'COFFIN LIKE' JAPANESE CAPSULE HOTEL

Capsule hotels are extremely popular in Japan and are sometimes known as coffin hotels due to the space available and the way the rooms are designed and stacked on top of each other.

They tend to remind me of an animal home where they keep abandoned cats and dogs, apart from there are no metal cage fronts.
Each room has a single bed and in general the basic amenities are a TV, electronic device and a wireless Internet connection. There is also a roller blind that can be put down for privacy.
You have to check in using a ticket vending machine and luggage is stored in a locker. With the lack of en-suite facilities the washrooms are communal. Some of these hotels have a restaurant in house and where not snack vending machines are available.

An electronic device housing an alarm clock, radio, light on/off switch, volume control knob and a panic button.

You could be in a room from 50-700 capsules and strangely the rooms are usually only offered to men for security reasons apparently. However sometimes they do offer this type of accommodation to women.
The type of people that stay in these hotels are those from a night out or people needing temporary accommodation for a month or so. As well as the occasional tourists too I'm sure.
This hotel pictured is called Asakusa in Tokyo. I think I would feel like I was in Prison if I stayed there. Would you try it out if you had the chance?

IMPORTANT CAR ACCESSORY: Air Filters

As with most things cars will break down or something will need upgrading or replacing at some point or another.

The same goes for your air filters really. If your not familiar with what a filter is used for, it's actually regarded as one of the important parts of your car to ensure the best performance.

Filters can carry your oil, fuel and clean air. If these get clogged, damaged or worn down it reduces how efficiently your car works. Unfortunately though they don't last forever and will need to replaced at some point. Whether this is after a certain time you have had the car for or when you have done so many miles (usually about 15000) or at least checked at that point to make sure everything is still O.K.

You can find out more about air filters as well as purchase them from the CARiD website.

The company have been trading since 2003 and stock all different kinds of car and truck accessories as well as the filters that are for styling, customising or performance.

There are dash kits, body kits, custom gauges, licence plates, HID kits and alot more. It's worth having a look around anyway just to find out what each car device is and how it works.

SURVEY REVEALS OVERWEIGHT AIR PASSENGERS TO PAY MORE

A recent survey carried out by Travel Spec showed that 75% of Men and 68% of women believed that overweight people should pay for 2 seats instead of one.

If the picture above is anything to go by I can see why people would be annoyed on flights and more so if he sat in a window seat leaving someone with half a seat.

Travel Spec's manager Rafi Neumann said;

''If overweight people are thrown into the mix, you can see why travellers feel that they should pay for the extra space they take up.''

Do you think the survey comments were fair? or do you have your own opinion on what should or should not be done?

PREMIER PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT PARKING

When you go away you want everything to be as simple as possible, and if you need to leave your car behind before the airport you want to make sure it is somewhere safe and secure.

If your travelling from Philadelphia International airport you should consider a phl parking lot called Smart Park.

This is an affordable secure car park that is well lit, fenced in and monitored by security cameras 24 hours a day. So you can feel at ease knowing your car will be O.K. on your return.

Amongst several other airport car parks you can find in the area, you probably wouldn't find one to match the benefits the award winning Smart Park can offer.

You can choose valet parking, self parking and/or use the phl shuttle service where the driver will load your luggage for you and take you to the airport which is just minutes away.

Smart Park like to pride themselves on having a competitive low cost rate compared to other suppliers, and can offer corporate, regular flyers or large groups a special discount for their loyalty and save them even more money when organised in advance.

Have a look at the premier parking site to find out more and check out prices.

POCKET SIZE SUNBATHING: Lightload Beach Towel

When your packing your suitcase or backpack the thing that tends to take up most of the space are the towels aren't they?

If your looking to travel a little lighter you could try the pocket size Lightload Beach Towel device. As well as a towel for sunbathing and drying they can also be used as a wash cloth fire starter, static electricity insulator, first aid cloth and more. The downside to it is that you would probably never get the towel back to it's original size before you opened it. However it would be useful to start off with and handy in emergency situations and some people will take a few along with them.

The towels are made from viscose and to open easier you can add water to it or start using it to wipe water off you.

This device is actually regarded as The World's only towel that is a survival tool when travelling, and the good thing though is the towel is not disposable so you can re-use it.

BEAT THE BROCHURE: Cheaper Flights & Hotels

We have all done it when we are looking for breaks - type in cheap holidays on the Internet only to get thousands of results, because everyone likes to think they are cheaper than everyone else.

But company BeatTheBrochure are renowned for beating the prices of the travel agents, brochures and other websites.

You can create your own holiday from the flights, accommodation and even down to your holiday extras like attraction tickets, airport parking, currency orders, airport transfers and more.

The exclusive relationships Beat The Brochure have with their multiple suppliers enables them to give you the best price possible.

You can easily navigate your way through the site and search for beach, skiing, safari, cruise and all inclusive holidays, as well as flights and car hire for all over the world.

If you did want a hotel and a flight there is no need to search and book separately or go via another site. The website allows you to book your flight to your hotel continuously whilst at the same to saving your holiday details in the check out basket. Plus paying online is safe and secure as the site is licenced by TTA and ATOL.

You can keep updated on future offers by signing up for the email newsletter for the latest deals and news.

FAYE'S UNDERGROUND HOME, AUSTRALIA

Lounge

The underground homes and underground hotels really fascinate me. I had no idea there are actually quite a few around. A popular one is known as Faye's underground home in Australia.

People seem to build and live in them in the Coober Pedy district to stay cool because the heat is that hot that grass can't even be grown.

Kitchen

The underground home first started as one room (now the kitchen) and was lived in by a mail truck driver 60 years ago. That's when Faye bought it off him and started adding other rooms.

Bar area

Faye and two friend of hers dug out the home over a period of ten years and created the rooms themselves by hand with only shovels and picks as their tools They made a lounge, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, billiard room, a wine cellar and even a swimming pool.

Two of the bedrooms

Unfortunately it's not a place you can stay in like a hotel attraction as it is actually lived in, but the occupiers are happy to show tourists around on special pre-arranged tours.

CAMPING BASICS: What Do You Take?

I was trying to think of some ideas for a girls weekend away and something a little different, so I came up with the idea of camping.

It all sounded great saying it out loud until I realised I have no camping gear or camping clothing at the moment. Luckily my friends have a few things that we can all share, but It got me thinking what I would need to take with me on the camping trip.

The basics would be a tent, sleeping bag, backpack and a decent waterproof coat. I started looking at a camping website to get some inspiration and found there are all different types of camping gear and accessories you can buy.

Things like oil lanterns, portable heaters, coolers, water bottles, cooking equipment, pocket size gadget tools with knives etc and probably alot more too.

It hasn't put me off the idea. After all once you have the camping gear you wont need to buy it again will you? And next time we decide to go on a camping trip we will have it all ready and be able to go at short notice.

You would be surprised how much stuff you actually need to take with you. People who just take a tent and a few of the basics would be in for a very big surprise i'm sure when they cant find wood to light a fire, forgot their tin opener to cook the food and suddenly find they are in pitch black at night with no light aid.

I guess you have to think of everything! Start from scratch and think what you need when your at home as normal.

What things do you take with you on your camping trips? And have you ever left anything important behind that you really needed?

MOBILE CONTAINER HOTEL

Have you ever stayed in a luxury hotel but thought it would be better if you could just pick it up and move it somewhere else?

With this mobile container called Hotel Everland you can do just that. It includes a lounge area with a mini bar, bedroom area with a king size bed and a bathroom. The container has been placed on the rooftops of many buildings around Paris, Germany and Switzerland for exibitions, but traded as a proper hotel afterwards.

Lounge Area

Since 2009 and at this point in time no more bookings are being taken and no more destinations have been planned as yet.

If you go to their main site here you can subscribe to the newsletter to keep updated.

Bedroom area

When the hotel could be booked it was for just for one night only in a year and had to be booked 2 months in advance to make it fair for everyone to experience it. There was even breakfast delivered to the door.

Bathroom

Would you like to have your own mobile hotel you could put whatever you wanted? And where would you have it put?

CRUISE LINE FANS COMMUNITY WEBSITE: Reviews, Deals, News & Chat

Are you a lover of cruising or your looking for some good cruise reviews before you make your booking?

Then you should try CruiseLineFans which is a community website for anyone who wants to know more about cruising and share their experiences.

It's free to join and you get access to hundred of cruise ship details, where they are cruising from and too and what their boats offer in terms of accommodation, entertainment and amenities.

The ships are rated and reviewed from people who have actually been on board and even has a rating for children, which is important for people who are looking to take a family holiday.

You have access to the different cruise lines around the world such as royal caribbean cruises that travel to areas of the world such as Hong Kong, South America, United Kingdom as well as your usual Caribbean ones.

The ships can range anything from a 50 to a 950 occupancy rate, depending on what kind of cruise your looking for. There are ones full of entertainment like Murder Mystery dinners, nightclubs, champagne bars and others that are more for relaxing with Jacuzzis, swimming pools. golf and libraries.

The online forum is a good place to go if you want to ask any questions, tell people about your own experiences, see reader submitted videos, find out cruise deals or just to see what the latest news is.

SALA SILVERGRUVA UNDERGROUND MINE HOTEL ROOM

There always seems to be plenty of unusual hotels around the world. This underground accommodation is set in a preserved silver mine.

The mine back in it's day had previously produced more than 3 tons of silver and 40,000 tons of lead without the use of any machines.

Surrounding the bedroom are dark galleries, caverns and lakes. For security and safety reasons each guest is given an intercom radio to contact staff above the ground in case any assistance is needed.

Bad news maybe for some is your toilet is not in the room itself. You would have to walk about 50 Metres.

Silver Mine Exterior

As part of the stay a tour guide will take you around the mines as a daytime activity.

I don't know about you but the idea I could be caved in any minute would concern me. I'm sure it's well preserved but I think I will stick to accommodation above the ground instead.

GENUINE HARLEY DAVIDSON STORE: Bikes, Parts & Accessories

If you have a harley davidson or your looking to purchase one you should have a look at online store Surdyke.

Surdyke is a genuine store where you can see anything and everything to do with Harley Davidson's. You can buy new or used Harley's, find out the nearest dealerships and even buy harley davidson parts online too.

As well as the bikes themselves and the parts you can also expect to find rider accessories like helmets, special riding gear and goggles.

Everything you need to maintain and preserve your bike is here. Whether your looking for harley parts, touch up paint, storage covers or tool kits.

For used Harley Davidson's you can search through a catalogue of over 100 pre-owned bikes and with new ones get a price quote of what you can expect to pay.

When purchasing a Harley Davidson via the site you can enjoy special offers like first 3 months payments are free on new bikes and a 10 year Life-Of-Cycle mechanic breakage coverage.

Some breakdown companies will only cover cars, so it's good to know that you can get your bike fixed if you have no knowledge in that area.

You can have a look at the site to find out more, do a quick parts search or just register to keep up to date with the latest deals and offers.

FAIRHAVEN HOTEL, BLACKPOOL REVIEW

7-9 Charnley Road, Blackpool, United Kingdom, FY1 4PE

First Impression:

Looked pretty basic, but we wasn't looking for anything fancy seeing as it was only one night. Liked the idea it had parking which we needed and it accepted a group of girls.


Selling Points:

Early check in and late check out offered. Usually 2.00pm, but we arranged an 11am check in and we asked for a 1-2pm checkout.

There were 6 of us and we requested 2 rooms of 3.

On arrival:

We arrived about 10.30am and was told one of our rooms was ready and the other wouldn't be ready until 12.30pm as other people was still in our room, which was slightly annoying. But luckily we could put all our things in one room till later.

The bigger room
The 3rd bed in the alcove area in the bigger room

The bedrooms:

The rooms were plain with modern bed covers. From the two rooms we had one was quite small like they had squeezed a single bed in there with the double. The other was a decent size and had a sweet alcove area with a single bed in as well as the double which i thought was nice and separated it as another area.

No wardrobes were in the rooms. I am guessing because of the size but a wall mounted hanging rail was provided. This wasn't an issue for us though.

There was also a fridge in the big room and small wall mounted plasma TV's and mirrors in both.
The beds were nice and soft and the bed sheets seemed fresh.

En-suites:

Very clean. Shower heads were spotless. No sign of the previous people. A sticker was put on the toilet lid which must be what the cleaners do once all has been cleaned.

The hot water came on instantly and lasted for 3 showers in a row.

Welcome pack:

A set of towels were left on our beds with complimentary sachets of shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. There was also a kettle in the room with a basket of drink refreshments like tea, coffee, sugar etc.

Pool area/bar

The Staff:

Friendly but they didn't go out of their way to be extra welcoming. It was like they were there to do a job and that was it, but weren't nasty with it. No extra effort was made to make us feel welcome or make additional conversation apart what was asked of them if you know what I mean. And we never got asked if our room was OK and our stay in general.

breakfast room

Breakfast:

Buffet style eat as much as you want. You could choose from bacon, fried eggs, beans, tomatoes and toast or have cereal. Fresh tea, coffee and juice was provided. It was good but would have preferred an early and later time slot instead of between 9am and 9.45am only.

bar area

Advantages:

Being within walking distance to the promenade, local gift and convenience shops and a 5 minute taxi ride to the nightlife.

You can catch a tram from the promenade area to take you to the pleasure beach.

24 hour keys and hotel bar open past 4am.

Disadvantages:

The music from the bar went well into 6am in the morning. Maybe longer. The windows are single glazed so you could hear the seagulls crowing from 4am onwards and people were walking passed and talking outside the window for hours. Be aware the street is full of B & B's.

Although we knew this would probably be the case when we booked it it still didn't stop it from being a nuisance! And we love the nightlife!

The rooms were very stuffy with no air. The only windows were 2 small top ones. It was impossible to leave them open at night with the noise. Luckily we brought a fan with us.

Overall:

It was a pleasant stay. I would have preferred if our rooms were next to each other or at least on the same level instead of a floor away. But overall a decent hotel, but not somewhere I would necessary choose again mainly for the disturbing noise.

Rating:

3/5

EXCLUSIVE AUSTRALIA ADULT ONLY RESORT

It might be a case you have children yourself but there are times when you want to be able to relax child free in an adult only atmosphere.

Maybe it's for a Queensland Honeymoon or you just want to get away as a couple. For a luxury exclusive Australian holiday resort you could try Orpheus Island.

This well known Great Barrier Reef Holidays holiday resort is based in Queensland on it's own National Park and caters for adults over 15 years old.

In fact it was voted in the Top Ten luxury holidays by Melbourne's own Sunday Age.

You can expect to find plenty of activities such as sunset cruises, scuba diving, canoeing, guided walks, game fishing and alot more.