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Pollution and Holidays

When it comes to monitoring beaches for pollution, some countries are better than others.

Shark tales make bigger headlines, but water pollution is far more common—and a greater threat to humans than the creature depicted in Jaws ever was. In the United States, fouled swimming water is responsible for tens of thousands of beach closings and health advisories every year. Although there is still no uniform federal protocol for testing water quality at beaches, information on water cleanliness at most of the nation's public swimming beaches can be found on the Environmental Protection Agency's site. Outside the United States, however, travellers are largely left to fend for themselves.

Most pollution at swimming beaches is caused by bacteria associated with fecal contamination. Some of these bacteria are harmless, but they are often accompanied by more pernicious pathogens, including E. coli, salmonella, giardia, and enteroviruses that cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and other extremely unpleasant symptoms for the millions of swimmers who are exposed to them every year. Though rare, cholera, hepatitis, and typhoid fever are among the more serious water-borne maladies found at beaches around the world.

Holidays Cheshire

50 ways to save on your holidays

Richard Browning

SCHOOLS are clamping down on parents who take their children on holiday during term time. At best, to get permission for even one extra day off at either end of a holiday requires a degree of form filling and letter writing that wouldn't be out of place in a Soviet police station. Even then, the final decision rests on the whim of the chairman of governors.

While the difference a day makes to a child's education is unquantifiable, it can add thousands of pounds to the price of a family holiday. But with this option of saving money virtually outlawed, how do you stick within the rules without breaking the bank?

Here are some examples from the article on how to save money on your holiday. Visit This is Money to read the holiday article in full.

10. Check back later
Travel agents and internet users can reserve flights and holidays for several days without purchasing them. So if at first you find a deal is unavailable at the price you want to pay, you have a choice: pay the higher price or wait a few days to see if the places become available again.

11. Sign up for special offers by email.
Any airline or travel agent worth its reputation has a service that allows you to hear about the deals first. Choose a few of your favourites and sign up. You could access big savings for a few minutes' effort.

12. Go camping
The rise of the no-frills airlines has spawned a craze in ultra-low-cost holidays. You can buy a camping kit for a family of four including tent, mats and sleeping bags for sometimes less than £100. You book your flights to somewhere preferably with insignificant annual rainfall and then pay a few pounds a night to sleep under the stars. And remember: campsites abroad are often much better equipped than those in Britain.

Holidays Cheshire

22. Visit cheap countries
Sounds obvious but take Greece - once a cheap option for a family holiday. Rampant inflation on the back of its entry to the euro and its new-found upmarket view of itself as Olympic host and European football champions, it has become relatively expensive. Italy on the other hand is still delightfully reasonable.

23. Don't use the Gatwick Express
If you're travelling from central London to Gatwick airport or vice versa you have a choice or rail operators. The non-stop Gatwick Express, which charges around £24 one way for an adult, and the two-stop Southern service, which takes FIVE minutes longer but costs a mere £9. Note: For the Heathrow and Stansted Express services it's less clear cut as the alternatives, though cheaper, can be overcrowded and therefore less reliable.

Holidays Cheshire

More holiday resources coming soon

Holidays Cheshire

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