Who managed to kidnap our judges’ hearts?

Rhoda from Rhoda Reviews who confessed her love in the most romantic way we know. Like Petrarch, William Shakespeare, Pablo Neruda, she captured her feelings in poetry.

A romantic Valentine’s weekend away,
Who would go? Where would we stay?
First things first, I have a crush….
Oh my goodness this is making me blush!

Her name is Jo, she’s a lovely lady,
Her blog fills my heart with joy daily,
She’s my Twitter sister, we get on so well
She’s there for me, even when her life is Hell.

We are happy for Rhoda and wish her a happy holiday in Tenerife in April!

Other entries we and the judges found particularly alluring were from Sam and Richard. Sam from Totally Sam’s World shared her secret crush with us, she revealed she is in love with Laura The Explorer. In a truly 21st-century manner, her love blossomed on twitter. One tweet led to the other and now Sam dreams of Laura bouncing around on a catamaran hull.

Richard from the Gothic Pie wrote an illustrated guide for a romantic Valentine’s. He drew a picture of his “missus”: 3 different scenarios: normal, romantic and steampunked!

His other suggestions included some old school romantic displays of affection like a mix tape or a movie night, and more modern gestures like confessing his true love in a blog post. Hope you and your Valentine live happily ever after.

Thanks for entering everyone and keep an eye on FTC blog for more exciting competitions!

At 77 kilometres in length and 37 in width, the island is compact enough for a short break, but large enough to keep you busy if you have a week to spare. A good starting point is Rhodes itself – a city that demands to be seen on foot. The medieval district, known as Old Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site littered with well-preserved hints of its glimmering past. Make sure you see the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, a mouthful certainly, but a wonderfully preserved 14th century fort nonetheless. From here, it’s well worth taking a dusky walk along the medieval city walls, which can be arranged at the palace itself, before descending into the ancient streets for a spot of very modern retail therapy.

History buffs ought not to miss seeing the site of the Colossus, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world – although the actual site is the stuff of recent debate. Not to worry – whether you visit the old harbour or the Rhodes Acropolis (the two leading suggestions), you’re in for a treat. The harbour juts north into the Mediterranean, and is particularly special at night when the fresh fish restaurants come alive. Meanwhile, the Acropolis, approximately 2 kilometres from Old Town, is everything you imagine a picture postcard of crumbling and stately Greece to be.

Sun and shopping can be done in one fell swoop in the village of Lindos, just a ferry ride away from the island capital, if you have the time. The two main beaches are popular with tourists, but you’re guaranteed a sensational view and a crystalline ocean. If your kids are toddlers, head for the shallower waters of the Agios Pavlos beach, still part of Lindos, considered safer for less confident swimmers.

After a morning baking on the sand, an afternoon in the shade of Lindos Bazaar will most likely prove welcome. It’s not without its tat, of course, but it is cool and sheltered and offers plenty of options for those determined to spend their Euros.

:: Deadline extended to February 20th! ::

Valentines’ is a very special time for all of us, and to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Fly Thomas Cook wants to offer the very special gift of love to the travel blogging community.

Would you like to spend a Valentine weekend with your travel blogger-crush?

Read on and find out how to enter our competition:

During the summer of 2012 we conducted a “Sex, Sun and Sea” survey: asking UK respondents where (amongst other things) they thought the most romantic place in the world was. The people have spoken!

When asked about holiday romances, most people said that they fell in love, and lust in sunny Spain. Here at FTC we provide a variety of flights to Spanish destinations, including the stunning Canary Islands. So on this February 14th, we’ll be sending one lucky couple for a romantic getaway to the Canary Islands.

To enter the competition:

Write a blog post saying which island and nominating which travel blogger you would like to spend your perfect Valentine’s weekend with.

Will it be Tenerife, Lanzarote , Fuerteventura or Gran Canaria? Which fellow blogger would you take with you?

You decide… And hope our Judges will choose your entry!

Judging the competition will be our two travel blogging cupids, Oceana from BareFootBeachBlonde.com and Chris from BackpackerBanter.com. Tweet them your entries and remember to include the competition hashtag #FlyInLove so everybody can see your posts.

Make sure to mention which of the islands you want to go to let us know which flights to book for you! (Once you win, you will tell us the exact dates)

Read about the competition and see an example post on Chris’s blog http://www.backpackerbanter.com/blog/who-wants-to-win-a-holiday And Oceana’s blog http://www.barefootbeachblonde.com/blog/island-holiday/

:: Deadline extended to February 20th! ::

Terms and Conditions

1)      This competition is being run by Fly Thomas Cook (“Promoter”).
2)      This competition (“Promotion”) is open to everyone excluding employees of the Promoter as well as their agents and families and anyone else associated with the administration of this Promotion.
3)      Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions and agree to be bound by them when entering this Promotion.
4)      To take part in the Promotion, entrants must
a)       write a blog post about Valentine’s Weekend;
b)       include a hyperlink to the flights they wish to get in their post;
c)       tweet the URL of their blog post to the judges @ BarefootBeachB and @bckpackerbanter with a hashtag #flyinlove
d)      only one entry per househould allowed
5)      The winner will be selected by travel blogger judges: Oceana BareFootBeachBlonde.com and Chris BackpackerBanter.com. All entries must be received by 11.59pm (UK time) 13^th February 2013.
6)      There will be only one prize (“Prize”), return flights for 7 nights to any of the Canary Islands from any UK airport chosen by the winner for a winner and a companion and accommodation, dates between 15^th April and 15^th May.
7)      The winner will be contacted by the Promoter as soon as possible and in any event, no later than 20^th February.
8)      No cash alternative to the Prize will be offered. The Prize is non-refundable and non-transferable.
9)      The Winner agrees to participate in any reasonable publicity required by the Promoter without additional remuneration.
10)   Entrants’ personal details will be stored securely and retained only as long as is necessary to complete the administration of this promotion.

From a shantytown to the Grammies

Bachata music started in the rural areas of the Dominican Republic, in the ’60s it made its way from shantytowns, eventually catching on in the early ’90s. Due to increasing poverty, many Dominicans migrated to the cities, bringing bachata music and dance with them. Played on guitars, bongos and maracas, often with vulgar lyrics about drinking, sex and ‘women troubles’, it was considered low-rent music, and rarely ever made it onto the airwaves. However, things have changed.

Artists like Juan Luis Guerra popularised the music around the world, in 1992 he won a Latin music Grammy for an album called Bachata Rosa. In the last 10 years, bachata has become a common and beloved addition to Latin dance. DJs play famous bachata songs at salsa parties when people wanted to have a little rest between fast-paced salsa and mambo tunes.

Shall we dance?

The bachata is danced in pairs, in a closed or open embrace. As with many Caribbean dances, partners can be very close to each other. Depending on the style, there is a lot of hugging and/or grinding – no wonder many describe it as ‘sensual’. The basic step is counted on 4 beats. You go 3 steps to the side and on the 4^th beat you tap your foot with a hip accent. Depending on a style, it is just dancing these basics while changing directions or staying in the same place. If you dance in open embrace, there is more space for footwork and turns.

Today

Nowadays, it is popular to mix bachata with tango. Dancers incorporate some leading and steps from tango, and it is known as ‘Bachatango’. Others add African Kizomba or Brazilian Zouk elements, which would mostly mean more hip movement and rolls.

Current bachata music has many R&B influences. The lyrics talk about love and broken hearts. If you don’t speak Spanish, don’t worry about missing out because they can get very cheesy. Some of the most famous bachatas are Lamento Boliviano or Te extrano; a song that became really mainstream was Obsession.

If your holiday is still many months ahead, there are plenty of places to learn and dance bachata around you. Every good salsa school teaches bachata classes, sometimes as warm-ups before the salsa class. At a salsa party, a DJ would never refuse to play a bachata. I assure you once you start dancing, you will be booking your Caribbean trip in no time. See you on the dance floor!

Sonia Waszkowiak writes about dance and travel on her blog haveyoumetsonia.co.uk, follow her on twitter @haveyoumetsonia.

If you would like to write for Fly Thomas Cook blog, see this post for details.

As cupid readies himself for his big trip around the globe, lovers from a range of countries will be (perhaps anxiously) readying themselves too for the 14th of February – valentines day. If you want to give your loved one something very special this year, surprise them with a minibreak to Paphos, Cyprus – visit Aphrodite’s Rock (also known as Petra Tou Romiou).

Aphrodite was the Greek equivalent of Roman goddess Venus, well known as a goddess of love, beauty and pleasure. According to Greek myth, Aphrodite was born from the foam of the sea just off the shore of Cyprus.

In modern day Paphos, you’ll find a rock formation, which draws local lovers and tourists alike. Aphrodite is also known as the mother of Eros (‘Cupid’ in Greek mythology) who, with his bow and arrow has the power to make people fall in love. These days, Eros is almost more famous than his mother, as the cheeky cherub has become the symbol for Saint Valentine’s day.

Why not visit Paphos this February and enjoy a whole host of romantic activities during your stay; including walks along the gorgeous coastline, a beachside massage or a delicious Mediterranean meal, even better glass of wine on a warm evening.

Can you think of a better destination for a romantic getaway? We can’t! If you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Cyprus, book your last minute flights to Paphos now!

Yes, we’re looking for guest bloggers with an interesting story to tell.

Do you travel for business and can you recommend some excellent restaurants? Are you an adventurous backpacker who knows how to have fun on a fiver a day, no matter where on earth you are? Are you trying to teach your kids geography by taking them round the world, or is it your collection of national costume dolls that drives you? Whatever your background, we’d love to hear fr`om you.
What sort of posts are we looking for?

1. Ideally, you’ll write between 300 and 800 words about one of our destinations that you have visited.
2. Get straight to the extraordinary experiences and leave out the mundane stuff.
3. Include some of your pictures or a video (via YouTube or Vimeo).
4. We’re looking for unique articles, so please don’t publish the same text anywhere else.
5. End your article with a brief bio to give our readers some background information you. Feel free to link to your own blog or twitter account!

If your article is right for us, we’ll tell all of our Facebook and Twitter followers about it too. Would be great if you did the same!

Got a travel story to share? Get in touch now! Simply leave a comment on this blog post, or get in touch via Twitter or Facebook.

Every evening, Hero climbed her tower and lit a lamp to guide her lover across the sea. Aiming for her light, Leander swam across the strait every night – and back home in the morning. One can only imagine how fatigued Leander must have been by the end of the summer, as the swim wasn’t the only physical exertion Leander put himself through every night!

Nowadays, the Hellespont is known as the Dardanelles, the strait that separates Asia from Europe in north-west Turkey. Of course Lord Byron, who was an avid traveller and fervent swimmer as well as a poet, became captivated by this love story. So much, that the Romantic poet wished to follow in Leander’s wake.

Even the tragic ending (one night, the wind blows out Hero’s lamp, so that Leander gets lost and drowns at sea) couldn’t discourage him and on the 3rd of May 1810, Lord Byron became the first living soul (after Leandros) to swim across the strait.

Lord Byron’s epic crossing has inspired many to attempt the same. Many do so on the 3rd of May as it’s the anniversary, though the water can be rather icy. If you’re an adventurous traveller, we recommend booking flights to Bodrum and discovering the west coast of Turkey while travelling north to Canakkale, where the Dardanelles is at its narrowest.

For those who are interested in the challenge but prefer to do it when the water is a bit warmer, there also is a Turkish tradition to swim across the strait on the Turkish Victory Day, end of August. For more information, visit swimhellespont.com.

Who or what would the kids take away with them? Get the kids scribbling, and they could win themselves one of 15 fantastic Skoots! Courtesy of World’s Apart. We’ll be posting reminders, as well as all of your entries over on Facebook, so be sure to check out the competition there, and don’t forget to share and e-mail your entry in to competitions@flythomascook.com

Grab your crayons, felt tip pens, glitters and fingerpaints… we’ve got a new colour-in competition. See below to find out how you could win one of these fantastic World’s Apart Skoot suitcases Make their holidays an adventure from the get-go, with a (hand luggage approved) Skoot-case styled after a retro moped. Skoot comes in a variety of colours – Blue, Red, Lilac and Pink.

How the competition works:

1. Download and print off one of the above template and get your little ones to colour-in/draw in their own Skoot adventure

2. Upload the colourful Skoot adventure on your blog or Facebook and write what your child thought he or she was drawing

3. Tell your readers where they can find the template, above

4. Submit the image on our Facebook Page before 10th December. If you don’t have a blog, you can also send in your entry directly via our Facebook page.

We’ll be posting all of your fantastic entries here, and on social media – so get them scribbling, and you could win a Skoot in time for Christmas!

Think Turkey and you think meze – a selection of small, starter-sized dishes to share, generally mopped up with chunks of enormous sesame seed-topped Turkish flatbreads. Also on the must-try list in terms of dishes is güveç, a casserole involving meat (often lamb) and vegetables, sometimes baked in parchment.

Alanya’s location on the coast means the seafood is freshly caught on a daily basis – some restaurants even have ice-filled cases from which you can choose your catch. Also worth ordering are manti – small pasta dumplings filled with a small quantity of meat filling. Imagine Polish pierogi meets Italian tortellini.

And finally, to drink: Turkish wines are growing in popularity, with some grape varieties rivalling Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. If you see it on the menu, order a bottle of Leona Merlot-Kalecik Karası– the latter is one of the region’s native red grapes.

My hands-down favourite foodie find during my Alanya trip was Iskele Sofrasi: a family-run restaurant in which the kitchen is commandeered by the father, and the front of house headed up by the son. Try the meze selection: you won’t find it on the menu so you’ll need to ask. A tray of small dishes is then brought to your table, and you pick and choose as many as you like the look of. The house specialty is a potent mix of feta, garlic, chilli, dill and walnuts. Just don’t go kissing any tourists afterwards.

Also high on the authenticity front is Ravza, whose location among the gaudy “Bazar” shops and cafés is misleading. Frequented mainly by locals, Ravza may not serve alcohol but its dishes are some of the most Turkish I tasted. Try one of the sizzling casseroles that arrives at your table atop a veritable bonfire; or the yoghurt-heavy manti (mentioned above).

For a little more luxury, you may prefer the charming Ottoman House: a colonial-style building with a large enclosed terrace for al fresco eating. While the food is good, it’s no better than its competitors – meat, seafood, plus the generic international dishes you see elsewhere. But the service is some of the best we experienced – due in no small measure to the extremely helpful and professional restaurant manager running the show.

Less Turkish but certainly with the best view in town, the Red Tower Brewery spans three levels overlooking the marina (all outdoor terraces), and a further six levels stretching up the hill. Red Tower brews Alanya’s first and only local beer, serving two varieties: one pilsner (lager) and one dark beer. While lacking a little in body compared to their Belgian counterparts, the beers are certainly refreshing on a hot day, and the view from the Sky Lounge on the top floor certainly beats your local pub. The seafood is freshly caught, and guests are invited to choose their own fish before it’s grilled or fried and filleted at your table.   Image of the red tower brewery  

About the author: British-born Vicky Hampton is a writer, chef and avid foodie who lives and works in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her website, amsterdamfoodie.nl, focuses on reviews and recommendations of Amsterdam restaurants, as well as other culinary news and views. She is currently in the process of getting her first cookbook, Vicky Hampton’s Working Lunch, published in her adoptive country.

Due to the severe weather conditions caused by Hurricane Sandy a number of scheduled airlines cancelled flights into JFK & Newark Airport yesterday, on Monday 29th October.

Any customers due to travel to the affected airports over the next few days are advised to check the status of their flight with the airline, and can contact our customer support team on  0871 230 2406 for assistance.

For rolling updates on Hurricane Sandy, also see the BBC live feed .

‘Calls to 0871 cost 10p per minute at all times, from BT landlines (mobile and other providers’ charges may vary)’, the contact number for the customer help desk can be found on your email itinerary. Operating hours are Monday – Friday 0900 to 1900, excluding all weekends and Bank Holidays.

Thomas Cook will continue to monitor the situation closely and will be helping our customers with their travel arrangements in accordance with their Airlines policy.