Latest news with #SeanTipton
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Yahoo
When to book and where to stay: Six ways to save money on your summer holiday
Prices for all-inclusive family package holidays in some of the most popular desinations have soared over the past year. But there are ways of saving money if you want to escape abroad. Here are six tips to help keep costs down. The price you pay for your accommodation depends on when you book. July and August are the peak months for summer holidays, not just for Brits but for people in other parts of Europe. "If you've ever been to Paris in August there's hardly anyone there, everybody goes to the beach or heads for the mountains," says Sean Tipton, spokesperson for The Travel Association (ABTA), which represents tour operators and travel agents. "That's when the hotels put their prices up," he says. Therefore, it is usually cheaper to book a holiday aboard for June or September. If you do have to go during the peak months, Mr Tipton says: "It is generally a good idea to book it as early as you can. "It can be a bit of a lottery because you can't 100% predict what the demand will be but as a rule of thumb in the majority of cases if you know you're travelling in July, August or over Christmas or Easter, book early." The best time to travel is the middle of the week, according to Mr Tipton. "The weekend is the most expensive time to go because people prefer to fly over the weekend so if you fly mid-week it is generally cheaper," he says. "Just simple little things like that get the price down." The same goes for the time of the day you travel. "It is common sense really," he says. "I don't particularly like getting up at 3am for a 6am flight and I'm not alone in that so those flights will be consequently cheaper." If you have some flexibility around when you can travel, there are some last minute bargains to be had. Package holiday operators may have booked a lot of hotel space in advance which they may not have been able to sell at the holiday date approaches. "They'll discount it just to make sure they get something for it," says Mr Tipton. "Travel agents get sent notifications of last minute good deals so they're a good place to go if you've left it late and you want a good, cheap deal." Another option is house-swapping. Instead of paying for a hotel or villa, people can register with an online platform which acts as a fixer between homeowners in different countries who want to stay in other's houses. Justine Palefsky, co-founder and chief executive of Kindred, says that people who register with her site pay only a service and a cleaning fee. For example, someone booking a seven night stay at a three bedroom house in Majorca would pay a $140 (£103) service fee to Kindred as well as $140 for cleaning before and after a stay in the house. Ms Hawkes advises that travellers go through a reputable site if they are choosing a house-swap. "People need to be wary of social media ads at this time of year, advertising cheap holidays because scammers do tend to use those portals to show you images of a wonderful location. "Then when you book it and do you bank transfer, you find it doesn't exsist," she says. She recommends doing a reverse image search on websites such as Google to check the images haven't been lifted from somewhere else to promote a home that doesn't exist. Holidays to Spain, Cyprus and Turkey soar in price Heathrow to pipe 'sounds of an airport' around airport Avoid changing money at the airport, says Alastair Douglas, chief executive at TotallyMoney, a price comparison site. "Airports are normally the most expensive places to change cash," he says. Instead, change your money well in advance. Mr Douglas says that if people are worried about exhange rate shifting between booking a holiday and the date of departure they can "hedge their bets" by changing half in advance and half nearer the time. However, he says that people don't really travel with lots of cash anymore. Most spending is done on cards. This is a good thing, Mr Douglas says, because it will often allow you to select the local currency which is "probably the thing that will save you the most amount of money". Even before you reach your destination, costs can pile up. Make sure you print out your boarding pass ahead of time. "Some airlines can charge a lot of money just to print out at the airport," says Nicky Kelvin, editor at The Points Guy website. "Not all of them but just be safe." If you're bringing a small suitcase on board the plane, bear in mind both the weight and the size of the luggage if you have to measure it in a metal sizer at the airport. If it doesn't fit, you may be charged a fee to check it into the plane's hold. Ms Hawkes recommends documenting the luggage dimensions an airline provides on its website just in case you have followed them but get to the airport and discover your bag does not fit. "In that case, if the airline makes you put it in the hold and you've adhered to their website conditions, document everything and make a complaint after," she says. Food, drink and toiletries are often more expensive at the airport. One of the reasons, according to Mr Kelvin, is because of the 100ml onboard liquid rule. While restrictions have recently been relaxed at airports in Edinburgh and Birmingham, it applies everywhere else in the UK. One way to cut costs is to order your suncream or other toiletries online and pick them up in-store at the airport once you've been through security. Some retailers allow you to do this, Mr Kelvin tells the BBC's Morning Live programme. "So it's a double whammy - you're going to save because you're going to get the cheaper online pricing and you're going to avoid the security issue because you're going to pick up your big liquids after." Another cost-saving tip is to take a water bottle with you. Most airports have free water refill stations. He also recommends taking along your own snacks in lunch boxes, especially handy if you're travelling with children. Assume the 100ml airport rule remains, flyers told What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
BBC News
10-07-2025
- BBC News
Summer holidays: How to save money on planes and accommodation
Prices for all-inclusive family package holidays in some of the most popular desinations have soared over the past there are ways of saving money if you want to escape abroad. Here are six tips to help keep costs down. 1. Book early for July and August The price you pay for your accommodation depends on when you and August are the peak months for summer holidays, not just for Brits but for people in other parts of Europe."If you've ever been to Paris in August there's hardly anyone there, everybody goes to the beach or heads for the mountains," says Sean Tipton, spokesperson for The Travel Association (ABTA), which represents tour operators and travel agents."That's when the hotels put their prices up," he says. Therefore, it is usually cheaper to book a holiday aboard for June or September. If you do have to go during the peak months, Mr Tipton says: "It is generally a good idea to book it as early as you can."It can be a bit of a lottery because you can't 100% predict what the demand will be but as a rule of thumb in the majority of cases if you know you're travelling in July, August or over Christmas or Easter, book early." 2. Fly mid-week and early in the morning The best time to travel is the middle of the week, according to Mr Tipton."The weekend is the most expensive time to go because people prefer to fly over the weekend so if you fly mid-week it is generally cheaper," he says."Just simple little things like that get the price down."The same goes for the time of the day you travel."It is common sense really," he says. "I don't particularly like getting up at 3am for a 6am flight and I'm not alone in that so those flights will be consequently cheaper." 3. Book a hotel room late If you have some flexibility around when you can travel, there are some last minute bargains to be holiday operators may have booked a lot of hotel space in advance which they may not have been able to sell at the holiday date approaches."They'll discount it just to make sure they get something for it," says Mr Tipton."Travel agents get sent notifications of last minute good deals so they're a good place to go if you've left it late and you want a good, cheap deal."Another option is house-swapping. Instead of paying for a hotel or villa, people can register with an online platform which acts as a fixer between homeowners in different countries who want to stay in other's Palefsky, co-founder and chief executive of Kindred, says that people who register with her site pay only a service and a cleaning example, someone booking a seven night stay at a three bedroom house in Majorca would pay a $140 (£103) service fee to Kindred as well as $140 for cleaning before and after a stay in the Hawkes advises that travellers go through a reputable site if they are choosing a house-swap."People need to be wary of social media ads at this time of year, advertising cheap holidays because scammers do tend to use those portals to show you images of a wonderful location. "Then when you book it and do you bank transfer, you find it doesn't exsist," she recommends doing a reverse image search on websites such as Google to check the images haven't been lifted from somewhere else to promote a home that doesn't exist. 4. Pay in the local currency Avoid changing money at the airport, says Alastair Douglas, chief executive at TotallyMoney, a price comparison site."Airports are normally the most expensive places to change cash," he change your money well in advance. Mr Douglas says that if people are worried about exhange rate shifting between booking a holiday and the date of departure they can "hedge their bets" by changing half in advance and half nearer the he says that people don't really travel with lots of cash anymore. Most spending is done on is a good thing, Mr Douglas says, because it will often allow you to select the local currency which is "probably the thing that will save you the most amount of money". 5. Weigh your bags Even before you reach your destination, costs can pile up. Make sure you print out your boarding pass ahead of time. "Some airlines can charge a lot of money just to print out at the airport," says Nicky Kelvin, editor at The Points Guy website. "Not all of them but just be safe."If you're bringing a small suitcase on board the plane, bear in mind both the weight and the size of the luggage if you have to measure it in a metal sizer at the airport. If it doesn't fit, you may be charged a fee to check it into the plane's hold. Ms Hawkes recommends documenting the luggage dimensions an airline provides on its website just in case you have followed them but get to the airport and discover your bag does not fit. "In that case, if the airline makes you put it in the hold and you've adhered to their website conditions, document everything and make a complaint after," she says. 6. Buy toiletries in advance Food, drink and toiletries are often more expensive at the of the reasons, according to Mr Kelvin, is because of the 100ml onboard liquid rule. While restrictions have recently been relaxed at airports in Edinburgh and Birmingham, it applies everywhere else in the way to cut costs is to order your suncream or other toiletries online and pick them up in-store at the airport once you've been through retailers allow you to do this, Mr Kelvin tells the BBC's Morning Live programme. "So it's a double whammy - you're going to save because you're going to get the cheaper online pricing and you're going to avoid the security issue because you're going to pick up your big liquids after."Another cost-saving tip is to take a water bottle with you. Most airports have free water refill also recommends taking along your own snacks in lunch boxes, especially handy if you're travelling with children.
The Hill
28-04-2025
- Health
- The Hill
HHS cuts risk undermining reproductive health services
'Trump said he is the fertility president. But how does cutting these programs support his administration's position?' one former CDC employee said. The Department of Government Efficiency's mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have reduced staff working at maternal health and reproductive health programs including teams that report on fertility outcomes of IVF clinics. HHS laid off 10,000 employees earlier this month, which included removing three-quarters of the CDC's reproductive health division, a former employee told The Hill. The CDC's six-person Assited Reproductive Technology Surveillance team is now gone as well as a 17-person team that worked on the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. The CDC no longer has a dedicated team studying contraception use. Couples who are trying to conceive now do not have access to trustworthy federal information on IVF clinics and their chances of conceiving. And there are now fewer people monitoring pregnancy health outcomes or doing in-depth research on why some women and children die in childbirth. Public health experts warn that cuts to these programs will have lasting effects on Americans and create a blind spot in women's health,making it more dangerous to be pregnant in the U.S. The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates out of similarly wealthy nations, with 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the CDC's most recent data. 'I think women and children in this country are going to be less healthy, going to die sooner, and I think it's going to take us longer to fully understand the ramifications of that,' said Sean Tipton, chief advocacy and policy officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, which represents fertility medicine providers.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HHS layoffs undercut Trump's pledge to be ‘fertilization president'
President Trump has championed access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and even dubbed himself the 'fertilization president' early in his second term. But Department of Government Efficiency-induced layoffs at the Department and Health and Human Services (HHS) have decimated maternal health and reproductive medicine programs, including teams that report on fertility outcomes of IVF clinics, as well as those that track maternal health and mortality data. Public health experts and reproductive health advocates say the cuts will have lasting consequences and make it more dangerous to be pregnant in the United States. They questioned how Trump's promises to expand IVF, as well as the White House's reported interest in boosting a lagging domestic birthrate, can be reconciled with the gutting of crucial tools that could help achieve those goals. The HHS suddenly laid off 10,000 people at the start of this month, a sweeping move that included about three-quarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) reproductive health division, former CDC employees told The Hill. Former fertility-focused agency employees who lost their jobs April 1 said they thought it was a mistake. 'Trump said he was the fertility president. How does cutting this program support the administration's position?' one former CDC employee said. 'We fully expected that the team would be brought back once there was awareness that it had been eliminated. But as time has gone on, apparently there's no intention of bringing anyone back,' said another. The CDC's six-person Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Surveillance team was eliminated, as was the 17-person team that worked on the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. The agency also lost teams studying contraception use. As a result, couples trying to conceive may not be able to get trustworthy information about IVF clinics or their chances for success. There are now fewer people monitoring pregnancy health outcomes or doing deep research on why some women die in childbirth. Sean Tipton, chief advocacy and policy officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, which represents fertility medicine providers, said the loss of those programs and staff will create a massive blind spot for women's health. 'I think the women and children of this country are going to be less healthy, going to die sooner, and I think it's going to take us longer to fully understand the ramifications of that,' Tipton said. 'It is a deep, dark, black hole with no solutions,' he added. 'It's hard to reconcile the statements of the self-proclaimed fertility president with the policy moves his administration has implemented.' The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income countries, with 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the most recent data available from the CDC. Many health experts have called maternal mortality in the U.S. a 'crisis,' which disproportionally impacts Black and brown communities. Maternal mortality rates are particularly high for Black women, rising to 49.5 deaths per 100,000 deaths in 2022 and 50.3 the following year, CDC data show. That crisis will only worsen if there are fewer people working to make pregnancies safer, experts said. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics is still releasing its annual maternal mortality report. But the report provides 'surface level' information on maternal deaths that is compiled from death certificate data and does not dive deeply into root causes. 'That's not looking at deaths among women who are pregnant or why,' one former CDC employee told The Hill. That work is up to members of the maternal mortality review committees who could all be laid off as part of proposed HHS budget cuts, a leaked version of the budget shows. An HHS official said the work of 'critical programs' from the CDC's Division of Reproductive Health will continue under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 'alongside multiple agencies and programs to improve coordination of health resources for Americans.' But the official did not give details on how the specific functions of those programs would continue, especially when relevant experts have seemingly been fired. The CDC's ART Surveillance team was tasked with collecting and analyzing information on every IVF procedure performed in the country, including patient demographics and success rates. The team had operated under a congressional mandate since 1992. 'We had 12 projects in the works, which have all just stopped,' a former agency employee said. 'There's no one else doing them. There's no one else to do them.' Barbara Collura, the president and CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association, said the science of IVF is advancing rapidly and the data analyzed by the ART team is a major reason why. ART data helped make IVF safer, more efficient and more accessible, Collura said, which is exactly what the Trump administration purportedly wants to do. In February, Trump issued an executive order that pledged support for IVF and called for a report on how to make it more accessible and affordable; but there were no funding commitments or specific ideas presented. 'If I want to put forward policy recommendations on IVF, I want the best people surrounding me, giving me advice and info,' Collura said. 'You had them for decades, and now they are gone.' There are some nongovernmental efforts to collect and share IVF data. The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology collects similar information about fertility clinics. But participation is voluntary, and advocates fear without the force of the federal government behind it, there will be fewer and fewer clinics reporting. The IVF industry is already facing increased scrutiny, especially in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court decision last year that found frozen embryos are people. But advocates said they worry about growing distrust in the industry if the federal government is no longer tracking patient outcomes and providing some oversight. 'I don't think this [is] a time we want to have less oversight and regulation and data,' Collura said. 'If you're all in on [expanding] access, let's make sure you have great data.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
26-04-2025
- Health
- The Hill
HHS layoffs undercut Trump's pledge to be ‘fertilization president'
President Trump has championed access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and even dubbed himself the 'fertilization president' early in his second term. But Department of Government Efficiency-induced layoffs at the Department and Health and Human Services (HHS) have decimated maternal health and reproductive medicine programs, including teams that report on fertility outcomes of IVF clinics, as well as those that track maternal health and mortality data. Public health experts and reproductive health advocates say the cuts will have lasting consequences and make it more dangerous to be pregnant in the United States. They questioned how Trump's promises to expand IVF, as well as the White House's reported interest in boosting a lagging domestic birthrate, can be reconciled with the gutting of crucial tools that could help achieve those goals. The HHS suddenly laid off 10,000 people at the start of this month, a sweeping move that included about three-quarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) reproductive health division, former CDC employees told The Hill. Former fertility-focused agency employees who lost their jobs April 1 said they thought it was a mistake. 'Trump said he was the fertility president. How does cutting this program support the administration's position?' one former CDC employee said. 'We fully expected that the team would be brought back once there was awareness that it had been eliminated. But as time has gone on, apparently there's no intention of bringing anyone back,' said another. The CDC's six-person Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Surveillance team was eliminated, as was the 17-person team that worked on the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. The agency also lost teams studying contraception use. As a result, couples trying to conceive may not be able to get trustworthy information about IVF clinics or their chances for success. There are now fewer people monitoring pregnancy health outcomes or doing deep research on why some women die in childbirth. Sean Tipton, chief advocacy and policy officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, which represents fertility medicine providers, said the loss of those programs and staff will create a massive blind spot for women's health. 'I think the women and children of this country are going to be less healthy, going to die sooner, and I think it's going to take us longer to fully understand the ramifications of that,' Tipton said. 'It is a deep, dark, black hole with no solutions,' he added. 'It's hard to reconcile the statements of the self-proclaimed fertility president with the policy moves his administration has implemented.' The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income countries, with 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the most recent data available from the CDC. Many health experts have called maternal mortality in the U.S. a 'crisis,' which disproportionally impacts Black and brown communities. Maternal mortality rates are particularly high for Black women, rising to 49.5 deaths per 100,000 deaths in 2022 and 50.3 the following year, CDC data show. That crisis will only worsen if there are fewer people working to make pregnancies safer, experts said. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics is still releasing its annual maternal mortality report. But the report provides 'surface level' information on maternal deaths that is compiled from death certificate data and does not dive deeply into root causes. 'That's not looking at deaths among women who are pregnant or why,' one former CDC employee told The Hill. That work is up to members of the maternal mortality review committees who could all be laid off as part of proposed HHS budget cuts, a leaked version of the budget shows. An HHS official said the work of 'critical programs' from the CDC's Division of Reproductive Health will continue under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 'alongside multiple agencies and programs to improve coordination of health resources for Americans.' But the official did not give details on how the specific functions of those programs would continue, especially when relevant experts have seemingly been fired. The CDC's ART Surveillance team was tasked with collecting and analyzing information on every IVF procedure performed in the country, including patient demographics and success rates. The team had operated under a congressional mandate since 1992. 'We had 12 projects in the works, which have all just stopped,' a former agency employee said. 'There's no one else doing them. There's no one else to do them.' Barbara Collura, the president and CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association, said the science of IVF is advancing rapidly and the data analyzed by the ART team is a major reason why. ART data helped make IVF safer, more efficient and more accessible, Collura said, which is exactly what the Trump administration purportedly wants to do. In February, Trump issued an executive order that pledged support for IVF and called for a report on how to make it more accessible and affordable; but there were no funding commitments or specific ideas presented. 'If I want to put forward policy recommendations on IVF, I want the best people surrounding me, giving me advice and info,' Collura said. 'You had them for decades, and now they are gone.' There are some nongovernmental efforts to collect and share IVF data. The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology collects similar information about fertility clinics. But participation is voluntary, and advocates fear without the force of the federal government behind it, there will be fewer and fewer clinics reporting. The IVF industry is already facing increased scrutiny, especially in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court decision last year that found frozen embryos are people. But advocates said they worry about growing distrust in the industry if the federal government is no longer tracking patient outcomes and providing some oversight. 'I don't think this [is] a time we want to have less oversight and regulation and data,' Collura said. 'If you're all in on [expanding] access, let's make sure you have great data.'
