A Monkey's Guide to Travel

A monkey can travel light; a few bananas and maybe a spare bowler hat is all a monkey needs. But humans arn't so lucky. They often need to pack other items, such as trousers and socks and plastic bags to put those socks into once they are soiled.

So what can be done to lighten the load? Here is a monkey's guide to packing your suitcase...

Roll 'em up!

This method of packing is an effective way of making the most of all the space you have available, plus it cuts down on the creases. Simply take your items of clothing and roll them. Make sure they're rolled into a neat little sausage shape and then simply stack them. This is particularly handy if you have a rucksack where clothes are stacked vertically.

To avoid your clothes getting crushed, stack in order of weight with the heaviest at the bottom. Obviously some items of clothing don't like to be rolled i.e. posh frocks and jackets. Pack these items flat or better still hang them up.

Keep Breakables Safe

If you plan on carrying delicate items in your luggage then make sure you keep them packed snug in the centre of your case. Build some protection around them so they don't get obliterated during transit.

Keep the weight down

Now there's no point in straining yourself, this is meant to be a holiday after all. So try to keep your luggage as light as possible. Leave out anything that you don't really need. You may also incur extra charges at the check in if your luggage is over a certain weight.

Looking for cheap flights to places is becoming quite hard recently but I recently found that you can get some good priced holidays to Greece. Apparently, Greek holidays are decreasing in price whereas holidays to Spain are rising, I recently booked a holiday for a week in Corfu for £278, 3 star hotel flying from manchester on 28th Aug.

If you can, flying at the end of august will allow you to find some good deals as it is considered "out of season". If you were to fly 2 weeks before, some operators are doubling that price. So if you want some Summer Nights in a great place then head to burn up the quarter mile and head to Greece because Greece really is the word!

My Uncle Steve worked as an extra for a bit...he only did the one film.

Its a great city to visit and there is so much to do. If you are in to your sight seeing, then Table Mountain is must. You get a great view of the city on a clear day (but make sure it is because if its cloudy then its hard to see anything!). One of the most interesting places I have seen is Robben Island which is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, the guy that gave us the tour was actually one of the prisoners all those years ago and it was amazing to hear the stories.

The game reserves are amazing and you can see many different kinds of animals there (including apes, gorillas and other animals!)

The beaches are really nice as well and you can certainly relax on the white beaches with the clear blue sea in front of you. The bars and restaurants are amazing, the quality is unrivalled and it costs at least half of what we would pay here in the UK.

Well, as you may be able to tell, I am a huge fan of Cape Town and ill probably go into a bit more detail at a later date but if you are planning to go and want some advice on what to do then leave me a comment and ill pass on some info.

Low cost airlines have changed the way we fly with cheap flights to destinations around Europe. Airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair have become big players in the market and peoples choice of airline. The no-frills offer they give to their customers doesn't seem to bother them and this is mainly because people use them for short-haul flights.

For all the positives about low cost airlines, there are negative points too. You have to stick to their rules or risk not getting on that cheap flight. "IF YOU'RE LATE, WE WON'T WAIT" is plastered over the EasyJet counter at airports and believe me, they won't!

There are also hidden charges for those travelling on budget airlines, baggage over 20kg results in a £8 per kilo fine so costs can soon mount. I suppose the main bit of advice is only take what you really need so you avoid these added costs.

It is difficult one but I'd rather be in the sun, cocktails in hand maybe a few bananas! Some great deals on holidays are available and if you, like many others, fancy some winter sun then check out my links further up the page for the best deals around.

Many people are taking a break from everyday life and going backpacking, this is popular pasttime for students either before or after university. It offers a great way to see the world and enhance your experiences and many people find out a lot of themselves after months of backpacking around the world.

I would recommend taking the essentials only, the places you are likely to visit will have shops should you need an extra t-shirt or 2! the less electrical equipment you take the better because the likelyhood is that you won't have much access to a socket to use them. One thing everyone must be careful with is your belongings, many thieves in foreign countries know where tourists hide their belongings so don't give them the opportunity to strike.

Cameras, phones and wallets are items most frequently stolen so if you want to bring them, make sure they arent worth hundreds of pounds. Backpacking is a great way to see the world and add to your experiences and if you use a tour guide and stick to a programme you will get the most out of your trip.

A lot of people think that we monkeys are only happy swinging around in the steamy jungles south of Timbuktu. Not so! There's plenty of monkey business much closer to home! Have you heard of Gibralter? It has a rock, English bobbies with their funny hats and . . . . lots of monkeys. People call them barbary apes but they're definitely monkeys. They're very cheeky and will try and steal your chips, if you let them, so watch it - you'll get into trouble for feeding 'em .

People here are very fond of their monkeys. They are the only ones in Europe and no one knows how they got here (ferry? tunnel? Easyjet?). However, Winston Churchill told his men to look after them (there was an old story that Gibralter would remain British as long as cheeky monkeys thronged the rock) and when any are sick they are treated in the military hospital to this day.

So what else is there do in Gibralter! Well not a lot, as Paul Daniels would say, it's only a wee place. However, a walk up the rock is worth it, there's Africa before your eyes - so close (15km) you can practically touch it! Well worth a day trip from the Costas !

Ahoy there monkey fans!

Before you set sail to the destination of your dreams it is important to look after your health. Particularly if venturing into tropical climes. Here are a few pointers:

- Thailand - normally it is prudent to have jabs against diptheria, poliomyelitus, tetanus and hepatitus A. Your Doctor will tell you about any further precautions you need to take!

- Brazil - Brazil is famous for it's yellow football strip. However, if you're off for a jaunt down the Amazon you'll need a jab for Yellow Fever! Again, there are other things you might need and your Doctor will advise.

- Japan - Did you know there are monkeys in Japan. More of them later. But if you visit the land of the rising sun (particularly its more out of the way places) - you will need to be immunised for Japanese B encephalitus.

I heard today that we might be able to check-in, receive our tickets and boarding cards straight to our phones! it will certainly make things easier and cut down on this monkey business thats going on nowadays at airports.

We can also receive all the offers that we get bombarded with at airports straight to our mobiles which is good news because we will not have to wait in long queues as we are used to.

As I have mentioned before, packing light is easy. Rolling clothes up will allow you more room so theres no need to take extra bags and be hit with big fines.