Remember to take cash on holiday or be worse off, experts say
Research indicates that 39 per cent of travellers have encountered scenarios requiring cash, most commonly for tipping, taxi fares, and purchases at smaller, independent shops.
A reliance on cards can lead to unexpected costs, such as ATM fees for emergency withdrawals or poor exchange rates at airport currency desks.
Experts advise carrying a 'cash cushion' of local currency for unforeseen needs and understanding one's card's fee and currency conversion policies before travelling.
Most travel insurance policies offer cover for lost or stolen cash, with a significant proportion covering amounts between £200 and £399.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
A vintage ride on the British Isles' only electric mountain railway
The Snaefell Mountain Railway reveals the Isle of Man's forgotten tourism boom – and serves as a gateway to the seven mythological kingdoms. Our train was crawling slowly up a steeply pitched valley that felt hidden from the rest of the world. To the right of the tracks, the Laxey River dropped suddenly, turning south to vanish into the Irish Sea. Here and there, sheep grazed and the soft scent of gorse wafted into the carriage. I gazed out as the vegetation disappeared and we rattled higher – higher – as the train spiralled around the mountain's bald summit. A howling wind greeted our arrival at the top station, and I looked out to a sea that had turned to thrashing waves. The view stretched even further. According to folklorists, the summit is where one can glimpse seven kingdoms, including those that aren't acknowledged by any map. I could see England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man, but up there you can also see that of Manannán mac Lir, son of the sea and king of the otherworld in Gaelic mythology, and the kingdom of heaven. For believers, the journey is an imagined pilgrimage. Snaefell, or "Snow Mountain", is no ordinary peak and the Snaefell Mountain Railway is no ordinary train. I was on the Isle of Man, atop the island's highest peak, having ridden the only electric mountain railway in the British Isles. The tradition to ride to the top is a profound one, but, equally, to learn about the train is to build a vivid portrait of the Isle of Man. For the railway's story is one of unemployment and migration, engineering milestones and the rise of Victorian-era tourism, and it still looms large in the legend of the island, revealing the independent character at the very heart of Manx life. The day had begun at the Manx Museum, the Isle of Man's national museum in Douglas. The former hospital building is a nostalgic place by nature, with galleries dedicated to Viking silver hoards, Celtic crosses and Tynwald (the oldest continuous parliament in the world) helping distil the island's 10,000-year history into bite-sized nuggets. Chiefly, I was interested in the railway's timeline, which led me to the social history galleries and an encounter with Katie King, the museum's curator of art and social history. "In the mid-19th Century, the Isle of Man was in a mess," she said, as we symbolically slipped back in time. "There was low population growth, no employment, exponential immigration and the island's coal industry was collapsing. The [Isle of] Man government was alarmed by all of this." At the time, this was a familiar lament across many communities in the British Isles. But the Isle of Man, a UK Crown Dependency, had a secret weapon: its influential lieutenant governor, Sir Henry Brougham Loch, 1st Baron Loch. In office from 1863 to 1882, Loch realised the island's potential as a destination for spa tourism. Seaside holidays were booming in Queen Victoria's era and the Isle of Man, with sandy beaches and bracing waters, was primed to reap the rewards. In one sense, the island's capital, Douglas, was sacrificed to tourism. A glossy marketing campaign appeared on the London Underground in the 1870s, featuring idyllic sailing boats and beautiful women in swimming costumes, transforming the working-class port town into a glamorous holiday destination. The journey to get there, from ports including Blackpool, Whitehaven, Silloth, Ardrossan and Greenock by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, the world's oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company, was also portrayed as an exotic sea crossing to a mystical island. The speed at which things changed was astonishing. At its peak, 11 steamer ships made the crossing from Liverpool daily; and, by 1880, nearly 350,000 visitors were arriving every summer. A staggering 1,500 hotels opened, and, within a decade, Douglas had been transformed with a seafront promenade, pier and the largest ballroom in Europe. Despite moral outcry from the influential Methodist community, the island attracted legions of unchaperoned single men and women. And with liberal drinking laws, it was once described, as King puts it, as "one of the most debauched places in Britain". "But the governor wasn't content with stopping there," added King. "All those visitors only spent time in Douglas because there weren't opportunities to explore the island. So, building a train was the next obvious step." Enter the Manx Electric Railway at the northern end of the Loch Promenade. First opened to the coastal town of Groudle in 1893, it is now the oldest electric tram line in the world with its original rolling stock still in service. Then, two years later, the Snaefell Mountain Railway arrived as part of a further tourism push. Remarkably, the two connecting lines still run with much of their original Victorian-era infrastructure. Both feel like museums on wheels. If it's fascinating to hear these stories, it's more thrilling to ride to Snaefell, all while peering out of the world's oldest operational electric tram cars. While the epic views mean that comfort is secondary, the enjoyment of the three-hour return journey to the summit comes from riding on period piece Victorian tram cars doing what they were built to do. First, the Manx Electric Railway rattles, stutters and sways along the seven-mile track from Derby Castle Station to Laxey; then it's a quick switch onto the Snaefell Mountain Railway as it pushes uphill for a further five miles to 621m. Inside, the shallow arched carriages are polished ash and pitch pine. There are glazed vestibules, mirrored panels and sliding windows. For me, it had the particular atmosphere of an Orient Express, as if run by model railway enthusiasts. For the Manx, the legends and reality of the train are ingrained in their psyche. More like this:• The British isle that's not in the UK• The 25 best places to travel in 2025• Calf of Man: A tiny, wild isle adrift in the Irish Sea "When the railway opened, it was like science fiction," Andrew Scarffe, Manx Heritage Railways' technical support officer, told me when I met him at the depot. "Droves of people came over on the ferry just to see its electric technology and innovation. What's rarely spoken of is we were 130 years ahead of the rest of the world with green travel. We began generating our own power back in the 1890s to run the railway, and the electric tram cars are still doing what they were built to be doing. Slow travel by electric train? It all started here." As Scarffe tells it, the railway had one million annual passenger journeys at its peak, with trains leaving Derby Castle Station for Laxey every three minutes. These days, the Isle of Man's holiday traditions have been eroded, but the train still completes around 200,000 passenger journeys a year, from April to October. Like me, many come for the ride through the glens and fields, the train clawing past beech trees bursting to green before the hillside peters into rocks. Some come for the rare experience of driving the tram itself, with one day train-driving tutorials available. And those of a more spiritual bent come to savour the seven kingdoms. Before dusk, I reflected on much of this as I scrambled to Snaefell's true summit above the rail tracks. Ireland lay in front of me, with Wales, Scotland and England at my back, facing east. Above, so Manx folklore says, was the domain of "otherworld", a legend more difficult to ignore because of the remains of a Victorian-era observatory at the summit. Around me was the watery kingdom of Manannán mac Lir (fun fact: he's reputedly buried under a grassy knoll behind the walls of Peel Castle on the island's west coast). All of this was a confusion of the real and make-believe. And yet, looking out at this island full of stories made me realise that my short journey onboard the Snaefell Mountain Railway had taken me to more places than I ever could've imagined. It seems an ordinary train, but the tracks of this tiny electric mountain railway continue to keep both fantasy and so much of Manx history and culture alive. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Newcastle needed a suitably luxurious hotel – but I'm not sure this is it
Some hotels are seasonal. Not in the sense that they close for certain months, but that they suit certain times of the year more than others. Turning up at the Dakota hotel on a blisteringly hot day, directly across the River Tyne from the landmark Baltic Flour Mill, felt strange. I got out of my Uber in my shorts, squinted in the sun, then disappeared into the shadows of a building where it perpetually feels like late evening February. In theory I'm a Dakota fan: when I stayed at their Manchester hotel, way back in 2019, I thought it sleek and chic. A great place for a date, a better place for a debauched (but still luxury) weekend. The Newcastle sibling is cut from the same cloth but feels somehow flat-packed. It opened in March in an unlovely former office building that has been tarted up with on-trend glass partitions, dramatic pools of downlighting, vintage industrial clock motifs and huge jars of fake white flowers. It looks the part in photos, but sitting in the small cocktail bar made me feel like it had all been generated by AI (the main bar is next to the restaurant). An outdoor terrace has no view of the river and is hemmed in by foliage and heaters clearly geared up for chillier Newcastle weather. But there were things I liked about the hotel's overall design, most notably the sludge-greige colour scheme that reminded me of Rick Owens' trademark 'Dust'. It is, as they say, a mood. The bedrooms are large, and mine had giant arched windows with Venetian blinds, which my 1980s soul is always cheered by. Bathrooms are stark grey, with tubs and nicely spacious. My 1990s soul connected with the Molton Brown miniatures. The 2020s me was thrilled that signing into all the TV apps in the bedroom was easy. As it should be. Also, the slate area in the desk on which to rest your hair straighteners is a nice touch. This is the kind of hotel I'd be delighted to stay in if I was in the city for work for a few days. Staff are beaming and service is great. Judging by all the Prada, tans and teeth that I shared the lift with, the Dakota has become a draw for Millennials for a weekend break or night out. Which means they're probably eating in the Dakota Bar and Grill, which has the same dark wood and brass rivet New York steakhouse vibe as the Manchester branch. The interior is illuminated by myriad sources, which passes for sophistication. And it just about works. But the menu doesn't (which it really should because it's so simple). The cocktails I had in the bar were excellent; a mezcal negroni and a Dolce and Banana cocktail with that genuinely lovely synthetic banana flavour that reminds you of penny sweets. In theory, dinner was going to be straightforward: steak and chips, with a few other bits and bobs. I went to the giant Hawksmoor in Canary Wharf recently, which reminded me just how good a top-tier chain restaurant can be. The steak couldn't have been bettered. In Newcastle, the cow shouldn't have died in the first place. Things started as bad as can be. Chicken ravioli with pancetta, parmesan and egg yolk sounded like a must have but was a horror – a rubbery gyoza casing came filled with a set of flavours that felt like they'd just gone through a messy divorce, as well as a hand blender. Bread came, along with an uninvited bowl of marinara sauce and a disc of goats cheese in it. My dining companion had grilled Iberico pork, which he said was flavourful but overcooked in parts. I ordered the £85 Wagyu fillet from Westholme Australia (there's also a Wagyu rib eye from Kagoshima for a truly wild £150), asking for it on the cusp of rare and medium rare. It came closer to the fully cooked end of the latter – just a little pink, with none of the softness or marbling I'd expect from good Wagyu. It had also been grilled with herbs rubbed on the skin, which I hate, because I'm a purist when it comes to cow. No sauce, no nothing – just the beef please. I did, however, enjoy several glasses of Touriga Nacional from the Fire & Smoke section of the reds and wondered if the restaurant here might be better for the lunchtime Sunday roast than a date-night splurge. I looked back at my notes on my trip to the Manchester Dakota the next morning while having breakfast and one thing was consistent. The eggs Benedict here is also 'gold-standard'. The perfect muffin and poached eggs, salty crisped bacon and an indulgent but not sickly hollandaise. It didn't repeat on me, as so many Benedicts have done in the past. But there was to be one upset on the way that I hadn't anticipated. When I got back to London, I realised I had left my shorts at the hotel, which cost two Wagyu fillets and then some from Mr Porter. A slightly bewildered member of staff took my call and assured me they had been found and that a link to pay for the postage for their return was coming my way. The shorts arrived the next day. When they had come from Mr Porter, they were inside a gift box, wrapped in black tissue. When they turned up from Newcastle, they had been crudely rolled up, and a piece of A4 paper sellotaped around the middle with my name and address scrawled on (the Special Delivery sticker went across the paper and some of the scrunched, fully exposed fabric). I was annoyed, but I laughed out loud. And I was glad the link to pay for the service had never arrived. Doubles from £125, or £145 including breakfast. There are two fully accessible rooms. Mark C. O'Flaherty travelled as a guest of LNER ( which runs regular services between London and Newcastle, with a journey time of three hours, from £28 each way.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Frequent fliers reveal tips for getting upgrades that actually work, including checking in at the last second
Forget dressing smartly or trying to charm flight attendants. Those tactics for getting upgraded on flights are myths. Instead, heed the advice here from frequent fliers who reveal tips that actually work for securing upgraded air travel. Our experts are Gilbert Ott, Founder of travel site Zach Griff, senior reporter at The Points Guy; and JT Genter, Editor-In-Chief of the AwardWallet blog. Read on and you'll learn why checking in at the last second can yield a better seat — but only on certain airlines. And why booking premium economy is one of the best ways of getting bumped up to business class. Booking tips for a seat at the pointy end If you can afford to book a premium economy seat, you've also landed yourself a good chance of being bumped up to business class, says Gilbert. He tells The Independent: "It's the smallest cabin on the plane and the one the airline wants to 'upsell' economy passengers into the most. "They love to oversell this cabin with upgrades, effectively selling a seat on the plane twice to someone. And since it's such a small cabin, here you're most likely to receive a complimentary bump to business or first class." If budget airlines are more your price point, Zach recommends checking in at the very last second. He explains: "If you're flying on one of the ultra-low-cost budget airlines such as Spirit or Ryanair, I typically recommend checking in at the last second. "They often fill their planes back-to-front and reserve the most premium seats until the last minute to see if they can convince people to upgrade to them. "If they end up going unsold, it's possible they might assign them to the last people checking in." Does the same trick work for more expensive airlines? It can, says Zach, but he warns that "those carriers often fill their better seats with elite members". Stay loyal Enroling in an airline loyalty program and staying loyal significantly increases your chances of a better seat. JT explains: "The best way to get an upgrade to business or first class is to be loyal to that airline. "Generally, upgrades are going to go to a program's elite members." Zach agrees, telling The Independent that rewards also include the ability to "reserve extra-legroom seats at no cost or at a highly discounted rate". The downside? "You'll need to spend thousands of dollars a year flying with that airline," says JT. Volunteer to take a later flight if yours is oversold — and negotiate an upgrade Gilbert reveals that Delta has offered passengers as much as $10,000 each to transfer from an oversold flight to a later one. And if there's no cash offer, negotiate for an upgrade. He adds: "Airlines regularly oversell flights, so letting them know at check-in and at the gate that you'd be very willing to volunteer — and holding out for a decent offer — is a great tactic." Collect air miles Collecting air miles through credit-card spending is one of the classic tactics to snare a more luxurious seat. Gilbert recommends the Bilt Reward Card as it "allows people to earn points for paying rent, typically the largest monthly expense, and there's no annual fee, so it's an easy way to jump into the game". He adds: "Plus, the more transactions and spend, the better your rewards." Zach is a fan of cards that allow customers to earn flexible travel points "that aren't aligned with a specific airline or hotel chain". He explains: "This way, you can transfer points to a partner airline or hotel.' Zach says that American Express, Chase and Capital One all offer cards with this feature. JT's pro tip here is to avoid spending thousands on existing cards and instead continually sign up to new cards to take advantage of sign-up bonuses. He says: "These bonuses will earn you points much faster than through everyday spending alone. "Done right, this strategy can help you earn hundreds of thousands of points each year. In fact, my wife and I have earned more than seven million points and miles through sign-up bonuses alone. "Just be mindful of card issuer application restrictions and be strategic about your card applications." Avoid peak season The magic months for the cheapest business-class flights are early November and December, and mid-late January and February, says Gilbert. He reveals: "These are low periods for airlines and airlines are willing to sell relatively cheap tickets — think $2,000 for a business-class London-to-New York round trip — if you're willing to book far in advance and accept no flexibility for changes or cancellation.
