My hen do hell: how one extravagant party killed a close friendship – and left me £450 out of pocket
When, at my Christmas party two years ago, Gemma announced she had got engaged, I couldn't have been more excited for her and popped open a bottle of Moët & Chandon I'd been saving for a special occasion (Gemma loves champagne). A few months later, when the save-the-date landed in my mailbox, I was quick to respond 'yes'. (A three-day, black-tie affair in Tuscany? Count me in.) When, nearly a year before the wedding, her sister invited me to Gemma's hen do in Paris, I didn't hesitate to confirm. And when, shortly afterwards, a payment of £150 needed to be made for the Airbnb, I didn't think twice about transferring the money.
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The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
I took my daughter on a Caribbean cruise for just £150 — the bargain holiday secret all parents need to know
BECOMING a mum wasn't going to stop me seeing the world. However, after having my daughter in 2022, I realised I needed to make small but clever changes - and this is my best money-saving travel hack yet. 6 Travel has been in my bones from a very young age, which was probably down to my parents taking me across Europe on coach trips as a child. Globe-trotting has afforded me some of the best experiences in life, from horse riding through Petra to walking a snowy Great Wall of China in an uncharacteristic cold snap. I want my daughter, Mia, to have the same experiences, but in this climate and economy, I knew I would need to travel smarter and cheaper. On a rainy day, I was browsing holiday ideas online and I stumbled across some pictures of a cruise. We had never been on one before, but I suddenly had visions of cocktails on the deck - all for less than the cost of a wet weekend in Wales. After scouring forums and cruise blogs for the best family-friendly cruises, I landed a deal that would make even Martin Lewis jealous — a seven-night Caribbean cruise. And the cost to take Mia on this holiday of a lifetime? Just £150. The cruise, in October 2024, was on Carnival Mardi Gras and the bargain price was due to her being the third person in our cabin. For the two of us, we paid £850 each for a seven nights sailing in a balcony cabin, bringing the total to £1,850 — plus £250 in pre-paid gratuities, which are expected on cruise ships. It would have been cheaper still if we had opted for the interior cabin, costing just £1400. I went on my first Disney cruise with classy champagne bars, watercoasters and West End-style shows These prices included all-inclusive meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's also worth noting that the cruise price stays the same in school holidays, so parents with school-aged kids can also snap up a great deal. The ship set sail from Florida's Port Canaveral and hit the island hotspots of the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caicos — sun-soaked destinations that have always been on my bucket list. Getting to Florida on a budget We flew with budget airline Norse from Gatwick and it cost just £900 for all three of us, plus £172 for luggage. As with all low-cost airlines, pre-booking seats and food is chargeable. We saved on seat bookings (Norse follow the Civil Aviation Authority's advice that children should ideally be seated next to their accompanying adults), so that saved us £138. For food, we brought our own snacks on board. As a mum on a budget, I wasn't paying £37 each for plane meals. To aid our recovery from jet lag before setting sail, we opted for a three-night hotel stay in Port Canaveral at the Radisson Resort, which set us back £400. We spent the day before the cruise at Kennedy Space Center. It was £49 per adult and kids under three go free, even though there is so much for them to do - including a massive soft play. Mia now insists she's "been to the moon" and tells all her friends. Why a cruise is ideal for families with young kids The Carnival Mardi Gras is the company's biggest cruise ship, and it definitely had the wow factor as we walked over the bridge to embark. James and I were handed a cocktail before we'd even found our cabin. Now that's service! 6 I was also really impressed with the family entertainment and childcare included. The kids club - Camp Ocean's Penguin Club - was fab, with lots of arts, crafts, and dancing. At first, we were a bit nervous leaving Mia but we were given a mobile phone so staff could reach us at any time. Not that they needed to - Mia adored it. Our two-year-old daughter was living her best life while we watched live comedy, ate child-free dinners, and actually had adult conversations. I'll admit, I'd had reservations before we boarded and wasn't sure how much we would enjoy being 'stuck' on a cruise. But, it turns out cruise holidays are an absolute game-changer for parents. As well as the kids' club during the day, the ship also offered a Night Owls service, where Mia could boogie away at the kids' disco, much to her delight. It's included in the price, although you can pay a £5 charge if you want your child to stay after 11pm. There was also a water park, a Build-A-Bear workshop, and even a Dr Seuss character show - plenty to keep Mia entertained. At the same time, James and I got to see parts of the world we hadn't seen before. We swam with pigs in the Bahamas and saw sharks and dolphins in the Dominican Republic. Turks and Caicos was an unforgettable experience, enjoying the beach and having a cocktail at Margaritaville (the largest in the Caribbean). It was unlike any family holiday we've ever had — and it cost less than a UK break in half term. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, Mia or us, but we all loved it so much that we're doing it all again this year for two weeks. This time, we'll be departing from New York and cruising around the British Virgin Islands. Mia is one year older but we can still take advantage of the brilliant deal. It's still just £150 a week for her - and so much fun as a family. I'd recommend it to anyone.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Expedia shares soar on upbeat forecast, US travel rebound
Aug 8 (Reuters) - Shares of Expedia (EXPE.O), opens new tab surged more than 17% in premarket trading on Friday, after the online travel agent raised its full-year gross bookings forecast and struck an optimistic tone on the recovery in U.S. travel demand. Expedia is the latest travel company to hint at a rebound in demand, following weakness earlier this year when consumers fretted over the economic impact of President Donald Trump's tariff policies. "Since the beginning of July, we've seen an uptick in overall travel demand, particularly in the U.S.," CEO Ariane Gorin said on the earnings call on Thursday. The company expects 2025 gross bookings to grow between 3% to 5%, up 1 percentage point from its earlier forecast. Morningstar analyst Dan Wasiolek expects bookings growth to accelerate further to 7% in 2026 as demand improves alongside policy visibility. Tariffs had disrupted travel spending, "but it appears prospective U.S. travelers are prepared to book again," said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell. Expedia has also been focusing on simplifying its organizational structure by eliminating roles, streamlining operations and deploying generative AI technology. Its second-quarter margin grew by 190 basis points, surpassing the company's May guidance of a 75- to 100-basis-point increase. The biggest fundamental takeaway is that Expedia's continued strategic focus and tighter expense controls are driving more consistent results, said Baird analyst Michael Bellisario. Expedia also joined industry peers Marriott (MAR.O), opens new tab and Airbnb (ABNB.O), opens new tab in noting strong bookings from higher-income consumers while lower-income consumers were more cautious with discretionary spending. Expedia's shares trade at about 12.01 times their forward profit estimates, below the industry median of 14.19.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Ant McPartlin and leggy wife Anne-Marie Corbett enjoy a romantic lunch date as they celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary amid sun-soaked Portuguese getaway - following ex Lisa Armstrong's thinly veiled dig
Ant McPartlin and wife Anne-Marie Corbett celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary amid their sun-soaked Portuguese getaway on Thursday. The TV presenter, 49, and his wife, 46, who welcomed son Wilder in May 2024, stepped out for a low-key lunch date as they marked the occasion. Dressed for the weather Anne-Marie put on a leggy display in a pair of cut off denim shorts and oversized yellow Ralph Lauren shirt. The blonde beauty, who is also mum to daughters Poppy, and Daisy, from her previous marriage, completed the look with aviator shades and comfy sandals. Meanwhile Ant also opted for a Ralph Lauren shirt in white, which he teamed with colourful shorts and a baseball cap. The loved-up couple sipped on smoothies and appeared in high spirits as they left the quaint cafe. The TV presenter, and his wife. who welcomed son Wilder in May 2024, were spotted as they stepped out for a low-key lunch date as they marked the occasion It comes after Ant marked the couple's anniversary by sharing a sweet selfie of the couple on their wedding day to X. The TV host and the bride were all smiles in the throwback snap as they celebrated their special day at Heckfield Place in Hampshire in 2021. Ant cut a dapper figure in a tuxedo as he snapped the sweet selfie while Anne-Marie beamed from behind wearing her gorgeous £15,000 bespoke floor-length dress by designer Suzanne Neville. Taking to his X account, which he shares with co-star Declan Donnelly, Ant wrote: 'Happy 4th Anniversary darling. I wish we could go back and do it all again! Love ya. A X' It comes just days after Ant's ex wife Lisa Armstrong, 48, took a thinly-veiled dig at her former partner over their beloved dog Hurley in a now-deleted Instagram post. The former couple share custody of the 12-year-old Labrador, who according to The Sun is also in Portugal. The publication reported that Lisa posted a photo of Hurley on her social media with a subtle swipe towards Ant. She wrote: 'And now he's taken from his mama. Poor old boy...' The TV favourite kept a low profile behind shades and a baseball cap A source said: 'Lisa is worried about Hurley in that kind of heat because of his age. They both adore him and have shared custody of him ever since they split up. 'Lisa is concerned about the temperatures in Portugal.' The TV personality and his ex adopted Hurley in 2013 following struggles to have a child of their own. The Saturday Night Takeaway star split from Lisa in 2018 after 11 years of marriage and went on to marry his former personal assistant, Anne-Marie, in 2021. Ant is said to have refused to surrender full custody of Hurley to his ex during their divorce battle, reportedly telling lawyers: 'She can have anything she wants – except the dog.' The arrangement led to the TV presenter's chauffeur ferrying the dog between the two of them so they did not have to see each other. Lisa has reportedly bought a new house in Oxford as she builds an impressive property portfolio in the wake of her divorce. The makeup artist snapped up a four-bed house near Oxford last year for more than £700,000, according to The Mirror. She already has the former family home, a £2.3million five-bedroom west London mansion, which she kept as part of the divorce. Lisa then bought a £3.8million house in West London in 2020, two years following her split from Ant after 11 years of marriage. According to the publication, she is now expected to undertake extensive renovations of her latest purchase. MailOnline contacted a representative of Lisa for comment. Lisa is fast becoming a savvy property developer after completely renovating her 2020 house purchase, installing a pool, a gym, an outhouse and a gazebo. However, she has had less luck with the former marital home after it suffered a fire in 2023, causing £1million worth of damage. Lisa had been renting the property to a family of six, it was reported at the time.
