Thursday, 26 September 2013

How to Find the Perfect Half Term Holiday Deals

With summer long gone, October half term is the last chance for tour operators and hotels to gain business before winter fully sets in and everyone begins the big Christmas countdown. This means that empty seats and beds need to be filled quickly, and much to the shoppers advantage; this also means heavy discounts.
Sportsdirect.com, one of the UK’s biggest luggage retailers, has put together a guide to help shoppers get savvy and grab those half term bargains.
Be prepared to book last minute. Booking a holiday last minute can certainly save on the pounds.  Most travel companies drop the prices and offer hotel/flight deals to fill seats and rooms.
Book mid-week! According to research done by farecompare.com, the best time to book a holiday is on a Tuesday, not only will deals be readily available, but it can help beat those Monday blues  too! Research also shows that the cheapest day and time to fly is a Wednesday morning.
Avoid the weekend! For both flying and booking, weekends are when tour operators and hotels are the most busy. Good deals will be pulled on a Thursday ready for peak sales across the weekend, so get in before the crowds.
Opt for a 5 day getaway. Weekends are the most expensive time to fly, waiting a while then opting for a 5 day holiday at half term is an ideal way to help cut costs (this also gives the kids plenty of time to recover in time for school on Monday!)
With a majority of airlines, all passengers are allocated 10kg of hand luggage and the option to pay for more baggage.
Pack sensibly. Packing minimal and efficiently with hand luggage can avoid extra charges for baggage not necessarily required. Only take essentials.
Get suitcase savvy. Travelling as a group? Pack everything into as few cases as possible to avoid charges for everyone in the party.
As October half term approaches, both travel agents and consumers will see a flurry of last minute deals. Taking the time to search wisely and assess all options will always guarantee the best deal possible, there is less demand now that peak season is over, so travel agents are constantly enticing consumers with deals!
Already planning a half term trip? Log on to www.sportsdirect.com/accessories/luggage-and-suitcases for a huge selection of discounted suitcases, luggage and travel essentials.

Friday, 20 September 2013

More people are keen to have ‘Real Models’

The Equality Minister, Jo Swinson, started the ‘Campaign for Body Confidence’ back in 2010 to raise awareness of body image issues, tackle the causes and encourage diversity. In recent weeks she has stepped up this campaign and has called for high street stores to have more plus size and petite mannequins. The average dress size in Britain is claimed to be size 16 and Debenhams were praised, by Swinson, for their willingness to create mannequins in this size and promote a more realistic size.
The high street wasn’t the only problem area for promoting negative body image and so SportsDirect.com take a look at how ‘real models’ are being encouraged.
In 2012, the size 0 debates took to the press and the outcome saw models condemned for being scarily thin. Yet today television and magazines praise women for being slim and draw media attention to any weight gain. With the average woman said to be size 16, this is unrealistic and it has been associated with creating low self esteem amongst their readers and viewers.
Celebrities like Gemma Collins and Coleen McLoughlin have backed the Swinson’s campaign to love your curves and are fighting back against this poor body image.
Coleen McLoughlin filmed a television show in which she found real women on the street and after some slight preening, she showcased them to different brands as plus size models. Campaigns like this have had an effect and in recent months, H&M used plus size models to showcase their swimwear collection. The majority of people responded positively to this effort and it goes to show more people are keen to have ‘real models’.
More plus size collections are being introduced on the high street, making it easier for people to accept their size and dress in fashion that shows off their body shape. SportsDirect.com have released their own plus size clothing range, using the same on-trend clothes from their existing fashion outlet but making them bigger to suit normal people. Love your body and embrace your curves by checking out http://www.sportsdirect.com/Pages/plusladies for great fashion in encouraging sizes.