". . .life is short and the world is wide" -Simon Raven

I thought I would dedicate a small section of my blog to working holidaymakers in London who want to make quick (or extended) getaways to Europe. There are some great deals around at the moment, so if you're longing for mediterranean skies or craving a cafe au lait, you might find these links helpful:

www.ryanair.com - great for cheap as chips flights, but they only fly to and from regional destinations (ie usually about an hour out of the nearest major city), so do some research in to where you're flying if you only have a limited amount of time (there are always shuttles to the nearest major city available). They also have a site for cheap deals on hotels at www.ryanairhotels.com

Another helpful site is http://www.skyscanner.net which is a flight search engine where you can compare available flights from different carriers.

Pining for Paris? If you've got a bit more to spend, the Eurostar is a quick, easy and comfortable way to whisk you directly to the heart of the city of lurve... www.eurostar.com At the moment they have 'City Break' deals from £77pp. I did it in January, and it was amazing!

In the past, I've picked up great deals from www.lastminute.com like cheap hotels, flights etc. It's worth a look if you're feeling spontaneous (or if someone forgot to book accommodation).

If a bus full of young antipodeans fuelled by excitement, hormones and alcohol is your thing, I've heard good things about Busabout from other travellers here (http://www.busabout.co.uk) You get to go at your own pace and prices for a two week pass start at £259.

Staying in London?

There's still plenty of excitement to be had. While checking out www.visitlondon.com I found it's a really good site for what's on around town, including a section dedicated to free stuff! I'm very excited about the Oxford Street 'Dress to Impress' festival next weekend, touted as being 'the high street fashion event of the year'. For the first time in history the street will be closed off to traffic, so if I get completely overwhelmed by the 'shopping celebration' and performance by Charlotte Church (joy), I can always park in the middle of a main street in London for a nap...