The country with the largest population discovered the ideal mode of transportation that keeps their body in pace with their minds. China boasts of the most number of bicycles today although the trend suggests that the curve is slowly but surely coming down, and four wheelers are taking over. People in UK have found a special interest in cycling especially during holidays and they seem to be enthralled with it, a survey suggests.

Mintel has conducted a survey with a sample size of 2000 adults aged over 16. In 2006, 4500 Brits have undertaken cycling trips which is up 30% from the previous year. These cycling trips are estimated to have cost around £120m.

The prime reason for a growing interest in the two wheeler may be attributed to the arrival of Tour De France in England.

According to the survey, 16% of adults (8m) in UK have undertaken a cycling trip and 12% have expressed a desire on taking one.
Richard Cope, senior travel consultant at Mintel, said: "Britain is becoming a nation of cycling enthusiasts."

He added: "Cycling has been given a new lease of life by recent environmental issues such as sustainable transport, carbon emissions and eco travel."

In view of the growing concern of our polluting environment, the affection towards any eco-friendly vehicle should be lauded and encouraged.

via BBC

A survey was conducted on British tourists to understand the likes and dislikes of attractions in and outside UK. Around 1300 adults were questioned by Virgin Travel Insurance. Stonehenge, the 5000 year old standing stones in Wiltshire, South West England was the most disappointing attraction in the UK. Surprisingly, Eiffel tower in Paris has disappointed most UK tourists.

In the must-see attractions, Jordan’s Treasury at Petra was the most popular among the surveyed tourists. In the UK, Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, North East England bagged the top honours. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, The Royal Crescent and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre were the other favourites.

Here’s the entire list:

10 most disappointing sights:

WORLD

1. The Eiffel Tower, Paris
2. The Louvre, Paris
3. Times Square, New York
4. Las Ramblas, Barcelona
5. Statue of Liberty, New York
6. Spanish Steps, Rome
7. The White House, Washington
8. The Pyramids, Egypt
9. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
10. The Leaning Tower of Pisa

UK

1. Stonehenge, Wiltshire
2. Angel of the North, Gateshead
3. Blackpool Tower
4. Land's End, Cornwall
5. Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, London
6. The London Eye
7. Brighton Pier
8. Buckingham Palace, London
9. White Cliffs of Dover
10. Big Ben, London

Top 10 must-see sights:

WORLD

1. The Treasury at Petra, Jordan
2. The Grand Canal, Venice
3. The Masai Mara, Kenya
4. Sydney Harbour Bridge
5. Taroko Gorge, Taiwan
6. Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia
7. Cappadoccia caves, Turkey
8. Lake Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia
9. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia
10. Jungfraujoch railway, Switzerland

UK

1. Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
2. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Northern Ireland
3. The Royal Crescent, Bath
4. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London
5. The Backs, Cambridge
6. Holkham Bay, Norfolk
7. Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast, Devon and Dorset
8. Tate St Ives gallery, Cornwall
9. Isle of Skye, Scotland
10. The Eden Project, Cornwall

A sample size of 1000+ is not a sizable amount to judge attractions. Liking and disliking attractions is subjective and it varies from person to person. An art lover might not be interested in towers and buildings. But, this survey could provide tourists in UK some inputs which should be helpful for proper planning.

There are some surveys which are more or less information sake and there are some that adds value to our lives; the one that I am about to discuss is one of them. A website called UK Airport Delays has conducted a survey to find the airport delays at all airports across UK.

Luton airport seems to top the list for the longest delays. It takes an average time of 46 minutes to check in, 48 minutes for security and 38 minutes for immigration. But the sample is too small to be considered as they have taken inputs from 6 passengers.

Gatwick aiport is second in the list but has 38 respondents showing their displeasure with the airport. It takes around 28 minutes to check in, 33 minutes for security and 38 minutes for immigration.

Topping the list for the right reasons is the Cardiff airport with minimal delays. It shoots others off the list with light speeds. It takes around 5 minutes to check in, 4 minutes for security and 3 minutes for immigration.

If you are heading to any of the listed airports, the delay times will be helpful to calculate the lead time that you need give yourself before the flight take off. It’s a good list to have and all airports are on movers and shakers list. Make sure you record the check in and other times next time your board a flight and record them on the home page of UK airport delays website.

While a survey earlier showed that many Brits were not too keen on buying travel insurance, many are forced to buy travel insurance merely on expensive gadget grounds rather than heath reasons. With the invent of new technology, new geeky toys are naturally expensive and it today’s world, travel insurance to cover it is absolutely necessary.

A recent survey conducted by Halifax Travel Insurance indicates that there are at least 1.4 million thefts on holidays every year. A beach bag could contain items like mobiles, iPods, camcorders and other fancy gadgets. On an average, the value of these items is around £1000.

Expensive gadgets come with an expensive maintenance cost while at home or on a holiday. The chances of these gadgets getting stolen on a holiday is pretty good and buying travel insurance that suffices all items seems quite necessary; unless you have somebody watching over your stuff.

via moneyhighstreet

A survey was conducted for moneysupermarket.com to find the trends relating to travel insurance for holidaymakers from UK. A small sample of over 1000 people was chosen for this survey.

It was found that 20% of UK holidaymakers don’t bother to get travel insurance when they go on trips abroad. 50% of those who don’t buy travel insurance claim that they ‘just’ forgot to buy one while 10% carelessly forgot to buy one.

Tourists in their 20s tend not to buy travel insurance while holidaying. It is logical to believe that tourists in their 20s might not be as experienced as the older ones and not exposed to the perils of holidaying. Also, an arrogant confidence of nothing going wrong might have driven them not to buy travel insurance.

"With the prospect of spending a few days in the sun, it appears travel insurance is the last thing on the mind of some Brits," commented moneysupermarket.com's director of insurance, Richard Mason.

"While holidaymakers might think nothing will happen to them while they are away, travel insurance is vital for claiming on cancellations, lost cash, public liability and providing emergency medical treatment.

"It gives you added peace of mind should anything go wrong."

Figures suggest that roads, beaches, hotels, remote locations and ski slopes are the top 5 locations where injuries are likely to occur in other countries. Spain has earned a bad reputation where tourists have reported more crimes than any other country.

via In the News