Chat thread – Sunday 18th May
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This is today’s chat thread.
If you have specific questions about Avios, hotels or credit cards, please ask them in the appropriate forum and not here. This thread is a good place to post interesting deals you have spotted or your general thoughts on travel and all things miles and points. Thank you for contributing.
Good morning from Quarteira where it is currently 14 centigrade. It had better heat up by 10am.
The big news from Aquashow Park Hotel is that breakfast now opens at 7:30am rather than 8:00am.
We were tired last night and our light was out at 10pm. Kermit went off at 9:20pm and Freddo was out for the count at 9pm. I slept like a dog and woke feeling refreshed at 4:20am, I managed to get back to sleep but have been raring to go since 6:15am. I needed to nudge Mrs Froggee at 7:10am and have now flooded the boys’ room with daylight.
But do they not get that there is a prize for the first family down to breakfast!?
Meanwhile Aquashow Park have built a new rollercoaster that, frankly, looks terrifying. Thankfully it is not ready for victims yet so I don’t need to lie to the boy about why I am not going on it.
Just returned from a fabulous music-inspired road trip covering Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans. Whilst there’s a lot of negativity around travelling to the US at the moment, there’s still no better place in the world for quality live music in my opinion.
there’s still no better place in the world for quality live music in my opinion.
+1 You should try the Chicago Blues Festival one day. 4 days, all free.
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Morning all – has anyone ever used a travel comparison site called Do You Spain? A family member has booked a hire car through them, but every rental agency they offer seems to have appalling reviews (think Goldcar, Niza cars etc). Should I warn them to expect problems when they collect the car?!
there’s still no better place in the world for quality live music in my opinion.
+1 You should try the Chicago Blues Festival one day. 4 days, all free.
On my to do list for sure. I think Kingfish is playing there this year…not to be missed if you are planning to attend.
Should I warn them to expect problems when they collect the car?!
The problems are more likely to arise when they return the car.
Any idea when the tickets for the event the 19th June will be available?
On my to do list for sure. I think Kingfish is playing there this year…not to be missed if you are planning to attend
He is (saw him twice last year, once when he just wandered onstage to guest with Mike Wheeler at Kingston Mines) but the thing that swung it was Mavis Staples headlining Sunday again. Saw her there in 2018 and it was one of the best evenings of my life. Also Ivy Ford is in town the night before, so catching her again.
there’s still no better place in the world for quality live music in my opinion.
+1 You should try the Chicago Blues Festival one day. 4 days, all free.
Basel last night?
Morning all – has anyone ever used a travel comparison site called Do You Spain? A family member has booked a hire car through them, but every rental agency they offer seems to have appalling reviews (think Goldcar, Niza cars etc). Should I warn them to expect problems when they collect the car?!
If they are planning to pay locally for the full insurance policy with the car company then they are unlikely to have any problems except potential waiting times if they are collecting in peak periods. If they are not planning to take out local insurance then all the usual scam warnings apply.
Basel last night?
Didn’t know it existed but I don’t think it can compare with this
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/provdrs/chicago_festivals/news/2025/april/blues.htmlI’ve still never made it to the Colne blues festical which is only 20 miles away from where I live.
I thought you lived just south of MAN these days?! Yes, it’s a big event round these parts, a great bank holiday weekend if that’s your cup of musical tea.
Thanks for the advice re cars – I’m pretty sure they think the suspiciously low price they’ve paid includes insurance. There are loads of reviews on line about people being bullied into taking out extra cover. Also, more alarmingly, people being refused vehicles on non-refundable bookings for not having an international driving licence, their full name not appearing on their credit card, or other spurious reasons!
Any idea when the tickets for the event the 19th June will be available?
We had hoped to do it tomorrow but the raffle prize is still getting final sign-offs internally so we can’t announce it, and its hard to do the tickets without the star raffle prize.
(This one is the biggest in terms of value we have ever offered.)
It looks like it will be immediately after the Bank Holiday now.
I thought you lived just south of MAN these days?! Yes, it’s a big event round these parts, a great bank holiday weekend if that’s your cup of musical tea.
No, I’m north which is why it’s always an irritating £85 return Uber to the airport.
Actually I just checked and it’s 30 miles to Colne, or a ridiculosus 3 hours each way on public transport. That’s what keeps putting me off.
Public transport is indeed a farce! I do some work for a London-based charity and have to officially justify using my car for a 25-minute journey which would take 2 hours on busses!
The train to MAN, ironically, is very cheap and (mostly) efficient these days, if you don’t have too much luggage. £2 per day to leave the car at the Park & Ride, if you have one. Probably do this later in the summer as the flight times work well with it on our MAD trips.
Some good news for a Sunday –
It may be possible for British passport holders to use EU e-gates ‘this summer’.
Any idea when the tickets for the event the 19th June will be available?
We had hoped to do it tomorrow but the raffle prize is still getting final sign-offs internally so we can’t announce it, and its hard to do the tickets without the star raffle prize.
(This one is the biggest in terms of value we have ever offered.)
It looks like it will be immediately after the Bank Holiday now.
I’d say this is an event where the raffle prize would have marginal impact on people’s decision whether to attend or not. But I know the publicity aspect for the sponsor is important.
People want to go and that’s it. Whether the prize is 2 RTW flights in First or a tub of flora they will want to attend!
Some good news for a Sunday –
It may be possible for British passport holders to use EU e-gates ‘this summer’.
I was pleased to discover UK passport holders can use e-gates on arrival in Tirana (I know it’s not EU) as it was very busy yesterday.
Some good news for a Sunday –
It may be possible for British passport holders to use EU e-gates ‘this summer’.
I recently departed Warsaw late morning midweek and the e-gates for EU passport holders (me) were out of action. The line took the best part of an hour, with apalling queue discipline by those ahead of me. I won’t cast around national stereotypes but it was telling who were pushing into the queue before it entered tensa barrier stage. How hard is it to stick closely to the person in front and not create gaps to be taken advantage of!
And even within the tensa barrier, as a solo traveller I had to spread myself and my cabin wheelie out to stop shoulder surfers pushing past. The whole experience would put me off travel if I routinely had to queue in such lines.
It may be possible for British passport holders to use EU e-gates ‘this summer’.
And when the delayed fingerprinting comes in next year (or next millenium) we won’t be able to any more.
It may be possible for British passport holders to use EU e-gates ‘this summer’.
And when the delayed fingerprinting comes in next year (or next millenium) we won’t be able to any more.
Well I remain an unmarried EU passport holder and intend to be at the HfP summer party. Don’t all rush at once….
Is anyone else having problems getting onto http://www.avios.com. Unusually for me, I was planning to boost some Avios to get the amount I wish to use (I am just short).
On Google Chrome I am getting the following (the same in Incognito mode):
Your connection is not private
Attackers might be trying to steal your information from http://www.avios.com (for example, passwords, messages or credit cards). Learn more about this warning
net::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID
On Edge I am getting the following (the same in InPrivate mode):
Your connection isn’t private
Attackers might be trying to steal your information from http://www.avios.com (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards). Learn more about this warning
net::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID
Essentially the same message.
I have tried multiple devices and
I last boosted at the start of this month and was unable to boost to quite the level I needed (so it has worked recently).
I am conscious that this might be simply a case of putting the address on a whitelist and/or that occasionally sites get blocked temporarily, but given recent cyberattacks, I thought it worth interrogating the hive mind for other current experiences.
Both Chrome and Edge seem to be reporting that the site is ‘Not Secure’ and that the https component of the address is invalid ‘https://www.avios.com/collect-avios/buy/booster’ – the https is struckthrough.Well I remain an unmarried EU passport holder and intend to be at the HfP summer party. Don’t all rush at once….
Now that’s what I call a decent raffle prize at the summer party!
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