Logitravel Blog International

Cádiz vs. The Caribbean: Where to travel? Let’s see where it’s cheap!

2008-08-01T12:23:00Z

What do you think is cheaper? An all-in trip to the Caribbean or an all-on-your own trip to Cádiz?…

We do have the answer: Travelling to The Caribbean could be cheaper than to Cádiz. Actually, a trip to Punta Cana is cheaper than to Cádiz, thanks to the latest Caribbean holiday offers. Let's see how!

Due to the amazing growth and development low-cost flight companies are achieving, travelling is no longer a luxurious privilege beyond our grasp. Whether or not going on vacation may not be your real worry now, but choosing your destination.

When choosing for the right destination, price, for some, is all that matters. There are still travellers/people who think that the further you travel, the more you pay… Is still this prejudice really true? Let’s see an example:

Imagine you are going on vacation from the 15th to 22nd August departing from Madrid. The destinations are the aforementioned: Cádiz, a trip where the flight and accommodation expenses are paid separately, and the Caribbean, where Logitravel offers hot offers on holiday packages.

Cádiz is a city which lies on the Costa de la Luz (the western part of the Andalusia coastline that faces out to the Atlantic). It is well known for its marvellous beaches and for its party atmosphere. There are direct flights so as to arrive there from Madrid. The cheapest option found for a two-adult ticket from the 15th to 22nd August costs 278,28€.

There is a four-star hotel available on the desired date: Spa Senador Cádiz. Its price for a standard double room (just accommodation) for two adults rises to 1240€.

Having said that, a two-adult trip to Cádiz from Madrid choosing the cheapest flight option, from the 15th to 22nd August and having accommodation in a four-star hotel would cost 1518,28€ (Expenses on transportation from the airport to the hotel and vice versa and food expenses for the whole stay not included).
Imagine you spend about 40€ on a taxi going and coming from Jerez’s airport to Cádiz, as well as approximately 120€ per day on food expenses for you and your companion (840€ per the whole week). All these expenses (taxi + food) will increase considerably the travel budget: 2398,28€.

Punta Cana, however, offers better prices to suit your pocket. At Caribbean holiday offers we find an excellent option for a holiday trip to Punta Cana on the desired date. The final cost will be 2000€ all-inclusive: Direct Madrid-Punta Cana flight, double room accommodation, full board, hotel and airport transfers, travel insurance, fuel fees, and taxes. It’s a bargain!

Summing up: A trip to Cádiz would cost approximately 2398,28€ (depending on your food expenses and taxi transportation), whereas an all-in trip to Punta Cana would only cost 2000€ altogether. The Caribbean beaches are expecting us!

Although there is not a huge difference between prices, there is in the destinations: a trip to the Caribbean might be unforgettable. Its pristine blue water beaches of white sand make Punta Cana one of the world’s most famous sun-and-beach destinations.

As we have already demonstrated, distance is no longer a hitch so as to enjoy a dream holiday in an exotic destination. The prices -comparing this kind of holiday with a more traditional one- are practically the same.

Then what are you waiting for? Start looking for the best travel offers to Punta Cana now!

Don't lose your baggage! Survival and Prevention Guide

2008-07-28T08:04:00Z

It’s time to pack your bags and go on holiday! ... But before doing so, read this article to know the things you have to take into account.

At this very moment, many people are making endless lists of things they want to take on holiday. Still, when traveling by plane, it might be better to keep it short since the most frequent complaints are those related to delayed or lost luggage. Indeed, these represent 20% of the total amount of complaints made by passengers.

Nowadays, the most important regulation when it comes to passengers’ rights and especially, delayed and lost luggage, is the Montreal Convention of 1999. According to it, “mishandled” baggage is deemed lost after 21 days and the largest sum of money an airline company may have to pay is 1000 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) whose exchange rate fluctuates. Currently, it approximately amounts to €1,030, $1,630 or ₤820.

During 2007 in the UK, insurance companies had to pay £35 millions for 430,000 complaints related to lost luggage.

A few pieces of advice before flying

To minimize the impact in the case of delayed or lost luggage, you’d better follow the next few lines:

Try to put your most important and valuable belongings in your hand-luggage (laptop, medicines, jewels, …).
Avoid taking things whose value you cannot prove. Should your suitcases be lost, you will have to prove the value of the items it contained to be refunded, which is very difficult not to say almost impossible: indeed, you’ll have to provide receipts for all the items and personal effects contained on the suitcase. Since it is pretty difficult to do so, the easiest thing to do is to only take belongings and items for which you still have a receipt or a proof of payment (from the credit card for example).
Make a list of all the items you put in your luggage. You can even take a picture of them as well as of the suitcase to facilitate its identification.
Read the policy of the airline you travel with in order to know what they cover in case of loss. Note that jewels, computers and other electronic devices are generally not covered.

What to do if your luggage is lost?

If for any reason your luggage goes missing, i.e. it doesn’t arrive at the airport at the same time as you, you should:

Go to the check-in desk of the airline in the arrival lounge of the airport as soon as possible. There, they should be able to tell you if your luggage is only “delayed” or if they don’t find any signs of it in their system, meaning it’s potentially “lost”.
Even if you’re told that your luggage has only been delayed and is due to arrive with the next flight, you should fill in the Passenger Irregularity Report (P.I.R.). Keep a copy of all the forms and documents you fill in as well as the name of the person who deals with your case (you can also send a complaint letter to the airline, which won’t prevent you from exercising other juridical or administrative actions later).
Ask for a contact or phone number in order to be able to follow the progress of the search.
Leave a phone number or address of contact where your luggage could be delivered if found.
Keep all the travel documents such as the bills and receipts of the expenses which are directly related to the incident.
If this occurs while you’re abroad for holiday or for professional reasons, you can explain your case since most airlines allow their employees to refund basic or emergency purchase passengers have to make in these kind of situations.

On the other hand, you can also visit the airlines’ websites: most of them have an automated baggage tracing and management system such as WorldTracer, which enables one to follow the progress of the search for delayed or lost luggage.

Note that only 1% of the luggage remain lost after 60 days and most of it is found within the first 24-48 hours.

The worst airports in baggage handling

When traveling by plane, be careful with your lugagge, especially in some airports: Philadelphia, in the United States, and in Heathrow, in London, are the airports which are listed as having the highest number of missing luggage.

At the end of 2006, beginning of 2007, some problems concerning passengers’ luggage took place at Heathrow. Amongst others, the reasons for these troubles were the establishment of new security norms and regulations, the opening of a new terminal, and on top of all this, the breakdown of a conveyor belt, resulting in thousands bags and suitcases being stranded in the terminal until their owners came to pick them up.

What about the airlines?

When it comes to airlines, US Airways has the highest percentage of missing luggage in the United States with almost 10 complaints out of 1000 passengers. The US Department of Transportation reports that more than 40% of the overall complaint figure has to do with missing baggage and inolves US Airways. The latter loses around 3,000-4,000 suitcases and bags everyday in Philadelphia.

In Europe, British Airways is the second worst company with 26.5 pieces of luggage going missing for every 1000 passengers in 2007. Still the “winner” in the list is TAP Air Portugal with 27.8 missing suitcases for every 1000 passengers. The average figure reported by the Association of European Airlines (AEA) is of 16.6 which represent a 0.9% general rise in lost luggage as compared to 2006.

On the other hand, the best airlines, when it comes to baggage management are Turkish Airlines and Air Malta.

In the following table, you can find the rank of every company pertaining to the Association of European Airlines in 2007. Note that no information can be found about Ryanair in this table but on their website, the company allege that the number of lost suitcases is lower than 1 for every 1000 passengers. The AEA asserts that there is no reason to doubt the liability of the information.

Rank (by number of bags missing)	Carrier	Number of passengers enplaned	Number of bags delayed per 1000 passengers
1	TAP Air Portugal	8.250.411	27.8
2	British Airways	43.064.346	26.5
3=	KLM	23.466.307	19.7
3=	Alitalia	25.870.381	19.7
5	Air France	56.889.596	17.6
6	Luxair	558.175	17.2
7	BMI	5.229.520	17.0
8=	Finnair	8.082.359	15.8
8=	Lufthansa	57.175.335	15.8
10	Spanair	11.012.86	15.4
11	SAS Scandinavian	28.164.735	14.8
12	LOT Polish Airlines	4.376.246	13.9
13	Iberia	33.080.998	13.8
14	Austrian	11.118.649	12.9
15	CSA Czech Airlines	5.582.626	12.4
16	SN Brussels Airlines	3.830.985	11.7
17	Swiss International Airlines	12.874.922	11.4
18	Icelandair	1.325.396	11.1
19	Air One	7.047.942	9.9
20	Adria Airways	1.126.773	9.8
21=	Malev Hungarian Airlines	3.384.996	9.5
21=	Tarom Romanian Airlines	1.026.803	9.5
23	Croatia Airlines	1.710.571	9.3
24	Cyprus Airways	1.132.087	8.8
25=	Air Malta	2.107.206	4.5
25=	Turkish Airlines	19.811.287	4.5
	All AEA	377.301.582	16.6

On the other hand, if you lose your suitcase and don’t claim it, the airlines are obliged to keep it for 3 months. After 90 days, they have the right to sell it. There are shops such as UnclaimedBaggageCenter, in the United States, or auctioneers who buy the suitcases nobody has claimed in Heathrow or Gatwick to sell them every week in Toothing, South London.

After reading this, we hope you’ll keep in mind our comments and pieces of advice and we wish you a pleasant flight.

Complete Guide to Speed Limits and Speeding Fines for Europe

2008-06-04T08:08:00Z

Renting a car when you’re on a holiday can be a blessing or it can be a complete pain. As if it wasn’t hard enough trying to remember that you’re driving on the wrong side of the road, there are plenty of other traffic regulations, rules, and penalties that you have to familiarize yourself with so you don’t end up paying through the nose or worse, in jail.

For example, you can be fined from 50 euros in Belgium for speeding up to 10 km/h to 1500 euros in France for speeding by more than 50 km/h. Note that in this case the fine can bring about a suspension of the driving licence, a suspension which could last up to three years, as well as a three-month imprisonment penalty. Here are some handy guidelines for you to make your life easier:

Speed Limits

Speed limits vary according to road size:

In cities or built-up areas the speed limit is usually of 50 km/h
In other roads outside built-up areas the speed limit can vary from 64 km/h to 110 km/h according to the country.
In motorways the speed limit starts from 90 km/h and in Germany, for example, there is no speed limit, but it is advised to don’t go beyond 130 km/h.

To have a comprehensive guide to the speed limits for each type of road in different European countries, you can see the complete speed limit in Europe table at the end of this article.

Fines and Penalties!

So, what happens if you go beyond the speed limits? In this case, you’ll have to pay a fine which can also be associated to a penalty. These depend on the country where the offence has been committed as well as on the speeding regulations established for each zone. The fines and penalties differ a lot according to each country and there are countries with low, medium or high strictness, as you can see as follows:

Low-strictness countries: “don’t speed too much”

In these countries, penalties are not too severe, whether they consist of fines, point sanctions… In Poland, for example, the highest fine you can get is of about 147 euros, in Ireland, speeding costs you 80 euros and two points from your driving licence while in Greece, you can pay up to 350 euros.

Medium-strictness countries: “think twice before accelerating”

In most of the European countries, the sanction level is ‘medium’. In Belgium, for example, speeding fines amount to 50 euros to which you can add 10 or 5 euros – depending on the zone – for each extra km/h beyond the limit, while in Italy, you can be fined up to 1,433 euros for going over the limit by more than 40 km/h. In Germany, on the other hand, even though there is no speed limit on motorways, you can be disqualified to drive for up to 3 months for speeding over 70 km/h on other roads.

High-strictness countries: “why don’t you go by bus?”

Be careful in these countries: fines are extremely severe like in France where, if you go over the limit by more than 50 km/h, the fine will amount to 1500 euros while 6 points will be withdrawn from your licence, you will be disqualified for up to 3 years… and might even be put to jail for up to three months!

Still, the most severe country when it comes to traffic offences and particularly, to speeding, is Finland where there is no upper limit to the amount of the fines. As a matter of fact, they not only depend on the severity of the offence but also on the driver’s net income! Remember the Nokia Multimedia Director, Anssi Vanjokki who, in 2002, had to pay the highest fine in history: 116,000 euros for going over the speed limit by 25 km/h on his Harley Davidson!

How to compare the penalties with those from Spain?

In Spain, like in Germany, France, Italy, Ireland and the United Kingdom, there also exists a point-withdrawal system with the possibility of having your licence removed. However, in Spain the fines and sanctions for speeding are not as severe as, say, in France where you can even go to jail, or in Finland, where there is no upper limit to the amount of the fine.

However, to some people this leniency is not appreciated as you will see in this video where, illegally, vandals choose to remove the speed cameras and thus ensure that they are not caught on the speed camera!

At the end of this article, you can find a grid with the fines and penalties for speeding in the various European countries. We have also added a table with the sanctions in Spain to enable you to compare them and to always bear them in mind during your Spanish "circuitos" (tours in Spanish)!

Speed limit in Europe

Speed limit in Europe (in Km/h) *
Country	In cities or built-up areas	Other roads outside built-up areas	Motorways
Austria	50	100	130
Belgium	50	90	90 / 120
Denmark	50	80	110
Finland	50	80 / 100	120
France	50	90 / 110	130
Germany	50	100	No speed limit. Still, it advisable not to go beyond 130 km/h
Greece	50	110	120
Holland	50	80	100 / 120
Hungary	50	90 / 110	130
Ireland	50	80	100 / 120
Italy	50	90	130
Poland	60	90	130
Portugal	50	90	120
Spain	50	90	120
Sweden	50	90	110
United Kingdom	30 mph (48 km/h)	40 mph (64 km/h)	60 mph (97 km/h) / 70 mph (113 km/h)

Penalties for each speed limit in Europe

Penalties for each speed limit in Europe, exceeding up to 40 km/h *

Country

Zone

Up to 10 km/h

From 11 to 15 km/h

From 16 to 20 km/h

From 21 to 25 km/h

From 26 to 30 km/h

From 31 to 35 km/h

From 36 to 40 km/h

Poland

All

Up to 50 zl (14.75 Euro)

From 50 to 100 zl (from 14.75 to 29.53 Euro)

From 100 to 200 zl (from 29.53 Euro to 59.06 Euro)

From 200 to 300 zl (from 59.06 to 88.51 Euro)

Ireland

All

80 Euros & 2-point withdrawal

Belgium

Cities & built-up areas

50€

50€ + 10€ for each supplementary km/h

Court remission

Other roads

50€ + 5€ for each extra km/h

Italy

Minimum

€ 35,00

€ 143,00

Maximum

€ 143,00

€ 573,00
& 2-point withdrawal

Germany

Cities & built-up areas

15 €

25 €

35 €

50 €

60 €

100 €, 3-point withdrawal & 1-month suspension

Other roads outside built-up areas

20 €

30 €

40 €
& 1-point withdrawal

50 €
& 3-point withdrawal

75 € & 3-point withdrawal

Motorways

There is no speed limit on motorways

Portugal

Cities & built-up areas

From 60 to 300 €

From 120 to 600 €

Other roads outside built-up areas

From 60 to 300 €

Motorways

United Kingdom

All

Fine of £44 + £30 cost & 3-point withdrawal

Fine of £45-£100 + £30 cost & 4-point withdrawal

Sweden

Limit from 30 to 50 km/h

2000 kr (214.82 €)

2400 kr (257.82 €)

2800 kr (300.78 Euro)

3200 kr (343.74 Euro)

3600 kr (386.71 Euro)

4000 kr (429.63 Euro)

Limit from 70, 90, 110 to 120 km/h

1500 kr (161.11 €)

2000 kr (214.82 Euro)

2400 kr (257.82 Euro)

2800 kr (300.78 Euro)

3200 kr (343.74 Euro)

3600 kr (386.71 Euro)

4000 kr (429.63 Euro)

France

Limit up to 50 km/h

135 €, 1-point withdrawal & licence suspension if decided by the judge

135 €, 2-point withdrawal & licence suspension if decided by the judge

135 €, 3-point withdrawal & 3-year suspension (the judge decides on the sanction he deems appropriate)

Limit more than 50 km/h

68 €, 1-point withdrawal & licence suspension if decided by the judge

Holland

Cities & built-up areas

30 €

45 €

70 €

100 €

125 €

205 €

240 €

Motorways

30 €

45 €

55 €

90 €

115 €

145 €

170 €

Zones under construction

55 €

90 €

115 €

145 €

170 €

225 €

255 €

Denmark

All

Traffic fines are calculated according to the net income of the one who committed the offence.

Finland

All

Traffic fines generally are based on two factors: the severity of the offence and the driver’s wage. In fact, fines are proportional to the net income. The minimum amount of money one can pay is 130 euros but there is no maximum when it comes to fines. If you go over the speed limit by less than 12 mph (19,3 km/h), the fixed amount ranges from $63 to $110.
On the other hand, if you go over it by more than 12 mph (19,3 km/h), the amount of the fine is calculated as follows: the monthly net income is reduced by 1,500 Finnish marks (€250) and the total is divided by 60: this figure represents the person’s daily disposable income and by multiplying it by a number ranging between 1 and 120 (depending on the severity of the offence), you can find out the fine amount.

Penalties for each speed limit in Europe, exceeding more than 40 km/h *

Country

Zone

From 41 to 45 km/h

From 46 to 50 km/h

From 51 km/h to 55 km/h

From 56 km/h to 60 km/h

From 61 km/h to 65 km/h

From 66 km/h to 70 km/h

From 71 km/h to 80 km/h

More than 80 km/h

Poland

All

From 300 to 400 zl (from 88.51 to 118.12 Euro)

From 400 to 500 zl (from 118.12 to 147.62 Euro)

Ireland

All

80 Euros & 2-point withdrawal

Belgium

Cities & built-up areas

Court remission

Other roads

Italy

Minimum

357,00 €

Maximum

1.433,00 € & 10-point withdrawal from licence

Germany

Cities & built-up areas

125 €, 3-point withdrawal & 1-month suspension

175 €, 4-point withdrawal & 2-month suspension

300 € , 4-point withdrawal & 3-month suspension

425 € , 4-point withdrawal & 3-month suspension

Other roads outside built-up areas

100 €, 3-point withdrawal & 1-month suspension

150 €, 4-point withdrawal & 1-month suspension

275 €, 4-point withdrawal & 2-month suspension

375 €, 4-point withdrawal & 3-month suspension

Motorways

There is no speed limit on motorways

Portugal

Cities & built-up areas

From 300 to 1500 €

From 500 to 2500 €

Other roads outside built-up areas

From 120 to 600 €

From 300 to 1500 €

From 500 to 2500 €

Motorways

From 120 to 600 €

240 to 1200 with driving disqualification

United Kingdom

All

Fine of £45-£200 + £30 cost & 5 to 6-point withdrawal

Fine of £67-£300 + £30 cost &1 to 12-month driving disqualification

Sweden

Limit from 30 to 50 km/h

Limit from 70, 90, 110 to 120 km/h

4000 kr (429.63 Euro)

France

Limit up to 50 km/h

135 €, 4-point withdrawal & 3-year suspension (the judge decides on the sanction he deems appropriate)

1500 €, 6-point withdrawal & 3-year suspension (the judge decides on the sanction he deems appropriate) In case of second or third offence, € 3750 fine, 6-point withdrawal, 3-year suspension & 3-month imprisonment(the judge decides on the sanction he deems appropriate)

Limit more than 50 km/h

Holland

Cities & built-up areas

270 €

300 €

365 €

420 €

465 €

520 €

Court remission

Motorways

270 €

300 €

365 €

420 €

465 €

520 €

Zones under construction

280 €

325 €

390 €

455 €

520 €

550 €

Denmark

All

Traffic fines are calculated according to the net income of the one who committed the offence.

Finland

All

Traffic fines generally are based on two factors: the severity of the offence and the driver’s wage. In fact, fines are proportional to the net income. The minimum amount of money one can pay is 130 euros but there is no maximum when it comes to fines. If you go over the speed limit by less than 12 mph (19,3 km/h), the fixed amount ranges from $63 to $110. On the other hand, if you go over it by more than 12 mph (19,3 km/h), the amount of the fine is calculated as follows: the monthly net income is reduced by 1,500 Finnish marks (€250) and the total is divided by 60: this figure represents the person’s daily disposable income and by multiplying it by a number ranging between 1 and 120 (depending on the severity of the offence), you can find out the fine amount.

Penalties for each speed limit in Spain

Speed Limit Penalties in Spain (km/h) *
Speed limit (km/h)	30	40	50	60	70	80	90	100	110	120	Fines/sanctions
Up to	38	50	61	72	84	95	106	117	129	140	Without sanction
From/to	39 49	51 61	62 72	73 83	85 98	96 110	107 123	118 136	130 150	141 163	140 euros
	50 60	62 72	73 83	84 94	99 111	111 125	124 140	137 155	151 171	164 186	200 euros
	61 71	73 83	84 94	95 105	112 123	126 139	141 156	156 173	172 190	187 207	300 euros & 1-month licence suspension
	72 82	84 94	95 105	106 116	124 137	140 154	157 173	174 192	191 211	208 230	380 euros & 1-month licence suspension
	83 93	95 105	106 116	117 127	138 151	155 169	174 190	193 211	212 232	231 253	450 euros & 1-month licence suspension
From	94	106	117	128	152	170	191	212	233	254	520 euros & 1-month licence suspension
To these penalties you should add the points withdrawal system: 2 Points: For exceeding between 21 and 30km/h from the limit. 3 Points: For exceeding between 31 and 40km/h from the limit. 4 Points: For exceeding more than 40km/h from the limit, always that it is not more than 50%. 6 Points: For speeding more than 50% from the limit. Plus, it is considered an offense to exceed more than 110 km/h in cities & built-up areas, 180 km/h on other roads outside built-up areas and 200 km/h in motorways.

* Disclaimer: The data about speeding regulations and penalizations that appear in this post are designed to be informative and are subject to change by any of the official departments. In any case they should not be taken as an official data. For more information, you should visit each relevant country's official website.