Top Ten 2013 Summer Holiday Trends

Summer is starting to make its presence felt in the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in thousands of travel plans being dreamed up and made. We take a look at these Top Ten 2013 summer trends and how they will affect your plans, jazz up your holiday and improve your trip.

10. Airport Security

Getting on a jet-plane and flying off is made dramatically less exciting by having to do the airport security dance. If you’ve ever travelled by plane, you’ll know it. The coat-off, unlace/unbuckle shoe, whip-off-belt jiggle, which is then followed by the shuffle through and scramble to put it all back on. If you’re really lucky, you’ll set the detector off and have to add the full body feel up to the routine. However, now there is a way to escape having to even take you laptop out of its bag: join the TSA precheck club and frustrating security checks will become a thing of the past.

9. Luxury Contiki, without the price tag

Luxury and cheap and two very contrasting adjectives, but they go hand in hand when it comes to booking a luxury Contiki holiday this summer. Various Contiki tour operators, such as Abercrombie and Kent, have broadened their offering of activities and lodgings, so as to attract a wider range of travellers. This means you can taste the high-life, without forking out large sums of money. Just be aware that some tour operators will increase the size of the groups to lower the costs. For some, this just means more people to socialise with, but for other is can be a crowded nightmare. Make sure you check the max group capacity before you book if this is a concern.

8. Smartphone = Smart Traveller

Carrying fiddly bits of paper in the form of boarding passes and tickets is fast becoming a thing of the past. Especially with apps such as Passbook which is not free and ready to download, but comes standard with ios6. Passbook allows you to store your tickets for everything; from your boarding pass to your travel insurance to hotel bookings.

7. Online booking

Gone are the days when you needed someone else to book your flights and plan your trip. Online booking has been around for ages, but more and more people are relying on this method to not only get where they are going, but also ensure they get the best possible prices while doing so. And booking sites are encouraging this. There are a variety of accommodation and flight sites, such as Expedia.com and Travelocity.com, which allow travellers to find the best deals possible. These sites are not just promoting the cheap and nasty, but actual world-class airlines and hotels. You can also book your own travel insurance and rentals online, and usually for much less than what the travel agent is offering you.

6. House Swap

Accommodation can often take up a large portion of your holiday budget, and for some, staying in hotels even detracts from their holiday. So what to do? Well, just as Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet did in The Holiday, you can try a house swap.  It’s simple. You register on one of many house swap sites such as Lovehomeswap.com or homeswapper.co.uk, get vetted and then get choosing. You can find houses to swap locally and internationally, depending on your location. Just remember, while you may be living in a a wonderful new home for a week or two, a stranger will be living in yours.

5. Lying on the beach

According to Orbitz.com, three quarters of the US population is heading to the beach this summer, and Europe seems set to follow suit. The question is; which beach is everyone heading to? The Travel Channel seems to think its Australia’s Gold Coast. Famous for its perfect surf conditions, golden sands and warm water, the Gold Coast offers a variety of beaches for you to see, and be seen at. The most popular is Kirra Beach – so popular you’ll have to get there super-early to snag a spot, but you’ll only want to leave just after sunset.
Long-layovers and lengthy cramped flights can make travelling absolutely miserable, and unless you have cash to spare for an airport hotel, the best thing you can do is hope you’ll find a quiet corner in which you can doze. Or at least that’s what you had to do. Not anymore, at least not in Abu Dhabi’s International Airport. An introduction of sleeping pods will give you the full private-bed experience for as little as eight British Pounds an hour. Giving you the chance you need to shake off that jet lag and arrive at your destination refreshed and ready to start your vacation.

4. Sailing the Seven Seas

Cruising has always been popular, and why shouldn't it be? You get the full ride when stepping onto a cruise ship – comfortable to luxury accommodation, five-star dining, and world class entertainment. So why has there been a sudden burst of increased interest? Well it’s not really the actual cruise ships that are attracting all the attention, but rather where they are sailing to. The Western world has been thoroughly saturated with cruise ships, so now they are moving East. This means the chance to taste new cultures and explore different cities is easier than ever before. Liners cruising to the far end of the world include P&O, Crystal Cruises, and HollandAmerica.

3. Pop-up hotels

Festivals, retreats and random fields this summer are going to be able to offer you so much more in terms of accommodation. Pop-up hotels, in simple terms, are various forms of accommodation that can be set up practically anywhere and offer a full luxury hotel service. This idea has become very popular at festivals events around the UK. Glamping, which is luxury camping, has been taken to a whole new level at these events, and you know don’t only get the hotel-like surroundings but also the service that goes along with it. Or you can opt to stay in stacked hotel like the ones offered by snoozebox.com. You’ll have four solid walls, a full hotel service and a truly unique experience as no pop-up hotel is ever the same.

2. Self - Tours

Group tours can be great, you don’t have to organise anything, or consult chunky guidebooks to know what exactly it is you’re gazing at in awe. The problem is, they cost dollar and are limited to certain attractions. Enter the new almost-hands-free self-tour. Depending on the city you’re in, you can download a guide that uses geo-locators to pick up where you are and what attractions are surrounding you, playing audio information as you approach them. The best thing about these guides is that once they’re downloaded onto your smart phone they no longer need to use data and works completely off-line.  Download our Hummba City Guides today on Google Play and at the Apple app store.

 1. Sleeping Pods

Long-layovers and lengthy cramped flights can make travelling absolutely miserable, and unless you have cash to spare for an airport hotel, the best thing you can do is hope you’ll find a quiet corner in which you can doze. Or at least that’s what you had to do. Not anymore, at least not in Abu Dhabi’s International Airport. An introduction of sleeping pods will give you the full private-bed experience for as little as eight British Pounds an hour. Giving you the chance you need to shake off that jet lag and arrive at your destination refreshed and ready to start your vacation.

Hummba’s Top Apps for the London Olympics

The London 2012 Olympics unofficially kicked off last week, with the women’s football event playing out in front of a 25-thousand strong crowd at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The Games only officially opened however on Friday, with a Danny Boyle spectacular. A fitting tribute to Britain’s biggest ever sporting event, wouldn’t you say? But with the excitement of the opening ceremony now over, what else is there to do in London besides watch 204 nations compete in the Games over the next two weeks?

Here at Hummba we’re firm believers in the versatility of mobile apps, and that’s why we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite apps, just to make your life a little bit easier while you’re in London. Let’s get to it...

XE Currency Converter:
Probably the best currency converter available at the moment; it’s free and it’s incredibly easy to use. Available on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows mobile devices, the XE Currency Converter certainly covers all the bases. It uses live exchange rates and will help you keep track of your money while you’re in London.

JiWire WiFi Finder:
If there’s one thing you can be assured of when you travel to another country, it’s that roaming data charges will cost you an arm and a leg. Enter JiWire’s Wi-Fi Finder. This Wi-Fi registry features nearly 800,000 locations all over the world where you can get your mobile device online free of charge. More than 180,000 of these are in the United Kingdom, so if you’re looking to save a few ‘Bob’ on data charges while you’re in London, then get the app and head for the nearest hotspot.

Tube Map:
London has one of the best public transport networks in the world, but it can all get pretty confusing if you’re new to the city. Download Tube Map onto your iPhone or Android and you’ll be cruising the Underground like a local in no time at all.

Hummba:
Let’s face it, London’s a pretty big place, and finding your way around can be quite a daunting task. That’s where we come in. Hummba has a comprehensive London City Guide that uses your mobile’s GPS location to point you in the right direction. The guide features hours of detailed audio content about hundreds of tourist attractions, restaurants and accommodation facilities in London. If you’re looking for something to do other than watch the Games, then download Hummba and explore the city to the fullest.

London 2012 Olympics official guide:
Last but not least, the official apps of London 2012 are also well worth a look. You can join in and share your experience at the Games, follow the latest results, or keep the kids busy with the London 2012 game.

So there you have it, Hummba’s top apps to have during the London Olympics. Let us know what you think of any of these apps in the comments below, or feel free to make some suggestions of your own. What apps can’t you live without when you’re on holiday?

Enjoy the Games, and happy travels!