Rivers Travel

1. Book In Advance

Try and book 12 weeks ahead to bag super bargain fares. Advance tickets can be available as late as 6pm the night before; so it’s worth a call to check.

2. Split Ticketing

This is where you can break your journey into smaller chunks but stay on the same train and pay less than the standard open or saver return, or even on a one way fare.

If you wanted to travel from Station A to Station C, you would expect to buy a ticket direct from A to C. With Split Your Ticket, depending on your route you may find it cheaper to buy a ticket from A to B and B to C. You still complete the same journey from A to C but stay on the same train without getting off – saving money!

When it comes to saving money on your UK train fares, remember to split your ticket not your journey.

3. Buy a Rail Card

If you’re under 26, over 60, or travelling with children, you can cut a third off most ticket prices with a railcard, costing £26 a year.

There is also a railcard for you if you are disabled, for just £18 and a friend travelling with you will also get the discount.

Also a Network Railcard covers London and the Southeast and allows three friends to travel with you at the same discount and up to four children at 60% discount.

For journeys costing over £60, always get a railcard. The saving on the fare will cover the cost of the Railcard.

4. Only Pay Peak For The Portion That is Peak

Peak times are usually before 10am and between 5pm and 7pm. If at all possible avoid these times and you’ll find better bargains.

You can still cut the cost by buying two singles instead of a return if only one part of your journey is during peak times or else by using split ticketing (see above), so that if some of your journey isn’t during peak time, you’re not paying a peak price for your whole ticket.

For more information go here .

The ‘EXIT’ Festival July 8-11, Novi Sad, Serbia

A Popular Stage at the EXIT Festival

With 25 stages, you are almost certainly guaranteed to find whatever specialist style of music you seek at Exit, alongside big names who this year include the Chemical Brothers, Mika, Placebo, Missy Elliott, LCD Soundsystem and Pendulum. A lovely site on the slopes of a castle overlooking the Danube, cheap food and drink, blazing Balkan sunshine and entertainment that goes on all night make this a favourite with students from all over Europe. Expect four riotous days and next to no sleep. Novi Sad is about 90 minutes drive from Belgrade Airport,
Cost £85 www.exitfest.org

Spirit of Burgas August 13-15, Burgas, Bulgaria
Nominated for best European festival at the UK Festival Awards for the past two years – and this is only its third event – Spirit of Burgas takes place on the white sands of the Black Sea coast. The beach stretches for two miles, the sea views are stunning, tickets are cheap and the seven stages offer

The Sisters of Mercy performing at Spirit of Burgas,August 2008

rock, dance and jazz from acts including the Prodigy, Gorillaz Sound System and DJ Shadow. A festival to visit now, before hordes of Brits discover it.
Cost £52 www.spiritofburgas.com

‘Stop Making Sense’ September 3-5, Petrçane, Croatia
Billed as three days and nights of musical anarchy by the sea, this is a brand-new dance festival co-organised by a former Big Chill director and British club promoter. The September weekender celebrates 25 years of techno with DJ sets from Juan Atkins, Carl Craig and Theo Parrish, as well as Friendly Fires and Optimo. Son of Dave, Django Django and Nathan Fake play live and, for an extra £10, festival-goers get access to after-dark boat parties and clubs.

Only 20 minutes from the airport of Zadar (Discover Europe with Lufthansa) and 90 minutes from the airport of Split (Balkan Holidays) this is truly a unique and special place to enjoy, explore, relax and go wild in.
Cost £80; www.sms-2010.com

Flybe will be the first airline in the UK to be able to fly within the new CAA approved safe levels of volcanic ash. The CAA called upon the industry to bring forward thoroughly researched proposals to safely improve the ability to fly in the vicinity of low level volcanic ash concentrations. Flybe worked closely with the Met Office, Bombadier and Pratt & Whitney their engine manufacturers in Canada to develop the proposals.

This means that all travellers will be less affected by any future ash clouds coming our way. If the new rules had been in place when the ash cloud first came across UK and European airspace, far fewer flights would have been affected. This means that the delays that affected thousands of passengers when the ash first arrived are less likely to affect so many in the near future.

You can make a booking on flybe now at

Coaches to the Olympics 2012

The 2012 Olympic Games will be held in London and across the UK from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Now booking from Europe to London.

France

Travel to Paris from just £39 return. With up to 10 services a day from London to Paris and city centre to city centre travel – what could be easier….

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Holland

Travel to Holland from just £39 return. With up to 5 services a day from London to Amsterdam and city centre to city centre travel – what could be easier…..

Ireland

Great schedules with direct daytime services from London and Birmingham to destinations across Ireland.

Brussels and Belgium

Travel direct to Brussels on our daily services

European Airports

Eurolines provide services to major airports like Charles de Gaulle and Schipol and Lille and Brussels Nord train hubs providing good value connections to Europe……

Germany

Taking the coach to Germany is easy with Eurolines. With regular services from London and free luggage allowance of two medium sized suitcases.  You won’t be disappointed spending time in this fascinating country

Prague

Fares to Prague start from as little as £64 return with Eurolines. There’s no charge for check-in  and Eurolines gives you a free luggage allowance of  two medium size suitcases on services to Prague.

Kyrgyzstan boasts a number of spectacular mountain lakes. It is possible to travel through spectacular mountain scenery and experience the traditional life of the Kyrgyz while staying in yurts. There are also opportunities for spectacular horse treks and hikes throughout.

Lake Issyk Kul, which means “hot lake” in the Kyrgyz language, is situated in the northern Tian Shan mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan. It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes; hence its name.

The lake’s southern shore is dominated by the ruggedly beautiful Teskey Ala-Too Range of the Tian Shan mountains. The Kyungey Ala-Too Range of the Tian Shan runs parallel to the north shore.

Lake Issyk Kul

A number of small towns surround the lake. These fell on hard times after the break-up of the USSR, but now hotel complexes are being refurbished and simple private bed-and-breakfast pensions (guest houses) are being established for a new generation of health and leisure visitors. For those who like a beach holiday, Lake Issyk Kul offers beaches surrounded with beautiful mountains.

Lake Issyk Kul is 182 kilometers long, and up to 60 kilometers, and covers an area of 6,236 square kilometers. This makes it the second largest mountain lake in the world behind Lake Titicaca in South America. Located at an altitude of 1,607 meters, it reaches 668 meters in depth. It is also the site of an ancient city from 2500 years ago, and archaeological excavations are still going on.

Over 100 rivers and streams flow into the lake; the largest are the Djyrgalan and Tyup. It is fed by springs, including many hot springs, and snow melt-off. The lake has no current outlet, but some scientists reckon that, deep underground, lake water filters into the Chu River.

Kyrgyzstan can offer adventure travel at its best. This is an unspoilt country where you can still enjoy simple pleasures in relative solitude. Make the most of it now. In the next few years, the tourism industry will develop, and there will be many more visitors to this beautiful country.

Biking Holidays in Kyrgyzstan

The landscape of Kyrgyzstan offers some excellent opportunities for cycling. A 13 day package tour taking in some of the best cycling is on offer, as well as shorter trips of between 2 and 4 days out of Naryn.

Hiking Holidays in Kyrgyzstan

Hiking holidays allow you to enjoy the mountains of Kyrgyzstan up close as you climb stunning passes, pass through pretty valleys and camp in the heart of some awe-inspiring landscapes.

Horse Treks in Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz are renowned for their nomadic heritage and the horse plays a central role in the daily nomadic life that many still live out as they take their animals up to mountain pastures in the summer. What better way to explore this nomadic landscape than through a horse trek!

Siteseeing Tours in Kyrgyzstan

A tour around Kyrgyzstan gives the experience of a lifetime as you travel through diverse landscapes and interact with the local culture.

BMI – Bishkek route list

Best way to travel to Kyrgyzstan from UK or USA is on BMI

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We offer huge discounts (double what you would get if you went to the Cruise-line direct) exclusive offers & benefits including upgrades, on board credit etc and we even endeavor to beat any price other agents can give you with out Price match guarantee!

It’s easy to see how Cruise.co.uk achieved the “Best Cruise Travel Agent in the World” award for 2009!

We look forward to working with you. Cruise.co.uk

The town of Hisar in Bulgaria is making a new claim to fame by healing hundreds of kidney stones, bladder stones and gallstones with water from the 22 mineral springs in the region. There is a rehabilitation hospital in the town and spa and wellness hotels have mushroomed in recent years.

Part of the old Roman wall at Hisar (Hisarya)

The Black Sea resorts of Albena and Pomorie in the east, and to Velingrad and Sandanski in the southwest, have new luxurious hotels which have already gained a reputation among Bulgarians and foreigners alike for the high quality of their services.

Before the fall of communism in 1989, visitors from Scandinavia, the former Soviet bloc and the Middle East were regular guests in Bulgaria’s spas which specialized in treating medical conditions varying from gout to sterility.

But in the past decade, Bulgaria marketed itself almost entirely as a cheap destination for summer and winter holidays, turning its back on its varied natural resources. The consequences of which have been to sideline the spa resorts and Bulgaria’s historical heritage.

Spa tourism has started to attract investment during the past five years, according to the Bulgarian Union for Balneology and Spa Tourism. Companies from Israel, Russia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman have already invested or shown interest.

Velingrad, a charming mountain town that boasts 80 mineral springs, has 5 star hotels with affordable prices and a warm climate. There is an ageing population in Europe that will find the availability of all-year-round spa services an attractive proposition.

Grand Hotel Velingrad

Bulgaria offers the unique mineral waters, ecologically clean locations, and a good price-quality balance. The country wants to spend more on its infrastructure so that it will be able to compete with other European tourist destinations. Bulgaria is now advertising the unique spas at fairs in Germany, the Balkans, Israel and Russia.

Sigrun Lang, president of the European Spas Association, says Bulgaria’s has rich natural resources, a long-term tradition in balneotherapy, and well-qualified specialists. It will not remain a well kept secret for too much longer.

Look here for more information on Balkan Holidays