowing them to purchase their own lunch might be preferable to an included packed lunch, but I would certainly expect to have a substantial breakfast and an evening meal included each day.