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BlaQatar Friday

25th November 202225th November 2022 funtime65

And with all roads (and flights) leading to the Gulf our Black Friday today comes as BlaQatar Friday with the world’s best airline.

Even as Qatar’s national team make a case for being the worst selection at their own World Cup.

Whatever has been said about Qatar the world is in love with their airline carrier with Skytrax naming QA the world’s best.

All of which has been good news for the army of fans who have been flying out to Qatar.

Not diverted by the fact that my own wee Scotland aren’t at the World Cup, we’re still promoting flights from here to Qatar.

With my local station, Edinburgh Airport flagging up their 12% off offers, all to be booked before November 30.

Final call

So if you think your country will be in the final on December 18 you can fly out the day before and return the next day from £2176.65.

And if you look around you can bring your accommodation prices down.

We found the Tourist Hotel in Corniche, Doha on ebooking for two nights for under £400 ((£398).

If you’re not interested in the football (we accept all visitors here) then Jet2holidays are tempting us with their goodies.

With 5% to 50% off on selected hotels for a limited time.

Leaving on a Jet plane

Now Jet2 might not be a high-end airways but they make no claims to be.

And they flew me seamlessly on my winter holiday this year to Val D’Isere in the French Alps.

They’re offering a range of winter holidays, last-minute getaways and summer holidays.

We zoomed in on their Jet2CityBreaks deal and happened first up on one of our favourite cities, Athens.

And the MET34 Athens where we’re told there’s 40% off the accommodation part of the holiday.

Situated in the Syntagma Square, you’re only 500m from the Metro Square.

Acropolis wow

Spoiled and ruined at the Acropolis in Athens

And just as importantly just a kilometre from the Acropolis.

And I know from my Greek odyssey that there are no more accommodating taxi drivers than the Athenians.

With the drivers (or maybe just the ones I had) giving me the option to pay whatever fare I thought the journey deserved.

Book by 23.59 on 29 November for travel dates up to 30 June.

And so you’ll get, say three nights for you and yours, for £1,178 in February.

Black is back

There is no shortage of Black Friday deals out there so keep your eyes peeled and we will too.

So whether it’s BlaQatar Friday with the world’s best airline to see your team lift the cup.

Or you jet out with Jet2 on a cutprice deal for a budget break.

MEET YOU IN THE AIR

Africa, America, Countries, Deals, Ireland, Sport, UK

Holidos and Don’ts – the alpha and the omega

20th March 202120th March 2021 funtime65

So, the alpha and the omega of Holidos and Don’ts as there’s so much disinformation out there.

Greece lightening

Dip your toe into Kythera in Greece

No, you didn’t misread that…

I’m here to lighten the load for our Greek friends who have been painted as super spreaders.

We’ve got Public Health England to blame for the hue and cry.

They reported that the largest number of infections between June and September came from returning holidaymakers from Hellas.

They made up 21% of new cases, compared with 16% from Croatia and 14% from Spain.

The report which still needs to be peer reviewed, of course, doesn’t factor in that that was a pre-vaccine world so let’s not panic.

And book our Greek holidays with confidence.

Our old friends at Travel Department are offering a range of Greek breaks with Athens & The Island Short Break immediately catching the eye.

Amble along the Neighbourhood of Gods in the Plaka district and head up to the Acropolis.

Tip here: take an impossibility cheap taxi with your driver (who will look like Adonis) suggesting you pay what you like.

Travel Department will throw in a full-day cruise of the Saronic Gulf: Hydra, Poros and Aegina.

So that’s four days B&B from €749pp with departures in June and October.

And for a teaser on all things Greek… here’s my odyssey.

Digital Green Passports

Una ciocolatta di calda densa: In Bergamo

And it makes sense that the Irish Travel Agents Association should welcome the European Commission’s proposal for a Digital Green Passport.

The idea is that it will be proof that you’ve been vaccinated, received a negative test result or recovered from Covid.

Of course there’s no pain, no gain.

And I’d take the Scary One drilling that stick up my nose and down my throat.

Like I did to travel to Bergamo…

And thoughts to the Bergamaschi and all our Italian amichi as they tackle lockdown again… Molamia.

Olé for Spain

Hugs for Spain and Catalonia. https://www.google.com/amp/s/jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2020/03/24/messi-around-on-the-water/amp/

And Olé for Spanish Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto who is championing our return to Espana.

She told the TV station, Antenna 3: ‘We could be in a position to start implementing the digital passport when FITUR (Spain’s Travel Fair) in Madrid starts on May 19.’

The government over here in the UK has held out May 17 as the date when travel can resume from England.

Although that relies on the findings of the Global Travel Task Force report on April 12.

The Spanish jewel of the Med, The Balearic Islands have already stepped up.

And they have said they will be happy to trial it.

And as a signpost that the British are coming with Jet2 informing the Majorca press to expect a ‘massive’ arrival in June.

Watch this space for updates on Travel returning and…

MEET YOU ON THE ROAD

Countries, Culture, Europe, Food & Wine

WTM Holiday Snaps – An ancient Greek modern tale

10th November 202010th November 2020 funtime65

We’re going to have fun in 2021, and high up on the list is Greece’s bicentenary..

And a good day to talk about it though, in truth, every day is a good one to wax lyrical about Hellas.

As the Greeks today set up their committee for the year which marks 200 years since the end of the Greek War of Independence which saw the rebirth of the nation.

It turns out that I’m a Philhellene, which is a lover of Greece.

Which all of us know from our schooldays comes from the Greek word philos meaning love.

Corfu corker

I love Corfu obviously as the island where I honeymooned and made Herself the Happiest Woman Alive.

While I caught up with friends from the Attica region where this old relic had an odyssey of my own before eventually getting to the Parthenon.

Kythera idyll

And bagging an Attica island of my own in Kythera.

The good news is that there are plenty to go around, 6,000 (count them!)

Greece has been held up this year as an example to the rest of us about how to deal with Covid and hence were kept off the UK exempt list.

While other countries fell like dominoes.

And so many tourists discovered the joys of Greece for the first time after switching holidays at the last minute.

Thessaloniki OK

And to the mainland as well as the islands with Greece’s Second City, Thessaloniki, served by Ryanair, EasyJet and Jet2.

As a son of a second city myself, Glasgow, I know why citizens of Second Cities work harder and live harder.

And Thessaloniki is known for its friendliness, music festival scene and as the culinary capital of Greece.

Greek cities and prefectures all will celebrate the Bicentenary next year though some like Thessaloniki arrived late to the party.

In their case 1912 as the Ottomans held onto them longer and that’s a recommendation in itself.

Greek uplift

And the world will be there to celebrate with them.

Though maybe at a more social distance than when an international group of us got stuck in an Athens restaurant lift for half an hour.

The philos was all around us.