Airport News Blog - easyBus

UK festival-goers heading overseas

Adam Blaxhall — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:32:19 +0000

Music fans are being forced overseas as the cost of tickets for festivals in the UK continues to rise, a poll by Watchmywallet.co.uk shows.

The money-saving website found almost two in three festival-goers would contemplate going to an event in Europe rather than one on home soil.
Over half of Britons heading abroad for a festival are attracted by the relatively cheap cost, while one in four are influenced by the weather. More than a third of people surveyed revealed they get to fewer festivals now than they did when they were younger.

People keen to sample a different kind of atmosphere at an affordable cost could have picked up an early-bird ticket for a weekend at Poland’s Open’er Festival for only £77, with the standard price £112.
Super-early bird tickets for Soundwave in Croatia would set a music fan back just £65.

Many festival locations are easily accessible from UK airports such as Stansted, Gatwick and Luton.
“Many of the music fans we polled admitted that they now look at European festivals as a real alternative to UK events,” said Sean O’Meara, of Watch My Wallet.
“With cheap airfares and lower prices for accommodation and food in many European countries, it’s possible to enjoy a festival experience abroad with a little sightseeing thrown in, all for less than the cost of going to Reading Festival.”

Hamburg hosts International Garden Show

Adam Blaxhall — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:32:15 +0000

One of the rarest and most renowned garden shows is currently underway in Hamburg, entertaining green fingered enthusiasts from all over the world.
This year’s International Garden Show (IGS), which is only held once every decade, features the theme of Around the World in 80 Gardens.

The 250-acre site is divided into seven worlds featuring seven wonders and 80 gardens including the World of Ports, celebrating Hamburg’s long maritime history.
World of Water, World of Religions, World of Cultural Diversity, World of Continents, World of Nature and World of Activity are the other wonders on display.
The event is not due to finish until October 13, meaning there is plenty of time to book flights and sort out airport transfers to one of Germany’s greenest cities.

Visitors can also travel to Landungsbrucken and the HafenCity in the district of Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg, which are just a stone’s throw away from the exhibition site.
This month happens to mark the 824th anniversary of the Hamburg’s port, with separate festivities to celebrate the occasion taking place along the River Elbe between May 9-12.
The highlight of the event is set to be a grand parade of 300 vessels on the opening day. Day tickets to the IGS cost €21 (£18), while the price drops to €9 after 6pm.

Pushkar Camel Fair ‘a unique sight’

Adam Blaxhall — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:48:20 +0000

Travellers looking for a truly unique experience on their holidays in India are being urged to check out “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” at the Pushkar Camel Fair.
The event is held every November at the time of the Kartik Purnima full moon – this year’s takes place between 9-17 November – attracting an incredible 300,000 people to see up to 20,000 camels, cattle and horses.
Excited travellers wondering what to expect as they board their airport transfers are in for a riot of colour, buzzing activity and carnival as people with livestock from across Rajasthan join international visitors for the huge gathering.

The event was initially set up as part of an effort to boost business for camel traders during the holy Kartik Purnima festival, but it has grown vastly over the years to attract thousands of tourists from around the world who flock to their nearest international airport to get in on the action.
Locals and tourists are enthralled by a riot of performances from musicians, folk dancers, herders, farmers, comedians and acrobats as the action unfolds.

Food lovers will not be disappointed either, with authentic Marwari cuisine delighting the tastebuds at this sensual feast.
Religion becomes an increasingly strong feature of the latter part of the fair, culminating in thousands of devotees and pilgrims taking a holy dip in the Sarovar Lake.
Devotees also visit temples and ashrams to immerse themselves in the spirituality of the holy hymns, chanting, bhajans, prayers and religious ceremonies.

Mini Wonders of World photos amaze

Adam Blaxhall — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:31:53 +0000

A stunning selection of photos of the Wonders of the World are creating a buzz thanks to their playful use of perspective.

New York-based photographer Richard Silver uses a processing method known as tilt-shift to create the eye-catching images that add a scale-model feel to iconic world sites.
Just taking a look at the photos might cause anyone with the travel bug to head off to an airport and catch a flight to see some of the world’s most incredible cities, monuments and natural attractions.
The mini versions captured by the photographer include the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio, the Eiffel Tower looking like a toy and the magnificent site of Machu Picchu in Peru made no less striking in its miniature form.

“In this picture-series you are travelling the world with me,” Silver said.
“Since 2006 everywhere I have travelled I take a few photos that will be tilt-shifted and added to my portfolio. What I am trying to accomplish is to shrink-fit the world, one city at a time.”
So while the images may have a deceptively small feel to them, there is no doubting the scale of the man’s ambition as he strives to distil the awe of the world into neat little packages.
They are certainly successful in providing a new perspective on the well-known sites and will no doubt only add to the excitement for travellers as they take to their airport transfers with the images firmly planted in their mind.

Indeed it’s the reactions of people viewing the photos that gives Silver his biggest thrill, as they often prompt a double-take from viewers taken aback by the apparently shrunk-down proportions of their subjects.
“My favourite question is ‘is that a model or is that real?” the photographer admits.
Because when someone asks him that question, he feels that he has achieved exactly what he set out to do.
Overseas travel is of course all about seeing the world in a new way, and there’s little doubt he has managed it through his work.

Fez to host sacred music festival

Adam Blaxhall — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:07:59 +0000

Top musicians from around the world will be performing at the Fes Sacred Music Festival organised by the royal city of Fez, Morocco.
The festival, which takes place from June 7-15, offers both free performances as well as those that require paid tickets. Concert venues around the ancient capital city include the Batha Museum, Bab Boujloud and the Bab Al Makina. The latter site, which was the Royal Palace parade grounds, provides a dramatic backdrop to the concerts, particularly evening events.

In addition to concerts by some of the world’s top musicians who perform sacred music, there will be dance performances and other culturally diverse acts.
This year’s festival marks the 19th Edition of World Sacred Music Festival of Fes. In addition to the programmed festival events, there will be Sufi gatherings and an emphasis on Fez’s local spiritual music, as well as the sacred music of Morocco.

The festival features two innovations in 2013. The newly refurbished Jnan Sbil Gardens will be open to the public during the festival and will prove a fitting stage for Egyptian song and performances by acrobats from Tangier. Also, there will be an afternoon dedicated to workshops with masters of choreography and music at Dar Mokri.
There are easy connections to Fez by train and bus to many Moroccan cities. The city’s Saiss Airport is located only a few miles outside the city. There are good taxi and bus connections from the airport to the city centre. As far as connections to airports in the UK that offer flights to Morocco, there are buses to London Stansted.

Spain and Portugal offer cheapest resorts

Adam Blaxhall — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:13:22 +0000

Families planning holidays to Spain and Portugal may find their money goes up to 20% further this year, according to latest figures from some of Europe’s most popular resorts.
This year’s Post Office Holiday Costs Barometer shows that prices have fallen sharply in many resorts, with prices down by up to 20% in Spain and almost 15% in the Algarve.
Portugal was the cheapest destination in Europe, thanks to cheap food and drink prices, while neighbouring Spain was in second place.

The research involved adding up the total for 10 holiday items across all destinations. In the Algarve they cost £46.34 – just 16p less than in Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol and only 80p cheaper than in Javea, on the Costa Blanca.

Prices in the Costas have fallen year on year – down 19% in the Costa del Sol and down 20% in the Costa Blanca.
A 3.4% rise in resort prices at fourth-placed Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, saw the 10 items cost £47.32, still less than a pound cheaper than then cheapest resort – Albufeira in the Algarve.
Such was the fierce competition to attract UK holidaymakers to the top four cheapest resorts, the fifth placed destination, Majorca, was almost £9 more expensive (£55.46).
Here prices have fallen 8.8% in a year, while they have gone down about 6% in Corfu, Greece (£64.45). This is equal to about a 1.7% fall in price once the Sterling to Euro exchange rate has been factored in.
Many of the resorts are easily accessible from UK airports such as Stanstead, Gatwick and Luton.

Paraguay capital ‘an offbeat gem’

Adam Blaxhall — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:11:26 +0000

Travellers on the lookout for city breaks that are out of the ordinary might wish to consider the attractive capital of Paraguay, Asuncion.

This South American gem is largely undiscovered by tourists, offering the enviable opportunity to transfer from city hub to lush outskirts, from buzzing malls to stylish restaurants – even from lively city streets to a scenic island nearby – all the while allowing you the feeling that you are in on a secret.
The island in question is Chaco’i, which offers some great birdwatching opportunities.

Other key attractions include the two-mile riverfront promenade in the city centre known as La Costanera, interesting street markets and a number of historic buildings and other cultural sites.
While the flowering beauty of much of the city might take visitors by surprise, many of the outlying neighbourhoods – such as the area surrounding Asuncion’s main bus terminal – are perhaps more typical of a South American city.

Visitors here will find an abundance of rickety street stalls selling almost anything you can imagine, proving a good choice for gifts and souvenirs to take home.
But before travellers even set foot on their airport transfers to reach this most unusual of city break destinations, they might want to make sure they read up on the latest Asuncion travel tips – and one particular book has been described by travel blogger Laurel Miller as a “must-have” for visitors to the city.
It seems Other Places Travel Guide: Paraguay (2012) by Romy Natalia Goldberg will become “your best friend” from the moment you get on board your bus to the airport and start planning your trip, according to the blogger.

As well as various insider travel tips for Asuncion and advice on what key attractions to visit, the book also provides indispensable advice on where to find the best chipas, which are moreish cheese bread balls from neighbouring Argentina.

Festival of fish comes to Italy

Adam Blaxhall — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:49:41 +0000

Keen holidaymakers may wish to consider visiting Italy next month in conjunction with the internationally renowned Slow Fish Festival.
The event, open to coach travellers, takes place from May 9 to 12 in Liguria’s capital of Genoa, featuring traditional fishing methods of the north-west region and beyond.

Created by international food movement Slow Food for the sixth year running, the festival aims to whet appetites with tempting aromas of the Street Kitchen Food, which will feature fresh food specialising in regional flavours with value for money.
In contrast, a more formal setting will be provided by the Bistro Alliance – a dedicated area for festival goers to enjoy dishes of local and seasonal fish.

An open kitchen where 16 of the biggest names in Italian and international food will also feature, with the likes of Italy’s Moreno Cedroni, Luca Collami and Peppino Tinari showcasing their own favourite fish dishes in front of a live audience.
A strong focus on water will also apply at the event, highlighting how the health of the world’s seas and rivers is critical to fish and fish supplies. Water workshops will provide an entertaining but educational insight into such issues, as well as the negative impacts of water shortages and water pollution in developing parts of the world.

Maalifushi makes the Maldives more appealing than ever

Adam Blaxhall — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:56:19 +0000

The Maldives are set to be the sizzling hot destination of the year, thanks to new airport and hotel openings which promise to make the islands more accessible to travellers.

One of the most hotly-anticipated new hotels is Maalifushi by COMO, set to open its doors in October.
Located on a long stretch of sand surrounded by turquoise waters on the eastern side of Thaa Atoll, one of the less-visited islands in the Maldives, the property features a chain of luxurious villas rising out of the water.

The resort’s interiors have been designed by Koichiro Ikebuchi, who worked on the COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali and Bangkok’s Nahm restaurant. Featuring thatched roofs, marble-top tables, stone bathrooms and even – in some cases – private pools, they offer privacy and luxury in equal measure.

Two restaurants are available; Madi, for Maldivian food, and Tai, which serves Japanese cuisine and has a teppanyaki grill. The resort features its own private island, where picnics can be taken.
For the adventurous, Maalifushi also offers scuba-diving trips in search of manta rays and whale sharks and its own dive centre. For guests wishing to stay in the shallows, excursions are available in which a resident marine biologist guides snorkellers around the house reef looking for anemone fish, butterfly fish and silvery wrasse.

Plenty on offer in Johannesburg

Adam Blaxhall — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:34:11 +0000

Johannesburg is a unique destination which stands apart in South Africa, the country’s Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said as he welcomed news that visitor demand to the city is up.
“Last year we grew at more than double the world average – 10.5 percent for January to November 2012, compared to a global average growth of four percent,” Mr van Schalkwyk said.
“South Africa is indeed a unique and varied destination which offers tourist experiences that suit every taste and budget.”

There are more than 40 art galleries and a wide range of studios and cultural institutes in Johannesburg for travellers wanting to experience the culture of South Africa’s largest city.
Culture vultures can also enjoy the arts at one of the city’s many theatres, and for those wanting to learn more about traditional culture, they can visit the city’s villages.
For nightlife revellers, Johannesburg has a variety of popular pubs, clubs and shebeens which promise an evening to remember.
And travellers who like to shop will not be disappointed as Johannesburg is one of Africa’s top shopping cities, where people can enjoy handcrafted products as well as global brands at great local prices.
Heathrow Airport offers a range of flights to Johannesburg.
“South Africa still remains a story of hope, a story of inspiration, and a story of the future. That’s why more and more people want to come to our country and see it for themselvesm,” van Schalkwyk said.