In the first place, you want to keep your different possessions organized in separate areas of your bag. You can use pieces of scrap cardboard to dramatically improve your suitcase’s organization. The cardboard can divide your bag up into separate sections, so you can keep everything neat.

In addition, consider using some plastic bags to further organize the items that are going into your suitcase. Bagging up clothes is a terrific way to protect them from unplanned spills, keep them clean and stop them from wrinkling by folding them carefully. It’s a good idea to bag other possessions, too, especially liquid toiletries that might spill.

Speaking of your toiletries, make sure you’re taking along small bottles. Even if you’re checking in a bag and don’t have to worry about security restrictions, it’s a waste of space to haul along a full bottle of shampoo for a trip that will only last days or weeks. Full-size toiletries also make your bags heavier than they need to be. Although the easiest way to do this is to buy cheap travel-sized bottles, keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Spending a little extra for a quality bottle may save you from some irritating leaks.

To return to the topic of the humble plastic bag, use a spare bag from the grocery store to seal up any shoes you’re packing. This will protect your footwear from scratches and, more importantly, keep your shoes from spreading dirt all over your clothes. Remember to hang onto your shoe bags after you’ve reached your destination. You’ll need to re-pack your dirty shoes for the journey home.

In order to make yourself as safe as possible, you should do your best to spread out your valuables. If you’re taking multiple bags, make sure each has an equal load of valuables. Items you’ll want to protect this way include jewelry, electronics and spare travel cash. You should apply the same logic to spreading your clothes between bags, so that if a bag is mislaid by the airline you will still have a complete set of clothes to wear until your bag is located or you have had chance to buy replacements.

Finally, here’s a vital security tip, though it doesn’t directly involve packing. Before you go on your trip, take the time to sit down at a computer with a scanner. You should scan in all of the important documents you’ll be taking with you on your trip. This includes passports, checks, reservation receipts, tickets and any other paperwork you need on the road. Store the scans of these documents in a webmail account that you can access anywhere.

Traveling is a lot more fun when you can take along everything you want to, and when your luggage survives the trip intact. Experience is one sure way to improve your packing skills, but the tips presented here will hopefully give you a sure start the next time you start stuffing your suitcases.

Surgeons` Hall Museums
For something a bit different and perhaps a little gruesome, a visit to the Surgeon`s Hall Museum is a must. With permanent exhibitions about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the history of surgery, the Pathology Museum will fascinate and intrigue those with an enquiring mind and a strong stomach. Nicolson Street, Tel 0131 527 1649/678

Visit the Scottish Parliament
A visit to the seat of power for Scotland might not seem like the most obvious choice of holiday activity, but Spanish architect Miralles had a vision for the building which it is hard not to be swept away by. Opinion is sharply divided as to whether it is a masterpiece or an eyesore. Make your own mind up about the design whilst you listen to proceedings in the public gallery. The building cost 414 million. Money well spent?

The Elephant House Caff
Famed as the perch that J.K. Rowling used when writing her famous Harry Potter books, The Elephant House Caff is a great place to stop when your feet get tired. Lovely coffee, cake and pizza make it popular with tourists and locals. Open a drawer at your table and see what you find, or just gaze out of the window, with a pen and writing pad, to be inspired!

Royal Botanic Gardens
If it`s rainy, which is always a possibility in Edinburgh, you could do no better than visit the hot houses in the Royal Botanic Gardens. They are free, apart from the more exotic hothouses, which charge a small fee. When the clouds clear, take a stroll across the Chinese Hillside, which is host to an incredible array of Chinese plants and trees. There is a T`ing pavilion, from where, you can gaze across the landscape. Find it at Inverleith Row, Stockbridge, Tel 0131 552 7171

City of the Dead Tour
This is a genuinely scary walking tour. The Mackenzie Poltergeist is said to be the ghost of a murderous 17th Century lawyer. Since his body was disturbed in 1998 poltergeist attacks have been experienced at Greyfriar`s Kirk, where the tour stops. You have been warned. Meet in front of St. Giles Cathedral, Royal Mile at 8:30pm or 10:00pm from Easter to Halloween and at 8:30pm only from Halloween to Easter, Tel: 0131 225 9044

Grassmarket
Shop till you drop in this emerging vibrant part of Edinburgh, home to quirky off-beat shops, artists and artisans. Don`t miss the Aha Ha Ha old-fashioned joke shop, Anta and Helios Fountain for crafts and Mr Wood`s Fossils for a treasure trove of antiquity. Situated not far from GreyFriars Bobby Statue.

Armstrong`s Vintage Emporium
Don`t miss this unusual shop in the heart of Grassmarket. A favourite of celebrity visitors, Armstrong`s houses a huge range of vintage clothing and accessories. A fashionistas delight. Look out for Gok Wan while you browse! 83, The Grassmarket, Tel 0131 220 5557

Panda Watching
Visit the UK`s only giant pandas, Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yang Guang (Sunshine) at Edinburgh Zoo. This couple have drawn visitors from far and wide, so be sure not to miss them while they`re here. Tel 0131 334 9171

Royal Oak
After all that sightseeing, stop off for an evening of folk music and beer at the Royal Oak pub at 1 Infirmary Street in the Old Town. It`s tiny, set on two floors, but packed with local colour and nightly folk music sessions. If you need transport back to your hotel after a night of carousing use http://www.edinburghtaxi.co.uk who will see you home safely.

Offer: £100 off April to October 2013 Florida holidays
Code: 30662
Offer valid: 6th to 13th September
Ts & Cs: £1500 minimum Spend
Follow this link to Thomson Florida Holidays at £100 off.

Set Your Alarm Clocks – Travelodge Autumn Sale of £9 Cheap Hotel Rooms Starts Thursday 15th April at 6am.

The Autumn Sale of Cheap £9 Travelodge Hotel rooms starts in just a couple of days.  There’ll be 30,000 Travel Lodge Rooms available from an unbelievably low £9, so you can be sure they will quickly disappear.

If you can’t wait until Thursday, you can find Travel Lodge Accommodation from Travelodge Ltd with prices from £19 almost year-round.

The Autumn Room Sale from Travelodge.co.uk – What’s the Deal

• Book your Travelodge Hotel online a minimum of 21 days in advance – Book early for the biggest selection of hotels and dates.
• 30,000 Rooms available from £9.
• The Cheap Travelodge Rooms are up for sale for stays from 28th August to 28th November.
• The usual restrictions apply – £9 Travel Lodge Rooms cannot be transferred or cancelled.
• Paying by debit card incurs no extra cost, although there is a charge if you elect to pay by credit card.

Snap Up Cheap Travelodge Hotel Rooms.

The Summer Sale of £19 Travelodge Hotel rooms goes on, and these Cheap Rooms are being snapped up fast.

For great value Breaks you can’t go far wrong with Travelodge.co.uk.  Whenever they have these £19 or £9 Room Sales, travellers rush to book the best dates at the favourite hotels in the top locations.  They are not only excellent for couples keen for a Bargain break, but they are also great news for families, with kids staying and eating for free.

There is still the opportunity to book rooms for the summer half term holidays and up to the end of July, but with 21 days notice required it is too late now for the Easter Holidays for £19 Rooms – however, the £29 rooms only need 7 days notice to book, and a quick check of availability in Manchester shows various Manchester Travelodge Hotels available in the Easter Holidays at £22 or £25.

A quick Recap of the Summer Room Sale from Travelodge.co.uk

• Book your Travelodge Hotel online a minimum of 21 days in advance – the earlier the better for the best choice of dates and locations!
• With 150,000 rooms available at £19 there will be plenty of choice of hotels and dates, and £22, £25 and £29 Rooms further extend your options.
• These Cheap Travelodge Hotel Rooms for £19 are avaialable right up until 31st July.
• As we are used to with these Travelodge Sales, the £19 Travelodge Rooms cannot be transferred or cancelled.
• Paying by debit card incurs no extra cost, although there is a charge if you elect to pay by credit card.

RamadaJarvis.co.uk Hotels Easter Breaks are great news for all those looking for a weekend away this Easter in a quality hotel with a tasty cooked breakfast buffet at an attractive price!

This is great value, from a hotel chain which offers a Quality Hotel Stay at a fantastic price. I regularly stay with Ramada Jarvis Hotels myself, with the Ramada Farnham being one of my favourite, and I have no hesitation recommending their terrific Cold and Hot Breakfast Buffet selection.

There are more than 40 Ramada Jarvis Hotels around the country, and with more than 20 with Sebastian Coe Health Clubs on-site you are bound to have a wonderful stay. Other Ramada Jarvis Hotels offer alternative on site facilities, meaning you can choose to have a round of golf, a dash down the dry ski slope, a swim in the pool or a relax in the spa or sauna.

Families will be delighted to see RamadaJarvis.co.uk offer Kids Stay Free when sharing an adult’s room, with under 10s also eating breakfast free.
Just Click the link below to visit the RamadaJarvis.co.uk website grab a Easter Break Bargain at your favourite Ramada Jarvis Hotel…

Room Sale from Travelodge.co.uk.

This time Travelodge UK is offering over 190,000 rooms for £19 for stays this Summer.

If you are planning a budget break away with the family during April to July, then the Room Sale from Travelodge could be just what you are looking for!  As always, these Cheap Room Deals don’t hang around for long, so we recommend you check availability at your favourite locations and Travelodge Hotels today!

Summer Room Sale from Travelodge.co.uk – What’s the Deal?

• Book your Travelodge Room online at least 21 days in advance – and we recommend you book early for the best choice!
• Although this offer won’t be available every night at every hotel, with 190,000 rooms on offer at this price you can’t fail to find a bargain Travelodge Room in this Room Sale.
• The Travelodge Summer Room Sale offers room for £19 from 29th March to 31st July.
• The usual conditions will apply, in that the £19 rooms from Travelodge.co.uk cannot be transferred or cancelled.
• Although there is a charge for paying by credit cards, if you pay by debit card there is no charge.

 Travelodge.co.uk Tempt Us Again With Thousands More £15 Rooms. Travelodge Hotels have just announced an immediate sale of 6000 Rooms at the bargain price of £15 per room! This time the Cheap Hotel Room Deal is concentrated on the North West and Midlands, but these prices are valid for stays over a two month period. These Bargain Rooms will soon be gone, though, so Click below to Book today!

Cheap Travel Lodge Rooms at £15 – Here’s the Deal from Travelodge.co.uk:

• Book online as soon as you can – when they are gone they are gone!
• The offer is limited to a selection of Travel Lodge Hotels and dates but rest assured, there are thousands of these Cheap Hotel Rooms available at £15 per room.
• These Cheap Hotel Room Deals are available for stays between 5th March to 6th May.
• Bookings for these Cheap Travel Lodge Rooms from Travelodge.co.uk cannot be transferred or cancelled.
• Payment by debit card is free, but there is a charge for using credit cards.

Cheap Travel Lodge Rooms for £15 are available from Travelodge.co.uk by clicking the link below.

Virgin Barbados Holidays and Deals Don’t Come Much Better Than This

• Visit the VirginHolidays.co.uk Website
• Click on the Caribbean Escapes banner or the appropriate V Hot Deals link on the right hand side of the page
• Check the Barbados Holiday price matches what you are expecting, note the dates the cheap prices apply to, then click on Book This Offer
• Choose your departure airport and date, confirm your party size, then click on Confirm and Book this Holiday
• Note, we chose Gatwick Airport and a 9th June departure for a party of 2 adults to be offered this price.

Virgin New York Holidays – Virgin Atlantic Flights & 3 Nights in Manhatten

• Visit the VirginHolidays.co.uk Website
• Click on the appropriate V Hot Deals link on the right hand side of the page
• Check the Virgin New York Holidays price is what you expect, check the dates the offer is valid, and then click Book This Offer
• Amend your departure airport and date as required, select the number in your party, then click Confirm and Book this Holiday
• We chose Heathrow Airport and a 1st March departure for a party of 2 adults, or 2 adults and 2 children, to obtain these prices for Package Holidays to New York.

The Hotel is the 3 Star Manhatten Comfort Hotel, which is close to the Empire State Building and includes free continental breakfast.Just click the link for more details…

PremierInn.com have announced they now have 1 million £29 Rooms for sale, including the School Summer Holidays!

The School Summer Holidays will be upon us before we know it, so we welcome the news from PremierInn.com that their £29 Room Sale has been extended and that it now lasts until well after the end of the holiday period.  It is wise, therefore, to plan ahead and book your rooms at the Quality Budget Hotel Chain which is Premier Inn while there is still a great selection of hotels and dates at this great price.
Premier Inn have rooms to accommodate the whole family, and the Kids Eat Free deal allows two children under 16 to eat from the cooked buffet for each paying adult.  This means that three of you can enjoy a cooked breakfast buffet for the total price of just £7.50.  This is a bargain for single parent families too.

The Premier Inn Hotels £29 Room Sale can be summarised as follows:

• Room bookings must be made online at least 21 days in advance
• The offer is valid for room stays until 5th September 2010
• Stay Thursdays to Mondays for a minimum of two nights
• Stay just one night on any night of the week for this price between the dates of 26/03/10 – 18/04/10 inclusive, 28/05/10 – 06/06/10 inclusive, or 27/08/10 – 30/08/10 inclusive
• No cancellations, amendments of refunds.

Click the link below to go search for £29 Room on the Premierinn.com website…

The Award-winning Premier Inn Hotels have a real family bias (see blog posts Premier Inn Voted Best Family Travel Facilities in 2007 and 2008) and www.PremierInn.com Offers Days Out Vouchers With Every Booking ), and there are now few people who do not immediately recognise the purple Premier Inn logo, the Everything’s Premier but the Price slogan, and the image of Lenny Henry in his bright yellow dressing gown.

Our Other Premier Inn Blog Posts and Reviews

• Premier Inn £50 Rooms – Where To Find The Cheapest Hotels
• www.PremierInn.com Offers Days Out Vouchers With Every Booking
• PremierInn.com Offers Free Days Out Vouchers and Quality Hotel Rooms from £50
• Budget Hotels – Travelodge, Premier Inn, Days Inn – Which is the Best?
• Premier Inn Voted Best Family Travel Facilities in 2007 and 2008

Travelodge.co.uk Sale of £15 Rooms! Travelodge Hotels have just announced an immediate sale of 6000 Rooms at the bargain price of £15 per room!  As usual, these Cheap Hotel Deals from Travelodge are non-refundable, but in this case you don’t have to worry about booking 21 days in advance, or even 7 days in advance.

Cheap Rooms at £15 – So here is the deal from Travelodge.co.uk:

• Book online between now and midnight on 5th February 2010 (just two and a half days to go!)
• Travelodge.co.uk have 6000 Cheap Rooms at this £15 price.
• Many, but not all, Travelodge Hotels are included in the offer, and the number of rooms at a given hotel at this price may be low… so we recommend you search quickly for the best choice of hotel and dates.
• The offer is valid for stays up until 18th March only.
• These Cheap Rooms from Travelodge.co.uk are not refundable.

Just Click the link below to search for Cheap Rooms for £15 from Travelodge.co.uk.

Thomson Holidays have announced their Biggest Ever January Sale.  With Huge discounts and a voucher code for even more off Holidays to Turkey and the Balearics, Thomson Holidays are a great choice of Tour Operator if you are ready to book that next holiday!

Thomson Holidays January Sale Offers and Discounts include:

• A minimum of 10% Guaranteed Discount off all holidays booked online
• Up toi 25% Discount off Summer Holidays
• Thousands of Free Child Places
• £50 Extra off Holidays to Turkey and the Balearics – just quote Discount Voucher Code 9808

Click the link below to search for the Holiday of your Dreams in the Thomson Holidays Sale at a price to please your pocket…

PortlandHolidays.co.uk Offer Cheap Holidays at Unbelievable Prices

Have you discovered Portland Holidays yet?We have been investigating the prices of holidays at PortlandHolidays.co.uk, and have been amazed at just how cheap they are! For example, they have superb All Inclusive Deals to Egypt for those able to take advantage of a Late All Inclusive Holiday Bargain (see Cheap Holidays – Egypt All Inclusive 5 Star Deals from £304 Per Person).

A few examples of other popular holidays from Portland are (prices are per person based on 2 sharing):

• Madeira Funchal 4T B&B (Eden Mar Suite Hotel) – 7 Nights – 3rd May – £480
• Egypt Luxor 4T+ Nile Cruise Full Board – 7 Nights – 19th May – £564
• Turkey Lara Beach 5T All Inclusive – 7 Nights – 25th May – £529

Portland Holidays Direct, to use its full name, is now part of the TUI Travel group.  Not only do they offer a hand-picked selection of holidays to ensure quality and value, but coming under the TUI Travel umbrella means that once at the resort you have the benefit of the services of their sister company, Thomson, too.

PortlandHolidays.co.uk Offer Cheap Holidays at Unbelievable Prices

PremierInn.com have more Cheap Room Deals at just £29, Including Half Term

February Half Term is fast approaching, and with the current snow falls preventing a lot of us from exploring our country why not grab a bargain £29 room from PremierInn.com for the whole family to have some fun.

In fact, Premier Inn Hotels have £29 Rooms on offer at hundreds of hotels right up until April 18 2010.  Here are the details:

• Room bookings must be made online at least 21 days in advance
• Valid for stays right up until 18 April 2010
• Stay Thursdays to Mondays, or any night of the week from 12 February to 21 February, and 26 March to 18 April inclusive
• Stay two nights or more, or just one night on a Sunday. At selected airport and motorway service station hotels book to stay just one night, any night of the week
• …and don’t forget – Not only do under 16s stay for free, two of them can enjoy a free breakfast when one adult orders a full Premier breakfast

Click the link below to go straight to the Premierinn.com website…

The Award-winning Premier Inn Hotels have a real family bias (see blog posts Premier Inn Voted Best Family Travel Facilities in 2007 and 2008) and www.PremierInn.com Offers Days Out Vouchers With Every Booking ), and there are now few people who do not immediately recognise the purple Premier Inn logo, the Everything’s Premier but the Price slogan, and the image of Lenny Henry in his bright yellow dressing gown.

Our Other Premier Inn Blog Posts and Reviews

• Premier Inn £50 Rooms – Where To Find The Cheapest Hotels
• www.PremierInn.com Offers Days Out Vouchers With Every Booking
• PremierInn.com Offers Free Days Out Vouchers and Quality Hotel Rooms from £50
• Budget Hotels – Travelodge, Premier Inn, Days Inn – Which is the Best?
• Premier Inn Voted Best Family Travel Facilities in 2007 and 2008

Virgin Sale – Virgin Atlantic Flights at Low Prices in January Sale

We are excited to announce the latest Virgin Sale – this time it’s Virgin Atlantic Flights which are being offered at some of the lowest prices we have seen for a long while. Don’t delay for too long, though – the prices are only valid until 26th January so we recommend you click on the links in this post and check out the Cheap Flight Bargains on offer this month from Virgin Atlantic. Cheap Virgin Flights – Some Examples to Whet Your Apetite Flights to New York from £299 Flights to Washington from £309 Flights to Chicago from £329 Flights to Dubai from £324 Flights to Hong Kong from £421 Flights to Mauritius from £599 Flights to Sydney from £669

You don’t have long – Book these Cheap Flights to Worldwide Destinations before the offer expires.

CLICK HERE for your Cheap Flights in Virgin Sale

I just love All Inclusive Holidays and, if you are like me, I recommend you check out the Late All Inclusive Deals from ThomasCook.co.uk.  The Thomas Cook Website is really one of my favourites when it comes to tracking down the very best Late Deals and Last Minute Holiday Bargains.

Here are just a few examples of the amazing selection of Late All Inclusive Deals on offer from ThomasCook.co.uk:

• Tunisia All Inclusive – 3 Star – 17th Jan for 7 Nights – £211 pp
• Turkey All Inclusive – 5 Star – 2nd Feb for 7 Nights – £229 pp
• Fuerteventura All Inclusive – 3 Star – 20th Jan for 7 Nights – £234 pp
• Tenerife All Inclusive – 3 Star – 15th Jan for 7 Nights – £219 pp
• Egypt All Inclusive – 5 Star – 15th Jan for 7 Nights – £405 pp
• Tunisia All Inclusive – 4 Star – 7th Feb for 7 Nights – £270 pp

The choice of Late All Inclusive Holidays from ThomasCook.co.uk is huge.
Just Click the link below to find the best Late All Inclusive Deals for a real Bargain Holiday!

Travelodge Sale of £15 Rooms! If you can’t wait for the Travelodge UK Rooms Sale of £9 Rooms which starts on 7th January, then you can grab Travelodge rooms for just £15 right now!

However, you will have to be quick, as these £15 rooms are only available until midnight on 31st December 2009.

For this Travelodge Sale of £15 Rooms:

• You can book from now until midnight on 31st December 2009.
• There are 5000 Travelodge Rooms available at just £15 per night.
• These prices are valid for stays in select UK Travelodge Hotels on specific nights from 30th December until 24th January
• These Cheap Travelodge Rooms are not refundable.

Just Click the link below to search for £15 Travelodge Hotel Deals in your favourite locations.