Holidaymakers making for the beaches and sunshine of Spain this summer can save themselves a small fortune on car hire thanks to leading online price comparator Carrentals.co.uk. The popular online comparator has introduced new prices on its site from top name providers to help people save money on rentals in Alicante this summer.

As family holiday budgets remain tight, the latest choice of hire car deals and prices assembled by Carrentals.co.uk is just the thing for helping Mums and Dads get the most for their money this holiday season. Read full topic…

Australia’s first segway xperience opens on Gold Coast.

THE first adventure centre in Australia to feature the futuristic, two wheel, electrically powered Segway, The Segway Xperience, has opened in Surfers Paradise.

The Segway Xperience Centre, covering 1500 sq m on Cypress Avenue in the heart of Surfers Paradise, offers a range of Segway activities including Segway Croquet and Seglympics which includes games such as skill tests, obstacle courses, baton relays, pizza delivery games and time trails.

The highlight of the park is the Segway Xperience, the closest visitors come to gliding without leaving the ground as the Segways carry them along at speeds of up to 20km per hour.

There are also Eco Segway tours allowing visitors to explore some of the regions scenic bushlands, waterfront areas and sand dunes while gliding on a Segway.

Groups and teams are also able to undertake challenges at a range of Xperiences including Bikes Down Under, Mission Impossible, Survivor Team Challenges, GPS Navigation/Scavenger Hunts and even a Master Chef Cook Off.

Available to leisure guests or corporate groups, the centre offers an exciting and diverse list of activities including Human Foosball, in which team members replace the arcade game figures, day and night laser clay target shooting, an 18 meter abseiling tower, laser skirmish, agent agility training and improvised survival training.

An outdoor fitness training centre is also available.

Australian developer Ray Carson is an experienced team building entrepreneur who began his Corporate & Group Xperiences business in 2005.

The business allowed Carson who has previously been a soldier, skydiver, paramedic, B.A.S.E.

Read full topic…

Credit and debit card charges can be high, so holidaymakers should check the fees before setting off, it is claimed.

Holidaymakers should keep an eye out for hidden credit and debit card charges when heading abroad.

This is the warning of uSwitch.com, which carried out research on the matter and found Britons risk facing more than £457 million in fees when they use their plastic to withdraw cash during their trip.

Some 38 per cent of those quizzed said they make use of their cards when overseas, but 11 per cent do not understand the costs this could incur.

Personal finance expert Stefan Maryniak comments: “Sorting out your spending money is often the last thing on a holidaymakers list, but if you dont do it or leave it to the last minute it can cost you dear.”

He describes the hidden charges as the “holiday souvenir from hell”, however there are ways that people can avoid them.

Start thinking about spending money as soon as the trip is booked, Mr Maryniak suggests, as this leaves plenty of time to start putting cash aside.

Those who prefer the convenience and security associated with cards should check on fees before they jet off and shop around for different options, as some companies will not charge at all.

Debit cards tend to have lower charges than credit cards, so travel insurance policyholders and others who find they need to use their plastic should opt for the former items.

Mr Maryniak suggests an alternative is a pre-paid currency card, as these can be topped up and certain ones do not have any commission, as well as guaranteeing that users do not overspend because it is up to them how much they load.

David Bain, spokesman for FairFX, recently suggested this is a more secure option than taking large amounts of cash on holiday.

The taxi industry is calling for a crackdown against operators dropping the title of taxi to become “private hire” services in a bid to avoid tougher security laws next month.

From August 1, all taxis must have cameras installed and all operators must run a 24-hour call centre as part of new laws aimed at making the industry safer.

But many taxi companies are struggling with the extra cost of the measures, so are becoming private hire services in a bid to save money, the Taxi Federation says.

In a bid to stop rogue operators, federation executive director Tim Reddish has written to Transport Minister Steven Joyce warning that “the natural flow-on from this will see the emergence of an “under the radar’ mini-cab type operation that will have the potential to decimate the legitimate and fully compliant taxi industry”.

Under operator licensing legislation, private hire cars must not be metered – instead carrying passengers at an agreed price – and they must also be prebooked.

But an article in the federation’s industry magazine says taxi companies are ditching their approved taxi operator status and switching to private hire to avoid the new measures.

“Taxi companies …

Read full topic…