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Thomas Cook still upbeat despite debts rise

Thu, 31 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Debts are soaring at Thomas Cook, but the stricken travel operator insists it has a bright future.

Wet weather makes April a washout for B&Q as sales plummet

Thu, 31 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Sales at the DIY superstore B&Q slumped in April as the wet weather left few people with good reason to buy outdoor furniture or start ambitious plans for the garden.

Jubilee getaway begins, but airport strikes and the Pope threaten travel plans

Thu, 31 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Today marks the start of the busiest travel weekend of the year with an estimated 2.5 million people leaving the UK for the long weekend and the school half-term holiday.

Stansted Airport strike to go ahead

Thu, 31 May 2012 15:58:19 GMT

Baggage handlers and other ground staff at Stansted Airport are to go ahead with a four-day strike over the Jubilee weekend after talks failed to resolve a row over new rosters.

Get me out of here: Sri Lanka, South Africa, Dominican Republic

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Now... Book by midnight tomorrow, and Bridge the World has a week on the south west coast of Sri Lanka for £819pp, with an all-inclusive stay at the Mermaid Hotel and Emirates flights from Gatwick via Dubai on 13, 14 or 21 June. Bridgetheworld.com

The 10 Best tents

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

{1} FieldCandy

Brand new this year, this top-quality tent looks like an enormous paperback book that's been dropped by a giant. It's even got a rear barcode and brief synopsis. It boasts extra-strong pegs, heavy-duty zips and lockable storage pouches and each tent comes with padlocks, a hammer and a tent peg puller.

£495, firebox.com

Sri Lanka, South Africa, Dominican Republic

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Deals of the week: Nice, Lake Como, Dubai

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Less than £200... Travel to the French Riviera before July and you can still get a holiday bargain. Departing from Luton on 17 June, easyJet Holidays is offering three nights in Nice at the Hôtel Relais Acropolis for just £185pp, including breakfast. Holidays.easyjet.com

Trending: Leisure Pools that make a bigger splash

Sun, 27 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Did you spend your weekend rubbing oily shoulders at a swamped lido, coughing up salt water at the beach, or calling out the fire brigade to extract you from a minute paddling pool?

Travellers put on alert over high insurance excess

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Holidaymakers who have to claim on their travel insurance this summer have been warned that they could end up severely out of pocket because some policies have very high excess levels hidden in the small print.

Summer 2012: Family-friendly festivals

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Jousting knights and juggling jesters will help recreate the spirit of medieval Sweden at the Medeltidsveckan Festival (00 46 0498 29 10 70; www.medeltidsveckan.se), in the walled city of Visby on Gotland island from 5-12 August. Sunvil Discovery (020-8758 4722; sunvil.co.uk/discovery) has a week from £1,385 per person including return flights on SAS Scandinavian Airlines from Heathrow via Stockholm to Visby, accommodation with breakfast and car hire.

Summer 2012: Under canvas

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Pitch up at the new luxury campsite at Dromquinna Manor (00 353 64 664 2888; dromquinnamanor.com) on the south-west coast of Ireland. A dozen safari tents, including five suitable for families, are the latest accommodation on offer at this waterside estate in Co Kerry. Swimming, cycling and horse riding are among the activities on offer and there's a daily water-taxi to nearby Kenmare. Two-bed family tents cost from €150 (£120) per night for two adults; children under 16 pay €15 (£12) per night. Return ferry crossings from Pembroke to Rosslare cost from £330 with Irish Ferries (0818 300 400; irishferries.com).

Summer 2012: Short and sweet

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Go on a tasty trip to Cadbury World in Birmingham, which has joined up with the Ramada Encore to provide overnight breaks for a family of four for £99. The deal includes B&B and tickets for two adults and two kids for the attraction, which tells Cadbury's delicious story.

Summer 2012: 10 great family travel gadgets

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

LittleLife's new Animal Wheelie Duffles, in Ladybird and Turtle designs, will delight your little ones and nurture a sense of responsibility. The 20-litre bag has a zip top and telescopic handle; £39.99 (littlelife.co.uk).

Summer 2012: Family friendly hotels

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Children's rooms take on a different meaning at Hesperia Lanzarote (00 34 828 080 800; nh-hotels.com), in Puerto Calero, where seven new Junior Suites have been colourfully redecorated, furnished with bunk beds dressed in themed bed linen, and supplied with toys and a healthy "mini bar".

Summer 2012: Sun guaranteed

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Head to the far south of Italy for sun-drenched days on Puglia's beaches. Long Travel (01694 722193; long-travel.co.uk) is offering free B&B at Masseria Torre Coccaro, near Fasano, for children aged up to 12 this summer. This 39-room five-star hotel is set in a 17th-century masseria that counts a chapel among its charming buildings.

Summer 2012: Holiday parks

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Siblu (0871 911 2288; siblu.com) is hoping to lure weary parents to its holiday parks in France with the promise of bolstering a family holiday with a health and wellbeing break. Saunas, hot tubs and massages feature at a number of its venues, such as Le Bois Masson, in St-Jean-de-Monts in the Vendée. Seven nights here cost from £735 for up to six sharing a two-bedroom chalet. Treatments are extra.

Summer 2012: Money no object

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Check into one of the new Tree House Suites in the grounds of country-house hotel Chewton Glen (01425 282212; chewtonglen.com) at New Milton in Hampshire.

Summer 2012: Island life

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Snap up a half-price holiday in the Balearics with Mallorca Farmhouses (0845 800 8080; mallorca.co.uk), which is offering savings on last-minute bookings throughout summer.

Summer 2012: Close to home

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The best of British is on offer on a Champagne, Bucket & Spade Break at Hawke's Point (01726 884072; hawkes-point.co.uk) in St Ives, Cornwall.

Summer 2012: Active family adventures

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Ride the rapids of the spectacular Tara Canyon in Montenegro on an adventure holiday that also features hiking along the Bay of Kotor.

Summer 2012: French favourites

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Brittany's south coast is the setting for Les Jardins d'Arvor, a new complex of 134 family friendly apartments at Bénodet that is being sold through Brittany Ferries (0871 244 1444; brittanyferries.com/holidays).

Get set for summer 2012

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Where in the world offers value for families, or active adventures, or luxury escapes? What's new and improved for travel in summer 2012? Let Kate Simon be your guide...

Postcode lottery over holiday cash rates

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

There is a "postcode lottery" over foreign exchange, according to consumer group Which?.

Simon Calder: Foreign Office seeks to enlighten travelling fans

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Think twice about drinking in Poland: "You can be taken to a drying-out clinic, where you'll be medically assessed and not released until sober. You will be required to pay the cost of any overnight stay."