Holidaymakers could soon have another reason to book flights to Ireland after tourism bosses announced plans for a new scenic road trip route.

The drive will stretch from Donegal’s dizzying Slieve League sea cliffs to the wilds of west Cork, taking in remote Mayo and Achill Island, Connemara and the Burren.

Organisers have not yet settled on a defined route – but it is likely to be made up of existing highways along the Atlantic coast linked together.

The ‘Wild Atlantic Drive’ is expected to attract drivers from across the world, particularly the US and Europe.

Tourism chiefs hope it could become Ireland’s answer to iconic routes such as the Pacific Coast Highway in California or Australia’s Great Ocean Road.

And with flights to the Emerald Isle available from London airports including Stansted and Luton, thrill-seeking motorists from the UK will have plenty of opportunities to experience the coastline that was once believed to be the “end of the world”.

Alex Connolly from tourism group Failte Ireland said the drive could be sold as a two-week holiday.

But shorter trips, taking in only parts of the route, will also be available for those with a busy lifestyle.

Mr Connolly said: “We’ll be pitching this at people who want to come over and have an authentic experience and enjoy not only Irish landscapes, but also the company of Irish people.

“It will be for people who are looking for that rugged, authentic Irish experience, the Ireland that at one stage – before the discovery of America – was considered the end of the world, but still has that remoteness and beauty about it.”

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Travelling abroad is a popular activity among gap year students – whether they are looking to boost their CV with volunteer work or just hope to see more of the world.

But a new study suggests that many young people planning a gap year adventure turn to their parents to help fund their trip.

Almost half of 17 to 25-year-olds take advantage of the “bank of mum and dad” after running out of money during their travels, according to research by currency company Moneycorp.

And nearly one in 10 (9%) young travellers has their whole trip paid for by their parents, the study found.

The survey suggests there is a gap between the cost of a gap year trip and the actual amount of money that young people can save up.

The average gap year traveller expects their jaunt to cost them somewhere between £2,000 and £3,000.

It is possible to make savings in some areas, such as airport transfers or even by researching cheaper flights.

But the poll found that only one third of travellers plan to work during their trip, while many also fail to save enough money before they set off.

Moneycorp spokesman Rupert Bedell said: “There is a worrying trend that gap year travellers are only too happy to shoot off on their adventures but don’t plan properly and will happily turn to their parents if they run out of money.

“Globe-trotting does not come cheap so budgeting, security and making your money work hard are key to a memorable experience.”

In a separate poll, UK-based organisation Projects Abroad found that Brazil is the most popular destination for gap year students looking for volunteer work, with many devoting their time to the country’s ecological development.

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A new mega mall in Morocco is likely to draw in hordes of tourists over the coming years, it has been suggested.

Pop star and actress Jennifer Lopez opened the new Casablanca shopping centre – which the developers behind the project have called the biggest mall in Africa.

The new development will offer fresh appeal for those looking to complement the traditional bazaars for which Morocco is already so well known with some more-contemporary offerings.

Mall officials have said that tourists are among their main target markets.

Secretary-general, Jenane Laghrar expects around a fifth of people visiting the mall to arrive from foreign soil.

Holidaymakers with a stringent shopping agenda will be able to glance around Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior and Ralph Lauren boutiques and department store Galeries Lafayette – as long as they remember to leave enough time to catch their airport transfers to get home.

People looking for the new mall should have no difficulties finding it either – the silver building is perched on the coastline.

Salwa Akhannouch, head of the Aksal group and the driving force behind the mall, said: “It is a great honour for Morocco to have a project of such dimensions.”

The mall opened earlier this month, with local luminaries on hand to watch Lopez cut the ribbon.

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Holidaymakers could save as much as £111 if they sensibly use cards abroad and are smart about how they exchange their currency, according to a Government-run watchdog.

The maximum figure applies to a family of four spending two weeks around the Mediterranean on a holiday costing £2,180.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said anything between £63 and £111 can be saved if currency is bought online before departure from airports such as Heathrow and Luton, and if cards that are free to use abroad are utilised.

This represents a saving of between 2.8% and 4.8% of the total holiday bill, OFT said.

Savings were calculated by comparing the strategy against, for example, using a credit card to pay the hotel bill and buying foreign currency in the UK at a more typical bureau de change.

OFT also found:

:: Banks charged debit card users a total of £410 million in 2010 alone for using the bankcard while on holiday.

:: Banks also took in £260 million by charging people to use their credit card abroad.

:: Withdrawing money at a foreign cash machine costs banks and building societies more because they are charged fees by either Visa Europe or MasterCard and by the bank which owns the cash machine being used.

:: Banks also charge their customers more if a particular transaction occurs and or if a particular card is used.

:: The Post Office sells more foreign currency than all others, comprising 28% of the market.

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Travellers can now fly to Vietnam direct from Gatwick.

The Vietnam Airlines uninterrupted service to Hanoi is the first of its kind to fly from the UK.

Passengers can fly non-stop to Hanoi on a choice of two services every week, but they’ll have to remember to arrange their airport transfers before leaving home.

Vietnam Airlines also launched a service between Gatwick and Ho Chi Minh City which will also run twice a week.

In the past people flying to Vietnam from the UK had to interrupt their journeys by changing planes at Hong Kong, Bangkok and other regional hubs.

Travellers will save around two hours by taking the direct flights, meaning that they have more time to get themselves sorted ahead of flying.

Stewart Wingate, chief executive of Gatwick Airport, said: “For UK holidaymakers, a trip to Vietnam has been made easier and quicker with the launch today of the first direct flights from the UK to two of Vietnam’s popular cities.

“Following the change of ownership two years ago, we have been working extremely hard to attract airlines that open up routes in South East Asia and give passengers a wide choice of destinations to explore.

“There is a growing demand for travel in Vietnam and so we are naturally very excited that Vietnam Airlines has chosen to provide the direct link between the two countries via Gatwick.”

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People jetting off for a Christmas holiday are getting in touch with car hire firms in their destinations much earlier than usual, figures show.

There has been a 38% jump in early reservations made with eRentals – a website that helps people find hire cars in more than 12,000 destinations – for the Christmas period.

Car hire is seen as a good solution for people flying, as airport transfers by bus are handy when they set off, and avoid troublesome parking and the related cost. They also provide mobility on holiday that allows travellers to see the sights in relative ease.

The website said the spike in early booking goes against the trend for this time of year, with people usually waiting until Christmas is closer before booking a hire car. Geneva, Lisbon and Faro have proven to be the top destinations this year, eRentals said.

Spokeswoman Briony Fairbairn said: “Each festive season there is usually a late rush of car hire bookings, even in the few days before Christmas. This year though there seem to be many more people booking ahead to be sure they get themselves the car they need for their trip.”

She said more people are looking for things like snow chains or 4×4 cars for festive holiday,s and booking ahead is the best way to make sure they bag what they want at a reasonable price. She said people who book early would have “a more enjoyable trip with a smoother car hire experience”.

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Passengers travelling from British airports have been advised to only call the British consulate when they are abroad if they feel they have a genuine emergency on their hands.

Records show that Britons have contacted consular staff in the hope of gaining answers to a number of bizarre queries such as the telephone number of Genesis singer Phil Collins and the shoe size of Prince Charles.

One woman called the British consulate in Spain to ask them where she could get a Christmas lunch in Malaga as everywhere she had contacted was already booked up. Also in Spain, a man phoned up to ask staff to get in touch with a dominatrix who had left him stranded at the airport.

A man called the consulate in Sydney for advice on what clothes he should pack for a holiday and a Brit in Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia asked the consulate to help him sell his house.

A woman in Moscow who was irritated by a loud buzzing noise in her flat contacted consular staff to help her get rid of it and a consulate in Greece was quizzed about the best way to put a chicken coop up in a man’s garden.

Consular affairs minister Jeremy Browne said: “We will always try to help where we can but there are limits to the support that we can provide.”

Airside bedrooms available at Heathrow

Holidaymakers catching connecting flights from Heathrow might be too relaxed to leave the west London airport now that it has installed the first airside bedrooms in the UK.

Air passengers flying in and out of Terminal 3 will not regret booking one of the 12 rooms available, which contain a bed, bathroom, TV, mini-bar and Wi-fi connection.

Airports can be busy places, especially during holiday season, so the opportunity to kick back and relax in one of these soundproof chambers might be too tempting an opportunity to resist for many travellers.

Airports across Europe, including Schiphol in Amsterdam, have had these short-stay hotels for a while now, but the UK has been slow to catch on, with Heathrow the only British airport with such facilities.

This could change in the future as the company behind the idea, No1 Traveller, hopes to implement these airside bedrooms in several other UK airports.

Given that the company already runs airport lounges at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted in the UK and JFK airport in New York, it might be safe bet that these airports are the next to have these bedrooms installed.

The rooms, which are available between 4.30am and 10.30pm, cost £20 per hour for a single room and are available for a minimum two-hour slot. Passengers can reserve a room beforehand or turn up on the day, depending on availability.

Passengers appear to be impressed with the rooms, with No1 Traveller founder and chief executive Phil Cameron revealing that a 100 per cent satisfaction rating from guests has been recorded.

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It seems more and more Britons like the idea of having a car while on their holidays abroad, research has revealed.

Travel agent sunshine found that of those who took foreign trips this year, 38% said they had hired a car, compared with just 19% of people in 2010.

The fact that people have more money in their pocket to spend on holiday extras was the reason given for the surge in popularity of car rentals as they fly from airports such as Gatwick, the travel agent said.

A whopping 79% of travellers said hiring out a car in 2010 or 2011 had proved a worthwhile experience and enhanced their holiday, compared to just 6% who said it was a waste of time.

The process of arranging a bus transfer to the airport and between any connecting flights, before picking up a hire car at the other end, can take a lot of the stress out of travelling abroad.

The majority of people – 52% – said they would probably hire a car for a trip abroad next year.

The travel agent surveyed 1,119 UK adults, each of whom had been on at least one overseas holiday in 2010 and also 2011.

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An airline is phasing out its novelty aeroplane-shaped salt and pepper shakers because they have been repeatedly pinched by passengers.

The Virgin Atlantic Upper Class tableware pieces are now regularly auctioned on eBay, with individual pots selling for up to £20 each.

From next month, the pots – which have been shaken and stolen for the past 12 years – will be replaced, along with the current Upper Class cutlery and dining ware.

Janune Doy, Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman, said: “Who could have guessed that salt and pepper pots designed for our aircraft would one day be found in homes all over the world and we are thankful to our Upper Class passengers for spreading the message around the globe.

She said that the theft of the condiment pots was a “back-handed tribute” to how well they had been designed by Virgin Atlantic’s in-house designers.

“We’re expecting a last-minute rush when fans realise that their supply is coming to an end,” Ms Doy said.

“Prices for ‘liberated’ examples may also increase as they do in any market when stock becomes scarce.”

More recently the salt and pepper pots had been stamped with the words “Pinched from Virgin Atlantic”.

The message was meant to deter people from putting the crockery in their cabin luggage and sneaking them on to their airport transfers – but they were still taken.

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