Coconut Travel boss hires husband to lead new homeworking division
"With more than 30 years' experience in the global travel industry, James is a true expert in the field. He'll be leading our homeworking division and overseeing the day-to-day operations as we scale up and continue to innovate across the business.
"Not only is James a seasoned professional, he also happens to be my husband — and I couldn't be prouder to take this next step together."
'So passionate about travel'
Claire said her recruitment policy for the homeworking division would prioritise "quality over quantity", although she stressed that didn't mean the door was closed to new or unproven talent.
"There are people that are passionate about travel but cannot get their foot in the door," she continued. "I ask applicants to describe why they want to come into travel. They've usually either done their travel and tourism qualifications and they cannot get a break, or they're new to travel."
Claire said having homeworkers still felt "very new". "I say to the homeworkers, 'we're all in this journey together'. I'm totally honest with them. I'm so passionate about travel and training. If you were to cut me, planes and cruise ships would come out of me."
Claire added: "One day, I want to set up a travel academy where we take on students and give them some experience. That's always been my aim in life but it's not going to happen any time soon."
She highlights Liz Houghton, who started in Coconut's shop in May 2022 as an intern. "She messaged me randomly. I used to book her holidays. I said she could do some work for me, but that I couldn't promise a job. She had worked in retail but never in travel.
"Liz worked for me without pay for nine to 10 months. At that time, I was the only person running the shop. When I told her that she had got a job at Coconut Travel, she was over the moon. She absolutely loved it."
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The Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Sun
I'm a travel blogger – these are the best websites, vouchers and discount cards to save hundreds on a holiday in the UK
AFTER working as a travel blogger for over a decade, I've picked up a lot of great hacks for saving money. My site is all about helping other travellers. I love a bargain and I never book anything without making sure I've found the best price possible. 9 9 The UK is one of my favourite destinations to explore, but let's face it, it isn't always the most budget-friendly. Thankfully, there are dozens of easy ways to save cash - in some cases, hundreds of pounds - off UK holidays. From money off hotels and transport, to deals for on-the-ground travel costs like attractions and meals, these are the best websites, vouchers, and discount cards you need to know about: Always check hotel comparison sites Before you book your hotel anywhere, check a price comparison website to see if you can get it cheaper elsewhere. According to TripAdvisor, doing so could save you up to 30%. The ones I use the most are KAYAK, Trivago, and TripAdviso r - and it's usually worth checking all three, as often one may have access to a deal or booking platform that the others don't. When I booked a guest house in Hastings recently, the price was 13% cheaper booking through Agoda - a rate I only found by comparing prices on TripAdvisor. Get a railcard With train tickets in the UK sometimes costing more than a flight to Spain, it pays to save money any way you can. Save a third on train fares by purchasing a railcard from National Rail. Most railcards cost £35 a year (except the Disabled Persons Railcard, which is £20). Cheapest family holiday destinations for summer 2025 revealed The best value is the Family & Friends Railcard, which can be used by two named adults and saves you a third on up to four adult fares, and 60% on up to four children's tickets. Often, you only need to use the railcard once for it to pay for itself. Last week, I took the train from Dorchester to London with a friend, and it actually worked out £16 cheaper overall when we bought a Two Together Railcard. Plus, if you have a Tesco Clubcard, you can also use your points to purchase a railcard. Book clever with Split My Fare You can save even more on train tickets by 'split ticketing' using a site like Split My Fare. Split ticketing means buying separate train tickets for different sections of the same journey, which can work out a whopping 90% cheaper. It's so easy. You don't have to switch trains; you will just have two or more tickets for different parts of the journey. On longer trips, the savings can be significant. Using Split My Fare and a Two Together Railcard, my recent trip to London cost £90.50 for two returns - instead of £152.60! Check out secret hotel rooms is already known for its last-minute holiday and hotel bargains, but did you know it also sells ' secret hotel ' rooms at a much lower price than the advertised room rate? It's a way for hotels to quietly sell off their unbooked rooms on the cheap. You'll be told the rough location and the star rating, but you won't find out the name of the hotel until you've booked. It's a bit of a gamble, but it could lead to big savings - and you can sometimes guess the hotel before booking, by running the description and location details through a search engine. Right now on you can book a 'Unique & Trendy Hotel near Shoreditch ' at £102 for one night in August. I can't say for certain what hotel this is, but some online detective work suggests it's one that's being sold for £135 on other sites for the same dates. See if you qualify for Before I buy anything, I always do a quick search on to see if there's an active promotion or voucher code I can use. You can either browse the Travel category, or search for the specific brand you're booking. Right now on there's a 9% discount code for and 5% for Travelodge (both worked when I tested them). Get money back from Quidco Once you've found the best price for your trip, don't forget to check Quidco to see if there are any cashback offers. There are hundreds of travel brands on Quidco, including Expedia, Travelodge, trainline, Radisson Hotels, Parkdean resorts, and loads more. All you need to do is use Quidco's link to visit the site before booking, and you'll get a small percentage of the purchase price as cashback. Look out for flash sales: earlier this month a 24-hour flash sale upped the Expedia and cashback rates to 9%. Take a look on If you fancy a spot of camping, glamping, or caravanning this summer, check to find your perfect site. Not only do the customisable search and customer reviews make it easy to find the right site for your needs, but prices are often much lower. For example, a non-electric camping pitch at Tehidy Holiday Park in Cornwall is £183 for 7 nights in August on but the same pitch would be £238 when booked direct. 9 9 Check into a Hoseasons There are over 750 holiday parks listed on Hoseasons, and often the prices are lower than if you book direct. For example, seven nights in a three-bedroom lodge at King's Lynn Holiday Park in Norfolk is £1,105 on Hoseasons vs £1,225 when booked direct (Based on booking seven nights from 21/8/25). The prices aren't always cheaper on Hoseasons, though, so make sure you also check the holiday park's website before booking to compare. Tap your Tesco Clubcard If you collect Tesco Clubcard points, you can turn them into vouchers to pay for a huge number of travel costs. The points are often worth double when you convert them, so the savings can be big. Get 2X value at hotel brands including and Best Western, holiday brands like Butlins and Hoseasons, and travel brands including National Express, Railcard, and P&O Ferries. You can also get 2X value on days out like theme parks, castles, and zoos, to help keep those holiday spending costs down. Dine using a tastecard Dining out when you travel can get very expensive. One way to keep costs down is with a tastecard membership, which can get you 2-for-1 meals or 25% off the total bill at thousands of restaurants. Membership is usually £79.99 per year, but you can get your first year for £29.99. If you use it to dine out every night of a three-night trip, the savings will be well worth that upfront fee! A tastecard can also get you discounts on cinema tickets and days out at popular attractions, including up to 45% off at Thorpe Park and up to 20% off at SEA LIFE London. Too Good to Go If you're self-catering on your UK holiday, I have a great hack that could save you a lot of money on meals and snacks. Download the Too Good to Go app to find local shops, cafes and restaurants selling off their surplus food at incredibly low prices. The idea is to help fight food waste - but it's also a brilliant way to save money on takeaways. Things are often bundled into a 'surprise bag', where you'll get a bundle of goodies worth around £10-15 for less than £5. My best result was a £3.50 surprise bag from Costa which contained three Moroccan flatbread sandwiches, one lemon tart, two tiramisu cakes, one cheese twist, and two croissants. National Rail Days Out Travelling by train can get you access to some great savings thanks to National Rail Days Out. They have 2-for-1 entry at top attractions like London Zoo, Caernarfon Castle, or the Bluebell Railway in West Sussex. There are also huge discounts, including a third off at theme parks like Thorpe Park, LEGOLAND and Alton Towers. Search for your chosen destination to see what deals are on offer before your trip, then just download the vouchers. Remember: the deals are only valid if you travel by train, and you'll need to show your train tickets alongside your voucher for entry. 9 Go old-school with a Heritage Membership Another way to potentially keep travel costs down is with a National Trust or English Heritage membership, both of which get you free admission and free parking at hundreds of attractions. Take a look at the attractions in your holiday destination, to see if a membership could be worth it. National Trust membership for a family of 4 is £168.60. Family admission at many National Trust sites is over £40, so if you plan on visiting 4-5 sites over the course of a year, a membership will probably save you money. English Heritage membership for a family with two adults and up to 12 children is £144 for a year - but there is 25% off if you buy before the end of August, so it's only £108. Prices at the more famous attractions like Dover Castle and Stonehenge can range from £50 to over £80 for a family ticket (depending on the day and ticket type). So, again, if you visit four or five attractions in a year, the membership will most likely have saved you money. Say ahoy with HolidayPirates If you can be flexible with where and when you travel, you can find some great bargains on HolidayPirates. It's a deals platform where a team of experts pull in amazing travel deals from around the web. They find some of the best offers out there for everything from last- minute package holidays to half-price hotel breaks. Right now, UK offers include Butlins packages at £252 for a family of four, a four-star spa hotel in Liverpool at £99 per night, and a long weekend glamping in Bude at £219 for a family of four. It's less helpful if you're searching for a specific date and destination, but great if you're open to ideas. Filter by destination and month to find the best deals for when you want to travel. You can also sign up to their newsletter to get deals straight to your inbox - or even subscribe to their WhatsApp channel and get notified every time a new deal hits. For something special, try Luxury Escapes If you're looking to splurge on a lavish hotel for an extra special occasion, take a look at the deals on Luxury Escapes. This site has savings of up to 70% off on high-end hotels, often with some luxe extras like free meals, room upgrades, or spa credits. The savings on pricier hotels can literally be hundreds of pounds: a night at very fancy The Kensington in London is £235 in mid-August, with breakfast and a free nightly cocktail, vs over £390 (minus the cocktails) when booked direct. Pay attention, because the price shown is sometimes the members-only price, and the non-member price may be slightly higher. Membership costs £129/year plus a one-time sign-up fee of £250, so it's not really worth it unless you book a lot of hotels. Sign up for OneKey and other loyalty programmes Sign up for the free memberships and rewards programmes at hotel booking sites like Accor, IHG®, and Expedia Group to get instant access to members-only prices and other loyalty rewards. Expedia, and VRBO have a shared reward programme called OneKey, with member discounts of 10% or more on 'over 100,000 hotels worldwide'. You also earn OneKeyCash on eligible stays, a reward currency to spend on future bookings. The more trips you book, the more the rewards increase: Silver members get 15% or more discount, while Gold and Platinum members get 20% or more. I once snagged a £60 pub stay in mid Wales for just £36.19 with my Gold member discount! 9 9 Take advantage of Groupon Groupon UK has a huge range of deals on services and experiences, with some great offers in the travel category, including holidays, hotels, spa days, attraction tickets, and more. You can filter by destination and by travel type, including family travel, so it's easy to find the best bargains. August deals include a seven-night stay in a two-bedroom holiday home for six at Ladram Bay Holiday Park in Devon for £137 per person (the same week is £207 per person when booking direct). There was also a double room for two with a full English and a bottle of Prosecco at Leonardo Hotel Liverpool for just £79. Equivalent room when booked direct was £93.60, not including the Prosecco. Take a look at Wowcher Wowcher is another deals website. It's a little trickier to use for travel searching, as there's no way to filter by location or travel type. But if you have the time and patience, there are some amazing deals for holidays, spa breaks, and attraction tickets. We got family tickets for Africa Alive Zoo in Norfolk at £36 for two adults and up to three kids (saving just over 51% against the website price). They also helpfully flag up which deals have Summer Holiday availability. Be wary of hotel deals where you can't check availability and book then and there; with these, you'll get a voucher to redeem at the hotel 'depending on availability'. The discounts for these deals are staggering, but it's a risk, as there may not be any availability when when you want to book.
Geeky Gadgets
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Sam Altman ChatGPT 5 Interview And What's Next
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
I swapped homes with a total stranger from Instagram to save money while traveling
A woman who swapped homes with a total stranger on Instagram to save money on hotel costs while she was traveling has shared the highs and lows of the experience. Sara Holt, 27, from Copenhagen, was planning a trip to Paris, France, and got fed up with the eye-watering prices of hotels and Airbnbs. Inspired by the Cameron Diaz-lead movie The Holiday, she decided to turn to social media to try to find someone living in the European city who might exchange abodes with her. She shared a video of her studio apartment on Instagram and received offers from people all over the world. And she ultimately switched with a girl living in the heart of Paris. She flew out on July 16 and stayed for a week – enjoying everything the city of lights had to offer for a fraction of the price. 'Travelling is expensive but a lot of the time, it is the accommodation that really breaks the bank,' she told Luxury Travel Daily recently. 'With home swapping, you really only have to pay for the transportation, which is a big perk when trying to save some money. 'Since watching The Holiday for the first time, I've always wanted to try it.' The 2006 flick - which also starred Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black - followed two strangers, one from a quiet English village and the other from star-studded Hollywood, who decided to trade homes in an attempt to spice up their lives. In addition to saving money, there were a load of other benefits that came with living in someone's home rather than staying at a hotel. 'I was so happy arriving in her flat in Paris. It looked amazing, very homey and she had cleaned and laid out a list with local recommendations as well as a welcome gift of wine, soaps and chocolate,' Sara recalled. 'It was a bit strange to live in someone else's space but it quickly felt very homey.' The content creator estimates she saved $800 on accommodation fees – and all in all, she only paid $650 for the entire trip, including flights, food, drinks and shopping. She loved the experience so much that she now can't imagine travelling any other way. Sara said: 'It was great to have your own kitchen and everything you need on hand, which is not the case in a hotel. Sara flew out on July 16 and stayed for a week – enjoying everything the city of lights had to offer for a fraction of the price 'Living in her area had a very local feel as well, which was great. It was more like trying "everyday life" in Paris instead of a holiday. 'It was just perfect. We were keeping in touch all week, asking questions and sending each other recommendations. 'It was like having a guide ready in your pocket the whole time. The whole thing felt very wholesome.' Sara added that the girl living in her apartment left it 'spotless,' in fact, it was 'almost better than when she left.' But there were some downsides. Particularly, she admitted that she was worried knowing there was no second party involved to help if something went wrong in her temporary home. 'I was a bit more worried than usual about keeping her space in order – as there is not second party involved, I really didn't want to break anything or lose her keys – stuff like that,' she explained. 'I was a bit nervous the months leading up to it, that one of us would have to cancel after the other person had already booked flights. 'There's no refund policy when you just swap with someone outside of the platforms. Luckily that didn't happen!' In addition to saving money, there were a load of other benefits that came with living in someone's home rather than staying at a hotel. The apartment she stayed in is pictured Despite some initial nerves about swapping her $950-a-month studio flat in Denmark with a stranger, the whole week went off without a hitch. Sara concluded: 'The money saved was definitely a bonus but the real win was feeling like a local and having that insider experience. 'I'd encourage anyone curious about home swapping to just take the leap. It's such a unique way to travel and connect with people. 'It's not just about saving money – it's about the stories you collect and the memories you make in a home that isn't your own.'
