
Plane, coach or motorhome? The Europa League final adventure
We asked you to tell us how you are getting to Bilbao for the Europa League final against Tottenham.Here are some of your travel plans: Jan: Flying to Asturias via Brussels on Tuesday evening costing £165. Then £40 for hotel, three hour drive to Bilbao (car hire £45) then return on Thursday morning back in Manchester by lunchtime.Paul: As a Manchester United fan in my 50s, I thought my Interrail days were long behind me… but here I am, reliving my youth by backpacking across Europe with two of my sons to get to the Europa League final in Bilbao. We're squeezing onto trains from Manchester to London, then Paris, then all the way to the Spanish border, with a taxi dash and a hire car thrown in for good measure. We'll catch the match, sleep in said hire car like true budget adventurers, then do it all in reverse.Rob: Five regular United fans from Manchester, Oxford and Kings Lynn are getting a motorhome and driving to Bilbao. Meeting the people along the way like some Man Utd mega bus, a stupidly early Dover crossing reminiscent of the Italian Job, French motorways, rest stops, refuelling and campsites with a day in Bilbao and then coming back the next day. Going to be four days of mayhem and memories - never letting the football get in the way of a good day at the football.Andy: Fly to Murcia for three nights. Flights cost £149 return. Means an eight hour car journey to Bilbao but four sharing the driving.Paul: Going by coach from Old Trafford via Dover/Calais. Setting off midday Tuesday expected arrival by 15:00 Wednesday, return straight after the match.

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BBC News
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David Lammy holds Gibraltar talks ahead of potential EU deal
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Football tourists help Manchester cement place among UK's busiest airports
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Times
5 hours ago
- Times
We were victims of Spain's ‘highway pirates'. Don't let it happen to you
My husband, Greg, and I were navigating our way out of Barcelona in a hire car when it happened. A car appeared next to us, with a man on his own who was frantically waving and pointing to the back of our car. He indicated for us to pull over. At first we didn't, because it was tricky to stop, but it did worry us. Then, about 50km down the road, he tried again. This time, we pulled over. He got out of his car, talking very fast in Spanish, which we couldn't understand, and gestured for me to get out of the driver's seat. I stayed where I was, but Greg got out. As I was sitting there, I saw somebody sitting up in the back seat of this man's car. I assumed he had a child in the car, who had just woken up or something. Later, I realised what had happened. We're very regular travellers. I'm from northwest London, and used to work with British Airways, which is how I met my husband, Greg, in the 1990s. He worked for the Australian foreign office and we've lived in Perth, Australia, since then. Now I'm mostly retired, although I still do freelance management consulting with businesses including KPMG. We love to travel, and do a big six-week trip every 18 months or so. I like to think we know what we're doing, but anyone can be caught off-guard. We were on one of our big trips, taking in Malta and going around the Croatian islands. We'd had a week in England, then came to Spain. The plan was to fly to Barcelona, pick up a hire car, then drive to see friends in Perpignan in France for a few days, then back down to Moraira, to stay with other friends. It was a very early flight from Heathrow, so we were tired by the time we hired the car from Centauro at Barcelona airport, and quite frazzled when this man pulled us over. He kept yammering on at us in Spanish, getting very excitable, and he kept trying to get me out of the car. Eventually, I did get out to see what was going on. I felt uncomfortable, though, and so picked up the car keys and both of our phones — which are in wallet-style phone cases with our bank cards. Looking back, I should have locked the car. But perhaps the passenger door was open, I can't recall. I came to the back of the car, and Greg and I did our best to understand what he was trying to tell us. We were looking for a scratch or a flat tyre or something. Although this man positioned himself so that we were often looking away from the car, towards him. After a few minutes, he gestured for us to wait and walked back to his car as if he was going to get something. Then he suddenly drove off. We were like, 'What was that?' It was so weird, because we couldn't see anything wrong with the car. So we got back in, and only then did we realise that my handbag was gone. It had been in the footwell of the passenger seat, so the person I saw in the back of their car must have sneaked out and taken whatever they could. We didn't see or hear a thing. Thank God I had picked up our phones and credit cards. But they got our passports — both my British and Australian ones — and also lots of inconvenient things like my Australian medical card, make-up and glasses. Luckily, we were meeting a friend near Girona, just north of Barcelona, who was able to help us speak to the police in Spanish. We found a police station, reported it, and then called the foreign office in Canberra about our passports. They said we had to go to the Australian Embassy in Madrid. This was Monday. We made an appointment at the embassy for Wednesday, then had to drive for eight and a half hours on Tuesday to get to Madrid. We got new passports, but temporary ones that last for nine months. And it cost us about $250 Australian dollars (£120) each. I believe we were targeted because the car had a big sticker with the car hire company name on the back. I've since learned that it's a very common problem on the road around Barcelona. On the way back, we noticed lots of warning signs in English, saying: 'Don't stop for anybody.' But we hadn't seen any on the way out of Barcelona. Our friends who live in France, just over the border, told us that they've driven down that road and seen lots of tricks to try to get tourists to stop. Even a doll in a pushchair with ketchup on it, so it looks as though a child has been injured. Apparently it's quite well known, and locals would never stop. • 'I was forced to abandon a case of expensive wine at Palermo airport' I do think the car hire company should have warned us, particularly since having that sticker on the back of the car made us a target. The Australian foreign office does have a warning about this on their website. But I personally would never have thought to check travel warnings for Spain. Maybe if I was travelling to Afghanistan, but not Spain. It took me a few days to get over it, thinking about how we could have been so stupid, and what we could have done differently. But on the other hand, if we'd seen him and tried to stop him, they might have hurt us. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) says that 'highway pirates' in Spain can target foreign-registered and hire cars, especially those towing caravans. They may flag you down, claiming there is something wrong with your car or that you have damaged theirs. If you decide to stop to check the condition of a vehicle, stop in a public area with lights, such as a service station. Be wary of anyone offering help. When driving, be wary of approaches from people posing as plainclothes police in unmarked cars. In all traffic-related matters, police officers will usually be in uniform. Unmarked police vehicles have a flashing electronic sign on the rear window saying 'Policía' or 'Guardia Civil'. Genuine police will only ask you to show vehicle documents — not to hand over your bag or wallet. The FCDO does not keep statistics specifically on carjacking, but consular data show that the number of Brits having reported being a victim of crime in Spain is on the rise. • Seven of the biggest travel scams (and how to avoid them) To report a crime, including stolen property and lost or stolen passports, you can file a police report (denuncia) at the nearest police station. Some Spanish cities offer a Foreign Tourist Assistance Service (Servicio de Atención al Turista Extranjero or SATE) where you can report crimes in English. Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad. They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do. The FCDO has guidance on staying safe and what to do if you need help or support abroad, including finding English-speaking lawyers, translators and interpreters in Spain, or getting help if you're a victim of crime. Always check the latest advice from the FCDO before travelling