A good night sleep is just what one needs when travelling half-way around the world, and suffering from jet-lag. The soft mattreses, king size bed, and snuggle in Egyptian cotton sheets. Yes, this might be the case for some.
But for those looking for a more adventurous accommodation, or sleeping solution, here’s some great alternatives. They don’t guarantee you a good night sleep, but surely a great experience!

1. Ice Bed, Sweden

2. Space Capsules Bed, Japan

3. Outdoor Beds, Kenya

4. Floating Bed, Paris

5. Prison Bed, Slovenia

Source: Concierge.com | Mail Online

Despite the current economic gloom and doom and the weakness of sterling over one million foreign tourists are expected to spend their holidays in Lanzarote this year.  The majority of them from the UK.  So what exactly is the appeal of this small island located just off the coast of Africa?

Accommodation in Lanzarote

Lanzarote´s tourist industry first started to take off over 40 years ago.  As a result the island is well accustomed to catering to guests and accommodation standards are high.

A growing number of visitors from the UK book apartments or villas in Lanzarote as an alternative to hotels.  Constructing their own holidays online.  With the best self catering accommodation found in the two largest resorts of Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen.

Climate and Weather
Great weather all year round is undoubtedly Lanzarote´s trump card.  Unlike other Spanish sun spots the mercury rarely falls below 20 Celsius here, whatever the time of year.  As the island is located many hundreds of miles south of the Iberian Peninsula, just off the coast of Morocco. 

Getting There

Flights to Lanzarote are readily available from all major UK airports.  With low cost operators such as Monarch and easy Jet offering returns from around £200.

Getting Around
Lanzarote is a small island – measuring 58km by 38km.  Which makes sightseeing and touring the island simple.  The roads are safe and car hire is very affordable, starting at around €15 per day.

Sighsteeing

Thanks to a highly creative local artist called César Manrique Lanzarote boasts a host of unique attractions.  Many of which incorporate the islands raw, volcanic terrain.

One of the best examples is the Jameos del Agua.  Which was converted from a collapsed lava tunnel into a stunning underground concert venue, grotto and tropical gardens.  Whilst Manrique´s former home and studio in Tahiche is also a very popular attraction.  Constructed out of five bubbles in the surrounding lava flow.

But the best known and most popular sight on the island is undoubtedly the Timanfaya National Park.  Scene of a series of eruptions which created hundreds of new volcanoes (all now fortunately dormant) and an eerie lavascape that stretches for mile upon mile.

The island is also home to over eighty beautiful beaches.  Some of which, such as the huge bay at Famara and the coves at Papagayo are regarded as amongst the every best in the Canarian archipelago.

As any parent knows, when you’re travelling with children you’re rarely travelling light. Children, especially babies, require more luggage than most adults and this can be a problem when you’re booking flights for holidays with a baby.

The problem of travelling with baby can become worse when you consider that many flight operators don’t allow the extra luggage allowance required to take all of your baby’s things with you. When you book a holiday to Turkey with Tapestry Holidays you can avoid the problems by renting the baby things you’ll need.

For example, it’s impossible to get around anywhere with a baby without a pushchair, but taking one on the plane might not be possible. Why not rent the pushchair at the other end then you don’t have the hassle and expense of travelling with one?

Babies also require items such as a cot, high chair and changing mat. None of which would be practical for you to take with you on a plane, but the best family friendly holidays offer these items as an option.

Children can also become bored while on holiday, even in a place as great as Turkey. To help combat your child’s boredom you can order toys suitable for your child to be made available at your hotel. This is a much easier, and cheaper, option than trying to pack a suitcase full of their favourite toys.

With the Lloyds TSB Airmiles Duo Credit Card account, you can collect Airmiles as you shop. And Airmiles can be used for everything from free flights to hotel stays, tickets to West End shows and theme parks, even wine cases.

Airmiles are most commonly used for free flights and, when you collect Airmiles, you can use them to fly all over the world – Europe, Asia, the USA, even Australia.

You get two cards with the account, a MasterCard and an American Express. It’s best to use the Amex when possible, as it rewards you with five more Airmiles than the MasterCard. When you use the Lloyds TSB Airmiles Duo Mastercard, you collect one Airmile for almost every £50 you spend – but with the American Express card you collect one Airmile for almost every £10 spent. So using the Amex gets you closer to those free flights. And there are often special offers, giving free flights when you sign up. And that’s on top of being able to collect Airmiles as you shop.

You can collect Airmiles for free flights by using the credit cards for everyday things like the weekly shop and fuel, and luxuries such as cinema tickets and meals out. But remember to use the Amex instead of the MasterCard to get more free flights.

Source: Airmiles, Free Digital Photos

With the UK property market currently being depressed and the British weather often following suit, many people in the UK look to the continent for their second homes. Popular choices in Europe for properties are the South of France, Italy and of course one of the most popular is Spain. Recent research from holiday companies has shown that Brits see Spain as a ‘home from home’.

Buying a holiday home abroad can provide a great second income by letting it out to holidaymakers.

Spain is incredibly popular for holiday homes because of its comparatively cheap properties and its excellent climate. One of the most popular destinations in Spain for holiday homes is the famous Costa del Sol, which is well known to Brits. Now the Costa del Sol is has transformed into a popular tourist destination frequented by families.

The Costa Blanca is another popular destination for holiday makers and consists of a coastline stretching over 200 kilometres in length which belongs to Alicante.

The island of Mallorca is equally popular among tourists in Spain and is Spain’s largest island, set in the Mediterranean. Mallorca is popular among tourists from the UK and Germany, so a holiday home in Mallorca would provide a decent income from holiday rentals.

Flights can be expensive, which is why many people are choosing to holiday in the UK this summer, instead of flying to the Continent or the USA. This doesn’t have to be the case though, as you can earn yourself free flights by saving on loyalty programmes. By doing your weekly shop or filling up your car, you can earn rewards such as free flights anywhere in the world.

So, that week in New York isn’t quite as far away as it first appeared, but just how much money would you save on a pair of free flights to New York?

Let’s say the average price of a pair of flight tickets from London to New York was £700 this summer, depending on where you look. That £700 saved by using loyalty programmes for your tickets could be spent in many other, more ways.

For example, you could buy 291 pints of lager (there’s a sobering thought) or around 700 loaves of bread. You and your partner could visit the cinema together 58 times, that’s more than once a week for a year.

Or, if you wanted to spend the money a little more practically, you could fill up the average family car with fuel 17 times and, if you’re a careful driver, you could insure your car for the next 2 years, getting you much more mileage for your money.

All of this money could be saved by earning rewards when you shop.

Just because the country is in the grip of recession, you don’t have to forgo that summer holiday abroad, or that weekend away in an exciting European city. Flights to other countries can be expensive, depending what time of year you travel and whether the schools are on holiday but, if you’re shrewd, you can take advantage of free flights offers and travel abroad without spending a penny.

The AIRMILES scheme is one such method for collecting points for free flights. You can collect miles whenever you spend money and they can be exchanged when you fly to different destinations. This way, you could get free flights to Europe, Asia or even as far away as America or Australia.

One way you can collect Airmiles for the free flights is when you fill your car up with petrol so, every journey you take. get you that much closer to your dream holiday. Every time you do your weekly shopping, you can be getting closer to your free flights if you collect Airmiles.

You can even earn Airmiles when you use a credit card, so the money you can’t avoid paying doesn’t seem so bad when you consider that every pound you spend is one step closer to free flights and your holiday abroad.

Although the UK may be in the grip of a Recession, the recent credit-crunch is not putting people off from booking holidays this year. It just means that more and more people are looking for budget-friendly trips and are considering late deals & special offers before they book a holiday. Recent research carried out by LoveMoney.com has shown that at least 73% of the UK population have taken or are planning to take a holiday this year, compared to 74% for 2008. The British public are simply not going to give up their holiday abroad just because we are in the midst of a Recession.

Although many holidaymakers will still be hunting around for special offers and last minute deals as they do not want to exceed their already tightened budgets. To help with their cutbacks, many holidaymakers will this year be travelling outside of the Euro Zone to places such as Egypt and Turkey. M&S Money has noticed a 20% increase in sales of the Egyptian Pound and a 46% increase for the Turkish lira.

If you are looking to reign in those purse strings this year for your summer holiday then you’ll find fantastic special offers and credit crunch savers for coach holidays with Door2Tour.com. Why not begin your search now and in no time, you could find yourself exploring the Battlefields of World Wars 1 & 2 with an expert guide, experiencing the spectacular Edinburgh Tattoo, taking the kids to soak up the magic of Disneyland® Resort Paris, heading to London to catch a popular West End Show, exploring the picture book scenery of the Peak District, being pampered in Bosworth Hall or simply taking donkey rides & checking out the amusements in Skegness – something for everyone this summer!

For the full range of fantastic Special Offers and Credit Crunch Savers, visit www.door2tour.com.