The experience of travelling, either abroad or inside the country, has changed dramatically in very small amount of time, nobody can deny it. Gone are the days of packing tour guides and there is space for something else where we use to have big road maps (the car’s back seat). You don’t need to have a special device to listen to your favourite songs and your music will not occupy any space, no CDs or Walkman or Discman: new mobile phones have it all!

There are so many applications for this new generation of phones that you can do an astonishing variety of things: from listening to the last hits or a classic you love ( Pandora app), to knowing exactly where you are and how to go to that museum your best friend recommended (poynt). You can even have a tourist information guide with audio in your iphone with just one click (London or York pocket) or book a restaurant through Internet.

Some of us still prefer the old ways, the rest of us have already adapted to this new method of travelling with a great deal of advantages: technology saves you money, space and time when travelling.

What could be better to celebrate the Inauguration of the World cup 2010 than a concert? We all know that next summer, the World cup will be held in South Africa but it was only announced today how the kick off is going to be commemorated. Some of the most prestigious international artists will be singing in this special concert such as Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas or Shakira. It is the first time the World Cup is celebrated in the African Continent and also the first time an event this big is organised for the kick off.

Haven’t planned anything for June yet? Check your hotels in Johannesburg in Hotelopia!

Good news for Spain and Music lovers. Towards the end of the year, on November the 7^th Madrid, a city alive in its own right with music, will now play host the biggest music award show of the year: the MTV awards. As a means to celebrate the 10^th birthday of the MTV Channel in Spain, MTV has decided that Madrid, with a unique mixture of cultural characteristics together with a great modernism, so as to hold one of the most prestigious music events of the year. For the first time in its history they will be held on a Sunday and not on a Thursday so as to adapt to the city. Although the names have not been published yet, international artists will participate in the different spectacles during the weekend and on that Sunday

This is a great opportunity to visit one of Europe’s most enriched capitals while brushing shoulders with some of the most known Hollywood celebrities. Check your hotel in Hotelopia.

One of the world’s most spectacular festivals will be celebrated  this week amid a cloud of smoke,  firecrackers and fireworks. People in Valencia spend an important part of the year preparing more than 700 papier-mâché effigies, or fallas that are the focus of the event. The fallas can reach 20 m in height (this year’s highest one is 29m tall), and often depict celebrities with a satirical slant. Fallas cost around €900,000 to make. Once they are finished, they are displayed in colourful street parades throughout the five-day event that starts today. At the end of the week, all the fallas are set alight in what is called the Cremá (the burning), to celebrate the end of winter.

If you decide to visit this fantastic city at this time of the year you shouldn’t miss the Nit del Foc (Night of Fire) on the 18th. Another must is the parties held in the Turia gardens that go on long into the night with discos, markets and paella. Check the hotels in Valencia in Hotelopia

The Expo Shangai 2010 will be, undoubtedly, one of the events of the years (together with the Winter Olympic games in Vancouver and the World cup in South Africa). It starts in exactly 53 days and will last from May 1^st until October 31^st. It is expected to have a sum of 70 million visitors and at least 200 participants.

We all know that Expos always have a mascot. Shanghai’s one is called Haibao. The name is easy to remember and it comes from Hai Bao, a typical lucky name in Chinese tradition. Its shape was developed from a Chinese character meaning people. It has already been place all over Shanghai . Moreover, the theme of Expo 2010 is “Better City, Better Life,” representing the common wish of the whole humankind for a better living in future urban environments.

The UK pavilion is still under construction. It is an outstanding, visual demonstration of the UK as a creative and innovative nation. Developed by Thomas Heatherwick, the centrepiece of the UK pavilion is a six storey high object formed from some 60,000 slender transparent rods, which extend from the structure and quiver in the breeze. This rods will illuminate the interior by day and the exterior by night.

Shanghai World Expo will be the most spectacular and important event of its type. It is an Expo for the 21st Century and every participant is working hard to make be unique and unforgetable. If you haven’t decided what to do in your next holidays, this could be a candidate! Check your hotels in Shanghai in Hotelopia.

The Academy Awards (popularly known as the Oscars) are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world.

Yesterday night was the 82^nd edition of this ceremony, held in the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The night was, as always, full of magic, beauty, fashion and surprises. The biggest surprise was the victory of Kathryn Bigelow. She is the first woman to win an Oscar for best director. Her film ‘The Hurt Locker’ won also Best Picture. The film with low budget triumphed over Avatar, the favourite.

Films with low budget, a woman winning the Best Director Oscar…Does this mean that Hollywood is changing?

When it comes to travelling sometimes we are so obsessed with going abroad and visiting other parts of the world that we forget our own country. Today we will point out some cities or places that are worth visiting within the United Kingdom.

First of all, for those of you who do not live in the capital of our country you should never say no to a weekend in London. It is one of the most important capitals in Europe and there is plenty of things to do: from a cultural visit to an amazing night out. Even if we have been before there is always something new to see or somewhere to be discovered.

In Scotland there are different attractions: Edinburgh is a wonderful city with great museums and buildings with a fantastic architecture; St Andrews, next to the sea, with its magnificent cathedral and its little and cosy streets; The highlands, a place to be in harmony with nature and animals, to discover the beauty of sunsets and green mountains (bens) and valleys (glens) and Glasgow, a fantastic city to have a great party or go shopping.

If your passions are shopping or partying, another city that you shouldn’t miss is Manchester, where the German market is specially famous (only in Christmas time). Moreover, Oxford and Cambridge are well known by their Universities as well as by the gorgeousness of their buildings and campuses. Do not forget Stonehenge, where it all began!

Last, but not least if you travel towards the south there are a few little villages next to the sea that are also nice and quiet, colourful and peaceful places that nobody should miss.

Don’t forget that travelling does not always mean going far far away… check hotels in UK in Hotelopia!

The International Geneva Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Geneva Palexpo convention centre and organised by the “Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles”. It is considered an important major international auto show, where new cars and automobiles are exhibited.

This year’s highlight is the launch of a great number of “green cars”. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, all-electric production, models, concept, and sports cars coming from almost all the manufacturers, from Volkswagen to Ferrari .

For a few days the automobile world has left he global financial crisis and all its negative effects behind it to exhibit new models and concepts of cars in expositions and even in a catwalk… Luxury car makers such as Ferrari or Porsche have launched their very last  models in this salon.

Do yo want to visit? Check the best hotels in Geneva with Hotelopia UK!

CeBIT is the world’s leading tradeshow for the digital industry. It is held in Hannover, Germany and it starts today until Saturday 6^th.  From exhibits to conferences and corporate events, it is the meeting point of the ICT world. The most important sellers and developers of the IT business from all around the globe get together with industrial users and all buyers who are passionate about technology.

This year the official CeBIT Partner Country in 2010 is Spain. This country is not simply one of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations; it is also an attractive place for high-tech industrial companies. The country of “sun and party” is already undergoing the benefits of the rapid expansion of ICT technologies in all fields of life, such as e-Government, Education and Health and therefore it is an example of IT application.

If you are passionate about technology or your company is in the ICT business, do not hesitate, CeBIT is a great opportunity to find new partners and to know where the industry is going to in the next future. If you are looking for accommodation you will find the best hotels in Hannover in Hotelopia.

Don’t forget that this Easter Hotelopia has special offers that will help you save up to 20%. All your favourite destinations at lower prices: book hotels in Portugal from $24 or Spain from $50! The best deals are always in Hotelopia, check it out in our webpage!