All inclusive is a style of hotel board basis that, as the name suggests, typically includes all of the essentials – that means the cost of the room, your meals, drinks and snacks too. The finer details will depend on the hotel, because some hotels include all meals and drinks while others place certain restrictions in place. For instance, some hotels provide local drinks and house wine to all inclusive guests, but charge extra for spirits and branded drinks. Similarly, hotels with numerous on-site restaurants may allow guests to use the buffet as part of their inclusive deal, but require a supplement for the fine dining restaurant.

Photo by Velas Vallarta / Creative Commons-licensed

All inclusive often comes with other benefits too, such as the use of local amenities. For instance, if your hotel is located near a golf club, you may find that free or discounted use of the golf course is included with your all inclusive booking. Or perhaps there’s an inclusive use of on-site tennis courts or gym facilities. It’s well worth reading the fine print because there may be plenty of great facilities that you’re not aware of.

Naturally, a key benefit of all inclusive is that you spend less on food and drinks while you’re in the resort. For families, this is particularly beneficial – as all those snacks, soft drinks and ice creams can quickly add up.

Photo by PRINSOTEL HOTELS / Creative Commons-licensed

If you’re planning to book package holidays from Ireland, it’s well worth looking for all inclusive options and weighing up the cost. If you typically spend most of your time by the pool or on the nearest beach, all inclusive will be a great way to help you save money and spend it on the things you really want to do, like family activities or day trips.

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Photo by Dave Dugdale

One of the things that catch many people out is knowing who and when to tip, and this is a factor that can prove to be somewhat confusing. Tipping is an established custom in many countries around the world, of course, but in the UK there are some groups who will always expect a tip and several more that will not, and these groupings can be very different from those in other parts of the world.

In most pubs and bars, for example, tipping the bartender is rare. In the USA, to use an example, it’s customary to tip every time drinks are bought, but in Britain this doesn’t usually happen. It may be more of a regular practice in some of the cosmopolitan bars in the centre of London, for example, but in the average British pub the server doesn’t usually receive a gratuity from customers.

Good service is everything

Those who would expect to be tipped include waiting staff in restaurants, but if you feel the service wasn’t particularly good you should consider giving less than the usual amount, which is often deemed to be around ten per cent of the total bill. Be warned, however, that many establishments already include a service charge, so make sure you check the details when the check is brought to the table.

Taxi drivers will usually expect to be tipped, as will hotel porters and hairdressers. There is no hard and fast rule about the amount of money you should offer in the UK, but generally a tip of between ten and fifteen per cent is acceptable. As always, you should see tipping as a reward for good service, not just as an expected payment that is part of the overall cost of a particular process.

When you’re budgeting for travelling around the UK, especially in the heart of London, it’s worth factoring in the cost of tipping a taxi driver. In general, cabs are relatively costly anyway in the capital, so it’s often a better option to take the underground railway, which is always less expensive and is usually quicker as well.

Sam Wilkes lives in the UK and works for https://www.timeto.co.uk/.

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Smart people now make full use of TripAdvisor and will actively post comments while they are being a particular hotel or resort. This means that an information on an outbreak of food poisoning, poor hygiene from staff at a hotel, dangerous areas, filthy swimming pools, bugs, dirty rooms and more can and will be made available for everyone to see as soon as they are noticed. Information like this, especially if it is posted while on holiday can help others to avoid a hotel or resort and can make your case stronger if you need to make a claim against your tour operator when you get back home.

If you find that something is not right while on holiday you should speak to your rep as soon as possible as they are your first point of contact while abroad. They should be able to work with a hotel or resort staff to solve the problem immediately, if not they know that they can face the wrath of unhappy holidaymakers when they post comments on TripAdvisor. If you are planning on posting comments however you need to make sure that you are not just moaning and making comments that could be seen as libellous. They should always be true comments or you could find that your griping becomes a problem for you personally, so never make a comment that cannot be backed up.

If you are planning a holiday spend a little time on TripAdvisor and get a real feel for the destination or resort/s that you are interested in. Doing this will give you an insight into the experiences of other holidaymakers and prevent you from making a mistake by booking the wrong holiday. Don’t be put off by one comment mentioning food poisoning if there are another hundred praising somewhere as this could be an isolated incident. But if a hotel has constant comments complaining about it your money will be put to better use planning a holiday elsewhere.

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• License: Image author owned 

Making a complaint about your hotel after a disappointing holiday is a process where valuable help from a solicitor would be useful so you know your rights and what to say to make your case a strong one.

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1. Have Fun with your Friends

We would all like to spend more time with our friends but it’s not always possible because of the studies or your busy professional life. But you can catch up by spending your holidays with your friends, that way you’ll be able to spend as much time as possible with them.

Photo by Alex

In fact, you’ll be able to do all the activities you like to do together without having to think about something else. In addition, it is reported that it is easier for guys to seduce girls when they are in group, so if you’re single and hope to meet that special one then you can try that particular method.

2. Enjoy Some Interesting Discounts

In addition, whether you’re a small or a large group you will be able to enjoy some interesting group discounts when booking your tickets but also once you get to your holiday destination. In fact, you may have discounts when taking the bus but also when visiting some places.
Some restaurants and fast food also have interesting discounts for groups, so if you like tasting different cuisines then that’s a good reason why you should bring your buddies with you.

3. Save Money

Group holidays are a good way of saving money as all the fees are shared out between the members of the group, and the more a group is large the cheaper your contribution will be. The best example of this is trips organised by schools, in fact as most classes have at least 15 pupils, teachers calculate how much each pupil will give and that how they succeed in organising those kind of trips.

Photo by 401K 2012

So you can organise your holidays with your closest friends and if your group is not large enough you can ask your friends to bring their friends as well, that way you will all enjoy cost-effective holidays.

4. Group Accommodations

Concerning your accommodation booking a hotel is not the best solution as it can be extremely expensive especially if you want to stay there for more than a weekend. However, the best holiday accommodation for young holidaymakers is undoubtedly self-catering holiday cottages.

In fact, if all the members of the group give some money it will be quite cheap. In addition, holiday cottages are quite flexible as there will be room for all of you because even if you book a three room cottage and you are seven, you can split the group in two and some of you can sleep in the rooms while others will sleep in the living room.

Nadine Ryans writes about different subjects such as boutique hotel Brighton, Dartmouth self-catering and London orthodontists.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Patrick Nouhailler

Of course, there is nothing more symbolic of Paris than the Eiffel Tower.  If you are looking to create a romantic evening for you and that special someone, consider basing a dinner date and tour of Paris around the Eiffel Tower.

Dinner at the Eiffel Tower is an experience that no one will ever forget.  The tower boasts of two restaurants.  One is on the ground level and offers traditional French cuisine; plan ahead and make reservations because there is usually at least a two week wait.  The décor is eclectic, and the dress is somewhat formal.  Patrons should wear something nicer than jeans and trainers.

The second restaurant is located on the second level of the tower and is also a level higher in cost, atmosphere and attire than the ground floor restaurant.  Expect to pay a premium for everything from drinks to entrees.  However, if you are looking to create an unforgettable evening, it will be worth every penny.

The second level of the Eiffel Tower offers a view just as magnificent as the view from the top, yet you are protected from the strong winds and other elements that a visit to the top brings with it.  Not to mention, there is almost no wait to reach the second level, whereas the wait to attain the highest level can knock the romance out of the most elegant pair.  Therefore, visitors will not be missing out by staying closer to the ground.

Following your Eiffel Tower dinner, a lazy boat ride down the Seine will be the finishing touch to your night.  As the boat winds down the river, you will see locals dancing along the banks of the Seine as sumptuous music fills the air.  The dark river will stretch before you as you become ensconced in the atmosphere that is so uniquely Parisian.  As the boat winds back up toward the Eiffel Tower, the tower will erupt in lights that sparkle and twinkle before your eyes.  You will be breathless as you take in the symbol of love and romance that seems to light up just for you.

Nestling into the arms of someone you love will never feel as decadent as when you are gliding down the Seine on one of these Paris tours.  When your holiday is over, you can look back with joy and sigh, “We’ll always have Paris.”

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The town of Billund is otherwise not very interesting, however it is an ideal starting point for exploring beautiful and historically important areas. From here you can get e.g. to Jelling, Ribe, Kolding or Esbjerg. Those who like flying can try the services of Billund Rundflyvning flying company and enjoy a sightseeing flight over Legoland, which costs from €30.

Further information about Aquapark Lalandia you can find on the official website here.

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Aqualandia Benidorm offers more than 20 different water slides. Among the best known are the kamikaze, the big bang, which is reportedly the highest water slide in Europe and the black hole. There are lots of salt water swimming pools available including one with the waves. Water park has also plenty of green spaces, a beach, or restaurants. The park is reachable from the city of Benidorm by bus No.1 and No.4, which runs every 30 minutes.

You can also take a taxi, which should take you there from the city center for just €5. Aqualandia Benidorm is open from mid May to mid October, daily from 10:00 to 21:00. Basic admission is €28 but you can buy a ticket online for just €20,50.

For further details see the official website of Aqualandia Benidorm.

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During the Carnival of Venice there are lots of people from all over the world in Venice, so you need to be prepared for the queues at the refreshment stalls. Right in the heart of Venice, you will not find any benches. They are only in front of the restaurants, where you have to order something. This is why the people sit everywhere. However, not far from the center of Venice, there is a park with benches where you can rest. The park is open till 19:00.

If you walk around Venice, you’ll meet a mask on every street corner. Some of them are very interesting but also very expensive. Domestic conceived the carnival as their holiday, so you can even meet married couples, who were dressed in festive costumes. There are also many artists who can paint the mask directly on your face and it is really very nice and funny to watch such an artist at work. Also there are many foreigners who come here to show their costumes as well.

There is a competition for the best mask. These masks will then walk through the stage.

In 2011 Carnival of Venice starts on Friday 25.2.2011 (21:30 – 1:00) with Carnival Moon Dancing and finish on 9.3.2011 at 01:00am.

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• 4 red slopes (new 2011!)
• 2 blue slopes
• 2 green slopes

Transportation is provided by 3 lifts.

The development of the plateau began with the creation of the access road in the 1970s. Infrastructure has been installed from 1976 with the creation of the first lifts.

You can enjoy the best skiing in February and March, when there is much more snow than in other months. However you should call to the ski resort and ask if the lifts are in operation. There is a ski rental, and lots of restaurants, bars and car parks.

The basic whole day ski-pass costs 17 Eur.

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It also includes several restaurants and shops with various souvenirs. Futuroscope theme park is open all year outside of January. Opening hours vary according to the season, however, it is appropriate to look at the official site of the park. Admission is different for adults 35 EUR and for children (5-16) 26 euros.

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