How to get from Heathrow airport to London city

Are you going to the Olympics in London? are you traveling by plane?

If you are one of those lucky ones that will travel to London by plane to see some of the events of the Olympics 2012, have you thought about how to get from the airport to the center of the city?

Travelling to Heathrow airport

Which ever airport you depart from, the most comfortable way to go to the airport is driving to there with your own car. If Aena parking is to expensive for you, you can hire a car parking at Madrid airport, Barcelona airport,...it will be more cheaper and your vehicle, in some cases, will be parked even in better conditions.

Ones resolved the issue of how to get to the airport, the only thing that rests is taking your plane that brings you to Heathrow Airport.

Heathrow, one of the busiest air traffic airports in the world

Heathrow airport is one of the airports with most air traffic. On of the most important airports with great capacity with an estimation of 90 million people a year that passes through its facilities.

With such dimensions that we are talking about, it is not surprising that we concern about how to go from the airport to London city.
Getting from Heathrow to London
It is normal to find several different kind of public and private means of transport at an airport of these features, to get us from the airport to the center of the city.

Heathrow connect, is a train service that connects the airport with Paddington, it takes about 30 minutes approximately to get there, but it has train stands at all important stations during the trip, which can be an inconvenient if you are in a hurry. Its cost is not very economical, approximately 16.5 pounds.
The subway is the most economical means of transport that there is that can bring you to the center of London, but it is not the fastest one. It takes about 45 minutes to get there and it costs about 5 pounds. There is no service during the early morning hours.

Another option is taking the bus, it tends to be more expensive than the subway and it takes longer as well, due to this, the majority of tourists discards to use it.

Taking a taxi is one of the most comfortable options, but it also consumes your time, approximately one hour. Besides it´s one of the most expensive ones, only a one way rit can cost us easily between 50 to 60 pounds.

Hiring a car at Heathrow airport, hiring a car rental service at the airports of London. Like the rest of European airports, booking a rental car is the most convenient and comfortable option and might be also the most economic one. You can hire it directly at the same airport, for example at El Altet airport there are several car rental counters where you can hire a rental car at Alicante airport, same way as in Madrid, Barcelona and many other international airports. Alternatively you can book in advance from any existing online booking system.
Besides of going from Heathrow to London, with a rental car we also can visit other interesting destinations near London.

What option would you choose for?

Victoriacars
Car hire Murcia
www.victoriacars.com

From 2015 all sold cars in Europe will have the e-call.

The new regulation of the EU establishes that from the year 2015 all cars that are sold in Europe will have tp have incorporated the e-call system. The objective mainly is to increase traffic safty and reduce the time it takes for the emergency services in come to rescue where there has been an accident.


But, what is e-call?
The e-call system is a system that works through a telephone card which will be incorporated in our vehicle. In case of accident, when the vehicles airbags go off, automatically there will be send a signal to the emergency services. This will in connection with the police, fire brigade and ambulance.

What advatages does it has?

These calls will function through GPS system, which in case it activates, the receptor centre will know at all times our position. We will not have to make any call and have to try to explain to the operator where exacly we are.

Let us imagine that we are a tourist who has contract a service of car hire in Murcia and has an accident. Due that we are not in are own country we do not know how to contact with the emergency services neither know how to explain where exacly we are. The e-call system will do it all for you.

One of it main advantages that it has is that in the event of a serious accident, where the occupants can not call or move, the system would do it for us.

When will cars have this installed?
There are currently several manufactures that already have them installed in some of its car models. Given that from the year 2015 it will be mandatory for all sold cars in Europe, we will see more oftenly cars having this installed before 2015. Many manufactures will use it to make sure it works properly or as a business strategy.

And you? Are you agree with the implantation of this sytem in your vehicle?



VictoriaCars
Car hire Alicante Airport
http://www.victoriacars.com/

A shortage of rental cars in Easter Week is expected

A shortage of rental cars for the Easter holidays is expected again as a consequence of important companies's closedown of the sector because of the crisis.

Days pass fast, and by leaps and bounds approach one more year the first holidays of this year 2012, the Easter Halidays Week, beginning this year on Thursday the 5th of April. Because this is a very short vacation, a lot of visitors, most of them foreign people, prefer to come by plane or train and once arrived in destination, would like to rent a car.


Up to date we could see really low prices for car hire. As a tradition, many of the foreign customers have reserved their cars with a few months in advance, in order to be sure that will have a confirmed reservation and at the same time to get the best prices available. For example until only 2 weeks ago we could book a car hire at Alicante airport for less than 100 euros per week.

However, as dates are closer to the Easter Week prices begin to increase. For example now we can hire a car in Murcia from 130 euros and everything points that prices will increase as Easter holidays aproches.
But why do the prices increase?
As we already know the big majority of car hire companies renew the cars of the fleet constantly and as soon as the low season arrives they sell most of the vehicles, keeping the right number of cars for the winter season.
This year the economic situation is very dificult and finding finansation it is now a real challange for most of the companies. Beeing in this situation the companies can not renovate their fleet of vehicles. This way the big majority of car hire companies will have to resign with buying a lot less vehicles that the normally acquire buy this time.

As well is very important to point that important companies of the sector have suspended its activity as a consequence of the financial crisis in which Spain is immersed.

Conclusively, there are less car hire companies and the ones that support the pressure will a minor availability of cars for hire. This situation involves a shortage of fleet in curcial seasons like Easter Week and summer, besides a predictable rise of prices by this time.

How does this affects the travelers?
When the number of vehicles is very low, the companies have no other choice but to increase prices and many times the ones that makes last minute reservations will have to pay very high prices. This is all the way round than in a normal situation, when the last minute bookings haves special discounts.

The ones that have decided to rent their car until today, can say that they have paid a really low price for the Easter holidays. The ones that want to rent a car, it will be advisable to make theis booking now, and so will be sure they will pay a moderate price and at the same time being sure that they will have a car hire for those dates.

What about you? Are you going to risk and not hire a car until the last moment?

The Fallas of Valencia are up to begin!

From the 9th to the 19th of March is when they delebrate the famous Fallas of Valencia. The Levantine capital will be invaded by thousands of visitors searching for the smell of gunpowder, the impressive monuments, the music and the  festivities around the streets during these days.

Once again, Valencia´s streets are filled with happyness, entertainment, concerts and people looking for fun.

We´re talking about the Fallas of Valencia.

Huge cardboard monuments are erected in the middle of the streets anywhere around the city and its towns. Each year with more daring designs, always trying to satirize all kinds of topics related to politics, famous artists...

The Fallas, also known as the "Fiestas Josefinas" are held in honor of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the carpenters. These festivities were born as a result of burning old stuff as a way of celebrating the end of the winter season and entrance of the spring season. In Valencia, the fallera capital, they last for about 1 month and they are a genuine show of color, smell of gunpowder and noise by the millions of firecrackers which are explode at all hours.

This year, despite of a budget reduction, the celebrations haven´t lowered down their level and do keep attrackting tourist from all over the world. There will be held variuos activities and music bands to entertain all visitors along the city.

This year their will be performances of many soloists and groups such as Colti, Celtas Cortos, Ariel Rot, etc. Apart from them, many other lesser-known groups will be performing as well with their own songs and with wordlwides greatest hits to encourage the atmosphere.

Of course during these days we also will be enojying of the typical Fallera music. The more than 300 bands will start touring around the streets every morning at 8 o´clock waking up everyone, forming a true spectacle all over the city.

All the Fallas are part of a competition. On the 18th of March is when a specially elected jury will decide which Falla is the best of all. Not only the Fallas will get rewarded, there will also be a reward for the best Ninot of the normal Fallas and for the infants one, which saves itself to be burned on the 19th.

During the las three days of this festivity, are taking place the Flowers offering to the Virgin. Thousands of Faller@s from all the districts give honor to The Virgin with a bouquet of flowers, and bunch to bunch they make an intense colourful mantle at the monument.

The last day of the Fallas is when they celebrate the well known Nit del Foc. Its when they celebrate the greatest pyrotechnical spectacle of Valencia. This year they expect over than 600.000 visitors to join this event. Just when finishing is when they burn all the statues, a whole year work. Many of its visitors cannot hold back their tears.

This is the moment when they start again working for the Fallas of the next year.

All the information about the Fallas for its visitors can be found at http://www.fallasfromvalencia.com/

Which is the best way to go to the Fallas?
To come and visit Valencia during these days, if you travell by plane to the capital of the Comunidad Valenciana, the best thing to do is hiring a service of car hire in Valencia to be able to move around comfortably to all the strategic points of the city during these days.

If you prefer to spend a journey through the different towns where they celebrate this festivity, its advisable to travel by plane up to Alicante Airport and hire a service of car hire in Alicante. Many villages between Alicante and Valencia are also celebrating these festivities, particularly Denia, Oliva, Gandia, Sueca...

Where about are you going to celebrate this festivity?

In a few days... Pego's famous carnival starts again.

For one more year, Pego's well known carnival will start again on the 18th of February.

Why are Pego's carnivals so famous?
In less than a week, the streets of the main cities will become flooded again of all kinds of coloured costumes, parades, and party. During these days everyone around the world will forget about its problems and will enjoy of a happy day. We are talking about the festiviy of the Carnivals 2012.
Stores are ready for this event. For quite a while, many store windows are showing their best and most original costumes.

The village of Pego is one of the most best-known organizers of this event. People from all over the world and from all kind of ages are comming to its event to enjoy from their special nights.

A week where the town leaves the day-to-day routine by side, magic nights, where inhabitants and visitors mingle among, disguise themselves up in the most unimaginable thing.

For many years the population has even arrived to quintuplicate, getting to have in one night more from 30,000 people walking up and down the streets.

It all starts a few weeks before the Carnival takes place. Now is when concerts are getting organized and where the tents will get set up.

Local officers are getting ready to guide the thousands of cars that will come over and lead them to the different parking lots that are specially prepared at the village entrance.

Many groups of young people are planing what to wear during the night. It is very usual to see all kinds of groups on the streets, dressed for example like princesses, queens, in pajamas… The more shameless persons between the boys will dress as ballerinas, wearing heels and makeup or even wearing animal costumes such like cows, bulls or any other kind that they can think about.

A great variety of music bands will offer concerts during these days, some of them with their own music and other ones singing songs from the most popular artists... the good thing is that the organizers has managed every year to cover up practically all types of music. This way, anybody that thinks about going to this festival can enjoy this way of their favourite music songs.

What is the schedule during the main day of the Carnival?
It will start at 11 o´clock in the morning with an infantile parade, that will depart from the Market square up to the Fount square, with all kind of infantile games and music.

At 5 o´clock in the afternoon is when the party begins for the adults ones, with a night parade and with a batucada that will be animating the festivity all afternoon.

From 10 o´clock in the evening until 1 o´clock, people will be able to enjoy from a dance band at the Fount square and at 1,30 the Carnival parade will start, starting from the Passeig Cervantes and will go up to the Market square, were thousands of disguised people will participate in order to win the reward for the best fancy dress.

The Carnival will finish at around 6 o´clock in the morning at the Market square, where there will be 2 music bands animating the atmosphere.

An very well organized event where everybody can have a good time and an unforgettable day, with lots of music, party and fun.

Traveling to Alicante in Carnivals.
VictoriaCars is a well known company by offering car hire services at the airport, confirming it with its service of car hire in Alicante or any other important airports, like car hire in Valencia or car hire in Murcia airport…

So, to enjoy the carnivals festiviy anywhere around the costa blanca area, nothing better than hiring a rental car service, bu hiring a car makes it also easier to move through the city.

If you travel by plane from any another Spanish city, the best thing to do is to leave your carparked in a private parking space near the airport. This way, on your return, the only thing you need to do is to pick up your car and you can drive home straight away, without having to wait for anyone who is picking you up, or paying for taxis, etc.

Victoria also offers parking in Alicante airport and Valencia airport.

What about you? do you already know what fancy dress you are going to wear?

Hiriko, Spanish electric car which will conquer Europe.

Hiriko, the Spanish 100% electric car, has great potential for conquering Europe.

The past 24th of January 2011 was the official presenting day of Hirico. José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, has given the approval to this Spanish project.

But, what is Hiriko?

The project was born beginning 2010 together with the MIT collaboration (Massachussets Institute of Technology), but is completely developed in Spain, Vitoria city, that in addition has been elected as the Green capital.

It´s about a car that is 100% electric and electronic.
Features:

• It is a very small citycar 
• It will be catalogued as a Cyclops, so it will not be necessary to have a driver´s license, except a valid autocycle license according to each country.
• It will reach a maximum speed of 80km/hour on main roads and 50km/hour in the city.
• A car that once it is parked it will reduce almost in half its size.
• The car will cost 12.500 Euros.

What benefits will this vehicle have?

Primary it is an electric vehicle, which means that it does not emit any CO2. As we know, many big cities are prohibiting the entry to its centre to vehicles that emit CO2, problem that Hirico won´t have.

   

Given that the vehicle will know at all times exacly where it is, it will apply the limiting road speed according the road where is driving on. It will reach 50km/hour in just 3 seconds and it has a range of 120 km with only a 30 minutes charge.

Where and when will we see it?

It´s planned that Hiriko will come on the market by 2013, main customers will be the public administrations. Due that it won´t have limited access to certain areas and neither pay toll to enter certain areas, like London for example, it will wake up a great interest in companies who are operating in these cities. This will improve employees mobility in case they need it.

It is likely that soon car rental companies will also take advantage of this technology. VictoriaCars is considiring the possibility to add some of these models in their car fleet for car hire Alicante and this way study the viability of this technology in the car rental sector. We will notice it by it car fleet and probably it will be advertised as rental per hour, like the company Autolib does in Paris.

VictoriaCars

Car hire Murcia

http://www.victoriacars.com/

www.facebook.com/victoriarentacar

New parking facilities fort long and short stayment periods at the airport of Murcia.

Victoria Parking will open soon its parking at Murcia airport San Javier.

The San Javier airport of Murcia is each time attracting more air traffic from different parts of Europe. Currently it has become one of the preffered low-cost airports by many airline companies.
Many of its regularly visitors are people that live in Northern European countries and that come constantly around. Tourists are atracted by its long sandy beaches, la Manga del Mar Menor and its many golf courses that have kept on being built on the course of the years.

Part of the visitors have decided to purchase for a second residence in the area to spend their holidays or longer season periods for those who have more free time.

Some of them have even bought a vehicle in Spain to make their travel around the area easier and more practical. On their return to their countries of origin, or either when the inhabitants of the area decide to go on holidays, they have to park their car at the airport of Murcia.

Victoria Parking has decided to anticipate this increasing demand and open a new parking in 
Murcia, San Javier airport."Just like at our other parking facilities that we have in different Spanish airports we will offer a wide range of services to our customers. We will have a big area with many car parking places, monitored 24 hours a day" declares Teresa Martinez, VictoriaCars´s Communication Manager.

"The service will be very simple. The customer will arrive with ist car to the parking facilities and we will take the customer to the airport with one of the companies courtesy vehicles. By giving us the return flight number, we will be waiting for the customer at the exit terminal and bing him back to collect his car. We will also offer a special car cleaning service and covers to protect the car in case the customers requests for it"

"Our goal is to offer the customer a perfect service and for a much more affordable price than parking at the airport" -she says.

Victoria Parking belongs to the company group VictoriaCars. It has a wide experience in the privat car parking sector at the major airports. It has its facilities at the airports of Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante, and also in Calpe where its main offices are.

Tips for parking your car at Valencia airport.

How to solve the problem about where to park your car if you are planning to travel by plane from Valencia airport.

Valencia airport, not so long ago, has carried out a major renovation and expansion of its facilities. Nowadays it is becoming a very important airport, increasing its air traffic for both national and international public.


Going on holiday by plane, for a weekend or simply go out on a business trip, the easiest and most practical way to get to the airport is by taking your own car. This ensures you to get on time to check in and also you don´t depend of the public transport and its timetable.

But first and foremost, there always comes up to your mind where to leave your car during our time out.
What options do we have about parking the car at Valencia airport?
First option is parking your car in the neighbourhood of the airport. In this case you can park in any of the industrial zones that are near to the airport. You have to be aware that there is no public transport to go from there to the airport, but you can take a taxi or go walking.

What disadvantages does it has?
Having your car parked on the street in an area with much traffic activity, you never know what might happen. It might happen that they rob your car, damage it or scratch, etc. On the other hand, taking a taxi to the airport and back to your car on your way back might cost you even more than parking your car in a private parking area.

And the option about returning by foot to your car from the airport we can discard it directly, because everyone of us who travells always take with them some luggage that might weight considerably.

So....shall I park my car than at the airport parking?
Another option is parking your car directly at the parking of the airport.

One of the things to keep in mind of parking there is that our car will also be parked in a free access area. We must be aware that these parking areas are very busy areas, cars are parking there constantly, driving in and out all day, with the risk that they possibly scratch or even damage our car.

Also, you have to be aware that the price for parking there is quiet expensive. In many cases the parking at the airport of Valencia might cost you even more than what your flight ticket costs.

Regarding these options the best way to get to the airport is not driving your car, right?
No, there is a third option which is hiring a parking place through a private company near the airport.

Generally these companies offer parking in Valencia airport at a very affordable price and with delivery/collection service to the airport, which usually free of charge.

You also have to bear in mind that yo be able to leav your car parked with one of these companies, you previously must have received a confirmed your reservation. On the same confirmation voucher there will be indicated where too you have to go with your vehicle and also detailed instructions of it.

Once you get there, an employee of the company will guide you to the place where you will have to park your car and afterwards with one of the companys courtesy vehicles he will take you to the airport departure terminal.

By giving them our arrival flight number, the company will also be waiting for us at the arrival terminal with its courtesy vehicle and take us back to our car, it doesn´t matter with how many peoply we arrive and luggage bags that we have with us,

In case you want them to give your car a more special treatment, you have the possibility to hire several extras for a minimal cost, such as hiring an indoor parking place, full cleaning, etc.

And you, have you ever tried a parking place with one of these features?

Where to park your car when you travel from Alicante airport?

When we go on holidays by air plane we always have the inconvenience that we don´t know where to leave our car during the period that we are out, because we normally use the car only to get to the airport and to go back home.

 

Always when we have to travel we have the same inconvenience. We arrive at the airport by car and we don´t know where to leave it.

  

In many of the Spanish airports, near their terminals, we can find industrial areas or a nearby town where we can park and leave our car. In these cases we can easely find a parking place in the street and leave it there until we return from our holiday. But near the Alicante airpoort we do not have this option, there is no nearby town or industrial area, so our options are greatly reduced.

 

The most common option is parking your vehicle on the airport´s public parking. The main advantage of this is that you can park your car for sure and you can go directly to the gate.

  

But, what inconveniences does it has?
Among its major drawbacks the fact is that this parking area is not completely closed and private and of course the price, which is quite high.

 

What problem does this parking has for not being a private area?
At Alicante airport parking, thousands of people are walking dayly through it, and likewise, hundreds of cars are parking at its facilities.

 

Most of these stayings are for less than one hour. Small damages to your car should be also taken into considerations because of the high number of cars that parks in the area. Beside, if the driver who ran into our car doesn´t leave any message or note, it will be very dificult to find out who did it, since the parking area is not monitored.

 

What about the airport parking price, is it a reasonable price
Another aspect to consider is the high price that they charge you. Parking at Alicante airport costs 18,30€/day and if we leave our car for longer than 5 days the dayly price reduces to 14,65€. Quit expensive.

 

Another option is to hire a parking place with any of the many companies specialized in offering this service.

 

These companies are in the vicinity of the airport. They tend to have very spacious plots devoted exclusively for short and long parking stayments

 

I am a user of a short or long period stayment?
Short stayments users are normally customers who must travel by plane from Alicante airport and only dispose about their own vehicle to get to the airport. That´s why they have to leave parked their car for a few days until they come back from their trip and be able to collect it at the airport when they return.

 

Long stayments users are normally customers who spend long periods of time in their country of origin as well as here in Spain, that´s why they prefer having their vehicle parked safely near the airport. It is also the perfect place to leave for example your caravan, trucks or buses which are not going to be used for a long period of time, without involving to a great expense for the owner.

 

Is it cheaper than parking at the airport?
Of course it is. For example parking your car near Alicante airport for one week can cost you meaby 25€ or a long period stayment for one year may cost you about 320€.

 

What services should a parking company include at the airport?

• Because of being located at some distance from the airport, we must pay attention when making the booking and make sure that the transport from and too the airport is included in the price. There are many companies who don´t inlcude this service in there rental parking price and offer it as an additional price.
• By leaving our flight number we will ensure that there will be a courtesy car from the company waiting for us to take us from and too the airport. This way our effor will be minimal and the displacement to the Terminal on foot will even be less than if we park our vehicle directly at the airport parking.
• Normally, the company does not move the customer´s vehicle, the customer is the one who parks the vehicle and take the keys with him. They do offer the service so that you can leave your keys there until you come back, in case there is a mishap and your car needs to be moved.
• The area is guarded 24 hours a day. It is not a busy parking area where hundreds of people or vehicles passes through every day.
• All vehicles entering the premises have a register, as well as they are guided up to his concerted parking place.
• Some companies do also offer free car cleaning service or for a very low cost, as well as car covers or closed enclosures to protect even more your vehicle at an additional price.

 

Can you think of any better idea where to leave your car when you go on holidays by plane?

How about a vacation after August?

The holidays need not only be in the summer months. We can also enjoy them just as well in September and October accompanied by the sensational weather.

Almost everyone is willing to travel during the summer months. They have always been most popular month for vacations. However, some have to work during the summer covering for those who leave; others prefer to travel when it’s a little cooler; or some simply want to enjoy holiday to the fullest whilst spending as little as possible.

In September and October, when warm temperatures and sun still bathe the cities and towns on the Spanish coast; at this time comes another kind of tourist, completely different from the holiday makers, but with the same desire to enjoy their vacation.

Why do many people prefer to travel during the mid season?

One of the main reasons is the tranquillity offered by the destination. With fewer people taking holidays at this time of year, the streets are not as crowded; the shops are quieter and you can almost always find a sot at your favourite restaurant.

When going out to breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just to drink a coffee, them having a lower occupancy will often result in a more personal and familiar service.

The weather is nice this time of year. At this time you can spend many hours on the beach, swim and take long walks and enjoy the scenery accompanied by a very warm climate. Of course, having a couple of sweaters never hurts, just for the cool nights ...

During the mid season, there are many deals to be found in almost all touristic businesses. Beginning with the price of airline tickets to any destination, such as Mallorca, Barcelona, Malaga; the price of accommodation in any part of Spain and also the price of car hire in Barcelona, Mallorca ... everything is much cheaper than in high season.

For those who do not like being too overwhelmed, September and October is the ideal month for a holiday. Relax, be calm and at the same time enjoy all the facilities of a tourist site in full operation.

September and October are perfect months for those who dislike the intense heat of August or their body just simply doesn’t permit it. This is the case for major portion of people of a certain age in northern Europe.

Where can we go on vacation during mid-season in Spain?

In general, virtually any place that is available during the high season is also available in September and October. However; during October in particular, the rainy season starts, especially in northern Spain. Best thing to do if we want to avoid a wet holiday is go south and/or east of the peninsula.

All the Mediterranean areas during these months still maintain all the advantages of a tourist area whilst avoiding the disadvantages of the crowds they bring in the high season.

Finding the cheapest airfare to Mallorca, to reserve the best hotel room in Marbella, hire a service of car hire in Alicante airport, enjoy a meal beside the sea with the best quality products ...

If you have to go on vacation these days you just need to point your finger at a map and choose your favourite place to spend unforgettable days.

And you? Where will you go on vacation the next few months?

More information at http://www.victoriacars.com/

Google maps launches a new service of traffic information and forecast.

Google launches in Spain and in other 12 European countries a traffic information and forecasting service which can help us to avoid traffic jams.

"I have an emergency and I have to get urgently to the airport, which route shall I take? I take my cell phone and call to the Traffic Information Centre and ask them for the shortest route that has no traffic jam. Let me know once you have the information, or "I´ve just arrived at the airport, I´ve hired a car in Madrid and I need to go to the centre of the city, will there be any traffic jams? will I get on time to my meeting?"

From now on this want be necessary anymore. Goolge Maps launched in Spain and in other 12 European countries a traffic information service almost in real time. Just need to make a small query and we will know exactly which is our best route.

At the moment this service is not yet "in real-time", but the information that you receive is updated every 5 or 10 minutes, so you can alomost consider it as a "real time information".

Another interesting option is when we are planning our trip we can make a traffic forecast. This option is based on collected and filtered past information at the same date and time, so it can gives you this way a similar prediction.

Information can be viewed through our personal computer or through any mobile device that supports Google Maps, only by selecting the Traffic option. Immediatly there will apear on the motorway different colour marks like green, orange red and dark red meaning the flow of the traffic in that particular area.

Every day that passes by, the software giant is more familiar to us and it provides us more and more aplications that makes our daily lives more easier.

VictoriaCars
Car Hire Alicante Airport

http://www.victoriacars.com/
http://www.facebook.com/victoriarentacar

Key tips for hiring the cheapest car

Always when holidays are approaching we start to organise the voyage. We book the hotel room or the apartment where we will stay, the plane tickets and in case we are not travelling in our own car, the best option is to rent a car at the destination where we travel to.

10 tips for renting a cheap car in Spain.

1. Choosing the most economical pick-up location
Obviously, depending on the selected destination, prices for the same rental car will vary. However in addition, within the same destination in many cases we can find different prices depending on the point of delivery. Generally the cheapest pick-up points are usually the airports.

2. Book in advance.
Car rental prices, and specially in Spain, increases as we move into summer dates.
During the summer months there is such an important increase in demand which makes that the rental car price rises at the same pace than this demand. Booking a car in advance will avoid us now to pay such high prices. And also we will avoid the risk of not getting any car.

3. Prepayment of your booking.
During the low season we can find that most car rental companies launch tenders for "prepayments". For example, if the car is booked for June and paid in March we are usually presented with a significant discount. Reason of this is that these companies concentrate their business during the summer months but need to keep having incomes during the winter months, which is obvious.

4. 7 days rental or more.
Trying to save money by renting a vehicle for less days than what you need, will only increasing the daily price. At most car rental companies daily prices are less as longer the booking period is.

5. Making a booking through a provider with its own base at the selected destination.
It is advisable that the chosen company where you are booking your car with has its own base at the selected destination. This way we ensure that the rental price has no additional charges as for example extra commissions to third parties, intermediaries, etc...

6. Consult accurately the price of the extras.
Many times we make a reservation through a website where the car rental price is much cheaper than the own suppliers one, disregarding of the extras we need. However, by collecting the vehicle we are surprised how the price of the extras increases our booking price. It is advisable not to make any booking until we have checked the exact price of all the extras that we are going to need.

7. Hiring a fully comprehensive insurance.
Yes, oddly enough, by the end it will be much cheaper and will give us less headaches if we do not hire this insurance. In the first place we avoid holding onto our credit card the amount of the excess, which is the deposit that they charge us in case something happens with the car.

The credit on your credit card is to enjoy your holidays not to have a certain amount blocked on it that you can not use.

Secondly, in case of any mishap with the vehicle, and depending on the rental company, we can have the surprise that the insurance that is included in the car rental price does not cover that particular damage.

8. Hiring a fully comprehensive insurance once collecting the car.
Many intermediary car rental companies are offering full risk insurances at their own web site, which you can hire at the same time of making your booking.

Afterwards we find out that such insurance does not cover the totality of what the full risk covers from the company where we collect the car, who is the owner of the vehicle.

Therefore it is advisable that you hire the full risk insurance at the time of picking up the vehicle, this way we ensure us the maximum coverage.

9. Returning the vehicle at the same pick-up location.
Although that the selected company has an office where you want to return the vehicle, in most cases they will charge us a certain amount by returning it at a different destination.

This is because the rental companies have a determined fleet of vehicles for each of their destinations, calculated in base of the needs. The specific cases where clients require to return the vehicle to a different destination often involves that afterwards the car rental company must return the vehicle to its origin, having to assume this way extra personnel costs, fuel, increases wear on the engine and so on...

10. Fidelity has its reward.
Searching for any offer at the car hire companies website that they might have for their customers. Check their social networks, often just by becoming a fan on Facebook apply us discounts which at times can be up to 30%. In addition to discounts, some companies offer different awards, sweepstakes or contests only available for their clients.


VictoriaCars
Car hire Madrid
http://www.victoriacars.com/
www.facebook.com/victoriarentacar

Victoria Parking will soon present its new web reservation site

Victoria Parking presents its new booking web site for parking service in the main spanish airports such as Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante.



Once we have decided where to spend our hollidays, we have our plane tickets and when almost everything is organized, there comes up one of the most important questions before leaving: "Once at the airport, where can I leave my car while I´m gone? will it be safe leaving it in a public parking area? Victoria Parking is the perfect answer to this question, with over 8 years since they opened for the first time in Alicante Airport, with its own private parking area next to the airport.

You park your car in a secure and always supervised area. But not only that, also our 24 hour a day transfer to and from the airport are included in the service.

After several years of providing this service of parking at the Alicante Airport - El Altet and due to a great success, the company decides to open new parking facilities. First, opening a new parking at Valencia Airport and Parking at Barcelona airport after only one year. Currently, bookings are made either by telephone or online with immediate confirmation.

To provide a better service to the customer, the company decides to release a new web site, making it much easier when browsing, booking and expanding the information on each destination. With the new web site they expect to increase the number of bookings and to increase the average of occupancy in less than 3 months.
"The number of parking places will soon be increased as they are now carrying out extension work at all airports" says Antonio Pons communications manager at Victoria Parking.

"Within our business strategy and according to our expansion plans, soon we will open new facilities at the airport of Madrid, offering the same personalized service", reafirms Antonio Pons

Victoria Parking belongs to VictoriaCars, car rental company with more than 25 years of experience, being a car rental supplier in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Murcia and from their web site and through its partners anywhere over the world.

Visit our web site http://www.victoria-parking.com/ for more information about Parking at Alicante airport, Valencia and Barcelona.

Tell us where you want to go and VictoriaCars will find you a car.

VictoriaCars launched their new campaign to promote the expansion of its online reservation system to all national and international destinations.



From March, VictoriaCars can reserve you a hire car anywhere in the world.

VictoriaCars has undertaken a major change in their booking system including the possibility of offering a car hire Alicante service, car hire in Mallorca, Ibiza, Canaries ... and in all possible destinations within the nation.

But in addition, it is also possible to search for the cheapest car through its reservation system, anywhere in Europe: car hire in Paris, Car rental in London, Rome or Berlin…

And if the client requires, Victoria can also find a rental car overseas, its service offering car hire in the USA, car hire in Cuba, Mexico, Santo Domingo or any destination in South America.

"And it doesn’t stop at these destinations. The company has reached important agreements with suppliers across the globe in order to provide a car service and quality affordable car rentals anywhere in the world", said Teresa Martínez, Communications Manager at Victoria Rent-A-Car.
"We go where the customer wants, including recent growth destinations like Egypt, Tunisia ... We are looking for a rental car in Thailand, India and China ... in short, our new range of destinations is so broad that really we draw the line where the customer draws it."

Changes in the booking tool

To support all these new destinations, the company has had to redesign its booking tool. Using the latest methods, within the tourism sector, they have launched a system capable of connecting VictoriaCars with suppliers spread throughout the world, with the ultimate aim of seeking the most economical car in the destination selected by the customer.

"All the user has to do is type the name of the destination they want to go. The booking tool will show all the destinations that match the text they have entered. You select the correct destination, dates of collection and delivery and, from then on, the search engine is programmed to show the customer all the potential offers sorted by price, from most to least economical. ", Teresa Martínez said.

For more information please visit www.victoriacars.com

For one more year, Valencia have started setting up the Fallas of Valencia

Las Fallas are to be celebrated for another year in the majority of the cities within the Comunitat Valenciana. The ‘falleros’ have already started preparations; setting up the statues that will be burned on the night of March 19th.

Life and colour in the street, the sound of rockets and firecrackers everywhere, "mascletás" (firework displays), parades ... are the traditional Valencian Fallas that will shortly be celebrated for another year during the week of March 19th.

Celebrating San José, the patron saint of carpenters, Las Fallas result from the simple burning of the carpenters waste; but the inventiveness of Valencia has managed to turn it into a celebration and a very important tourist attraction.

It can be considered as a Valencian carnival, with the caricatures that become cadafals (monuments) and burned the night of March 19th. Each committee (Fallero) places a monument in a street and enters a contest whereby "the best Falla" will be rewarded with the benefit of being the last to burn during the night of the “Cremá”.

This year, the Falleros have already begun to assemble their giant statues to assure that everything will be ready for this weekend.

Although there are still days left, the events and celebrations have already begun. More than 2,000 children have participated in the Children's Parade - “Ninot” where the princesses of old, magic and traditional Valencian clothing were the protagonists.

For anyone who has a week off and want to visit Valencia in Fallas, here we offer you the program of events:

Monday March 14, 2011
Mascletá; The Portuguese at 14:00 pm in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Closure of the Children’s Exhibition of Ninot at 15:00 pm.

Tuesday March 15, 2011
Setting up of all the Children's Fallas at 8:00 pm.
Mascletá; Firework display of Valencia at 14:00 in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Ninot Exhibition Closes at 18 hours.
At 0:00 pm, Castle Firework display by Turis.

Wednesday March 16, 2011
Plant all the Fallas at 08:00 am.
Mascletá; By Turis at 14:00 pm in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Awards ceremony for the Children’s Fallas and other related items at 16:30.
At 1:00 am, fireworks display by the Focs d'Artifice Europlá.

Thursday March 17, 2011
Awards ceremony for the Fallas and other related items 09:30 hours.
Mascletá; Focs d'Artifice Europlá at 14:00 pm in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Offering of Flowers to the Virgin of the Helpless from 16:00.
At 1:00 am, Castle Firework display by Caballer.

Friday March 18, 2011
Tribute to the poet Maximilian Thouscon at 11:00 with Traca Valencian fireworks.
Tribute to the poet Maestro Serrano at 12:00 with Mascletá Valenciana fireworks.
Mascletá Caballer at 14:00 in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Offering of Flowers to the Virgin of the Helpless from 16:00.
At 1:30 am, Castle Firework display by Ricardo Caballer.

Saturday March 19, 2011
Offering of Flowers at the Bridge of San Jose before the image of the Patriarch by the eldest of the Valencian Falleros and their Courts at 11:00.
Mass in honor of the Patriarch San Jose at 12:00 pm in the Cathedral of Valencia.
Mascaletá; Ricardo Caballer at 14:00 in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Fire Parade at 19:00.
Cremá of the Children's Fallas at 22:00.
Cremá of the Children’s First Prize winning Falla at 22:30.
Cremá of the Children’s Falla at the Town Hall Square at 23:00.
Cremá of all Fallas at 00:00 hours.
Cremá of the first prize falla at 00:30.
Cremá of the Falla in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento at 01:00 hours with Aerial Fire Pyrotechnics by Rich.


To give it a different and authentic touch they could not miss out the fireworks, where many companies are riding in trucks full of fireworks that will shoot up before the Cremá, not counting the thousands operated by the hands of ordinary citizens.

Getting to Valencia



The most comfortable, and taking advantage of the ample supply at this time; is to travel to Valencia by plane. Once in Valencia, the best option in order not to miss a single Falla is to rent a car at the airport. An internet recruiting service for car hire in Valencia, car hire Madrid, etc is a simple and inexpensive process.

Another possibility is to drive to the city with your own vehicle and keep it in a parking Valencia service and get around the city by public transport.

For more information please visit www.victoriacars.com

Alicante Carnival, the most open and democratic carnival starts on the 3rd March.

Alicante’s carnivals are one of the most emblematic festivals of this city. From the 3rd to the 9th March, the city will be filled with colour and festive atmosphere in every corner.
The city of Alicante can already taste the approaching carnival air. As every year, Alicante is preparing for one of its most traditional and re-enacted festivals for decades.

The Alicante Carnival is one of the most attractive within the Spanish scene. This carnival has been mainly characterized by being one of the biggest, most open and participatory. Anyone can participate; you do not need to be part of any group or pay any fees. It is not a marketed carnival as it is not supported by any sponsorship or commercial firms.

In short, the carnival is original, created by the citizens and for the citizens.

Original elements of the Alicante Carnival

Urban Archaeology: fleeting costumes are worn from different areas of the city, initially as a form of protest. In some places this is known as urban interventions
School Archaeologies: Schools are transformed into a carnival theme.
Carnival Banners: Transient canvas paintings are located in the streets.
Carnival cars: Satires represented on the Carnival’s Friday by carnival groups and clubs in different areas.
Fat Thursday (Dijous Gras): Preheating the start of the ritual under fire, fat and wine.
Ramblero Saturday: La Rambla de Alicante, the cities avenue par excellence becomes a great masquerade.
Tuesday (Mardi Gras): Carnival summary trial by the authorities and a procession with drums and fire through the narrow streets of Casco Antiguo (Jui d'en Carnestoltes i Processó bubbler).
Burial of the Sardine: Ash Wednesday. The different penitential fraternities and sororities of the carnival form the procession of the beautiful fish in the Casco Antiguo to its incineration.
Piñata Sunday: A celebration for the children in the morning.
Veterans Dance: designated for the elderly.


Travel to Alicante Carnival

Victoria Rent a Car is a renowned company within the car rental industry at airports, as is confirmed by their services in Alicante; and at other major airports such as their car hire Madrid, Car Rental Barcelona ...

So to enjoy the carnival and move freely through the city, there’s nothing better than to book a rental car.

If travelling by plane from another Spanish city, it's best to leave your car in a parking facility at the airport. In this way, when you return, all you have to do is pick up your car and continue, without relying on taxis or family, etc.

The Dec. 16 Victoria opened a new parking in Barcelona, with the aim of offering a parking service for travellers taking a plane; a service, of course, cheaper than the airport itself.

Victoria also has parking at Alicante and Valencia airport service.

For more information please visit http://www.victoriacars.com

VictoriaCars now offers car hire services in Seville and Malaga

From January VictoriaCars have been offering their services of car hire at Seville airport, thus following his philosophy of national expansion.
VictoriaCars has opened its car rental service in Seville and expanded their services in Malaga. This new inauguration confirms the philosophy of this company whose objective is to offer a car hire service at low prices at major airports in Spain.

With an experience of over 25 years in the industry, VictoriaCars began its journey through the 80's. In a short space of time it spread along the Costa Blanca, settling in major tourist attractions such as Denia, Torrevieja, Moraira ...

VictoriaCars adapts to changes in the sector

The emergence of low cost airlines boosted the changes to forms of travel.

Soon, most tourists who had once travelled from their own countries of origin with their own vehicles changed their mode of transport to by plane. This promoted the need to provide airports with large fleets of rental vehicles so these tourists could reach their final destination and travel comfortably during their stay.

This change of situation was quickly detected by VictoriaCars. To achieve greater customer satisfaction, the company decided to expand their car rental service throughout major airports in the Spanish territory: Alicante, Valencia, Murcia, Barcelona, Madrid ...

And with that same objective they have recently opened an office at both Seville and Malaga airport

VictoriaCars is confident that the opening of this new office will meet the needs of every client that requires a car rental Malaga or Seville airport.

More services at airports

Victoria Rent a Car is renowned within the parking service industry at airports and this is confirmed by their valet parking at the airports in Alicante and Valencia.


On the 16th of December Victoria Parking opened their new parking in Barcelona, in order to provide parking service for travellers going to take a plane that is cheaper than the airport itself.

For more information please visit http://www.victoriacars.com

VictoriaCars gives a positive report from their attendance at Fitur 2011.

Fitur 2011 has closed its doors for another year. This international tourism fair held in Madrid, has served as a bridge for VictoriaCars to get in touch with the major players in the car rental sector in Spain.

All agents attending this meeting; the celebration of the 31st edition of Fitur in Madrid, agree that it has been a resounding success. All factors involved in the tourism sector are pushing for a major comeback in the sector for the coming season in 2011.

Operators and representatives of the tourism industry, nationally and internationally, came together at this fair. The objectives; to network, negotiate and conduct business.

With these same goals came VictoriaCars to Fitur 2011, as a participant on the Costa Blanca Stand, in particular the Calpe City Council Stand. Attendance at this event has enabled them to present to the sector its new car hire in Barcelona and car hire in Madrid airport services, two of the destinations with the biggest boom in the market today.

Internet and the tourism industry

If something has been really evident in this edition of Fitur, it was the importance of the role that the Internet plays in the tourism sector. The social networking revolution has dominated this sector impressively.


Among the tourists who use the Internet to prepare their holidays in Spain, 96.1% used it to search for information about the destination, while 67.2% consulted the Internet to make their reservation on line (survey of tourist movements in Spain).

VictoriaCars; aware from the beginning of the changes in this regard, have already been underway with a major presence within social networks, with their Facebook account (http://www.facebook.com/victoriarentacar), Twitter (http://twitter.com/VictoriaCars), their journalistic contributions to blogs (http://alquiler-coches-victoriacars.blogspot.com/) and multimedia forays through Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/victoriacar) not to mention their participation in forums and social networks from the tourism industry, in its eagerness to bring the company closer to its customers.

How to book a hire car in Spain when you’re younger than 25 years old.

The vast majority of Car hire companies limit their services to only drivers who are older than 25 years of age. What are the motives behind this restriction?

You get to 18 years old and finally you can start to travel without the need to be accompanied by your parents.

You start to prepare what will be your first holiday as an adult; where to go, accommodation, how to get there and in most cases how to get around and get the most out of your stay once you get to your destination… but alas, the last part isn’t an option.

Being an adult does not imply that you have the experience and responsibility necessary for a car hire company to confide in your skills as a new driver, in fact, booking a car with most car hire companies is only available to those who are older than 24; but why is this restriction in place?

Is it legal to prohibit hiring a car to under 25’s?

According to the consumer associations, it is illegal for a company to not want to hire somebody a car due to the age of the driver, yet these hire car companies feel they need to have this restriction in place, why?

It’s very simple; the car hire companies are not directly responsible for this restriction. In the majority of cases it is the insurance companies that don’t offer cover for cars driven by under 25’s.

The same occurs when insuring your own vehicle, the age and experience of the driver are the basic factors that affect the cover of the insurance. Most insurance companies don’t want to run the risk of covering new drivers, even less when the car isn’t their own, and thus, not their responsibility.

So for these motives, the majority of services of car hire in Murcia, Madrid, Alicante etc. will not let you book if the drivers age is not over 24 years old.

Some companies offer the solution

Conscious of the problem imposed on an important area of their potential customers, some car hire companies have decided to offer an intermediate solution.

After arriving to an agreement with their insurance companies, they will now accept reservations for new drivers but only by contracting an additional insurance for under 25’s or for those who have had their driving licence less than 2 years.

VictoriaCars has assumed this initiative.

The national Spanish car hire company Victoria Cars has put into motion this new feature for their services of car hire in Madrid, Murcia, Alicante… with the aim of not leaving any customer without a hire car.

More information at http://www.victoriacars.com

VictoriaCars, pioneers in the launch of the OTA-XML technology for its car hire services in Alicante Airport, Murcia...

With this new system, the pursued objective by VictoriaCars is to speed up their car hire Alicante Airport, Murcia services when a reservation is made through an agency.

This technology enables the computer servers at Victoria Rent a Car and at the agency’s to communicate with out the need of any human interaction and always in real-time, eliminating any waiting times that would be caused if the reservations where made under human management.

What is the OTA-XML standard?

XML is a language used to distribute information and OTA is the standard of communication for booking tourism accommodation, allowing businesses to perform bookings through electronic transaction for hotels, airlines, car hire, loyalty marketing, etc. with other tourism businesses, automatically and unattended.

OTA is the standard for sharing information between reservation systems, and the Open Travel Alliance (OTA) association is the one who defines these standards.

It is a non-profit and self-financing organisation that includes large air lines, hotels, car hire companies, leisure providers, travel agents, GDS, technology providers and others that work to create and put into service e-business specifications for the entire tourism industry.

These specifications form a common language aimed at encouraging e-business system development to create new services that can better attend the demand and expectations of travellers and the travel industry.

How does this benefit the customer?

At present you can solicit, for example, services for a car hire Murcia from VictoriaCars website or also from the website of any of the agencies that collaborate with them.

If the reservation were to be made through VictoriaCars website, the communication between the website and the server would be done in real-time, so that immediately after making the reservation, the customer receives an e-mail confirmation.

However, if the booking was made through the website of one of the agencies, this would have been remitted to VictoriaCars manually for its validation, and the confirmation process on VictoriaCars part was also done manually. Due to this, the time it took to receive an answer confirming the reservation to the customer sometimes surpassed 12 hours, with the consequent discomfort that this put upon the customer.

With the implantation of the new OTA-XML technology the problem disappears completely. Thanks to this technology the computer servers at VictoriaCars and those of the agents are able to interact directly, without any human intervention.

Thus, when a customer solicits a booking through an agencies website for, for example, car hire Alicante Airport services, the computer servers will contact each other through XML in order to confirm the reservation in real-time.

For more information please visit http://www.victoriacars.com