European Consumer Rights: Flight delay and cancellation compensations

Due to the increased mobility within the EU and the increased number of EU citizens traveling abroad, the European Parliament has accepted specified rights of the customers of air carriers when there has been a problem with the flight of the traveler.

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishes passengers' rights in case of:

- denied boarding against their will
- flight is cancelled
- their flight is delayed

There are standard compensations in each of the above mentioned cases:

"Denied boarding:

In the event of flight cancellation or denied boarding, the passengers concerned have the right to:

• reimbursement of the cost of the ticket within seven days or a return flight to the first point of departure or re-routing to their final destination;
• care (refreshments, meals, hotel accommodation, transport between the airport and place of accommodation, two free telephone calls, telex or fax messages, or e-mails);
• compensation totalling:
  - EUR 250 for all flights of 1500 kilometres or less;
  - EUR 400 for all intra-Community flights of more than 1500 kilometres, and for all other flights between 1500 and 3500 kilometres;
  - EUR 600 for all other flights.

Delays
The Regulation introduces a three-tier system:

• in the event of long delays (two hours or more, depending on the distance of the flight), passengers must in every case be offered free meals and refreshments plus two free telephone calls, telex or fax messages, or e-mails;
• if the time of departure is deferred until the next day, passengers must also be offered hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and the place of accommodation;
• when the delay is five hours or longer, passengers may opt for reimbursement of the full cost of the ticket together with, when relevant, a return flight to the first point of departure.

Upgrading and downgrading
If an air carrier places a passenger in a class lower than that for which the ticket was purchased, the passenger must be reimbursed within seven days, as follows:

• 30% of the price of the ticket for all flights of 1500 kilometres or less;
• 50% of the price of the ticket for all intra-Community flights of more than 1500 kilometres, except flights between the Member States and the French overseas departments, and for all other flights between 1500 and 3500 kilometres;
• 75% of the price of the ticket for all other flights, including flights between the Member States and the French overseas departments."

The full conditions and text of the Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 can be found on the European Commission web-site regarding the Denied boarding compensation system:

http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/protection_of_consumers/l24173_en.htm

Europe Travel Destinations: Corfu Island, Greece

Europe has many faces and one of the loveliest of them is a sunny warm island called Corfu.

It is like a tropical island situated right next to the shores of Europe, making every first-time traveller wonder why you have not been there yet.

Corfu is the place to be for everyone who is willing to have a nice, quiet and beautiful vacation. The warm weather, the tropic-like beaches and the unbelievable tasty food will give you the joy you have not been imagining when planning your Corfu holiday.

If you are accommodated at some of the nice new resorts on the island there is nothing you have to worry about - the beach is few meters away, the hotel gives you a comfortable break from the warm sun and the light night breeze recharges you during the deserved cold drink on the restaurant terrace after the tasty dinner.

Once you visit Paleokastritsa, see the fantastic little beaches, look at the crystal clear sea water and board on the boats showing you around the bay and the magical places near the shore, you will understand that Corfu is a heaven on Earth which you will visit again very soon.

If you are currently choosing a summer holiday destination, do not hesitate to choose Corfu and to book a holiday you will really enjoy.

 sxc.hu

Europe Travel Tips: European Cruise Ship Travel

There is just one way to witness all of the sea and inland beauty Europe has to offer and it is by a holiday on a sea or on a river cruise ship.

The destinations offered by the cruise ship companies are wonderfully chosen to present to the attention of the tourist both the historical treasures and the natural beauty of the countries, which are part of the cruise route. The cruise ships pass around splendid bays with a view towards the stylish and friendly European sea side cities, and allow the tourist to enjoy the calmness of a sea travel and the luxurious comfort of the ship.

Mentioning just few of the destinations, reachable by the cruise companies, will be sufficient for everyone to understand that a cruse holiday offers a great way to travel to several wonderful cities just within several days:

Barcelona, Spain
Valencia, Spain
Rome, Italy
Naples, Italy
Venice, Italy
Marseille, France
Cannes, France
Monaco
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Split, Croatia
Santorini, Greece
Stockholm, Sweden
Helsinki, Finland
St Petersburg, Russia
Budapest, Hungary
Vienna, Austria

and many many others ...

A cruise with a sea or a river ship is the perfect family or couple vacation, which will enable you to visit several interesting places within the same holiday and will give you a the unique travel experience of traveling on a ship.

There are many cruise companies and specialized cruise travel agents and you will be able to easily find an affordable and suitable European cruise destination, which will suite your interest and your curiosity of the places, included in the cruise destination.

sxc.hu

Europe Travel Tips: Europe by Train

There are many ways to explore Europe and to enjoy all the treasures it has to offer to its visitors, but there is one especially wonderful way to travel through Europe with style and ease and to see all the beauty of the nature and the country side of Europe - travelling by train.

Due to the cooperation on a national and international level, the train companies in Europe have created a vast network, which jointly covers all of Europes and it allows travellers to organize regional and international holidays by train and gives you the opportunioty to view Europe in a way not possible with any other transport.

You can get a full access to the train routes in the EU countries, you can plan using night trains, which will save you money and time for seeing more of Europe than by staying every night at a hotel and you can travel with some of the scenic trains in Europe, allowing you to view explicit views of the European countries, while travelling comfortably on board of a modern train with your friends.

A great opportinity for travellers by train is the option to buy Eurail Pass, allowing you to travel with just one ticket on multiple occassions in a single country or in many countries. This is a very cost and time efficient way to travel through Europe and to get a comfortable and memorable travel experience.

You can see the information about the train networks in Europe, routes and prices on the official European Railways web-site for train pass reservations:

www.eurail.com

Europe Travel Destinations: Provance, France

Many times a person thinks of France, there is a very tale-like, colorful picture, which comes on mind. It a splendid view pictorous hills with grapes and/or lavender, usually accompanied by a lovely two-stores chato and a small charming river. And this peaceful picture of a dream has a name - Provance.

Provance is not just a nice country side. It is also not just a place where you go to take a rest from the buzz of the city lights. It is simply a dream.

Provance is the place, where you just let go and become a tiny part of the great wide universe, which has found its exact place. It is a peace of mind, which will welcome you with a warm tasteful delight, will make you question yourself why you live somewhere other than there and will show you off with an invitation for a soonest comeback.

It is very difficult to describe what makes Provance the dream, which it is, but if we have to point some of the essential joys, which form the Provance feeling, we have to mention the following:

Nature

There are so many colors in Provance and every one of them is related to a very simple simple thing in life, which makes it so special to enjoy:

red grapes and wine - the color of life and love, both gloriously related to the place, in which life is love

golden and brown - the colors of the ground, which receives the love and care of the people and gives them in return the joy from the food and the wine

purple lavender - the color of kings, giving both the sight and smell the joy of a dream coming to life

Wine

... a result of the love between man and land, who have established a relation resulting to a just one thing - love ... a love in a glass, giving you the taste of eternity, the smell of natures' favourite flowers and spices and the joy of capturing a perfect moment of time ...

Time

Time is no relevant in heaven ... and Provance is a heaven on Earth, unrelated to what is happening quite near and so far away ... when time has stopped nothing is happening, and when you are in Provance you are in its own time and space and everything which matters is the joy of being in a dream and living it with the one you care about and love ... and when the dream passes by and you are back home, just close your eyes and think about Provance and time will stop again ...

The people of Provance will welcome you with the warmth they nurture the land with, they will take care of you just like they grow everything, which makes the their home a heaven in a world so different from theirs, and will start a feeling in you, which will grow along with the red grapes and purple lavender and will make you feel home everytime you just close your eyes and smell the scent of a dream ...   

 www.sxc.hu

Europe Travel Tips: Travel Documents

When you are planning a holiday in Europe it is very important to first chech what kind of documents you are required to carry on with you and to present to any custom authorities you go through.

International Passport

No matter where you come from, usually the most important ID document abroad is the International Passport. In order not to get into any unexpected situation, it is essential to check that your passport is still valid and its expiration date has not passed. If you have travelled a lot and there are no free pages left for another Visa, it is also necessary to inquire if you need to apply for a new passport before your holiday.
Even if you are an EU citizen going to another EU country, you should check if the rote for your trip does not pass trough non-EU member countries, as you will not be allowed to enter the country without a valid international passport.

Power of Attorneys

If there are children in the group and both parents are not travelling, it might be necessary to present a Power of Attorney or any other kind of document depending on your local legislation, which certifies that both parents agree that their child travells abroad.


If you are travelling by car with a leased or rented car, it is absolutely necessary to present to the customs authorities a document, stating that the car is owned by a bank ( or a leasing company ) or by the car rental company, and you are authorised to use the car and to cross borders.

Travel Insurance Policy

Although it is not a required document when you are travelling alone and at your own risk, the travel insurance policy is a must for every traveller. If you are on a holiday with an organized group, your travel agent might include the international travel policy in the holiday package. However, you need to check this, and in case such is not included, you can book one very easily.
If you are travelling alone, especially in countries and places you aren ot familiar with, it is highly recommended that you have a valid travel insurance policy with you, covering all possible travel risks from medical expenses to luggage loss. This can save you a lot of money if such situations occur, and will guarantee you the necessary peace of mind, so you can go on and fully enjoy your holiday.

Flight ticket

Always check if you have your flight ticket with you when you leave home or the hotel you have stayed in. If you are using an on-line check-in option before departure, you have to make sure that you have checked-in within the exact time for it and to print your ticket, as if you have not made it and you have to get a ticket on the airport, there will be an additional charge.

Europe Travel Tips: Europe Audio Guides

If you are not travelling with a group of fellow tourists, but separately, it is quite expensive to pay for a local tour guide to inform you in detail about the city/cities you are visiting and to give you insights about all the fascination places you are able to see.

The major see sights offer paid audio guides in the main few foreign languages, which can be rented at the ticket desks of the sites, but paying for audio guide at every historical site is also not very ecnomical.

Therefore, we strongly advise you to look up for any available audio guides for the city/cities you are about to visit, as you will most probably be able to find on-line free ( or at least cheap ) audio guides for all main see sights in the major European cities. This way you can have very sufficient and interesting information on the lovely places you visit, and you will have the convenience of using your own smart-phone or mp3-player.

Following the instructions in the audio guides, you will be informed chronologically about the main historical events and development of the sites. You will also be guided through the buildings or areas in a specific order, allowing you to view all essential sights and to hear everything you need to know in order to have a complete and great travelling experience.

Europe Travel Tips: Travel Insurance

When booking a holiday abroad one of the essential things in the "To Do List" is to buy a travel insurance policy.

Although any required medical treatment within your own country is covered by the contry`s national health security system, any type of international agreements for providing emergency medical treatment to foreign citizens is agreed only with public hospitals. As such public medical facilities are very often not very close to the holiday resorts, and even in the major European cities you are most likely to encounter private medical facilities, having a private travel insurance can ensure that you will receive in-time emergency medical treatment for any illness or injury.

The positives of having a private travel insurance poliy are:
- low price insurance, covering great variety of risks:
medical expenses
luggage loss
holiday cancellation
trip delay
loss of pocket money
- 24/H travel assistance by the insurance company for any insurance covered problem you might encounter
- cooperation between the medical service providers and the major travel insurance companies

Visitng a private medical center in case of a minor or major medical emergency, especially in the holiday resorts, almost certainly ensures that you will be treated by an English-speaking specialist, nomatter in which country you are at the moment. Private medical facilities are also often equipped with up-to-date medical equipment and can even provide visits in the hotel and medical transportation.

Even if you are asked to pay on spot for the received services, your travel insurance company will reimburse the amounts paid abroad, which makes the travel insurance policy a must-have for every traveller.

Your insurance company can also be in contact with your travel agent in order to ensure all available assistance in case of luggage and money loss, so you can still enjoy a great holiday abroad.

An annual travel insurance policy is a more cost- and time-efficient solution than the purchase of single trip insurance policies and usually guarantees you better risk coverage conditions.

Summer holiday in Europe: Croatia

If you are planning a summer holiday in Europe and you are wondering which way to go, you should definitely consider the possibility of spending a week or more on some of Croatia`s wonderful beaches.

Croatia is a peaceful and colorful country, situated on the cost of the Adriatic Sea, and it has become a paradise for tourists, who are attracted by its tropic-like coastline and the numerous historical and cultural locations.

Croatia was part of the formal Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after the World War II, and although the coutry had a limited autonomy during the reign of the Communist regime, since it won its independence after the war with Serbia, Croatia has become a wealthy and prosperous country.

There are many remarkably beautiful places in Croatia and besides its picturous beaches, it has some of Europe`s most beutiful natural parks and lakes. The Plitvice Lakes National Park is only one of the highly recommended sites in the coutry, as it takes only a one-day trip to visit the park, as by nighttime you can be back in your lovely sea-side hotel.

Croatia is a wonderful summer holiday location for both tourists seeking nice and quiet vacation, and for travellers who are looking forward to tasting some of the night life on the Adriatic sea. The main cities, including the in-cost country capital Zagreb, can offer a significant list of cultural sites, including the newly-built Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as various entertainment events for its visitors.

Croatia has over a thousand of islands, which makes it a real tropical paradise in Europe.

When you plan your holiday to Croatia, be sure to schedule visiting various cities and beautiful sites the country has to offer. Although the loveliness of the beaches of Croatia will make you come back for more, be sure to have a spare set of batteries for your camera, as there is plenty beauty you would like to capture.

sxc.hu

Benefits of travelling during the low season

If you enjoy quiet and easy vacation, and you want to avoid the millions of tourists, who are visiting Europe’s major cities during the high season, the best way to have a wonderful holiday is to take it during the lower tourist season.

It is great to know that you are luckily enjoying a meal and a drink in one of Europe’s marvelous cities, while everybody else is working at the very same time. And doing it without the hordes of picture-taking tourists all around you makes it even greater.

Some benefits of planning an off-season holiday are for example:

-         lower flight prices

-         lower hotel room prices

-         easier access to museums and other tourists attractions

-         great way to recharge with a short weekend-type vacation, while awaiting the two week holiday in the summer

As mentioned above, you need just two or three days off work, and by combining them with any weekend, you can have a wonderful 4 night vacation in any major European city, which will revitalize your spirit after months of hard work. This, along with the fact that both flight tickets and hotel room prices are quite reasonable during the low-season (if you know how to find the good offers), makes the off-season vacation a real cheap pleasure.

You can also easily see a lot more in just four days during low-season, compared to a whole week during the high-season, as you will not have to wait long lines for entering the most visited museums and attractions. It is quite possible to spend up to two hours on a line to get into a museum in Rome or Paris during the high season, and a month earlier you can be one of the few in the museum to take their time and quietly enjoy masterpieces to their fullest.

Taking a low-season vacation would allow you to see what is worth in the city itself during your first trip there, and to visit some not-so-popular, yet picturesque sites outside the city the next time. For example, this can help you discover some of the unforgivably wonderful small towns in costal Spain, Italy or France during a week-long vacation in some of the main cities surroundings.

Fly cheap – Visit More

If you are looking for a good way to organize a low-budget holiday to one of Europe’s wonderful cities, or you are wondering how you can visit two or more countries during your vacation and still use only a reasonable amount of money doing it, there is only one way for you to make it happen – fly cheap.

You can choose from one of the more popular low-budget airlines and you can have a memorable holiday in every major European country. If you have a whole free week at your disposal, you can even make a combination of the departure/arrival airports and visit two countries within the same vacation. If you manage to use some of the special offers of the low cost airlines, or you are using some of the preferential pricing programs they have, you can practically flight almost for free, paying as much as 50 EUR/per person for a two-way ticket. If you decide to use a three-flight schedule for spending the first days of the trip in one country and then going to another, and you are lucky enough, you can spend about 100 EUR/per person for all three flights using a low cost airline.

Planning your holiday a little upfront can be very useful, as some of the best prices are available around a month prior to the departure date. Buying the tickets earlier can also allow your budget to be quite low, as you buy the flight tickets a month before the actual holiday, and you could pay for your hotel room the next month on arrival at your desired destination.

Having a whole month for planning your vacation also gives you the opportunity to find an available quality lower price hotel room on time, as they are usually fully booked well in advance by the thousands of travelers, who are visiting Europe’s most interesting cities both in high and in low tourist seasons. If you are registered in some of the web-sites for on-line booking services, you should definitely benefit from their frequent promotions and book a wonderful three or four-stars hotel room at an incredibly low price.

This means you can for example have an unbelievable four day holiday in Rome or in Barcelona for two for about 250 EUR in total (airplane tickets and hotel room for two).

We advise you to browse through some of the below mentioned low-cost airlines. Do not hesitate to act impulsively when you find an incredibly low price for a flight to a city you have always wanted to visit.

http://www.wizzair.com/

 

http://www.intersky.biz/

http://www.jet2.com/