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Spring savings offered by easyJet

Easyjet-franceREDUCTIONS of up to 25 per cent are being promoted by easyJet on all tickets, and the savings apply to travel during half-term and the Easter holidays.

The offer, which applies to flights departing between February 4 and July 15 2009, is available on 16 million seats, but tickets have to be booked by February 3, 2009.

Earlier this month easyJet announced the launch of a number of new routes operating out of both the UK and France.

Busy half-term expected at Dover

Port of DoverPASSENGER traffic through the Port of Dover is expected to be higher than usual during the school half-term holiday break.

For many schools the half-term week starts on February 14, and last year the number of cars rose to nearly 7,500 on the first Saturday of the break, compared with around 5,600 the previous Saturday.

Passenger numbers on the same day increased from 37,000 to 54,000 and the number of coaches through the port rose from 350 to 570.

Kate O’Hara, of the Port of Dover, said: "The ferry operators are expecting a busy period, with many bookings already made, and it’s wise to make reservations for crossings at peak times."

For real time information about services check out the travel report web page.

Get on your bike for Medecins du Monde

Medecins-monde
MEDECINS du Monde UK is looking for adventurous cyclists to sign up for its third London to Paris bike ride which sets off in July.

The three day expedition begins in the heart of London where bikers will set off through the bustling streets of the capital into the leafy suburbs to the relatively traffic free roads of Newhaven. From there the team will travel by ferry to Dieppe.

More on: Get on your bike for Medecins du Monde

Strike aftermath and news round up

THE press has been dominated over the past couple of days by the strikes that took place across France on Thursday.

And whilst unions said around two million people joined protests, the jeudi noir many expected didn't really take place.

More on: Strike aftermath and news round up

Thanks to site advertisers

A SPECIAL thank you to those people who have chosen to advertise on the site and see themselves up there in the top right hand corner.

Welcome to So Cheesie, a new arrival to the site, Kristi has been a long standing supporter of the site promoting her creative workshops, Phil of Perigord Vacance has a wine offer for guests, Gregor of property firm Zorro Immo is keen to help and the France Property Shop, have made available a search box so that you can start your hunt for a place in France direst from the page.

Offline Gmail to tackle flaky web connection


I KNOW quite a few readers use Google's Gmail as their email service, but one of the problems with it is that you have to be connected to the internet to work in it.

And whilst the French countryside has many plus points, a stable internet connection is not one of them, something that was highlighted this past weekend with the storms in the south west.

More on: Offline Gmail to tackle flaky web connection

Check validity of European Health Insurance Card

Ehic-franceTRAVELLERS to France are being advised to check their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) expiry date to avoid having to pay out unnecessarily for medical costs that could be covered by a valid card.

The Department of Health is urging Brits to check their EHIC expiry date and take out adequate travel insurance to avoid putting their health at risk and getting into financial trouble when abroad.

More on: Check validity of European Health Insurance Card

Curry in France? Just add hot water

IF there is one thing that most Brits in France miss it's a hot 'n' spicy curry on a bed of fluffy white rice.

When Lee Aston, who was originally from Coventry and now lives with his French wife in Normandy, helped a family member build a website he was thanked with a box of packet curries.

Then as his friends, both British and French, took a liking to the curries an idea grew and he realised that there was a demand for everything from a mild tikka masala to a fiery vindaloo.

Here Lee chats about how he started his business and the setting up of PacketCurry.com

Robert Louis Stevenson group on Flickr

Stevenson-flickrONE of the most intriguing literary tales about France has to be Robert Louis Stevenson's trek around the Cévennes accompanied by a donkey.

His Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes tells of his 12 day hike around the region, which has now spawned a tourist trail and regular celebrations of his work.

Lesley Graham, who is originally from Scotland but now lives near Bordeaux, is a fan of Robert Louis Stevenson and has put together a Flickr group for people to share their photographs about the author.

Lesley has been busy searching through Flickr for images and there are already a number featuring points on the walk through the Cévennes, so if you have a few of your own I'm sure you'll be welcomed with open arms.

Day of strike action in France

France-strikeTHINGS are not looking good if you want to travel to work or take the kids to school on Thursday (January 29).

Many of the major unions, including the CGT, have announced a national day of strike action that is set to see buses, trains and many public services grind to a halt.

Workers in local transport in most towns and cities will be on strike, while around 70 per cent of teachers are expected to stop work on Thursday.

The Yahoo! France strike news page is being constantly updated, rail problems will be published on the Infolignes site and the strike even gets its own website at 29janvier2009.fr.

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