How do you fancy winning Worldwide annual travel insurance for you, your partner and children*? Sounds good? Nearly time for booking your 2011 holiday?

Thought so…

So get commenting. What we want you to do it tell us about your worst holiday disaster. Maybe you forgot your passport and realised at the airport; maybe you broke a bone and were bed ridden all holiday or maybe you turned up with your new beau only to be housed in a hotel room next to an Ex. Whatever the story we want to hear it.

Here’s mine for starters:

A trip to Greece should have been 4 hours.,.10 hours flying, 2 days , 4 stop offs at several difference countries later I finally arrived at my relaxing holiday destination.

The perfect start to a holiday that was booked as a de-stresser!

Had worse? The leave a comment below and let us decide.

* Small Print:

• Competition will close on the 23rd March 2011 and a winner announced on the 22nd.
• All entries will be put in a hat and the winner will be chosen at random.
• The prize consists of worldwide annual travel insurance, platinum cover, for either an individual, couple or family (with up to 4 children), up to a maximum value of £125. If the required policy is more expensive, the winner has the option of paying the extra premium, or choosing a lower level of cover.
• Entrants must be aged 18 or over and resident in the UK
• The competition is not open to Ancile Insurance Group employees or their families.
• The winner must be in the UK when the travel insurance is issued.
• The prize is not transferrable or exchangeable for cash.
• Prize must be claimed, and travel insurance policy issued by 31 March 2011.

This prize has been supplied courtesy of InsureWithEase.com, who provide a full range of holiday insurance including cheap travel insurance, and annual travel insurance for couples, families and individual holiday makers.

I’ve been meaning to catch up on a few blog posts for, well years now so it’s about time I stopped procrastinating and got them written starting with a trip to Paris. About 10 years ago the Fiance was shipped out to Paris for 3 months with work and luckily for me I got shipped out with him for one long weekend. I was due to go over for a week a few weeks later but that very week he got to come home early…I mean, I was happy to see him ‘n all but his bad timing means I only got that one long weekend.

Anyway, the bonus with him being over there for the three months meant he got an apartment, not any apartment….no siree. He was in a private street by the Rue Royal above fancy bakeries, behind all the posh shops (ones that I didn’t even dare look in the windows of) and 2 minutes from the Louvre and the Tuileries. It was fantastic, brand new, in a great location and also meant there was no crazy searching before the trip trying to find cheap hotels in Paris city centre. It was perfect. But enough about accommodation and onto the activities.

As it was such a long time ago I can’t quite remember the order of things but here’s what we got up to other than lots of sitting around in Cafes (which remind me, Tenants Lager is a posh drink over there, Yup really, good ol’ Glasgow p*sh water  is actually desired in some parts of the world and I don’t mean at a Rangers/Celtic footie match…amazing!)

The Louvre

No trip to Paris is complete without a trip to the Louvre. I’d heard it was bad to get into in terms of queues but we were there reasonably early and it was a cinch to get in to. I can’t remember if there were any exhibitions we specifically went to see or not but I do remember getting a very distant view of the Mona Lisa and spending a lot of time just looking at the building and thinking ‘Wow’.

Sacre Coeur

Luckily for me I had friends in Paris at the same time as I was over. friends I hadn’t seen in a few years as they were normally in Barcelona so it was great that I got to see them. They were living out near Sacre Coeur so one evening we took the metro out to visit and popped up to Sacre Coeur for a walk before hand. We took the stairs up to it (which is a lot longer than it looks) but the view from the top is superb. I love cities at night so looking out over Paris with the lights twinkling was amazing. I loved the little cobbled streets around it too, it all felt very festive.

The Eiffel Tower

We got to the Eiffel Tower after an early morning walk from the apartment and via Notre Dame so it was fairly late when we got there. The queues were massive so we decided to give going up it a miss and continue our walk round the bottom of the Tower then head out into the gardens before heading off to the arc De Triomphe and down the Champs Elysee. I think you’d have to get there stupidly early to not have to queue and although I’m sure it’s worth it I’m also pretty sure there’s more to do in Paris than waste a few hours waiting.

The Tuilieries

Ahhh, we spent a lovely afternoon wandering round the Tuilieries and taking photo’s. If you have a few hours to spare I suggest going and getting some nice bread, cheese and a cake and heading down here for a picnic. Far more rewarding than spending the time queuing to get up the Eiffel Tower in my opinion!

The Big Wheel

When I was visiting there was a big wheel (I believe it was for the Millennium celebrations) just off Place de la Concorde which we did instead of the Eiffel Tower. I’m not sure if it’s still there but if it is then it’s worth going on. We went at night and it was fantastic to get such great views of the Champs Elysee and Tuilieries and I’ll even admit to it being a little romantic.

Well, our ‘holiday dreams’ competition ended on Monday and today I put all the names in a brown paper bag and pulled out Gemma’s name for her dream holiday comment:

I’d go to the Amazon basin with David Attenborough. I’ve been obsessed with visiting since watching a programme about manatees years and years ago. I would love the opportunity to trek through the jungle, before canoeing down the river to watch these majestic animals. And David Attenborough? Possibly the most interesting person I can think of and his voice is amazing!

Gemma will soon be the proud owner of a copy of the Rough Guide’s Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth (Compact edition): A Rough Guide to the World.

Well done Gemma – hope you enjoy it and if it inspires you then we’d love to hear it!

I’ve been talking to a friend recently about holidays to Canada. She’s considering her first one there and talking to her has made me consider that maybe, just maybe I do want another one.

We both have similar interests so on chatting we’ve identified Vancouver and Vancouver island as a potential holiday spot. I’ve been told that Calgary to Vancouver to Vancouver Island is one of the best drives you can do and that there’s nothing like driving out of Calgary and watching the wall that is the Rockies appear in front of you. Or as one girl put it ‘you think, How and I ever going to get my car up and over those!’

I’m thinking it would be fantastic in the Autumn with the leaves turning and the possibility of maybe just a sprinkling of snow. I also want to take the trip it in a camper-van…

Now, if you’ve read my other blogs about California then you’re possibly wondering about the sense in my sleeping in a metal box in a land where black and brown bears roam free and even the odd grizzly. Oh God, the possibility of meeting one of those bad boys doesn’t bear thinking about! But regardless of my yellow-belly behaviour back then I’m pretty sure I could handle it now. Yes I could.

So now I have the dilemma of what to do. Do I man-up and face my (completely justified in my opinion) fear of being mauled alive or do I take a package holiday to Spain.

Mauled alive V’s a run in with eager Thomson package holiday rep…I’ve more chance of coming out the other side if I take my chances with the grizzlies.

I’m of to Flickr picture of Vancouver to get myself in the mood.

The view from the meeting point.

I saw a friends status update on Facebook yesterday complaining about how he was about to get on a flight and there were hoards of kids waiting to get on with him. He wasn’t looking forward to it but it had a happy ending – he got a row to himself!

I commented on his update and it gave me an idea for this post. I’ve had a fair few flights over the years, some have been fantastic and one or two have been comedy flights to say the least so here are my top 3 ‘comedy’ flight experiences.

Oops, butter fingers.

Our last trip to San Francisco was the break of a holiday drought. We hadn’t been in a few years and I’d been working my fingers to the bone before it so when the drinks trolley came round I was more than receptive to a few glasses (read: small bottles) after a few glasses we got a beer because it was still early on a very long flight. Approximately two sips in I moved in my seat, caught my hand on the (stupid, flimsy, little) table and promptly threw a ull glass over beer over the Fiance’s crotch.

It was hilarious.

I laughed and laughed and laughed then I looked at his face then I laughed and laughed and laughed.

The people next to him looked on horrified and I continued to find his lovely but grumpy face the funniest thing I had seen in a long time. We arrived in San Fran around 12 hours later and the Fiance had to squelch off the plane with a still damp crotch and it’s probably fair to say I was still sniggering about it. Well…it would be fair to say I’m STILL sniggering about it now as I type.

Awwww, i’nt he cute?

One one of my flights to Toronto I was a little nervous, it was my first big holiday without the Fiance and I was nervous about being on my own. When I took my seat I looked at my neighbour and thought two things :

1) It’s a woman – this is good
2)What a cute looking wee boy she has with her

Approximately 30 seconds later I was eating my words. The kid began to kick me on the leg from the minute I sat down. This then progressed to kicking me full whack in the side and kicking the back of the seat (so the entire row was jiggling about). I looked at the mother imploringly (waaaay more than once) and made a few ‘oops he slipped and kicked me’ comments while she looked on lovingly telling me how cute this was “isn’t he cute?” No.

It was a seven hour flight and the kicking finally stopped when we came in for land and he got scared (I was laughing at this internally!)

I get scared but it’ll be fine – I promise

On another trip I went on holiday with a friend. I had no idea whatsoever that she was scared of flying…on the way over we got to the airport and had time to share a bottle of wine before take off. The flight was perfectly calm and was over in record time. On the way home there was no wine. The flight was a Little bumpy and lasted forever.

My friend ended up in tears at one point (I never know what to do when someone cries so I just kind of watched her a bit)  then she started to hyper ventilate. The rest of the flight was spent with an air-hostess sitting beside her saying soothing things while I just sat and watched thinking ‘must talk…must say something soothing’ over and over.

I never ever did say anything helpful.

There’s been a lot of holiday talk in the office lately what with it being summer n’ all and it’s got me thinking (as if I ever stopped) about my holiday to San Francisco last year.

Before I went there I put up a Facebook message saying we’d booked our flights and I was absolutely inundated with friends who wrote me essay after essay telling me just how wonderful it was and giving me tips on ‘must sees’. Really? I though. It’s THAT good? Well, I’ll tell you something, it really IS that good.

So what is it about holidays to San Francisco that make a person drift off into a day dream everytime it’s mentioned?

The chill out factor

I went to SF after a long time with no holiday. A few hours after we arrived we were in a Speakeasy cocktail bar and it set the pace for our holiday. Relaxation was the key and in my opinion there is no better place than this. We wandered round parks, up round North Beach (and stopped in just one or two cafes), out to Japan town and Golden Gate Park to have tea in a Japanese garden.

The wow factor

There are just so many things to do in SF; from Alcatraz to Coit Tower to Pier 39 and the Presidio – you can see anything and everything and pretty much walk all over without feeling a thing! I could easily go back and stay solely in SF and still not see everything there is to see.

The surrounding area

Another thing I love is how much there is to see and do in just a short drive from SF. Two hours east you have Lake Tahoe (for canoeing, walking, skiing and gambling). A short drive north is the Napa Valley and Sonoma for wine tasting. If you fancy a longer but completely breathtaking route there is Highway 1 along the Big Sur a few hours south.

We were in SF for 5 days in total and it wasn’t enough. I’d go back in an instant and do the exact same trip all over again (Yosemite being a whole other story – I’d move there if I could!) So to anyone thinking about San Francisco for a holiday I only have this to say:

Go. And if you don’t leave your heart there I’ll eat my hat.

So ‘we’ are now two years into the Fiance’s MBA (Master of the Black Arts as I refer to it) and this time next year it will be over. OVER. Completely OVER.

As a little reward to him for all his hard work and me for putting up with his grumpy study face for three years we’ve agreed (read: I have stated) that we are going to have one mega holiday next September. I cannot wait but I also (I mean ‘we’) cannot decide where.

We have had loads of fantastic holidays (a few of which are on this blog); from holidays in America to Australia and Gardenstown to Galway and every single one has been amazing. So, the choices for this one are tough. It has to be an adventure, it has to be relaxing and if the Fiance gets his way, it has to be ’somewhere James Bond would go’ (Yes, really).

Our choices to date are:

Calgary – Vancouver Island (Road Trip)

Starting in Calgary the over to Vancouver Island via the Rockies – possibly in a camper van. A bit of canoeing thrown in, a bit of walking and maybe some wildlife viewing to-boot.

Part of Route 66 and Las Vegas (Road Trip)

Had considered all of Route 66 but it’s a long way in a few weeks so is it better to pick a section and make the most of it with lots of side routes? It’s an idea but the Fiance isn’t so keen due to the California trip in 2009 Him: “we need to go somewhere different” Me: “why?” aaaaand repeat.

Maine (Road Trip)

In the Autumn, starting in Halifax and maybe ending up in New York? Seeing the colours and maybe some outdoor sports. But then we can do that trip easily from Scotland in a fortnight so maybe somewhere further away is needed for our mega break?

Cuba (James Bond would go there right? Mojitos on the beach…))

Because everyone who has ever been loves it.

So that’s it. We’re stuck. Any suggestions are greatly received. If you’ve been to any of these then I want to know what you liked, where you visited and if you’d go back. Help us decide!

We’ve been thinking lately about a potential holiday to Las Vegas and as accommodation plays a huge part in my holiday decisions I’m in two minds about where we would stay in Vegas.

On the one hand there is the idea that we want somewhere relaxing, cute and cosy – somewhere like a cabin out towards the Grand Canyon. On the other hand there is the thought of the ‘traditional’ Las Vegas hotels…somewhere glitzy, noisy, hedonistic and right ‘on the Strip’. Somewhere with fountains outside (or even inside), Elvis to welcome us at the door and flourescent lights like only Americans can do!

I’ve been Googling and these are my favourite so far. Maybe not the type of hotel I would stay in anywhere else in the World but when in Vegas why not?

Bellagio
Fountains and waltzing water right outside the hotel presumably for when the Nevada heat gets too much to bear…no?

Paris Hotel
Would be nice to wake up with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Couldn’t afford that view in Paris!

Luxor
Well, I’ve always wanted to see the pyramids so what better time than in Vegas? ;-S

Caesars Palace
Just because it has a mini Hearst Castle pool and well, you’re not allowed to swim in Hearst’s one!

I know it’s the middle of Summer and a little bit early for this but I was driving past a park this afternoon and I noticed the leaves had already started to fall off. Now I love Autumn and Winter so this immediately made me think of Autumn and look forward to the cooler evenings and scarf wearing!

Autumn is by far my favourite time of year for travel. I love being out in the country and somewhere with amazing colours so I can get my camera out and start snapping or so that I can have a nice long walk before cosying up in country pub with the Fiancé and a bottle of red.

Just before Autumn each year I start to think about both of my holidays to Canada; each of these was in Autumn and each let me see Canada in it’s full colourful bloom (and once in full snowy bloom!) Both these holidays were in Ontario and we went from Ottawa to Sault St Marie to Niagra on the Lake and everywhere we turned the air was fresh and the colours were stunning – I loved the place and I love remembering the memories that the first cold day of Autumn conjures up each year.

So this year I am toying (as I always do at this time of year) with a break to Canada. We can easily do it in a week from the UK  and it IS a whole long year until our mega holiday so I think it’s perfect timing….now…just need to convince the Fiancé.

Nine years after leaving university I am both pleased and at times a little ashamed to admit I still think a bit like a student. It’s not like I still drink pints of Snakebite and I certainly don’t go clubbing on a Tuesday (student night in Glasgow) but what I do like is finding a bargain that makes me go ‘hehehe’ and rub my hands together while thinking I have beaten the shops at their own game!

So what’s the latest bargain to make me smile..? I’ll tell you what…

Cheap flights to and in America.

To quote Zoolander, It’s all so simple.

I don’t know why I didn’t hit on it before. It makes me a very very happy bunny But what is it I hear you cry? Well let me share with you my findings…

Last year we flew BA to San Francisco, flights came in at about £750 each return. I was horrified (being a cheapskate) and felt slightly ill agreeing to pay it while the Fiance was ecstatic (being someone who hates shopping around).

This year when I was looking at flights they were coming in around £600 to get to Vegas. But here’s the thing, in the UK we have Ryan Scare and Easy Jet and I use them all the time so why not a cheaper airline in America?

I did a quick search for flights to New York and they came in around the £250 mark then I hopped on over to an American airline and found a New York to Vegas flight for around the £60 mark – a whopping saving the even the Fiance has to admit was worth shopping around for.