Double dipping for extra discounts

I previously mentioned about booking things by using TOP CASH BACK to get money back.

Today I took this one step further when wanting to book a hotel in Scarborough for the weekend.  I first checked out the best price on the hotel and established an exterior double room with breakfast was £29.

Next I went onto Top Cash Back, keyed in hotels to the search and then listed them with the highest % discount first.

Expedia have a special deal on offering over 10% discount so I linked into their website and sure enough the hotel was on offer with the exact same room at £29.  A bonus is that they have free cancellation.  The cash back figure on this transaction amounted to £3.51 so that makes my room only £25.49 and that's the price for the 2 of us including breakfast and evening entertainment.

As if that wasn't enough there is an added bonus in that Expedia are linked in to my Nectar card which also qualifies me for 200 Nectar points.

You can also do yourself a favour by promoting Top Cash Back if you like it and if someone joins via your link you get £10 so please feel free to click on the links and do us both a favour! 

Great deals on random items including a 9" android tablet for under £100

I had been looking to buy an android tablet and found this amazing deal amongst others on Mighty Deals.  Haven't managed to find a catch yet.

This should be very handy for travelling and with the USB port we can watch movies and things off an external hard drive that I carry.  It also has wi-fi so handy for picking up and sending messages on the move.

Our views on a FRED OLSEN cruise on the Boudicca to Iceland and Norway

We recently returned from a 12 night cruise out of Newcastle.  It was booked 3 weeks before departure through Planet Cruise (cheaper than Fred Olsen direct) and we paid £852 each for an outside guaranteed cabin.

Parking at Newcastle is expensive, £9 day) ,so we parked outside a Couchsurfing hosts house and took an £8 taxi to the port.  Not sure whether it is Fred Olsen or Newcastle port regulations but they were strict on not opening the check in desks until noon and boarding strictly on deck order so nothing to be gained by arriving early.

The cabins were a decent size but looked dated, our mattresses had a roll (and that was before we set sail).  When made up as a king size you still only get 2 single duvets.  It was nice to find a kettle and tea and coffee facilities in the room.

As it is only an 800 passenger ship the facilities were limited.  There are 3 formal dining rooms (which become part self service for breakfast and lunch) and another which is only self service.  The food was OK but not outstanding and if you didn't want to dress for the formal nights you had to eat in the self service but with a different menu.

The ship has many repeat passengers from the elderly who no doubt felt very at home with the traditional flowery carpets and decor.  As a younger passenger we like a slightly more glamorous ships with "wow" factors and a wider choice of entertainment but we booked this cruise for the ports of call and no fly boarding.

Overall I would recommend Fred Olsen for the over 70's passengers who just want a nice homely ship and limited entertainment.

Support for Penny Brohn Cancer Centre in Bristol

We were really touched when our daughters friend asked if she could dedicate her next run to us and to what charity we would like.

Having recently benefited from our visit to The Penny Brohn Cancer centre and written a blog post about it we thought it appropriate to suggest their charity.

This is the link should any of you like to sponsor Catherine when she runs the marathon in Chester.

Many thanks.

Travel insurance for people with pre-existing conditions and/or those over 80 years old.

A whole new world opened up to us when we looked for travel insurance to cover Steve whilst he is having treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

Most insurance companies wouldn't entertain us as soon as we started answering the medical screening questions.

Luckily we came across All Clear Travel who offer travel insurance for all medical conditions, for all ages and to all countries.  We bought 12 nights for a cruise to Iceland, Faeroe Islands and Norway at a cost of £160 to cover Steve for medical and cancellation. For another £10 we could have included baggage but have very little of value and this would be covered under my own annual policy.

All Clear Travel cover most conditions including diabetes, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, heart attack - in fact most things I could think of were listed on their website.

You can take a single trip policy or an annual one for multiple trips up to 45 days duration and can tailor make both to cover the countries you intend visiting.  Once you have keyed in your details they produce a list of the different companies that will offer you cover with prices and values for cancellation etc.

There also appears to be no age limit and you can use the online chat service if you have any problems whilst completing the forms but I found them quite straightforward.

If you don't use the internet you can get a quote by calling 0845 250 5350

Also on offer is a special cruise policy that also covers you for missed trips if you are ill and also compensates if you have to stay in your cabin for any reason or if the cruise ship fails to dock at a particular port and you miss a visit.

CANCER - Additional help for those receiving mainstream treatment for cancer

Call it fate or whatever but at the point where Steve was seriously ill with side effects from chemo we met a reflexologist and chatted about holistic medicine.  She mentioned The Penny Brohn Cancer Centre at Bristol (previously know as the Bristol Cancer Centre).

What is unique about this place is that they offer information about other therapies that should be used in conjunction with mainstream treatments such as chemo and radiology.

Initially you are invited on a Taste of Bristol Approach 1 day course with an option to stay over the night before.  This is to tell you the basics in order for you to decide what angles interest you most.  Meals are based on their proven anti cancer diet and accommodation is provided as 2 adjoining double en suite rooms per couple.

After doing this course you can return for day courses or residential ones to explore certain aspects further.

The main thing they do is to give you a chance to take control of your body rather than feeling like you have donated your body to medical science.

At the beginning there was a charge for each course but because they have had such good support they are now able to offer all facilities at no charge but appreciate donations.

Unfortunately this is the only centre of its type in Great Britain and probably Europe so it can involve quite a journey to get there but we felt it was worth while and would recommend it to others to help in the battle against cancer.  

Head up to lovely LEEDS

All too often we go to cities to shop and basically walk around with our heads down focused on store fronts.  It can be a completely different experience to go to the same city and walk around with your head up admiring the building facades.

Today I had an appointment in Leeds but opted to extend the visit with a bit of sightseeing and was pleasantly surprised.  Using the Rough Guide to Yorkshire I began by following their walking suggestion and discovered wonderful hidden gems including a petanque/boules court with free boules to borrow from a nearby cafe.

So why not re visit the cities near where you live and "play tourist", you may well be pleasantly surprised.

Nymphs in City Square

The boules court

Instructions for playing petanque

Wonderful Moorish style building

Modern sculpture in Millennium Square

Millennium Square

Quirky architecture in Millen
nium Square

Inside the market

So why dragons in the market decoration ?

The market entrance, inside the building has been extended many times with different designs

Wall mural by the Corn Exchange

Inside the Corn Exchange

The amazing Corn Exchange building, well worth a look inside

A hidden gem down a side street

Save even more money shopping on line

Previously I promoted Quidco for giving you an extra discount when shopping on line.

I have now found that TOP CASH BACK has even higher discounts.

Same principal in that you sign up and then each time you want to buy on line you begin by going through the top cash back site. If they have a discount with the company you are buying from it will be put onto your account and paid into your bank each month.

Simple as that, one extra click and you could be saving loads, why wouldn't you ?