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Holidays Dumfriesshire

DGC Travel is currently unable to offer any holidays in this area but please see our UK Holiday Index.

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 Dumfriesshire

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.

1. Book early
It may seem obvious but the holiday industry is like any other business affected by the basic economics of supply and demand. The best time to book, according to travel agent Trailfinders, is 11 months before you're due to travel. The flights have just been released and there's plenty of cheaper seats available.

2. Book late
The rules of supply and demand also apply in last few days before the departure date. If there are unsold seats and hotel rooms, you can bag a bargain with a few clicks of the mouse, or a phone call or two.

3. Buy a package
The internet has been a godsend for people who wish to bypass the travel agent and arrange their own trips. But here's a little-known tip: if you are booking a flight and a car, or flight and accommodation, by packaging the two deals together, an agent can often offer a much better deal than if you were to book separately, even online. Call it creative accounting if you will, but it can save hundreds of pounds on a long-haul trip.

Holidays Dumfriesshire

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 Dumfriesshire

Aird-Dumfries and Galloway

Amisfield Town-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Big Balcraig-Dumfries and Galloway

Big Corlae-Dumfries and Galloway

Bridge of Dee-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Castle Douglas-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Castle Kennedy-Dumfries and Galloway

Castle O'er-Dumfries and Galloway (near Lockerbie)

Causeway End-Dumfries and Galloway

Crogo Mains-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Dinwoodie Mains-Dumfries and Galloway (near Lockerbie)

Douglas Hall-Dumfries and Galloway (near Silloth)

Dumfries-Dumfries and Galloway Durisdeer Mill-Dumfries and Galloway

Durisdeer Mill-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Gatehouse of Fleet-Dumfries and Galloway

Glentrool Village-Dumfries and Galloway

Gretna Green-Dumfries and Galloway (near Carlisle)

Haugh of Urr-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Isle of Whithorn-Dumfries and Galloway

Keir Mill-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Kingholm Quay-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Kippford or Scaur-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Kirkconnell-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Kirkpatrick Durham-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Kirkpatrick Fleming-Dumfries and Galloway (near Carlisle)

Lochwood Mains-Dumfries and Galloway (near Lockerbie)

New Abbey-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

New Bridge-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

New Galloway-Dumfries and Galloway

New Luce-Dumfries and Galloway (near Stranraer)

Newton Stewart-Dumfries and Galloway

Old Bridge of Urr-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

Port Logan-Dumfries and Galloway

Port William-Dumfries and Galloway (near Stranraer)

South Trigon-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

St Ann's-Dumfries and Galloway (near Lockerbie)

St John's Town of Dalry-Dumfries and Galloway

St Marys Isle-Dumfries and Galloway

Townhead of Greenlaw-Dumfries and Galloway (near Dumfries)

West Freugh-Dumfries and Galloway

More holiday resources coming soon

Holidays Dumfriesshire

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