Ervin Cenmurati

Often I have been asked this question by many customers that are looking to secure a holiday perhaps early in the year. It’s common to wonder whether booking early is the best time to book a holiday or perhaps wait to see whether the price is going to come down. Many travel consultants will advice you to book early, but is that because they want to close a sale or because in the right mind it is the best for the customer? Before we dive into answering this it is important to understand a number of factors that are applicable under most circumstances. The main elements that will determine the best time to book a holiday are below, but perhaps what is key here is that whichever element you choose to place more importance to the easier would be to know when is the best time to book a holiday: Season Season is going to affect a number of other elements. Public holidays in UK, like the Easter break and generally when schools close for the summer time, create a huge demand to travel abroad and often they turn into peak season for travelling. Summer is generally a peak season for most destinations but does not necessary mean that it ties with British summer time. For example India is a popular long haul destination for British holidaymakers from November to March. Other destination like Egypt or Canary Islands offer year around sunshine, but prices tend to drop usually between October to March. If you are planning to travel in peak season then the best advice is to book early, as you will have a greater choice to choose between hotels that could potentially sell out, benefit from early booking discounts or limited child free places offers.   Competition Competition can work both ways for the best time to book a holiday. Popular resort, especially those short haul, have an abundance of flights from all major UK airports throughout the year. Often when many airlines compete for those popular routes they drive prices down and any excess of empty seats are usually sold last minute, creating those cheap last minute holidays. However, even for the most popular resorts, there can be a shortage of empty seats on flights, either to popular demand or cost saving from tour operators, which leads to price hikes. The latter is more likely to happen when tour operators and charter flights forecast a poor season ahead, contracting less hotel beds and flights during the peak and off-peak holiday season. My advice would always be to look at different holiday companies as usually they can compete on price for the same holiday, even for a last minute holiday.   Destination This is important as it could help towards taking the decision when to book a holiday. If you know where you want to go then it is a lot easier to see the options how to get there, and when to book. Caribbean can be a great place to visit and generally isg> sunny year around but between May to October there could be chances of rain and islands like Cuba, Dominican Republic and Jamaica there is a risk of potentially being hit by hurricanes between August and October. One can always look out for some great last minute deals to the Caribbean in May or June, but my opinion is that one should always book in advance if you are planning to go there with a family.   Type of holiday If you are after particular types of holiday that fall into a niche like climbing Kilimanjaro or you like to go on safari then you must look to book ahead as the chances are that places are well limited. Even more common holidays which cater all inclusive can be difficult to find in peak season or in countries like Italy or Croatia. The rule of thumb to take out of this context is that the more specific your holiday is the more in advance you need to book.   Budget Budget is probably the most important element, generally speaking, when booking a holiday. There are two key costs that holidaymakers need to cover, the actual logistic cost of getting to the destination along with accommodation and spending money while abroad. This can make a huge difference between various destinations. For example going on a Half Board holiday package to Maldives may sound cheaper at booking stage, but could cost you almost double when buying drinks or meals at the hotel on the remote islands. If you have a small budget then perhaps you need to be haunting for last minute deals, but don’t forget that booking in advance on a low deposit holiday gives you the chance of paying slowly most available holidays at that given time.   Summary To summarise the above points it would be advisable to generally book in advance if you are not flexible with dates that you can travel, or the holiday option are rather specific to particular needs. Families are perhaps far better off booking in advance, especially between January and February when a range of offers are launched by many tour operators. Usually packaged holidays and the majority of flight timetables are made available about 8 months in advance and on popular routes it always best to book early. Best deals on last minute holiday are found impromptu from those that are flexible on times to travel and open to what is available.

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Ervin Cenmurati

Travel bloggers have been an important part of the travel industry in not only sharing  their travel stories but tons of travel tips and local knowledge. Their desire to travel has driven them into destinations and places beyond the beaten path, bringing fresh travel stories to their readership communities.  In light of this many advertisers from travel companies and tourist boards have worked with travel bloggers in spreading their marketing campaigns online in reaching not only their regular readers but their massive accumulative social reach. There are big signs showing that the travel blogging is become an industry per se. The  latest effort was the Traverse13, which offered to bring together some of the experts in the field of Journalism, Photography, Social Media, Travel Blogging and PR to share their ideas and best advice. Master in Travel attended Traveerse13 and found  that beyond the networking this event was informative and resourceful. The conference was organised in Brighton and weather was set on a “sunny day”. The main organisers Michael Ball and Paul Dow had not only made sure that everything went smooth, planning well from the catering to spoiling everyone with a choice of workshops to attend. The opportunity to have a 10 minute chat with key speakers and experts is invaluable to those that are new or have new projects that need a quick experts opinion on. A number of sponsors and travel firms attended the main gathering on Saturday. Of those the official national tourist guide office Visit Denmark sponsored a number of trips for travel bloggers around Denmark, including a range of different activities on their itinerary. Other sponsors included MSC cruise, Contiki Travel, Visit Brighton and Four BGB. Of those that showed a new concept was the Hotel.info which demonstrated a number of techniques on how to cook food with standard hotel room amenities. While the concept attracted plenty of attention  and those that fancied the cooked dishes and deserts it surely deserved some admiration for the “out of the box” thinking, unless you were a Health & Safety officer. Here are some pictures from the stand: The evening activity followed to The Basement in Brighton where a number of prices were announced for the first Traverse13. As pictures are worth a thousand words here some from the evening night-out, starting with Emma at Gohemian Travellers.

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Ervin Cenmurati

As with the other Traveler’s Handbook series the Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook is another precious travel experience of Shanon O’Donnell, volunteering around the world. Let me clear this before I go any further on this review. This book is not only for those that want to volunteer but for anyone that wants to travel and experience snapshots of other cultures on their holidays. I am a bit of a sustainable advocate and Shanon hooked me from page one, and felt that her story needs to reach all travellers out there. Why? Because is one the best examples of sustainable travelling, slow travelling, and plenty of interactions with local communities. Perhaps the most important is that she travelled with right attitude, to give something to the communities and aware of what’s acceptable or not. Here is what Shanon says about who should volunteer: “People from all walks of life seek out the transformative power of travel and service. If you have a keen desire for new experiences and the fresh perspective that comes from traveling, then international volunteering will likely be a very rewarding personal choice.” Shanon will give an insight on the international volunteering and how this has become an important branch of the travel industry. This guide will help greatly those that want to get involved, especially now that there are so many projects to choose from. Understanding the core of the voluntarism is important for you so that your effort can be effective not only while you are there, but well beyond. In the Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook Shanon has enlisted and portrayed her independent and personal view, but most crucially the pros and cons of the organised and independent volunteering. Reading about her several volunteering projects not give the feeling of “wish I was there” but it clearly shows why volunteering is an experience that everyone should experience, and with the right research to make a lasting impact on all the communities you contribute. Favourite quote in this book from the Tao Te Ching, an ancient Chinese text, I could not resist to share it as well: “The Master has no possessions. The more he does for others, the happier he is. The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is.” Start your research today by reading the Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook, which is available here.

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Ervin Cenmurati

What started as a simple travel adventure evolved in this great magnificent Traveler’s (British reader please add an “l” from now on) Handbook tome. Jodi Ettenberg has created The Food Traveler’s Handbook out of simple love for food and when you read this you can see why. While many of us, including me, see our food as a form of fuel that make us go forward and occasionally really enjoy the taste it gives. Jodi managed to turn this necessity into a great catalyst in her travelling adventure. She has not only tried different dishes but turned every opportunity to eat into a social occasion. To me this summons it up: “There is a fallacy in North America and parts of Europe that cheaper food is not quality cuisine, something reinforced by an abundance of processed food choices. In much of the world a roadside meal is not only the freshest and tastiest option but also an ideal way to discover the building blocks of what a society eats, and why.” It is therefore one of the best guides to enjoy and discover the local culture and history for those that plan travelling. Some of the do and don’ts that Jodi has learned across her experience will come handy for those that have limited time to explore the local area and will find her advice in the book crucial to an awesome experience of flavoured food with plenty of social interaction opportunities around. In matter of fact this book fills a great need for safe advice on eating abroad, and it would save money to you by knowing how to make the right choices on buying food cheaply from the markets and not get sick from it. After all, as Jodi suggests, you will have a greater feeling of connection with the world through food and experiencing the local flavours. Over all this will be nice read on your journey and filled with great tips for how to find the local flavours and food markets. Jodi’s journey across Europe, Africa and Asia covers a great area of gastronomy and for those that have dietary requirements or fear of trying new dishes will find a great reassurance that their leap into world dishes will be priceless. Luckily the book is available on paper back for £12.99 and kindle version for £6.43 here.

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Ervin Cenmurati

Who hasn’t dreamt of a luxury holiday, or indulge into the cosy, elegant and superior service of the high end hotels? I think we all have, but only a few of us can really afford to accommodate such dreams into modest holiday budgets. This often means that people would opt for a one off luxury holiday inn their lifetime, usually a honeymoon. However, Sarah & Terry Lee think otherwise and they have shown through the Luxury Traveler’s Handbook how to make luxury travel more accessible. They have demonstrated that you can get the top notch travel perks like premium flights, five star hotels, service and the ambience that comes with those. They have shared their personal stories and showed that it can be done, by making your money go further with all the perks of luxury that you opt for. Their idea of liberating luxury will give you great insights on how to afford luxurious holidays, how to get yourself to stay at those top brand resorts and when are the best times to visit luxury resorts to get the best value for money. Reading through the book you will find yourself saying – oh yeah, why didn’t think of that, or yeah, I think that a really good idea. Regardless what you say, you will know that Sarah and Terry have been smart travellers and have saved a fortune while travelling luxuriously. When you do it so often you end to notice things and pick up on them. My favourite is this one from Sarah: “Telephones in bathrooms. This is a sign of a true luxury hotel, and is very popular in Spain. But short of any Elvis-styled emergencies, I really can’t see myself using the phone while on the throne. Never. Ever.” We all deserve a bit of luxury and the Luxury Traveler’s Handbook is a small investment into opening up doors to dream holidays and fascinating travelling experiences. Sarah and Lee have nicely covered a series of safety advice and plenty of resources to start you off into researching your very own luxurious escapes. If you would like to read the Luxury Traveler’s Handbook then you can find it here for £12.99 in paperback or kindle version currently at £6.43. You can always try your luck and enter this competition to win a Kindle Fire along with the five Traveler’s Handbook Kindle version. Isn’t that a great perk to start with on your luxurious holiday.

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Ervin Cenmurati

The review of the Solo Traveler’s Handbook came not by chance, I have wanted to know more on how one can go solo and a real life example from Janice Leith Waugh could not answer any better my answers. Real life stories show that things are possible, unlike novels and other great stories out there that come from imagination, they fill you with this sense of achievement and assurance. Travelling solo is a daunting not only for female travellers but even males, and if you are male and don’t admit it at least to your inner self then you’re naive. However, the entire experience is a life changer and full of fulfilments. Going solo on a around the world trip, especially on a small budget from the start, is a daring decision that only few of us have the courage to see it through, however with the right advice and knowledge is possible. Janice has shared her best tips for the defiant solo travellers. There are instances of stories that everyone will have the occasion to relate to and you will be glad to have read somewhere about it. Janice has included great advice on staying safe and alleviates the worry and stress by planning ahead for your journeys, but most crucially she has answered the question of whether it is worth going solo. I think this quote from Janice cannot be a better answer: “If I’d had a second week at the Ashram, I’m sure I would have settled down to the more contemplative activities but there was the market to explore, hiking nearby, many wonderful gardens where I enjoyed chai masala and Rajiji National Park where I went on safari and saw an elephant in the wild. The Ashram, Rishikesh, the mountains, the routine – I was taken with it all!” Travelling solo is not always solo, if you know what I mean. There will always be instances where you will meet fellow travellers but when the solitude hits you then you need to recognise the signs early to make sure that loneliness grasps your travelling spirit but see it through with the same passion that you started your solo journey. This book will be a great reminder and accompanier throughout your adventure. The Solo Traveler’s Handbook is available on paper back for £12.99 and kindle version £6.41 here. For those that want it but cannot afford it right now there is a chance to win the whole series of the Traveler’s Handbook kindle version and a Kindle Fire by entering Directline Holidays’competition.

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Ervin Cenmurati

Often our feeling of not wanting to be at work hits us and is filled by the desire of being on holiday, especially on Monday morning! We all have been there and most of us put up with it. But have you ever asked yourself why do I do it? Well when Jeffrey Jung did, or when his catalyst was initiated, it made him think of how he needed to change his lifestyle to be happy. Almost like a way out and total detachment from the workplace that goes on slightly longer than the usual holiday or time off. The Career Break Traveler’s Handbook by Jeffrey Jung is a great book to go through one of the hardest part of taking a career break, for travelling. At least on Jeffrey’s case, this was what he really wanted to do. This could not be the case for everyone as all of us have different wishes in life but the advice in the Career Break Traveler’s Handbook could easily be applicable to all of us in finding the catalyst to initiate your desire to achieve your dream and the will power to see it through. Going through the hurdles is not easy and it requires planning but remember that at the end you will be regenerated with a new world view perspectives and refreshed and ready to charge again in the your career path. Jeff has left nothing to chance and gone through a number of plans and emergency procedures to roll out in case of unforeseen circumstances arise. His step by step budget is a great guide to start you off and what you need to consider before and after returning home. If travel is what you want to do then Jeff’s experience would be a great motivator to go through with your career break and have expert advice on travelling and planning your travel bucket list. His insights from interviews with other round the word travellers, and Jeff’s answers to the same questions, are a nice addition to the book. Could not resist sharing this part: Most breathtaking moment? Jeff: Hiking Torres del Paine in Patagonia in Chile Best of the rest: “Watching the great wildebeest migration in Kenya,” LuggageInHand.com On that note, if you fancy reading the Career Break Travelers’ Handbook from Jeffrey Jung then buy it here on paperback or Kindle version. However, if you would like to try your luck and be in the chance to win a Kindle Fire along with the five Traveler’s Handbooks Kindle versions.

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Ervin Cenmurati

Back in 2012 I remember stumbling to the WWF footprint calculator and was down for a great shock and making me think on my sustainability behaviour. I was in for a big surprise! If all of us lived like I did, we would need two more planets. What surprised me most is that I considered myself a very sustainable person, who recycled regularly, shared a car, used power and heating only when needed and cycled to most places. I could only guess what the figures would have been for those that don’t follow any of the above steps. I must confess though that most of my carbon emission came from travelling abroad, on average about three times a year. Five years ago, when I still was a student, the sustainable debate had built strongly on a framework of the Brundtland Report (1987) and Kyoto Protocol which aims at binding legally the commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions or manage those under three main platforms: Emission trading Clean development mechanism Joint implementation The latest round on international level has been the Doha Climate Change conference that extended the Kyoto agreement up to 2020, but some key developed countries have unfortunately resisted into entering such an agreement showing unwillingness in reducing the greenhouse gases and supporting developing nations in the pledge of cutting emissions. I must say regardless of the fact that a lot more could have been achieved, the sustainability action is being embraced a lot more. Embracing it in our academic institutions is surely the best lesson for the younger generation, especially if they are taught at an early age. I have been a strong believer that the most effective approach to resolving the sustainability issues around the globe is a bottom-up, that is to say from the individual to international level. It has to come from the individual to cut down on electricity and heating, car journeys and wasting food. To do as much recycling and demand more product with higher recycling materials, and not allow the extra premiums affect our choice of buying such products. There will always be instances where carbon emissions are unavoidable, especially when it involves travelling long distances, but we need to evaluate the how those trips will affect other pillars of sustainability. That is right: sustainability is not only about cutting emissions and protecting the environment, but also about improving our social engagements and economic benefits where we live and where we travel. Don’t forget that tourism benefits almost all destinations and their local communities, at least economically. Hence, it is important to find the right balance in positively contributing to all main pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economical. They are so closely related that if one of the pillars is over or under achieved it will create a series of effects that impact the other two. There are many examples, but Tourism Concern shows a clear indication of the economic power of tourism development putting pressure on local resources, often scarce, to create a comfortable or luxurious ambient for the tourist. This often leads to social antagonism and environmental depletion. On an individual level there is nothing wrong in seeking luxury on your holiday, however the demand for such experience should not come at the cost of local communities. Finding out a bit more about the hotels, local communities and tourist developments issues before you book could put pressure on those shady developers and make them think twice and take into account the sustainability of their projects.

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Ervin Cenmurati

If you are urging to get a glimpse of sun from the continuous rain and cloud covered sky in UK, read on. You probably wondering where can I get real suntan in the winter, when it has covered much of Europe, with countries like Italy showing temperature almost near to zero with plenty of showers and snow in the higher altitudes. Even the Greek Islands can be quite windy from December to March, and perhaps a risky option if you absolutely want some guaranteed sun. It may involve travelling farther or as close as possible to Ecuador, that is the latitude line, to get the real sun rays on your winter sun holiday. The nearest options to home are the Canary Islands and one in particular is the driest of all. Lanzarote’s lack of high mountains allows for the clouds to fly past, with very low chances of rain. Is it open? The good thing is that going to Lanzarote in the winter can be very economical as holiday prices are low and often a range of offers can be found from travel agents and online tour operators. Once you are there don’t expect a deserted island either. While the first impression may make you think so, you cannot be more wrong. Lanzarote has nearly 140 000 inhabitants and Arrecife is the capital of the island. There, even in the off peak holiday season you will find markets, shops, restaurants and nightlife to keep you happy throughout your winter holiday. Not to miss. The most famous of all is the Timanfaya National Park. Here in the peak time you can have a camel ride which takes you to the centre of the park, at the El Diablo restaurant, which cooks its Pizzas from the Volcanic heat from coming from not too far deep ground below. Another great tour not to miss is the collection of caves created from the cooled magma in the north of the island. The most known are Jameos del Agua, the Green Caves, and the Mirador del Rio that offer an experience that you would be glad that you didn’t miss. Finally don’t leave the island without trying the local wine, is not only rude to do so, but you would be missing out. The special vineyards that from far look like green dots are unique to the island and the minerals from the volcanic ash enrich the taste of the grapes, giving the wine some local flavour.

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Ervin Cenmurati

What would be my travel resolution for 2013? Hmm. 2012 was really some year and really glad we survived the prophecies. With all your respect, but the Mayan were wrong. Or were they? Maybe we wrongly calculated  their calendar cycles or misinterpreted what they meant! Perhaps they did figure out that human development will one day reach self inhalation. After all, our relationship with nature has been rather unstable in the last centuries. We have created more heat in the environment, draining more and more fossil fuels and reducing day by day the green belt. Nature has showed her anger and slapped back with a range of tsunamis, storms and unusually longer or shorter seasons. World is facing a struggle to cope with the ever increasing pressure that humans in particular are creating. It seems we are unable to establish a universal code for taking sustainability more seriously and hold responsibility for our actions. From many failed worldwide conferences have proven now  that is too hard to agree on crucial change because of the economic outcome. Starting from the Kyoto carbon limits disagreement to the latest Doha climate change talks that are just that, stopping well clear from any legal bindings. Ultimately any change that is much needed for our living planet has to come from the bottom up. This seems to be the most successful way of implementing regulations that those at the top don’t like. It is the power of combined individuals that can truly make the change. The social media has created the best communications known to man so far that can send clear messages to those that think that can carry on as usual. Individually we need to understand that Earth is one, whether at home, down the road or across the other side. Pollution and destruction can in fact affect everyone no matter where you live, or where it originally happens. I hope this would start a revolution, maybe I am being a bit overoptimistic, but hey it only takes a few small steps to make a difference. Think nature, because everything in nature has a purpose, even in the afterlife. Avoid littering nature with man-made products that don’t fit in that process. Avoid destroying the natural process of things, animals and fauna. Travel and admire the beauty and share those experiences for others to understand our world. Think that most of what is today comes from the past and the future is in our hands to shape for the better or the worst. Make a pledge with your self and make that your travel resolution for 2013. Love the planet, and the people in it.

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