Today, Friday 5th June 2009, millions of people worldwide come together to celebrate World Environment Day to combat climate change.

The theme for this year is “Your Planet Needs You!” and there are celebrations taking part around the world. But you can still do your bit without leaving your desk.

A Twitter campaign is being held by the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) whereby one tree will be planted for every person who follows them on Twitter.  Just log onto http://twitter.com/UNEPandYou , and click “follow”.

The event is billed as being truly global.  Other highlights include:
- Afghanistan:  A street clean is taking place in Kabul with awareness-raising campaigns through schools and mosques.
- Nepal: An ‘Ecofootball’ match entitled ‘GOAL-against Climate Change’ will bring together celebrities, politicians and environmentalists.
- Brazil: Volunteers will be targeted to produce, translate and disseminate information and advice on environmentally-friendly lifestyles.
- Kenya: A seafront clean-up will be organized on the island of Lamu with schoolchildren, students, as well as community and government representatives.
- Belgium: The EchoFestival in Brussels’s Royal Park will include a picnic, exhibits, a concert and a fair for a “shared eco-cultural experience”.
- Republic of Korea: 30,000 children will take part in a painting competition on the environment.

So are days like this useful in terms of changing public opinion, and most importantly, protecting the environment?  Let us know…

Ryanair has done it again with their ability to gain column inches in the national press.  The no-frills airline has announced that it’s considering other cost cutting measures including making passengers load their own bags onto the planes.

They are also contemplating charging passengers to use sick-bags.  This comes on the back of proposing to charge passengers a pound a pee.  All these recommendations are allegedly to ensure this budget airline can keep the ever escalating cost of flights down.

Guaranteed to cause national outrage, the only thing Ryanair can be sure of is remaining one of the UK’s most talked about airlines, albeit, for all the wrong reasons.

While the nation waits to hear if Susan Boyle will sing at the Britain’s Got Talent Tour, book your tickets and hotels now for this summer’s live shows and see winners Diversity and all the runners-up in action.

After proving to be the UK’s most successful and most watched TV programme for decades, tickets are expected to be snapped up, as well as rooms in UK hotels close to where the concerts are taking place.

The shows kick off at the Birmingham NIA on the 12 June, and culminate  in London’s Wembly Arena on Sunday 21 June.

Confirmed concert dates are as follows.

Friday 12th June 2009 – 7:30pm – Birmingham NIA
Saturday 13th June 2009 – 2:30pm & 7:30pm – Sheffield Arena
Sunday 14th June 2009 – 1:30pm & 7:30pm – Manchester MEN Arena
Monday 15th June 2009 – 7:30pm – Glasgow SECC
Tuesday 16th June 2009 – 7:30pm – Edinburgh Playhouse
Wednesday 17th June 2009 – 7:30pm – Newcastle Arena
Thursday 18th June 2009 – 7:30pm – Liverpool Arena
Friday 19th June 2009 – 7:30pm – Cardiff Arena
Saturday 20th June 2009 – 2:30pm & 7:30pm – Nottingham Arena
Sunday 21st June 2009 – 1:30pm & 6:30pm – Wembley Arena

For more information, click here.  To book hotel accommodation for all these dates, visit www.hotelopia.co.uk.

If you’re looking for something totally different to do in the Balearic Islands this month, then book a hotel break to Menorca. This usually sleepy island springs into action for one of the Mediterranean’s biggest street parties – the San Juan fiestas- held from 23 to 24 June.

All the action takes place in the city of Ciutadella, as decorated horses parade through the city to cheering crowds. It may all look a little hair-raising for the horses, riders, and the on-looking crowds, but the horsemen spend months preparing the animals for the event.

Legend has it; touching the horse on its chest as it rears passing through the crowds will bring luck for the year ahead.

Head to Plaza del Born, and move into the side streets where the party continues long into the night. Stick around for the final night as a huge firework display lights up the skies over Menorca.

Looks like certain members of the British royal family can learn a lesson from Queen Sofia of Spain when it comes to cost-cutting.

Reported in today’s  Daily Mail, the Spanish Monarch has taken a Ryanair flight from Spanish city Santander in Spain to London Standsted on Sunday evening.

Her flight, costing just £13  is in stark contrast to £330,000 bill Prince Charles ran up on a trip to New York in 2005.

Lets hope she remembered to print out her boarding pass though – apparently Ryanair are now charging extra for that too.

It seems the UK is stealing Spain’s sunshine, with temperatures in Bournemouth topping those in experienced this weekend in Barcelona, Istanbul and Tenerife. Beaches across the south coast were packed with sun-worshippers, while surfers flocked to North Devon.

Meteogroup – which provides forecasts for the Press Association has already said that it seems summer has arrived in the UK, with warmer than normal temperatures.  According to today’s Daily Mail, thermometers in the Solent area peaked at almost 27C (80F) making this a great end to the sunniest May for almost a decade.

The Hotelopia employee in the spotlight this month is David Rivero.  He says:

Hola! I’m David Rivero, and I work in the Design Department at Hotelopia. With summer starting, I’ll be planning plenty of short breaks to festivals and fiestas taking place around Europe.

Madrid goes wild in celebration of its patron saint San Isidro in May while Menorca turns party crazy at the San Juan fiesta held in June. Visitors and residents turn out in their thousands to see the horse displays. I personally prefer the street party which goes on well into the early hours.

But if like me, you prefer live music, then check out Optimus Alive 09 which is held in Portugal. It’s heavy, it’s rocking and I’ll be there to see Metallica (minus the long hair which unfortunately I don’t have anymore).

See you there!

But if like me, you prefer live music, then check out Optimus Alive 09 which is held in Portugal. It’s heavy, it’s rocking and I’ll be there to see Metallica (minus the long hair which unfortunately I don’t have anymore).

See you there!

It seems the Britsh public are “nun too happy” in response to the group of 17 Bristol boys  dressed as nuns who were caught boozing and behaving badly in Crete according to Handbag.com.

While it seems most Brits are ashamed of their behaviour, the reality is that a market exists for this type of holiday.

Hotelopia is based on the beautiful Spanish Balearic island of Majorca, which is home to one of Britain’s favourite hen and stag party destination Magaluf.

Lagered up stag and hen packs, wearing anything from naughty nuns, schoolgirls and nurses outfits are common place here. But thankfully any misbehaving is contained within this  resort.

Magaluf is a very small part of an essentially beautiful island. Without the boozing Brits drinking their own body weight in San Miguel every summer, the local economy would be hard hit.

So if the 17 men wish to get back into the habit, then they should book a break to Magaluf.  They’ll be welcomed with open arms.

For everyone else, Majorca offers great gastronomy, stunning architecture, free island festivals, and sun worshiping on the virgin white sands, making summer here something of a religion – Amen to that!

Great news! Even though a few of the Michael Jackson concert dates have changed, those who booked a concert ticket and hotel package with Hotelopia and Thomson Experience, can now exchange their package for an alternative tour date -  including the new opening night. Alternatively a full refund is also available.

New tour dates are as follows.
-The July 8 concert has been rescheduled for July 13
-July 10 moves to 1 March, 2010
-July 12 moves to 3 March 2010
-July 14 moves to 6 March, 2010

If you were lucky enough to get a ticket through Ticketmaster and just need a hotel, Hotelopia & Thomson Experience are offering a 10% discount on any new hotel bookings with us. Simply contact us and request a discount code.

And for those still wishing to come to London for the pre-scheduled July weekend, Thomson Experience can offer alternative extras to seeing Michael Jackson in concert including theatre tickets, access to the London Eye or museums including Madame Tussauds.

For further information, contact customerservice@thomsonexperience.com or call 0207 4621563.

Visitors to Paris can now get a unique insight into the city as Metro stations once used as air raid shelters during the Second World War have been reopened to the public.  

The ghost stations with their distinctive emblematic Art Nouveau entrances were first cast into the spotlight as locations for iconic French movies including Amelie which filmed scenes here.

Now visitors can see where thousands of Parisians were forced to take shelter during the war years.  Check out the unique 1900 architecture and classical old War advertisements which have stood the test of time.  For more information,  read here, or contact the ADEMAS, or the Association D’Exploitation du Material Sprague.