A travel money card is great!

Since the birth of the travel money card and its increased availability as another method to pay for items when abroad, the global economic crisis has plunged sterling into a state of impressive weakness and the travel industry into uncertainty as to whether any UK holidaymakers will even bother going abroad this summer. So could the travel money card be the saving grace for those who want to hit the Eurozone this August?

April saw a trend amongst banks that quickly became reported in the national press. Amongst others, both The Northern Echo and The Independent outlined the introduction of bank charges on credit cards used abroad - ranging from 0.81 to 2.99 percent of the transaction value from names such as Nationwide and Thomas Cook Financial. The moves were seen as a direct response to the tumultuous economic climate and the ongoing need to make a profit wherever possible.

Travel money cards are increasingly being seen as a viable alternative to credit cards because of a number of reasons. Unlike standard credit and debit cards, travel money cards do not incur charges when used (provided your card is allocated to the correct country, region, continent), yet are still allowed in the same shops and outlets that any Visa and Mastercard would be used.

However, for all their similarities, there are some differences also: travel money cards are not connected to your bank account but are instead charged (or topped up) via bank transfer online, SMS or over the phone - in much the same way as a pay-as-you-go mobile phone.

This top-up method is not only convenient, but is also becoming noted for its added security. Losing a credit card abroad is a massive hassle because if it gets into the wrong hands, your entire bank account is available - however, a travel money card ensures that the rest of your savings are not at risk whilst you are on holiday. Additionally, if your card is stolen and reported promptly any money will be instantly transferred back to your account.

As it becomes increasingly expensive to spend money abroad, and whilst sterling remains at a low compared to the euro and dollar, the convenience and safety of travel money cards seem set to entice holiday spenders into a new age - and one that ensures your pennies go further.

Buy travel insurance, travel money and check foreign exchange rates at Post Office®

Moving to the coast? Why home insurance can sometimes make that sea view a little less tempting

Although the property sector might not be the most buzzing market at the moment, homes which offer a little something extra, such as a cliff-top location, view down the estuary, or glimpse of the surf, are always going to be sought after – and more likely to be bought at a higher price than their view-less equivalents.

With many sources reporting that the market is on the turn, many who have long considered leaving the city, or buying a second home on the coast will now feel the pressure to start their hunt before prices increase too much.

A recent Halifax survey taken over 10 years between 1996 and 2006 found that house prices rose considerably quicker on the coast in comparison to those inland. Perhaps the best example for the difference was Falmouth on the south coast of Cornwall, where prices rose by 316 percent when the average across Britain was 186 percent.

It is no secret that the reason for the popularity, and the subsequent affect on house prices, comes from the views on offer at coastal properties. In an article at telegraph.co.uk, Graham Norwood writes about two properties in Cellardyke, Fife, one of which had views of the North Sea whilst the other had none. Of course, the former sold for far more at £400,000 compared to the latter at £195,000.

Perhaps surprisingly, properties that are located in picturesque coastal locations can sometimes mean certain considerations when it comes to such necessities as home insurance. Despite the often sparkling reputations of areas that are not urban in character, according to the Daily Mail, opportunist thefts have increased by as much as 63 percent in some rural areas – with extreme increases occurring in North Wales. Additionally, where buildings insurance is concerned, in some cases companies will refuse policies for buildings in particular risk from flooding, or at the least offer very expensive premiums.

In spite of the downsides (The Telegraph also mentions how damaging sea spray is to paintwork and subsequent maintenance costs), I anticipate that coastal areas will see the quickest rise in prices when (or if) the market settles into its climb. And, although this might be bad news for those who live on the UK’s coasts, with Sterling in such a bad position abroad I wouldn’t be surprised if second-home interest in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset increases quicker than we may have known it to before.

Beijing and its attractions

This year the global economic situation is causing UK tourists to consider travelling further afield than the Eurozone on their doorstep. The reason is quite simple, once they have dealt with such necessities as travel insurance and accommodation, few, if any, of their neighbouring tourist destinations is likely to offer much value for money for the weakened Sterling in the wake of the credit crunch. For some who are eager to visit the historical and architectural sights associated with such infamous European cities as Paris, Rome and Venice, such places will now be off-limits. Luckily however, the East has many equivalents, for example Beijing.

Beijing has been described by National Geographic as: ‘An epicentre of tradition with the treasures of nearly 2,000 years,’ and this is by no means an understatement. However, one thing that is a little harder to distil into so few words is the unique wonder of some of its sights.

One example is the Beijing Ancient Observatory in the Dongcheng District, which exists due to the Yongle Emperor’s title meaning ‘Son of Heaven’ spurring a heightened interest in the skies by the astronomers of Ming and Qing. Today visitors can still walk amongst ancient instruments such as the Quadrant and Theodolite and explore the many astronomical exhibition rooms.


For a historic natural attraction focusing on phenomena a little closer to home, Beihai Park is an imperial garden in the Xicheng District and has been there for over 1,000 years.

Beihei translates to ‘Northern Sea’, a name that reflects the fact that more than half of the park’s 171 acres are covered in lakes and ponds. Additionally, the gardens are also noticeable for the abundance of imperial and elegant architecture as exemplified by The Yong'an Temple (Temple of Everlasting Peace, the largest building in the park) and the intricate Five-Dragon Pavilions.


Approximately six kilometres south east of Beihei Park, the Temple of Heaven is situated in the heavily populated Xuanwu District. The Temple (or Altar, as it is known literally) is a Taoist complex dating from the early 1400s and at its heart includes the three-tiered, and circular, Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests constructed from wood without the use of nails. The entire structure has been built in strict accordance to philosophical teachings, which is noticeable in its layout and the inclusion of such features as the Echo Wall which stretches for 193 metres but can reverberate a whisper for its entire length.


Alongside Beijing’s many sights, the most intriguing and awesome man-made structure could well be the Forbidden City. This imperial palace complex is the largest in the world, and is located in the centre of Beijing. As an attraction, the Forbidden City is notable for its sheer size and architecture, but it is also now home to the Palace Museum containing numerous artefacts from the Ming and Qing imperial courts throughout the last 5,000 years. Since becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, the palace has undergone some restoration, alongside increased commercialization which has since been criticized by the Chinese Media.

Destination Strasbourg

By Tim Ware, British Guild of Travel Writers

It's early afternoon and the latest star in the French Railways' constellation - the TGV Est high speed train - is pulling out of Paris.

Leaving the Gare de l'Est, an easy 10 minute walk from the Eurostar terminal at Gare du Nord, the scenery gives way first to elegant suburbs and finally to open country, the sleek train gathers pace on its two hour 20 minute journey to Strasbourg, France's easternmost city, 300 miles away on the banks of the Rhine.

Before we know it, we are cruising at speeds of up to 200mph. The view through the window is typically French: first, meadows on which plump cattle graze, then the vineyards of the Champagne region and, finally, as we approach Strasbourg, the neat valleys and gently rolling hills of the Vosges.

The extraordinary thing is that, for the most part, you're unaware of travelling at high speed. Only when the train passes beside a motorway is it apparent that you're journeying on Europe's fastest train.

You travel in style and comfort. The carriages are spacious and the seats wide (no travelling with your knees touching the seat in front here) and, unlike travelling by air, you can feel smug about leaving a negligible carbon footprint. You've done your bit for the environment.

The TGV Est - or le Train Grande à Vitesse Est Européen to give it its full name - takes high speed in its stride. At 200mph, the ride is relatively silent and smooth; even in the buffet car, the cup of coffee in front of you stays put on the bar top.

Soon we're pulling into Strasbourg. The very name conjures images of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and bureaucratic largesse. Well, yes. But there is much more besides. The capital of the Alsace region is a city of considerable style and charm.

In fact, I can think of few more pleasant places in which to spend a weekend. While it is undeniably a city, it has more of a country town feel about it. Crossing hump-backed bridges into the Petite France district, ringed by the river Ill, you're surrounded by half-timbered buildings, once the home to tanners, millers and the like. You could almost be in a medieval town in the Dordogne.

The best way to orientate yourself is to take a mini cruise. For a fiver or so you're provided with a one-hour trip through the city and downstream to the European Parliament buildings.

On the way the cruise boat travels along the Ill past high-gabled houses and old warehouses, some of which have been converted into hotels and waterside restaurants, negotiating several locks.

The centre of Strasbourg is cosily compact. We base ourselves at Hotel Maison Rouge, a three-star establishment whose reputation is built on traditional comforts rather than modernity. Our room is a good size and overlooks the rue des Francs-Bourgeois, our stay punctuated by the reassuring clank of trams passing in the street below.

The hotel does not have a restaurant (except for breakfast), but as it is slap bang in the middle of the city, and no more than a five or ten-minute walk from anywhere you'll want to visit, it's ideal.

Top of your list of 'must sees' should be the great 12th century Gothic cathedral, one of the finest in France, whose pink sandstone tower is visible from anywhere in the city. Climb the 332 steps to the cathedral's viewing platform and you're rewarded with a great vista of the old city and, in the distance, the Vosges in the west and the Black Forest in the east.

Also worth seeing in the cathedral is the enormously complicated astrological clock, built 1842, whose crowning performance of the day - the striking of noon at 12.30 - that being 12 o'clock Strasbourg time - attracts hordes of visitors.

Across the river the place de la Républic is a reminder that people living here have had to get used to a shifting border, changing their allegiance over the years from France to Germany and back to France again.

The square is lined with vast German buildings put up during the post 1870 Imperial Prussian occupation and in the middle is a war memorial showing a mother holding two dead sons in her arms - one killed by the French army and the other by the Germans - a situation unlikely to arise again under the new European unity.

The shifting border has had its effect, too, on the local cuisine: meals are a mix of German generosity and French finesse. The signature Alsace dish is choucroute - sauerkraut cooked with goose grease and smoked pork, with ham and sausages added. For around £12, at Maison Kammerzell in the city centre I enjoyed a tasty and filling dish of three kinds of fish - cod, salmon and smoked haddock - served on a bed of sauerkraut.

Contrary to expectation, restaurant prices in Strasbourg are not steep by British standards. There are many places where you can enjoy a well-cooked three course meal for less than £10.

For gourmets, there are around 80 Michelin-starred restaurants in the area. Thanks to the new TGV Est service, you could theoretically enjoy lunch in Strasbourg and be in Paris in time for dinner. Now there's a tempting proposition...

Factfile: Travel from Waterloo to Strasbourg, via Paris or Lille, with Rail Europe, the best place to buy cheap train tickets online. Fares start at £89 return in standard class, travelling on Eurostar and the TGV. Further details from Rail Europe 08708 304 862, or call at the Rail Europe Travel Centre at 178 Piccadilly, London W1. Rooms at Hotel Maison Rouge (00 33 3 88 32 08 60, www.maison-rouge.com) cost from around £60 a night. Further information on Alsace from the Alsace Tourist Board 00 33 3 89 24 73 50, www.tourism-alsace.com and the Strasbourg Tourist Office, 00 33 3 88 52 28 28, www.ot-strasbourg.org or, in the UK, Maison de la France (French Tourist Office), www.franceguide.com, 09068 244 123.

Cruise Control: The Best Luxury Cruise Lines

Trying to determine which is the best luxury cruise line is a little like trying to deciding which is the the best Beatles song. It is virtually an impossible task. There are so many good ones, and all offer something a little different that set them apart from the others. With that in mind I have compiled a list of 3 of the best luxury cruise lines operating today.

See who made the cut below:

Seabourn Cruise Lines - In operation for more than 2 decades now this company has become synonymous with the word luxury. Like the other players in the ultra luxury market Seabourn's ships are small. In fact they are so cozy and exclusive that the company actually markets them as The Yachts of Seabourn, and life aboard feels like a day at the club rather than a cruise at times. They are world renowned for their fine dining, and a meal served here wouldn't be out of place in one of Europe's finest restaurants. If you are looking for exclusivity and privacy you can't do much better than Seabourn.

Regent Seven Seas - This small cruise line is known for delivering both comfort and superior technology. Egyptian cotton linens are standard in all their suites, and if you want to get your entertainment fix and stay connected to the rest of the world while at sea Regent has you covered. Flat screen TVs, DVD players, Bose stereo systems, Wi-fi internet access, and even onboard cellphone service are all included.

Crystal Cruises - Speaking of exclusivity, Crystal Cruise Lines only offers two ships in its fleet, so booking passage may be a challenge indeed. However, if you are one of the lucky ones to experience a Crystal cruise you will agree that it was well worth the inconvenience of securing a ticket. Known for their ability to offer ocean liner amenities on small ships, Crystal really stands head and shoulders above its peers. Food and wine are top-notch with exotic culinary options including sushi bars! Crystal even caters to families and is one of the few ultra luxury cruise lines to include children's activities on its ships.

This is just a sampling of the best luxury cruise lines operating today. Others like Silversea and Cunard are good as well, and offer high end all-inclusive cruise options that can put the big lines like Disney, Carnival and Princess to shame. Time to book your honeymoon?

You can find more cruise info on european-cruise-guide.com