http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/a-3/en-gbAll contents are Copyright (C) 2009 Holiday Lettings Ltd 1998-2009Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:17:06 GMThttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss60HL Newsfeed Generator 1.0The Lapland UK attraction has opened in Kent. The Christmas theme park hopes to fare better than last year's Lapland New Forest.

Lapland UK is set in 10 acres of land in Kent's Bewl Water Estate. The site is covered in artificial snow and offers many festive activities, according to The Daily Mail.

Guests book a time slot and groups of 50 visitors are met at the entrance by an elf. Families can go ice skating, enjoy an audience with Santa, work with the elves in the toy factory and hear traditional Nordic storytelling. Husky dogs and reindeer add to the atmosphere.

However, all this comes at a price, the paper adds. Tickets start at £57.50 per person for visits in early November but can cost up to £87.50 during December. Children under the age of 18 months need a baby ticket costing £10. All family groups must include at least one child over 18 months.

Lapland UK's management reassured potential visitors that a day at the attraction is well worth it. "Everything is in the price and people have a fabulous day here," founder Mike Battle said.

Battle is keen to avoid association with last year's Lapland New Forest, which closed at the start of December. Trading standards were called in after floods of complaints about the attraction. The site was covered in mud, virtually deserted and was deemed a massive disappointment.

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Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us]]>http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/new-destinations/lapland-uk-opens-after-2008-s-lapland-new-forest/a-3-144-1954/Travel NewsFri, 06 Nov 2009 12:17:08 GMThttp://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/new-destinations/lapland-uk-opens-after-2008-s-lapland-new-forest/a-3-144-1954/Ryanair is offering free ski carriage. The first 10,000 passengers to book Ryanair ski flights will get their skis or snowboards taken free.

Travellers need to book their flights on Ryanair's ski routes before midnight on November 11 to be in with a chance of benefitting from the carrier's Skis Fly Free offer. The first 10,000 passengers to do so will save up to £80/80 euros by eliminating ski carriage.

Ryanair's winter ski services fly to Cuneo (Italy), Grenoble, Lourdes, Salzburg and Turin. The free ski/snowboard carriage offer is only valid on flights to these destinations from Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, East Midlands, Glasgow Prestwick, Liverpool and London Stansted.

Ryanair's ski fares start from £14.99 one way. A total of 50 flights depart for the Skis Fly Free destinations per week.

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Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us]]>http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/airline-and-transport-news/ryanair-free-ski-carriage-offered/a-3-145-1953/Travel NewsFri, 06 Nov 2009 10:42:51 GMThttp://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/airline-and-transport-news/ryanair-free-ski-carriage-offered/a-3-145-1953/Barack Obama has promised to lift the ban on travellers with HIV entering America. The US HIV ban has been in place for more than two decades.

People with HIV have been banned from entering the US for 22 years, reports the BBC. However, Obama has vowed to end the ban from early next year.

Obama said: "We lead the world when it comes to helping stem the AIDs pandemic, yet we are one of only a dozen countries that still bar people with HIV from entering our own country." The president added that his administration would publish a final rule to lift the travel ban, coming into effect just after the New Year.

The ban had been "rooted in fear rather than fact", Obama said. The process to end the ban began under George W Bush's presidency.

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Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us]]>http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/general-travel/us-hiv-entry-ban-lifted-by-obama/a-3-143-1952/Travel NewsThu, 05 Nov 2009 11:17:38 GMThttp://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/general-travel/us-hiv-entry-ban-lifted-by-obama/a-3-143-1952/Eurostar services to Brussels will be cancelled tomorrow. All tomorrow's Eurostar services between Britain and Brussels bar one have been cancelled due to industrial action in Belgium.

A 24 hour general strike will commence in Belgium at 10pm local time tonight. As a result, no Eurostar services will be operating between the UK, Lille and Brussels.

The rest of the Belgian rail network will also be closed. There will therefore be no high speed rail connections on Thalys or ICE trains from Brussels to destinations in France, Holland and Germany.

Passengers due to travel on any these services are being advised to change their plans. Travellers should exchange their tickets for alternative dates or obtain a refund by contacting their original point of sale.

A modified timetable will be operating between the UK and Lille since the station is served by trains on the London-Brussels route. Travellers should check in as normal and will be accommodated on the next available service.

Tonight's 7.34pm London to Brussels service will terminate at Lille. Travellers wishing to continue to Brussels should arrange to travel on an earlier Eurostar service to the city.

The only London to Brussels service that will operate tomorrow is the 7.30pm train. This is provided that the Belgian rail network will reopen at 10pm local time. Availability on this service is extremely limited.

Changes have also been made to tomorrow's 1.15pm service from Ebbsfleet International. This train will depart 30 minutes earlier than scheduled and check in is now at 12.15pm.

Eurostar services between London and Paris will run to a near normal timetable. Some services will have an additional stop at Lille.
Services between London/Ashford and Disneyland Resort Paris will operate as normal. Eurostar will resume a normal service on all its routes on Friday.

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Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us]]>http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/airline-and-transport-news/eurostar-brussels-strike-services-cancelled-tomorrow/a-3-145-1949/Travel NewsWed, 04 Nov 2009 11:51:55 GMThttp://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/airline-and-transport-news/eurostar-brussels-strike-services-cancelled-tomorrow/a-3-145-1949/China is getting a Disneyland. The Chinese government has approved plans for a Shanghai Disneyland.

The Shanghai Disneyland will be Disney's first theme park in mainland China, according to the BBC. The corporation has been planning its China Disneyland for more than a decade.

Disney had the approval from Shanghai's local government to develop the park, but needed consent from Beijing. The approval from central government was believed to be the biggest hurdle for Disney.

The final details for the new Disneyland have not yet been announced. However, Disney hopes to open its Shanghai park by 2014.

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Severn Link says its new catamaran service will be the first time a regular route across the Bristol Channel has operated. As a result, holidaymakers renting Devon cottages will be able to make day trips to South Wales and vice versa.

The journey between Ilfracombe and Swansea will take 50 minutes. Severn Link claims that travelling by car would take at least four times as long.

The news of the passenger service has been welcomed by tourism officials in Wales and the West Country. Councillor Chris Holley of Swansea Council said: "This is terrific news. A fast cat service...would be a boost for the city's tourism economy and would allow Swansea people easier access to Devon and the south west of England." The service would also encourage visitors from Devon to discover destinations such as the Gower, Holley added.

Councillor Des Brailey of North Devon Council was equally positive: "This...paves the way for a really exciting future for Ilfracombe." The route is the first in series of planned services between major destinations on either side of the Bristol Channel. More routes are set to be announced in 2010.

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Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us]]>http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/new-destinations/new-swansea-ilfracombe-ferry-service-to-link-devon-wales/a-3-144-1946/Travel NewsTue, 03 Nov 2009 11:50:51 GMThttp://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/new-destinations/new-swansea-ilfracombe-ferry-service-to-link-devon-wales/a-3-144-1946/Heavy rain has caused flooding and travel disruption in Scotland. North and north east Scotland have been worst affected.

Many roads were closed and people evacuated from their homes, according to the BBC. The town of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire was flooded after rivers burst their banks.

Residents made makeshift sandbags using sand from the beach to try and protect buildings. "The river Carron flowed into the town...and the water in the high street was up to chest height," David Fleming, chairman of Stonehaven Community Council, told the news agency.

Emergency crews worked throughout the night to clear roads following the torrential rain, said a spokesperson for Aberdeenshire Council. Grampian Fire and Rescue Services received 350 calls in 12 hours. A spokesperson for Grampian Police expressed concern over high waters from the river Deveron.

Severe flood warnings are also in place for parts of the rivers Isla and Spey. Drivers are urged to keep off the roads after landslides in Arbroath and Brechin.

A number of motorists were forced to abandon their cars. Others were trapped in their cars in deep water. A full list of road closures and disruption to rail services can be found on the BBC website.

The Met Office said that 53mm of rain fell on Aberdeen yesterday. This is almost three quarters of the typical rainfall for the whole of November. Ground was already saturated following an extremely wet October - more than twice as much rainfall as normal for the month was recorded.

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Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us]]>http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/general-travel/flooding-landslides-in-scotland-after-torrential-rain/a-3-143-1944/Travel NewsMon, 02 Nov 2009 12:50:00 GMThttp://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/general-travel/flooding-landslides-in-scotland-after-torrential-rain/a-3-143-1944/Two tourists have died after a landslide on a Tenerife beach. The Los Gigantes landslide occurred when a cliff collapsed onto the beach.

One of those killed was a British tourist, reports The Guardian. Marion O'Hara was sunbathing on the Los Gigantes beach when a 40 metre stretch of cliff collapsed above her. A local woman also died in the Los Gigantes landslide.

The Tenerife landslide happened just after 4pm local time yesterday. Good weather meant there were many people on the beach, hundreds of whom ran for cover as rocks fell. Piles of rubble were up to five metres deep.

Rescue workers were still clearing the beach last night. However, it is not thought that anyone is still trapped under the debris.

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Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us]]>http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/general-travel/tenerife-landslide:-los-gigantes-cliff-collapses-on-beach/a-3-143-1943/Travel NewsMon, 02 Nov 2009 11:48:25 GMThttp://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/general-travel/tenerife-landslide:-los-gigantes-cliff-collapses-on-beach/a-3-143-1943/The X Factor house in London has led to safety fears and a road closure. Barnet council has closed the road where twins John and Edward Grimes are living along with their fellow X Factor contestants.

West Heath Avenue is closed to traffic for the next few days, said the council in a press release. The X Factor house is located on the road and masses of fans have been gathering outside the property.

Roadblocks have been put in place on the London street and will be removed on 3 November. The decision was made to "protect children and teenagers who have been massing in the road", explained the council.

The situation will be reviewed next Tuesday, but the council is hoping the situation will have improved by then. "We have rain forecast for the weekend and I hope that and the end of half term will bring an end to the problem," said local councillor Andrew Harper. "In the meantime I trust the fans outside the house realise that this is a residential street and will act accordingly."

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Digg This! | Save to del.icio.us]]>http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/celebrity-travel-news-and-miscellaneous/x-factor-house-road-closed-to-protect-fans/a-3-146-1942/Travel NewsFri, 30 Oct 2009 11:17:03 GMThttp://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/travel-resources/travel-news/celebrity-travel-news-and-miscellaneous/x-factor-house-road-closed-to-protect-fans/a-3-146-1942/Jet2.com is offering free ski carriage. The airline has published a promotional code so that passengers on ski flights can take their equipment free of charge.

The offer is valid for return flights to Chambery, Geneva and Salzburg up to 17 April 2010 (inclusive). Passengers wishing to take their skis or snowboards free of charge need to enter the promotional code FREESKI when booking flights. This will deduct the price of ski carriage.

Travellers using the promotion for ski holidays in France, Switzerland and Austria are limited to one pair of skis or a single board each. Flights to the promotional destinations start at £19.99 one way.

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