Welcome to the first issue of "Rainbow Reports" for 2008. As a past traveler with Rainbow Travel Inc, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your past business with us. "Rainbow Reports" is a monthly publication to inform our clients about insider traveling tips from people within the industry and to inform you of unique travel deals. The next edition will be available in July. We hope that you find our travel articles interesting and informative. Our aim is to keep reading time down to around 5 minutes with short articles providing links to further information where appropriate. As this is the first on-line version your feedback would be welcomed in the hope that any teething issues can be addressed. If after reading this issue of Rainbow Reports, you no longer wish to receive future issues, please respond by email and we will remove your name from our distribution list.
Rainbow Reports - Volume 1 - Issue 1
Whether you want to visit family or friends in the Philippines or take a vacation anywhere in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico or Europe, we can help save you money with great online deals that don't include a Saturday night stay! So no matter when you want to go, we can get you great savings on your travel itinerary. Not only can you get great online deals from us, but we can take the hassle out of travel planning by making all your air, hotel, car, destination activities, ground transfers, trip insurance and other travel arrangements for you prior to your departure. And we'll even send you an easy-to-follow itinerary to guide you on your trip. In these challenging economic times with rising fuel surcharges and fees, travelers like yourselves will appreciate the experienced advice from your local travel agent on how to maximize your travel budget. Plus provide assurance that booking your vacation with a licensed travel agency, like, Rainbow Travel, will protect your funds in the event of an airline or tour operator failure / bankruptcy.
There’s Never Been A Better Time To Go To Europe
Due to all of the hype in the media concerning exorbitant increases in fuel surcharges, these startling headlines have frightened off the traveling public. Hence, European bookings are down by as much as 5%, in response to this trend some airlines have reduced fare to Europe below cost and we at Rainbow Travel know where to look for the most incredible bargains. So go on give us a call and book that dream trip to Europe that you’ve always promised yourself….at that bargain price. It can be cheaper to fly to Europe than to fly to Toronto. For example, booking a flight to London, UK is as low as $149 return (plus fuel surcharges and tax) this week.
Stretching the Dollar in Europe
Even with the weak dollar, there are ways to save when traveling abroad, especially now that you can take advantage of all the seasonal summer routes from Vancouver to places such as, Dublin, London, Manchester, Zurich, Paris, Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, Munich, and Frankfurt. Here are 10 ideas to help save you money:
1. CHECK AIRLINE DEALS
Europe's low-fare carriers are good for more than cheap airfares--many also sell packages (air and hotel for a bargain price) and offer hotel and car-rental specials.
2. BUY TRAIN TICKETS IN ADVANCE
Train travel is sometimes more expensive than flying, but you can save by buying tickets online in advance and traveling during off-peak hours. In Germany, weekday, round-trip tickets purchased at least three days in advance are 25 percent off the regular price--and weekend tickets bought in advance are 50 percent off. Want to find out more? Just click here to find our article on “European Rail Travel”. It’s exactly the sort of vacation that takes you to exciting places viewed through “the big window” as your train passes from country to country, only in Europe!
3. DIG DEEP ON TOURISM WEBSITES
Tourism bureau websites are often loaded with good deals. The Visit London site for budget hotel and entertainment listings is a very useful tool. The Special Offers tab links to a page with hotel-and-attraction packages, such as one night at a hotel and two tickets to the Ian Fleming exhibition at the Imperial War Museum starting at $200. The tickets alone cost $16 per person.
4. ELIMINATE A NIGHT IN A HOTEL
Sleeping in-transit is a backpacker's trick to save money, but it works for those who want to travel in moderate comfort as well. A double-occupancy, upper-deck cabin on a ship that sails daily from Copenhagen to Oslo (an overnight trip lasting 16 hours) starts at $139 in the summer.
5. EVALUATE CITY PASSES
Many tourism bureaus--including ones in Lisbon, Zürich, Budapest, and Stockholm--sell city cards that cover the costs of mass transit and admission to museums and also provide discounts to other attractions. To determine if they're worth it, however, you have to do the math. Sometimes you'll have to go to four or five museums just to break even.
6. DON'T BUY SINGLE RIDES
Multi-ride subway cards are almost always a better value than individual tickets, depending, of course, on how many stops you want to make. In London, a single Tube journey costs a whopping $8, but a one-day unlimited-ride Travelcard runs you just $13.25. An even better value is the Oyster card, which starts at $16 (a $6 refundable deposit for the card itself and $10 worth of credits toward subway and bus rides).
7. USE A BIKE TO GET AROUND
In Paris, about 20,000 bikes are available for short-term rentals at hundreds of pickup and drop-off spots. You buy a Vélib' card for $1.50 per day or $7 per week; each bike is then free for the first half hour, $1.50 for the second half hour, $3 for the third half hour, and $6 for every half hour after that.
8. SKIP THE TRAIN, TAKE A BUS
Long-distance bus travel may not be as glamorous as riding the rails, but some bus lines sell multi-city passes that rival the Eurail Pass in terms of price and flexibility. You need to reserve each leg at least two days in advance. The pass has one major restriction: All trips, with a few exceptions, must cross international borders.
9. FIND THE FREEBIES
Scour the Internet before your trip for free museums, concerts, cultural events, and activities--you may be surprised by what's out there.
10. SIGHTSEEING IN AMSTERDAM: $27 SAVINGS
A two-day "I Amsterdam" card costs $63. It covers unlimited transport on the subway, trams, and buses; entrance to 25 museums, including the Van Gogh Museum, the Rembrandt House, the Rijksmuseum, and the Stedelijk; a canal cruise; and discounts at a number of restaurants. Contact us when you are ready to travel and find out all the places you can go, the money you can save, and the service we can provide, you have experienced our service before, so give us another try, we promise you won't be disappointed.
We are small enough to care and big enough to make it happen!
Nigel, Thant, and Ethyl
WE WANT YOUR INPUT
Rainbow Travel Inc is a community of people who love to travel and
believe finding great values is the best way to go! Email your letter to
the editor at [mailto:info@rainbowtravelonline.com]
info@rainbowtravelonline.com. Questions and comments are always welcome.
Check out our website for the
[http://www.rainbowtravelonline.com/specials] latest travel deals.
©2008 Rainbow Travel Inc.
150 East Broadway (at Main), Vancouver, BC, V5T 1V9
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