Without sounding like an annoying smug blogger, I’m off to Kenya tomorrow. (Yeah, it’s hard to type that without sounding smug). I’m super excited and it’s got my friends talking about where they’d like to go on holiday next. It’s Friday afternoon and I’m guessing half of you are imagining where you’d rather be right now, instead of being stuck at your desk pretending to work. Don’t worry, your boss probably can’t see you.

So where would you rather be right now? Would a break in Paris be your idea of a dream trip? A beach holiday in Spain? What about the valleys in Austria? Dancing in Ibiza? Would you go somewhere you’ve been before, or try somewhere completely different? Who would you go with?

Or are you really quite happy where you are? There’s a lot to be said for the English countryside. Imagine you could go anywhere in Europe, right this second (you don’t even have to finish the working day) where would you go? Tell us in the comments and get everyone dreaming on a Friday! You might even be inspired to book that holiday.

Flickr image from ezioman‘s photostream.

Where in Europe would you rather be RIGHT NOW?

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

I don’t spend time in hotel bars (as I’m a Scot who never drinks alcohol) and hardly ever switch on the TV. However now that I have a netbook I may spend 1 – 2 hours a day online, assuming the hotel has wifi, either in the rooms or in the lobby. So that’s me up to around 12 hours a day in the hotel.

I think it depends on the individual and the type of holiday. If we stay for a week in an apartment or hotel during a Winter Sun holiday we might spend a hour or two a day reading in the balcony but if we are on a touring holiday where we stay in a different hotel every night, we may spend very little time in the hotel if we arrive late and depart after breakfast.

How much time do you spend in your hotel?

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

Best Travel Blog

Traveling Mamas

The Europe a la Carte blog was nominated in this category but was trounced by the competition. However it was an honour to be nominated for Best Travel Blog. Well done to Traveling Mamas. I’ve only read a few posts in the Traveling Mamas blog, as our kids are grown up now.

Best corporate travel blog

Euro Cheapo

I really like the Euro Cheapo blog but and am inclined to read it because it’s focus is on budget travel in Europe, similar to that of the Europe a la Carte blog.

Best trip planning site

Trip Advisor

I haven’t used Trip Advisor for trip planning, only for reviews.

Best for travel content

Matador Network

Matador has loads of great travel content but I haven’t used it much.

Best designed travel website

Lonely Planet

I must amid that I hardly ever look at the Lonely Planet site.

Best travel comparison site

Kayak

I’ve not been impressed by Kayak UK’s performance as an accommodation price comparison tool, finding it to be a damp squib I much prefer HotelsCombined.com. However Andy Hayes of the Europe a la Carte blogging team rated Kayak highly for flight comparison.

Best online travel tool

SeatGuru

As I mainly fly within Europe on budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet which don’t have allocated seating, I haven’t used Seat Guru. However it does appear to have a lot of detailed information about seating on different aircraft which will be really useful to some travellers.

Best travel forum

Thorntree

I haven’t used Thorntree.

Best site for holiday and hotel reviews

Trip Advisor

I almost always have a look at the accommodation reviews on Trip Advisor when I’m searching for accommodation just to check out my intended accommodation hasn’t received a slew of negative comments

Best newspaper travel portal

New York Times

As I live in the UK I’m more inclined to read the Guardian, Times or Telegraph travel sections.

Did your favourite travel content sites fare well in the Travel Rants Consumer Awards?

Announcing the Travel Rants Consumer Awards

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

Copyright Andrew Hayes

The Guardian has announced the results of its reader poll of 2008, and for the ninth year running, Edinburgh has topped the list as favourite UK city! Their awards cover all aspects of travel, though, from airlines to tour operators to travel website. You can visit the original article here but a couple of items to point out:

Top 5 UK Cities

1. Edinburgh

2. Bath

3. Belfast

4. York

5. Glasgow

Favourite European Country

1. Switzerland

2. Sweden

3. Croatia

4. Austria

5. Italy

I’d like to propose we have a little poll of our own. In the comments below, why don’t you tell us your favourite:

- European City

- European Country

Ok, I’ll start. My favourite city would probably be Ghent, Belgium. Such a wonderful little medieval town, with great boutiques, beer, and a wonderful art museum. My favourite European country would probably be the Czech Republic. It has that bohemian magic that I find very attractive.

What about you?

Guardian Travel Awards 2008

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

by finnur

I had to laugh at some of the tips in the article such as ask locals for direction, which should have the addition of “assuming that the locals can speak English well and are good at giving directions”. Another gem of wisdom was to play music that you both like (assuming that you both like the same music) as you’re unlikely to argue when your favourite tune is playing (would you like to bet on that?).

What are your tips for avoiding arguments when driving abroad?

How not to argue when driving a hire car abroad

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

Berwick upon Tweed

There’s been an ongoing debate on this topic as Berwick changed hands between England and Scotland 13 times between 1147 and 1482. Berwick lies 3 miles from the border with Scotland. The River Tweed forms a natural boundary through along most of the eastern border but the border line comes north a few miles before the east coast and Berwick, leaving Berwick in England.

In my opinion the tourist potential of Berwick is not being fully exploited and I’ve heard local people saying that if Berwick were in the Scottish Borders local authority it would be considered a “Jewel in the Crown”. It’s felt that Berwick is rather overlooked by the current administration. Berwick is a beautiful town lying on the Tweed Estuary. The old town in encircled by Elizabeth walls, there are lovely walks along the riverside and a beach at Spittal. I think it deserves to be guided in to a more high profile destination, whether that be by a Scottish or English administration.

Spittal Beach, Berwick upon Tweed

Have you visited Berwick upon Tweed, what did you most enjoy doing there?

Berwick upon Tweed in England, Scotland or Scengland?

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

Is this a rational use of time? I don’t think so. Finding a good mortgage deal could save you thousands of pounds a year. You may have to change mortgage every two to three years to ensure you find the most competitive product but think of all the extra holidays you could afford with the savings in interest repayments. I do appreciate that it’s probably more fun to do travel than financial research but doing thorough financial research and yes that does mean reading through the small print. is a good investment of your time.

More time spend researching holidays than mortgages

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

Lady Victoria Colliery is now home to the Scottish Mining Museum.

Lady Victoria Colliery

Most iconic image in Scotland

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

It is perhaps because the IRS is viewed as a necessary evil and there are no expectations of great service whereas if you’re flying on a leisure trip you have connotations of a pleasant experience?

In the UK there is an acceptance that is you fly cheaply with a low cost airlines you have no illusions of good customer service but are fairly willing to accept this to in order to get your cheap flight. Does Ryanair spring to mind?

However I don’t see why this has to be the case. One of my biggest beefs with Ryanair is the scrum to board.  I don’t see that it would cost more to allocate you a seat during the booking process. Ryanair are also criticised for unfriendly staff,  if you’re at work anyway why not be pleasant?  I think it’s more of a management stance of disregard of customer service, which filters down to company culture.

What’s your opinion,  do you think that the tax office offers a better standard of service than the airlines?

Tax office scores higher customer satisfaction than airline

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

Carbon Cover Up by London Permaculture

So what’s your position on all this? Do you just want to be able to enjoy your holidays without being made to feel guilty and the whole issue is not top of your agenda? Are you taking active steps to reduce the impact of your travel by flying less, using other forms of transport such as trains or ferries and/or paying into carbon offset schemes?

Will you pay more to be a green traveller?

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.