Online offers better value

EBOOKERS.ie has noticed a massive increase in the number of people buying travel insurance, with an increase of 117% in bookings so far this year.

Steven Rice, Marketing Manager for ebookers Ireland and Britain, claims there is a much better general awareness of the importance of getting insured for travel, and an increasing number of specialist travel insurance companies are in existence, for example, insurancebookers.ie.

Customers no longer have to rely on their travel agent to “bundle” insurance as part of the overall package, which usually works out a lot more expensive than buying it from a specialist vendor.

Ebookers.ie offers travel insurance from €5.95 for single trips, €11.90 for adventure & winter sports trips and €45.95 for annual multi-trip insurance, but don’t just rely on that company.

Check out others like JustCover.ie or GetCover.ie. For a fuller range, go to Google.com and type in “Cheap Travel Insurance from Ireland”.

MUNSTER rugby fans can tackle their team’s encounter with the Llanelli Scarlets in the Heineken Cup on December 8 with Stena Line. Fans can travel to the game from €129 per person sharing and enjoy one night bed and full breakfast at a selection of three and four star hotels in Neath, Goodwick and Swansea with return travel from Rosslare-Fishguard on the Stena Superferry and onward travel from Fishguard by train.

For those who prefer to take their own car, fares start at €165 per person sharing. Match tickets are not included.

For more details, click on www.stenaline.ie/llanelli, contact Stena Line on 061 316259 (Limerick), 021 4272965 (Cork) or 053 91 61560 (Rosslare) or contact local travel agents quoting reference A301A (by car) and A301B (by rail).

INCREASING numbers of Irish shopping visitors to New York are opting for an apartment rather than a hotel.

Space, flexibility and value combine to attract people to the new trend, prices for which start typically at €199 a night, two thirds of the average (albeit rack rate) hotel room rate of €300.

Staggeringly, it is estimated up to 100,000 Irish will visit the US in the run-up to Christmas, with New York capturing most of the inbound market.

Check out the options on Google.com, but one should also take a look at www.newyorkapartments.ie to see what’s on offer.

For the record, the Irish will spend $651 million in New York this year, an average spend of $2,400 per visit.

TOUR Africa is plugging week-long trips from Ireland to include flights, accommodation and a memorable trip on the famous Blue Train between Pretoria and Cape Town.

The packages start from €2279 and all details are available by visiting www.tourafrica.ie. For brochures, call 01-8173565.