A Trip News

Proprietors of tiny, successful restaurants who decide to expand — or move — obviously risk losing some charm, cachet and customers along the way. This is definitely not what happened last spring when the acclaimed chef Sylvain Sendra and his wife, Sarah, closed their cozy, 26-seat Le Temps au Temps in the 11th Arrondissement and opened Itinéraires , twice as large, in the Latin Quarter.
Instead of presiding around the minuscule kitchen and kitschy clocks that characterized their former bistro, (more…)

Holidaymakers have fallen foul of poor insurance-selling tactics by travel agents, according to a poll today.
A number of tourists have been wrongly told that they could not book their break unless they took out insurance offered at the time by their travel agent.
This incorrect procedure has affected 5 per cent of those who bought insurance from travel agents over the last 12 months, a YouGov survey published today by Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance showed.
Also, 16 per cent of those buying (more…)

A winter storm brought blankets of snow across Europe on Monday, forcing the closure of an icy Eiffel Tower in Paris and causing flight cancellations.
Up to 10 centimetres of snow was recorded in parts of France, the national weather service said. Most areas, including Paris, got about half that amount.
French authorities issued traffic alerts in around 30 regions because of icy roads.
The Eiffel Tower, one of Paris’ main tourist attractions, was closed because of slippery conditions.
“We (more…)

STARTING Jan. 7, storming the barricades will take on a whole new meaning in Paris .
That marks opening day of this year’s winter “soldes” (sales), five weeks of frenzied bargain-hunting for the perfect Azzaro cocktail dress or the normally unaffordable monogrammed Noël bed linen — at between 30 and 70 percent off.
Paris is not London — the French may arrive early but they don’t camp outside department stores the way the British do the night before the first sales day at Harrod’s .
Regulars (more…)

Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises have created a support programme designed to help travel agents. The Agent Support Action Programme (ASAP) is designed to help the agents by encouraging proactive activities including a series of initiatives for agencies from 1 January to 28 February, 2009. These include:
•    A reduction in Tour Conductor credits, from 1-for-16 to 1-for-10, to help agents earn more money while encouraging group bookings;
•    (more…)

Three hundred days of sunshine every year? No wonder this elegant French city is so relaxed. Cathy Packe explores the shops, museums and restaurants – and wanders round ‘the Egg’
WHY GO NOW?
It may be the eighth largest city in France, but Montpellier has an appealing, small-town feel, as well as a lively atmosphere that comes from its student population, and around 300 days of sunshine every year. There is always something for visitors to enjoy, including the Christmas (more…)

Parc de la Narbonnaise
This varied area is a mixture of coastal landscape, lagoons and mountains, gentle terrain and wild nature. The mild coastal climate makes it a destination to visit at any time of year, and it is especially popular with hikers: there are nearly 250 miles of trails to explore, some long-distance, others manageable in an afternoon. Accommodation is available throughout the park in gîtes, chambres d’hôtes and campsites.
The main information centre (more…)

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair went on trial in a Swedish court today accused of compensation infringements for cancelled flights, the Swedish Consumer Agency (KO) said.
“We want a verdict that sets a legal precedent that clarifies when an airline can claim extraordinary circumstances and thereby avoid paying compensation to travellers,” KO consumer ombudswoman Agneta Broberg told AFP.
“This is very important for all consumers,” she said.
The consumer agency is representing a Swedish couple (more…)

So you think because you’ve paid your holiday in advance that the drop in the Aussie dollar won’t affect you? Think again, writes Jane E. Fraser.
If you bought a new television and prices subsequently went up, you wouldn’t expect to get a bill for the increase.
Unfortunately that’s not the case. It can happen to the unwitting traveller and is in fact happening now.
Travellers are receiving requests for extra payments - usually after they have paid a deposit, but in some (more…)

Travelers will welcome the cascade of cuts in fuel surcharges by airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Air France/KLM, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and El Al, in response to a sustained fall in the price of oil, with jet fuel now half the price it was in the summer. Air Canada has eliminated fuel surcharges altogether on North American flights, instead “folding them into advertised base fares.”
This raises some questions: What is the “benchmark” (more…)