Today is Internet day and we have decided to take the opportunity to give you some numbers on what Internet means nowadays. This information comes from the Royal Pingdom Report 2010:

- There are 1,97 billion users in Internet, this is about one third of the population worldwide.

- Europe represents 24,2% of total Internet users.
- There are more than 152 million blogs in Internet, thank you for reading ours!
- Facebook has more than 600 million users.
- More than 2 billion videos are watched daily on Youtube.

With these numbers we’ll be able to think how important Internet has become in very little time and how it has changed our way of life.

The  travelling sector has been especially affected by the Web, as it has  revolutionized the way we buy tickets, make reservation and the information we obtain about the places we go.

Because withouth Internet, Hotelopia would not exist… and without its readers, this blog wouldn’t exists either… Thank you!

For us travellers, its not always easy to remember every place we have been to. We’ve discovered a good idea not to forget one of the destinations we have visited; it is easy, fun and the perfect way to have it all in one.

Materials:  A World Map and a box of coloured pins. It is very simple, all you need to do is pin one in every city or place you have already seen. You can use your own code of colours. For example: different colours depending on how much you liked a place, or depending on when you went (every year a colour). Another option is to mark those places that you want to visit, even if you have not been there yet.

You can also creat a digital version painting a white map in colours or with the web page TargetMap that we talked about last week.

You will never forget the trip again!

Be specially careful if you are thinking of travelling to Spain during the next few months. Workers at the state-owned company that runs Spain’s airports Aena have called 22 days of rolling strikes during peak tourist seasons to protest government plans to sell off half of the firm.

The Government and the President of the Company are open to negotiations but workers insist that if they don’t get to an agreement in their salary and working conditions they will call the strike. This will cause delays and cancellations during the most important seasons of the year, and it can carry severe consecuences for the still weak Spanish economy as well as for the image of the country.

Let’s hope they agree on the terms of an agreement and everyone can enjoy their holidays.

Traveling is not only moving from one place to another. It is more than that. Adventure and exploring are part of it and today google reminds us one of the most important explorer in the Antarctic Exploration, Ernst Shackleton, who was borned on a 15th of February in 1874. For us, hotelopers who love traveling around the globe, people like him, who was borned to explore, are an image to respect and imitate.

Ernst Shackleton was an Anglo-Irish explorer, he was a romantic adventurer, who became interested in exploration and joined the Royal Geographical Society while still at sea. After Captain Scott died during an attempt to reach the South Pole in 1912,Sir Ernest Shackleton, , chose to tackle the challenge of Antarctica in a different way. He decided he would attempt to journey across the icy continent from one side to the other via the South Pole. Him, and 3 companions stablished the record of the farthest ever South latitude in 19 and he was knighted for it.
Remember, as Henry Miller once said “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

The British Foreign&Commonwealth Office advises against all but essential travel to Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Suez and reccomends Brithish nationals who are in this country to travel back to UK when it is possible and safe. They are also adviced to travel during daylight hours and only when necessary. They should respect the curfew, extended from 17.00 to 08.00.

Also, British Embassy staff are providing 24h assistance to British Nationals. Mobile phone coverage is intermitent and Internet is not working.

Can you imagine having a long way trip to do without good music? Can’t you? Neither can we. Long ago, cars did not have radios and music could only be listened to at home. However, life has changed and music is one more element that we must not forget when we are travelling (by car, train or plane, it doesn’t matter anymore).

Cassettes are still in our memories. They used to be stored in front of the copilot, who was also the one in charge of changing them when they were over and turning them around to Face B. Remember? Good old times! But music is still there, now we have ipods and mp3 that fill our journey with hours and hours of fantastic music. What music do you listen to? Any recommendations to our fellow blogers?

Howcast.com is a webpage where they tell you how to do things. We’ve chosen two that are specially interesting for travellers… Sit back, learn and laugh!

The volcanic eruption in Iceland was almost four months ago, however it has changed some of the british consumer’s minds as we now pay more attention to travel insurance and what it covers. The ash cloud caused a chaos all over Europe and we do not want it to be repeated: some had to travel by car, some others had to take ferries or the train back home. This situation has changed people’s mind and although most of us still prefer to go for the cheap option, a percentage of Brits say now that they prefer paying more and having everything covered.

In the same line, most holidaymakers hope travel insurance will cover them if they fall ill abroad. It is a very good idea to check before leaving what is covered and what is not so there are no surprises back home.

If you were thinking about staying in the UK this year you could end up spending more money than tho…se who decide to visit the outside world. Some British resorts impose such high prices that it is better to get a plane to places like Turkey, Cyprus or Grecee, where the sun is an attraction for thousands of UK families every year. Stop doubting! This year, going abroad is cheaper! And with Hotelopia even better, the best prices for the best hotel, book your accomodation easily from our website

Morocco is a world apart from European holidays. However lying just to the south of Spain this new world is easily accessible and with a number of budget airlines beginning to fly to these exotic shores there has never been a better time to plan your trip.

If visiting Morocco, the ancient imperial city of Marrakech is a must! Lying at the foot of the stunning Atlas Mountains (also well worth a visit) this ancient city is full of wonderful bazaars where you may haggle for the most intricately hand crafted lanterns, wonderful infusions of spice and herbs and palm oil, a new hit in the kitchen.

Marrakech also boasts impressive palaces and tombs which, twinned with their stunning gradens, are said to embody ‘peace and tranquillity.’ Alternatively head to the old town or ‘medina’ where the bustling squares and bazaars will be filled with salesmen, fire eaters, jugglers and noisy souqs.

After a full day spend the night in a traditional Riad (Old Moroccan Guesthouse.) With their peaceful internal courtyards usually filled with fountains, flowing water and jasmine flowers you can’t help but relax and soak up your day.

However you chose to spend your time here it will most certainly be an assault on the senses like you have never before experienced! Hotelopia would love to introduce you to this part of the world and with our wonderful offers including a number of excellent Riad’s in the old town there has never been a better time to step in to the exotic.