After conducting an online survey, the UK’s travellers decided that overall, folding was the most popular packing method with a huge 64% of the vote- allowing holiday goers to organise travel items into neat piles.

Whilst folding maybe the neatest and most organised packing method, some argued that it wasn’t the most space savvy; 29% of those asked favoured to roll their clothes up before packing to make the most of suitcase space and the help avoid the dreaded creases once arriving at their destination.

Other methods were suggested, including packing all items in to vacuum bags to save space and unnecessary ironing. A small percentage of those who took the survey (6.9%) even decided that packing was not a priority and it was much easier to ‘Throw it all in and hope for the best’!

If you are travelling abroad or around the UK this year, don’t forget you can get web exclusive deals on selected suitcases and luggage items, including family sets over at www.sportsdirect.com. You can also join the conversation and let us know how you pack your suitcase on the official Facebook and Twitter pages.

The developments are located close to each other on the north side of Leeds city centre and provide an answer to public calls for the creation of new entertainment and leisure facilities. The new Premier Inn is situated on Clay Pit Lane and stands 10 storeys high.

Once open, Leeds Arena will have a capacity of 13,500 and will be graced by sports events, music and comedy shows and attractions for families – attendees of which will benefit from the additional accommodation choice provided by office spacespecialist Bruntwood.

Craig Burrow, Bruntwood’s director of Leeds, said: “Bruntwood are delighted to have completed the conversion of Hepworth Point in Leeds and to welcome Premier Inn as a customer. We’re now looking for further opportunities within Leeds to expand our core offering, as our customers continue to respond positively to the Bruntwood way of doing business here.”

WSB Property Consultants LLP, who handled the deal, commented that the building’s location has made it a star player in Premier Inn’s portfolio of hotels, while Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants – the parent company of Premier Inn – noted that it is ideally located for access to the city centre and university, as well as the new arena. The company’s focus is on quality and value and they are convinced that the new venue will deliver on both counts.

Premier Inn hopes to increase its current UK count of 47,000 bedrooms to 65,000 by 2016.

Bruntwood also offers conference rooms which Leeds businesses can use for training events and high-profile meetings, alongside facilities as diverse as virtual office services and full office suites.

Website: http://www.bruntwood.co.uk/.

SportsDirect.com, one of the UK’s leading luggage retailers, has recently reduced its range of suitcases and luggage sets to help cut the cost of travelling. Many of the suitcases, including full suitcase sets from trusted brands such as Dunlop and No Fear now have up to 60% discount on the reference price across a variety of styles.

For families, travelling on the cheap is now even cheaper with the SportsDirect.com discount on suitcase sets, available in sets of three through to six, everyone gets their own suitcase as well as a range of hand luggage options. Suitcase sets start from just £45 online and are available for 24 hour delivery.

Solo travellers, or holiday makers who prefer to travel light can take advantage of these amazing discounts too; the No Fear four wheeled suitcase is available for just £15 and can be used as hand luggage on major British airlines including British Airways, Ryanair, BMI Baby and Virgin*.

Wherever the skies take you, packing for the trip has never been easier or cheaper thanks to the SportsDirect.com deals. Log on at www.sportsdirect.com now to find the latest deals on all luggage and travel clothing. You can also keep up to date on all the SportsDirect.com news on the official Facebook and Twitter pages.

*All information correct at time of publishing. Please check allowance regulations direct with the airline before flying.

The five-star resort in South Wales, which hosted golf’s prestigious Ryder Cup in 2010, retained the Gold Award by beating off strong competition from Cheshire’s Peckforton Castle (Silver) and Chewton Glen in the New Forest (Bronze).

The award cements Celtic Manor’s position as the leading destination for events in the UK. In October, it was voted the UK’s Top Conference Hotel for the fifth year running by Conference & Incentive Travel magazine.

The latest prestigious accolade, voted for by readers of Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine, came at a gala dinner on the eve of this month’s International Confex, the UK’s leading exhibition for event organisers where Celtic Manor caught the eye with its prominent stand.

Celtic Manor Chief Operating Officer Ian Edwards said: “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award again, confirming our position as the best hotel in the UK for staging business events and incentive travel.

“Eighteen months on from hosting a Ryder Cup described as the greatest ever, it is very pleasing to keep getting this recognition and know that we remain in the public eye for staging wonderful events and exceeding our clients’ expectations.”

With 400 bedrooms in two hotels, an additional country inn, a large and versatile convention centre, three championship golf courses, six restaurants, two luxurious spas and health clubs, The Celtic Manor Resort occupies a unique position in the marketplace and provides an excellent choice for a UK short break.

In 2011 the resort created a new Monmouth Lounge break-out area for lunch and refreshments, installed digital signage throughout the convention centre and placed flat screens in meeting rooms. New team building attractions were also added in the shape of adventure mini-golf courses and a treetop high ropes course.

Set in 1,400 acres of beautiful Usk Valley parkland and ideally located on the M4 motorway just two hours from London, Celtic Manor also offers an abundance of leisure incentives including three championship golf courses and the luxurious Forum Spa.

The bracelets, which are now worn by many children while travelling, help the authorities, or anyone who comes across a missing child, quickly identify the parents and arrange for the little one’s safe return. The bracelets are particulary helpful for parents with young children not yet able to talk, or for those who cannot speak the local language.

All parents need to do to claim a free pair of ID bracelets is visit the Netflights.com Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/netflights?sk=app_190322544333196 and complete the online form.

- Ends -

About netflights.com

Netflights.com guarantees fantastic offers on flights, hotels, holidays and car hire worldwide. Thousands of discounted airfares from over 135 airlines, reduced rates at over 15 000 hotels, great offers on holidays and car hire are all available at netflights.com, giving customers easy access to all the latest and best travel deals.

Netflights.com is a member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), and every flight and holiday sold is ATOL protected, giving customers full financial protection and complete peace of mind when booking – whether online or over the phone.’

For further information please contact:

For enquiries regarding netflights.com;

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The uniquely Australian dishes from the luxury Blue Mountains resort will now be available in lounges across the country including Sydney, Brisbane and  Melbourne, allowing travellers to experience Wolgan Valley dining out with the resort.

Every month, travellers will be offered different starter, main course and dessert menu options, designed by Wolgan Valley’s Executive Chef Anston Fivaz that will refresh and delight the most discerning palates.

“Emirates has always been very attentive in delivering a dining offering on the ground and in the air that meets the highest standards in quality – ensuring an extraordinary culinary experience while maintaining the authenticity and seasonality of the products,” said Mr Mohammed H Mattar, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Airport Services.

“Choosing Wolgan Valley, its luxury Australian conservation-based property and first hospitality development outside Dubai, to design some of the dishes offered in the lounges was a natural decision for Emirates,” concluded Mr Mattar.

“We’re thrilled to extend our gourmet cuisine from Wolgan Valley to Emirates lounges and showcase our seasonal, regional and organic food philosophy,” said Joost Heymeijer, General Manager, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa. “We look forward to delivering a uniquely Wolgan Valley gourmet experience for travellers.”

A selection of the gourmet dishes include appetizers such as yabby salad, with shaved baby fennel, broad beans, pea puree, with asparagus spears; main courses including E Beck lamb rump, ratatouille, roasted tomato coulis, with candied basil leaves; and desserts of apple trifle, made with mascarpone cream, apple puree, caramelised apple, roulade sponge, and crème patisserie.

Amongst international airlines, Emirates is one of few that truly invest in developing its own exclusive lounge facilities for customers at airports outside of its home base. All Emirates Lounges feature a business centre with individual work stations and complimentary broadband and wireless LAN access. Emirates Airport Services staff manage the lounge at all times, and on-site chefs ensure passengers have a wide selection of food and beverages round-the-clock featuring both hot and cold dishes.

Heralding a new era of luxury travel in the country, the secluded all-inclusive resort actively protects its surrounding habitat and indigenous wildlife species while delivering the first-class standards and quality expected from luxury resorts.

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About Emirates:

Emirates, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, has received more than 500 international awards and accolades for excellence. Emirates  flies to 121 destinations in 72 countries across six continents and is the world’s largest airline in available seat kilometres. Operating 169 wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including an industry leading 20 A380s, Emirates has orders for an additional 236 aircraft, worth more than USD$84 billion. For more information please visit www.emirates.com.

Media Contact:

Maria Elena C Alba
Emirates Corporate Communications
5th Floor
New EGHQ
Opposite DXB Airport
P O Box 686
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
(+971 4) 708 3976
www.emirates.com

Reported on the Martha Stewardess website, twenty-five years ago, an American airline pilot, Robert Plath found that he needed a wheeled carry-on bag. So he invented the vertical bag with extendable handle and two wheels in his own garage. The device became popular and spread through the airline pilots, flight attendants and stewards to the travelling customers. This invention became known as the Rollaboard by TravelPro. Before this incredibly convenient discovery, the Chicago Tribune website reported, suitcases were towed horizontally on four wheels with a strap invented in 1970 by Bernard Sadow. Today’s travellers have a lot to be thankful for, without the vertical wheeled suitcase, our lives and suitcases would be rolling much slower, and travelling would probably be a lot squeakier!

To help you on your travels this year, the UK’s leading sportswear retailer, SportsDirect.com has a great range of suitcases and wheeled luggage to help get you on your way. Right now you can grab suitcase sets and cabin-friendly suitcases in our sale with up to 50% off selected models. Choose from trusted brands such as Dunlop, No Fear and Karrimor- all available to order online right now.

Log on to SportDirect.com to view the entire suitcase collection. You can also get deal information and news on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Easter will soon be springing into our lives and people are looking forward to their holidays. In recent years, the wheeled suitcase has become a necessity for overseas travel by ensuring a more comfortable and hassle-free journey. But the introduction of this suitcase may mean we are over-packing.

The majority of British tourists don’t use up to a third of the items taken in their suitcases, a recent study from British Airways found. Among the unused items were tea bags, kettles, underwear, towels and shoes. The research reported on the Skyport and the Wanderlust websites, found that nearly a quarter of the passengers surveyed didn’t check the baggage limit prior to packing their suitcases. Therefore holidaymakers may be unnecessarily leaving themselves open to excess baggage fees.

Save money on your holiday by jumping to see our Easter sale on suitcases at the UK’s leading sportswear retailer, Sports Direct. We have a large range of luggage in different colours, styles and brands with up to 50% reductions. The trolley suitcases and luggage from brands such as Nike, Dunlop and Karrimor, are of the highest quality. At Sports Direct, we have cabin friendly suitcases and suitcase sets available.

Check out our egg-cellent deals on suitcases on www.sportsdirect.com. You can also get the latest deal information and new s on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

“The Radisson Blu Hotel, Amsterdam has delivered an outstanding result – not only in 2011, but over the last three years. It has truly raised the bar in achieving operations and service excellence within our group”, said Kurt Ritter, president & CEO of Rezidor at the Award Ceremony during Carlson Rezidor’s Global Business Conference in Nassau, Bahamas. At the forefront of the Global Business Conference, the property had already been awarded the title of “Hotel of the Year 2011″ in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“Both awards are a thank you and a fantastic motivation to my staff. Such achievements cannot be won by a single employee or following a single activity. They are the result of long term and intense team work”, said Ronald Smithjes, general manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Amsterdam at the prize giving.

The hotel aims to combine past and present in downtown Amsterdam, and was carefully designed to encompass several 18th century merchant houses, a former paper factory and a 19th century vicarage. Featuring 248 modern and stylish rooms and suites, the “De Palmboom” restaurant with a Dutch and international menu, the unique “Pastorie Bar”, flexible meeting rooms for up to 160 delegates and a business centre, as well as a gym including sauna and solarium, the hotel is an ideal location for both leisure and business travelers staying in Amsterdam hotels. The hotel also aims to adhere to Radisson’s service philosophy “Yes I Can!”, a 100% guest satisfaction guarantee, and further signature services such as free high speed internet access at all times. According to the group’s Responsible Business Programme, the hotel is a smoke-free environment, and pet-friendly.

About Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts:
Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts (formerly Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts), part of The Rezidor Hotel Group, offers first class service, providing guests with a contemporary, upscale hospitality experience. Radisson Blu has received numerous awards for Best Hotel Chain and is renowned for its “Yes I Can!” spirit of service and the “100% Guest Satisfaction Guarantee”. September 2005 saw the roll out of a free broadband service across the portfolio – the first international hotel chain to offer this service. Radisson Blu currently includes more than 250 hotels either in operation or under development and with more than 58,300 rooms in Europe – including a hotel Lyon, hotel Stockholm, hotel Salzburg and hotel Toulouse – the Middle East and Africa, which offer conference facilities and accommodation.

For more information, visit www.radissonblu.com.

PR contact:
Christine Reiter
Senior Director Corporate Communication
The Rezidor Hotel Group
Avenue Du Bourget 44
B-1130 Brüssel
Belgien
+32 2 702 9331
www.radissonblu.com

Set your worries aside; because there is a new activity that will even coax the most “too-cool-for-school” child in your brood to get into the great outdoors: geocaching.

So what is geocaching?

Geocaching is an outdoors activity in which participants use GPS devices to seek containers named ‘caches’ anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a weatherproof container containing a logbook that the geocacher can enter the date they found it and sign it with their code name. In a nutshell, geocaching is a high-tech version of what we used to call “treasure hunting”. Geocaching shares many features which that old friend from our schooldays – orienteering – but here is the hook that appeals to your treasures, they can share their finds online. Killer.

Great, so where can I geocache with my family this half-term in the UK?

Well, thanks to North Wales Borderlands, geocaching has become one of the zeitgeist things to do in North Wales. Launching The Great North Wales Borderlands Adventure Trail, they are encouraging families to complete the treasure hunt and win prizes.

Using smartphones, the Geocaching app and Geocaching website, your family can find the 10 cache containers hidden in popular North Wales locations, Denbighshire, Wrexham and Flintshire. Remember, when you find them, don’t forget to add your name to the list in the box. When your family has finished, tell NWB and you’ll be in with a chance to win some amazing prizes.

Prizes…

Yes, prizes! Like North Wales’s very own Willy Wonkas, the lovely people at NWB have hidden five crucial golden envelopes by the caches located in Llangollen Railway, Chirk Castle, Ruthin Gaol, Erddig and Loggerheads. By finding these golden envelopes you could win a prize courtesy of Regatta.

If you find all 10 caches, don’t forget to sign them and take photo evidence! You’ll need this evidence to fill in the form on the NWB site for entry into a grand prize draw.

Grand prize draw?

Yes there is a pay-off for all that intrepid exploring; the grand prize is a weekend away in North Wales Borderlands. Oh and one last thing (perhaps a job for your social media ducklings) keep a sharp eye on NWB’s Facebook and Twitter for extra hints, clues and tips for extra half-term only special prizes from Regatta at one cache location per day.

So get your little treasures into geocaching this half-term. It’s not just a state-of-the-art fun activity for your techno babies, it’s educational and worthwhile in so many ways.