Turns out the Brits no longer consider Germans to be the most troublesome tourists on holiday.  According to a survey carried out by Realholidayreports.com, the Russians have won the title as the most complained about nationality.

It seems that in resorts across Europe this summer, Russians have gone one step further in battle over the sun beds.  Turns out they are not just getting up early in the morning to reserve a sun bed, but have been spied putting beds into their hotel rooms overnight to secure a poolside spot in the morning.

What’s more, the survey has highlighted other disagreeable Russian holiday behaviour  which includes stocking up on the all-inclusive buffet bars, swearing in public areas, dressing in chav gear (tracksuits and trainers), and flashing money around.  Obviously, no one’s made a study of the Great British behaviour in Magaluf then?

As Blogtelopia reported a few weeks ago, it’s not just the Russians or the Germans that should be pinpointed for sparking the sunbed wars.  Turns out the Brits are just as bad. Check out this Youtube link with shows how a hotel full of Brits in Majorca’s Palmanova reserve sun beds in just 2 minutes and 26 seconds at 6.30am one morning – now if that isn’t shameful….

If packing to go on holiday means taking everything except for the kitchen sink, then check out website www.onebag.com.

Created by Doug Dyment, the so-called Go-Light Guru, learn about the art and science of travelling light.

With all low-cost airlines now charging extra for checking in luggage, and some (inc. Ryanair) reducing their check-in weight, means you pay more, for the more you take.

The website shows how to create your own reusable packing list, to ensure you’re taking the essentials without over packing.

As for other benefits:

-  Travelling light means a better journey: You can board trains and busses more easily and get around on underground trains or metros without having heart failure.  It also means you’ll save a packet on taxi fares.
-  Help save the environment: Planes need less fuel depending on the weight of the luggage carried.  The less you take, the less impact you’ll have on the planet.

What’s more, the website is packed with fascinating facts.  Did you know that a wheelie suitcase weighs 75% more and has less space than one without?  Or that you can use dental floss as a cheese or cake cutter, heavy duty thread for making repairs, as a temporary luggage lock, to mend dripping taps, and even if you’re forced to give birth, it is also strong enough to cut the umbilical cord!

After checking out this website, you won’t travel in the same way again.

One of the best things about going on holiday is sampling the local cuisine but if you’re travelling to Asia, there are a few dishes that’ll take the courage of adventurer Bear Grylls to get your chops around.

And we’re not talking about a chicken chow main or a plate of sushi.  There are some pretty hardcore Asian dishes out there.  Here’s a guide for what to look out for depending where you travel:

South Korea:

In South Korea you can literally tuck into a real hot dog (with our without the bun).  Chowing on man’s best friend isn’t that common in Korea as eating dog meat has actually been banned.  It is allowed on August 17 or  ‘Malbok’ day and it’s mostly eaten by older men, who believe it will boost fertility.

Cambodia:

Spiders have become something of a delicacy in Camboida, particularly around the town of Skuon.  It’s believed that when the country was under the rule of the Khmer Rouge, people were starving so had to resort to eating what they could find.  As such Skuon spiders  found their way onto the menu and they still remain today.

Vietnam & Thailand:
If it was possible to whip up a meal made with all the rats that plague towns and cities, the global food crisis would be solved.  However, in Vietman and Thailand, fried rats (the countryside variety) can be found deep fried on the menu.   Apparently they are pretty hard to digest and can be dangerous if they’re not properly cooked. Munch with caution.

Japan:

Tuna eyes are hot on the menu in Japan, and a great delicay that can either be eaten raw or lightly steamed.  This dish is not recommended if you don’t like being eyeballed when you’re eating.

China & Taiwan:

If you think that eating tiger meat is unethical, then spare a thought for the few locations in China or Taiwan that serve up tiger penis soup. Believed to be a potent aphrodisiac, tigers everywhere are grateful that Viagra has now been invented, as the demand for the $400 dish has dropped.

For 99% of tourists visiting the Mediterranean beaches this summer, swimming in the sea is incident free.  However, for the teeny tiny percentage of those unlucky enough to have an unpleasant experience, this is what they are most likely to encounter:

Jellyfish:
Over fishing and extreme temperatures have led to a surge of stingers which multiply throughout the Med.  During summer months, swarms of critters are fished out of the sea so they don’t impact on beachside resorts.

The most common jellyfish are the Sea nettle or Mauve stinger but most worryingly in past years, Portuguese Man-o-War have been detected off the Spanish coastline, which have been known to spark heart attacks or even death in those allergic to their poison.

The best remedy for jellyfish stings isn’t by peeing on the sting (that’s an old wives tale!), but remove any tentacles with tweezers and then apply white vinegar.  Do not use fresh water or rub the area.  If you get a severe reaction, go straight to hospital.

Weaverfish:
My boyfriend was nipped by one of these little buggers while fishing off Cala Major in Majorca yesterday.  Weaver fish burrow themselves into the sand and trap passing fish as they swim by.  Unfortunately, weaver fish have nasty poisonous spines, so swimmers who tread on spines protruding through the sand will get a nasty shock.

The pain is intense, and feet can swell up badly to the point of numbness.  The best remedy is to soak the wound in as hot water as you can tolerate as this neutralises the poison.

Sea Urchins:
Sea Urchins are quite common around rocky shore lines.  They look like black ping-pong balls which have been covered with needles.  They are not poisonous but getting spiked can be painful and if not treated, can get infected.

The best advice to avoid getting spiked is to wear aqua or jelly shoes, which will give you some protection.

Sharks:
Great white sharks have been spotted in the Mediterranean, particularly around Spain and Italy.  It’s believed that they’ve made their way in from the Atlantic ocean to reproduce.

A shark attack was recorded in Italian waters  in 1989  when a Great White Shark killed a scuba diver.  There have only been two shark attacks in Spain in the 20th Century when a windsurfer got a nasty nip from a Great White in 1986 and another swimmer lost some toes in 1993.

The threat is miniscule so hardly worth worrying about. Forget about the sharks, the biggest threat for swimmers is  from jet-skis and power boats.  So to avoid being run over, make sure you swim within the buoys, stay safe and most of all, enjoy your holiday!

A traveller passing through the small town of Dannemarie in France was found locked into the town hall on Friday mistakenly thinking that she was about to check into a hotel.

Hotel de Ville in French means “town hall”, and this traveller arrived with the intention of booking a room in the impressive building.

As reported in the travel news today, the traveller entered the Hotel de Ville and nipped to the loo before hoping to check in.  In the meantime a council meeting had just finished and the town hall was locked, trapping the tourist inside.

She was forced to spend the night sleeping on chairs in the building until she placed a note in the window in broken French to plead for help. Luckily the next day, a passing pedestrian saw the note and called for help.

To avoid this embarrassing situation, pre-book your accommodation before travelling.   Check out www.hotelopia.co.uk and choose from 25,000 hotels in 900 destinations.   A shameless plug I know, but I couldn’t resist!

If you’ve never been to Greece and wanted to know what it’s like, then check out this Youtube video:

When it comes to taking a holiday, Greece has it all.  Explore ancient archaeological ruins in and around bustling Athens such as the Acrópolis, Delphi and Olympia , or set sail and find paradise in some of Greece’s 1,400 islands.

If you’ve never seen truly turquoise seas lap onto bright white sands, you’ll see them here.

Either join the party in Mykonos or Santorini, or chill out on on the Sporades islands or the Saronic Gulf islands,  located close to the mainland.

What’s more, with kids going back to school in the next couple of weeks, expect flights to get cheaper and hoteliers to drop their rates and resorts to get blissfully quiet.

However, keep a check on the news if you’re planning a trip to Athens.  Forest fires are edging close to the city limits, so the city is likely to be quite smoggy and smoke filled depending on wind direction. But don’t rule out a visit to the rest of the country.  It’s too good to miss!

If taking a beach break means sizzling in the sand, then think again. Instead, book a break to the Canary Islands this autumn, squeeze into your wetsuit and hit the surf.

Atlantic Ocean facing destinations including Biarritz (France), the coastline north and south of Lisbon (Portugal), and the Canary Islands offer some of the best surfing in the world.  But for year round wave consistency and warmer waters, Fuerteventura is Hotelopia’s top recommendation.

Surfing wanabess will need some tuition, so surf schools are the place to start.  Most provide board and wetsuit hire and lessons to get you going.  From the first lesson, learn to do the “jump-up” and ride the white water.   And if you’ve already got some experience in the waves, the school will take you on a safari to secret surf locations where you can perfect your technique on the big breaks.  Check out the You Tube video for inspiration.

What’s more getting to the island will be even easier this winter.  From the 4th November, easyJet will launch a London-Stansted to Fuerteventura service.  Fares start from £34.99 one way or you can book a package break for 7 nights in a 4* hotel from just £158 per person by logging onto http://holidays.easyjet.com.    A beach break will never be the same again!

Spain remains the top destination this summer for customers booking hotels on Hotelopia and in spite of the recent ETA explosions, Majorca remains top.

So leave prepared and learn a few phrases of essential Spanish, courtesy of Hotelopia, to ensure you get the most out of your holiday.

“Una cerveza por favor,” or one beer please is probably the phrase most used by tourists within minutes of touchdown.   And when you’ve had one too many, just ask for “la cuenta” or the bill.

When you’re going out for food and you’re vegetarian, you’ll need the phrase “soy vegetariano” (or “soy vegetariana” if you’re a girl).  But since the Spanish add ham into just about every dish (including salads), you may want to say, “no puedo comer carne” (I can’t eat meat). That may suggest some kind of food allergy, and to avoid a hospital incident the waiter may just make the effort to let the chef know.

Another popular phrase is “no hablo español” or you don’t speak Spanish which will be immediately apparent when you look at who you’re speaking to with complete confusion.

And if you’re a girl and want to fend off the advances of a Spanish lothario, you may want to say “tu puta madre”, which literally means that you’ve just described the guy as offspring of a prostitute.      Do not confuse this with the compliment “puta madre” which means that something’s fantastic!  Also words like “cabron” and “coño” also work wonders, but they’re far too rude to translate here

All if this leads you to be in the bad mood  or “tener mala leche” refer back to the first phrase, “una cervesa por favour” and the world will feel right again.  Just watch out for the “resaca” (or hangover) the next day.

To learn more essential holiday Spanish, visit the BBC Language website, where you can also get lessons in Italian, German, Greek and Portuguse among others.

For cheap hotels to Spain, book with us directly www.hotelopia.co.uk
For cheap flights, book with the world’s favourite orange airline www.easyjet.com

If you’re feeling the pinch this summer when it comes to booking a break, spare a thought for the rich and famous who are renting out their yachts to make some extra cash.

If you have a €220,000 to spare, you can hire for seven nights media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s yacht, Rosehearty.   The 183ft yachting beast comes fully equipped with its own crew, can accommodate ten guests, and you can even borrow the owners dive gear.  Now that’s what I call value for money.

Alternatively, for those travelling on more of a budget can book a break to various famous yachting port towns including Palma in Majorca, Antibes in France, Naples in Italy as well as the Greek Islands where you stand a good chance of doing some celebrity spotting.

In fact, Palma is home to one of the biggest marinas in Europe and has been known to attract the likes the Spanish Royal family, Antonio Banderas, Richard Branson as well as the late Princess Diana and Errol Flynn.

If you can’t afford to get on the water, then hang out in bars and restaurants where the rich and famous go in the evening. And in Majorca, try Puerto Portals or Port d’Andratx where you can dine like a celebrity (for around €50-€60), even if you can’t afford to sail like one.

With “A” Level results coming out in the next couple of days, now’s a great time to either head to the airport (if they’re not that great) or head there anyway and take a year out.  Either way, there’s a world beyond college so we’ve put together some of the best life changing experiences for anyone considering taking a gap year.

Yacht Crew
Hotelopia is based in the beautiful Balearic Island of Majorca, which is also home to one of Europe’s biggest yacht marinas.  Most of us here have friends that work on the yachts and had we known just how much money can be made (wads of it) working as a stewardess, chef, or deckhand, we would’ve been over here at the age of 18 (and retired at 30).

What’s more you get to travel around Europe or the Caribbean for free.  For the latest crew jobs, check out www.crewseekers.net Don’t forget your sea-sickness tablets.

Ski/Snowboard Instructor
With the ski season just a few months away, now’s a good time to get applying for instructor jobs around the resorts.  But you don’t need to be an expert on the slopes to work here.  There are hundreds of chalet jobs available.  Check out the Adventure Jobs website for inspiration.

Working in the resorts around Europe
As I mentioned, we’re based in Majorca.  It’s so much cooler than working in England.  To get a job with TUI, one of the world’s largest travel companies, like I did, check out their overseas jobs page.

Instructor training
If you have aspirations of being a snow or watersports instructor but need some training, then visit www.flyingfishonline.com to fast track your way to the a great Gap year.

Teach English Abroad
Finally, teach English as a foreign language in super cool and cheap destinations including China, Taiwan and Thailand.  For just £150 you can complete an online TEFL course which will make you legible to apply for jobs abroad.  www.teflengland.co.uk