Words About Things

Had a lovely weekend which always seems to make Monday morning that bit more difficult. We decided to go camping in Devon at the last minute but unfortunately everybody north of Bristol had also had this idea so we had no luck finding a campsite with a vacant pitch. Instead we headed off in the car in search of a sunny beach eventually finding ourselves at Lyme Regis.

The town is best known for its fossils, 10 minutes digging in the cliffs that line one end of the bay are likely to result in at least one new type of Dinosaur being found. The beach was very busy but we eventually found a quiet spot and enjoyed the sunshine.

On the way home we drove behind a great retro looking VW split-screen van in powder blue. I never seem to notice these in the winter but come summer they are all over the place. I bet used van sales go up massively in the sunny months.

There is something strangely tiring about sitting on the beach all day (or maybe it was traipsing through town in search of suncream) and I was in bed by 10pm a shade pinker and a lot more relaxed

It’s not very often that you hear good news about fuel prices. The normal trend seems to be price rises even when the oil price goes down. This makes sense I suppose, why pass on the saving to the consumer if they are going to buy fuel anyway? Anyway, back to the good news before this deteriorates into a rant…

Fuel costs in mainland Europe are apparently 12% less this year than last and the cost of hiring a car is also falling. This is good news for tourists looking to keep costs down this summer particularly those visiting Switzerland where unleaded petrol is currently at 91p per litre. Everything else in Switzerland is massively over priced (over £4 for a Cappuccino?!) so if you’re not paid Swiss wages you might want to keep on driving.

The cost of renting a car has also fallen across the continent with Portugal seeing a 21% drop in price and french car hire also coming down in price. One place where driving costs are increasing is Florida where ‘gas’ prices and the week pound are affecting British holidaymakers. I would be surprised if it was anymore expensive than driving here though as petrol prices in the US are still much lower than in the UK.

“This year’s report shows more evidence of price cutting activity to boost tourism in popular European summer holiday resorts. The huge drop in costs in both Portugal and Greece is great news for UK tourists and is another factor that should be taken into consideration when choosing a holiday this year.”
Sarah Munro, Post Office head of travel

Volkswagen have launched a new site to celebrate their reputation as van makers of choice for those with an eye for adventure. The popularity of their camper vans with surfers and other outdoor types is clear to see, particularly in the summer time.

The site VWescape.co.uk is tied in with a series of summer events including the GoldCoast Oceanfest in Devon and the Blackheath Bike and Kite Festival in London. At the these events people will be able to have a look at some of the Volkswagen vans for sale the Caravelle and the California.

There will also be a chance to look around some split screen camper vans that will no doubt be out and about this summer. The used vans seem to all come out of the woodwork once the sun is shining!

Just a quick heads-up for those looking to make their summer holidays a little cheaper (aren’t we all?) Here are some summer car hire discount codes for easyCar. Enter these codes at www.easycar.com for up to 15% discount on summer car hire. I think this covers all areas but I have only checked car hire from Aberdeen airport and car hire at Heathrow airport so far. This discount depends on the month – the earlier you book the cheaper it is. Codes are entered in the ‘get a quote’ section of the site. These end at midnight tomorrow (22/06) so you will have to be quick!

5% off all cars in July – promo code HOT

up to 10% off in August – promo code HOTTER

up to 15% off in September – promo code SCORCHIO

easyCar Car Hire

easy tiger!