Travel can be stressful and sometimes complicated. We look at several ways to make your life easier when travelling on a winter ski holiday with everything from parking your car to hassle free luggage:
1. Stay and Park by Holiday Inn
Sometimes you need to get out on an early flight and would rather not have to get up in the middle of the night just to get to the airport. Holiday Inn offers a Stay and Park service that includes a night’s accommodation along with long-stay parking. Simply park your car at the hotel, get a great night’s sleep and be within a 10 minute transfer of the airport terminal the next morning. Services are provided at Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Glasgow with packages available for accommodation and parking with rates starting at £82.00 including room and up to 8 days parking. I recently used this service myself when flying out of Gatwick early and it meant I had 2 to 3 hours more sleep and didn’t have to think about my car in the morning.
2. Monarch Airlines Routes
Monarch Airlines flies to four ‘ski’ destinations during their winter schedule including a new route to Friedrichshafen in Southern Germany. Situated on the banks of Lake Constance (or Bodensee), Friedrichshafen airport is well located for the western part of Austria, Eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The resorts of the Austrian Vorarlberg region that include Mellau, Damuls, Warth, Lech & Zurs are within approximately one hours drive away and offer a variety of skiing between them suitable for all levels. Resorts like Warth are perfect for Families too and the snow record in this part of the Alps is fantastic, they get more snow here than pretty much anywhere else.
3. Airport transfers That Don’t Cost a Fortune
Getting from the airport to the resort can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you are an independent traveller. This online service called www.findtransfers.com allows you to book shared transfers and taxis to a variety of ski resorts from all the major ski airports in the Alps.
4. Douchbags
Born in the Norwegian mountains and devised by a team consisting of ski legend Jon Olsson, Douchbags launched a brand new concept in luggage design that ensured low weight, durability, length adjustment and a unique carrying system that integrates your ski bag and other luggage together. During their first winter season trading in 2012 they were a finalist in the ISPO Innovation of the Year awards and they have not looked back since. Available in the UK from Snow & Rock.
5. Comeskiwith.me Website
If you’ve ever been frustrated by your ski instructor or simply feel you should get the chance to choose who teaches you, rather than the other way around, then look no further! This new website launched for the 2012/2013 winter ski season allows you to browse the profiles of over 100 ski schools and independent instructors. The sites functionality means that you can search for the type of instructor to suit your needs, whether you’re a first time beginner or off-piste powder freak! On top of all that, when you get home you can create your own profile and comment on the quality of your lesson: comeskiwith.me website