The Travel Den - Let us Make Your Dream Holiday Become a Reality

06/08/2026

Always wanted to experience European Christmas markets? Touring on a river cruise is the BEST way!

Contact us for further instructions on the two itineraries mentioned below as well as many others we can suggest.

Email [email protected]

Valid until Wednesday 12th August 2026 - subject to availability at time of booking

Offer 1

🎄 DEAL OF THE WEEK! 🎄

🚢 6-Day Danube's Imperial Cities & Yuletide Markets River Cruise
📅 Departure: 16 December 2026
💷 Now only £1,349pp (Was £1,449pp)

✈️ Flights available from:
• Birmingham
• Dublin
• London Gatwick
• London Heathrow
• London Luton
• London Stansted
• Manchester

✨ Your festive cruise includes:
🍷 FREE all-inclusive drinks package
🛏️ 5 nights aboard a five-star river cruise
🍽️ Full board dining
🚌 Return flights & transfers
🗺️ 7 included guided experiences
☕ Complimentary tea & coffee
📶 Free Wi-Fi
👨‍✈️ Expert Cruise Director & Cruise Host
⚓ All port charges & additional taxes
🧳 20kg+ checked luggage

🎅 Experience the magic of Christmas along the Danube:
✨ Explore the imperial capitals of Budapest, Vienna & Bratislava on guided tours.
🎄 Wander through enchanting Yuletide Markets filled with festive lights, handcrafted gifts, Glühwein and seasonal treats.
❄️ Relax as stunning winter scenery drifts by along the Danube.
🎻 Enjoy a live classical music recital on board your beautifully decorated river cruise.
🎁 Perfect for getting into the Christmas spirit!

Offer 2

🥂 DEAL OF THE WEEK! 🥂

🎆 6-Day New Year on the Rhine River Cruise
📅 Departure: 29 December 2026
💷 Now from just £1,749pp

✈️ Travel options available from:
• Birmingham Airport
• London Gatwick Airport
• London Heathrow Airport
• London Stansted Airport
• Manchester Airport
🚄 Or travel by Eurostar from London St Pancras

✨ Your New Year getaway includes:
🍷 FREE all-inclusive drinks package
🛏️ 5 nights aboard a five-star river cruise
🍽️ Full board, including a spectacular New Year's Eve Gala Dinner and New Year's Day Brunch
🚌 Return flights or Eurostar & transfers
🗺️ 7 included experiences
☕ Complimentary tea & coffee
📶 Free Wi-Fi
👨‍✈️ Expert Cruise Director & Cruise Host
🧳 Checked luggage included
⚓ All additional taxes

🌍 Highlights of your festive cruise:
✨ Cruise through the breathtaking Rhine Gorge to the charming wine village of Rüdesheim
✨ Discover Frankfurt on a guided tour with time to explore at your leisure
✨ Visit historic Koblenz, where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet
✨ Explore Cologne's picturesque Old Town and magnificent cathedral
🎻 Celebrate New Year's Eve in style with a gala dinner, live classical music, midnight drinks & canapés as you welcome 2027 on board!
🎉 Ring in the New Year with an unforgettable Rhine river cruise!

05/08/2026

It’s receiving thanks like this that reinforces why I love helping clients plan and organise their holidays - this has been a pretty unique enquiry as the family are getting together to celebrate the patriarch of the family’s 95 birthday here in the UK.

To help our clients, both nonagenarians, I hired a car to enable them to inspect the initial hotel they were interested in. This visit was invaluable as, whilst on paper the hotel looked ideal, when there we all agreed the area where the rooms would be was too far from the main building and hotel’s leisure facilities. They then looked at another hotel I thought would be suitable, and we booked the accommodation accordingly.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the family decided this hotel would no longer suit their needs, and decided they wanted to stay in a local hotel they know very well.

I know the family dynamics and, thinking back to the original brief, didn’t think where they suggesting would ‘fit the bill’. Fortuitously, I was able to secure accommodation and private dining rooms in another hotel I know, and explained to the clients why I thought this would be a better option. It is a beautiful country house hotel, it has a pool, a games room, peacocks in the gardens and other facilities to not only keep the kids happy but the adults too, so they would be able to entertain themselves in the hotel, versus the other hotel which has none of these things on offer.

Below is the Google Review we just received:

A huge shout out and enormous thanks to The Travel Den and specifically Denise Lederman! 3 months ago Denise planned and pulled together an amazing family holiday. She planned for 18 people aged 95 years down to 11 months, coming from home and abroad and made sure it suited us all.... Then 6 weeks before planned trip we had to ask her to change it up completely. Which she did, with a smile, generosity of spirit, professionalism, and efficiency! All the while stopping us from booking the wrong venue because I was panicking! She's thought of everything and planned to the last detail! Thanks Denise, you're amazing!

13/07/2026

For all cruise lovers this might be of interest to you

Oceania Cruises is retiring the Nautica in late 2027 by completely transforming and rebranding it as the Oceania Aurelia. The ship will undergo extensive renovations to reduce capacity to under 500 passengers and add more suites to cater exclusively to long-duration grand voyages and world cruises.

While the transformation will result in a brand new ship experience, it marks the end of the current Nautica identity.

Final Farewell Season: The ship will undergo a UK-based charter and final farewell voyages out of Southampton in the summer of 2027. The ship's final cruises in its current form will conclude in October 2027

Interested in sailing on Nautica before she is rebranded? Contact us for further information
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01923 947074 (office hours only please)

10/07/2026

We are often ask what the benefits are of booking a package (a holiday with flights originating from the UK) which is covered by ATOL, versus booking everything independently.

Earlier today I received a message from a client of ours who is currently abroad, having just come off a cruise and they had transferred & checked into the 4 star hotel they were due to stay in for the next three nights.

They sent us photos of the room they were in, which showed broken glass on the wardrobe door as well as wooden furniture that was in the need of a polish and in a despicable state . They also mentioned that although they had gone down to reception to ask if they could change the room, they were greeted with a shrug of the shoulders and totally ignored. The hotel was chosen by the clients for its location.

I immediately contacted the tour operator that I had made the booking through, and between us we found two alternative hotels that had availability and in the same area. I called the client, discussed both hotels with them and they decided on the one they wanted to stay in. As it was too late for us to book them a transfer to the new hotel, I advised them to grab a taxi. And that their transfers to the airport on departure will be amended.

I am delighted to be able to say that the hotel they are now staying in they have reported as being delightful and a total contrast in the level of service at the reception desk.

…..and the benefit of having booked through the tour operator is that none of this has cost the client a penny!!!
They will be reimbursed for the transfer that they have paid for themselves and the tour operator is covering any difference in cost between the original booking and the new hotel.

….and the benefit of booking through us? Hopefully the above is answer enough! We are not only here to help plan and book your holiday but in the event of a rare and unforeseen situation such as the above, we will ensure (where possible) to resolve the problem as soon as possible. The resolution to the above took 40 minutes from our clients first contacting us to them receiving their new hotel voucher, which gave them just enough time to finish their lunch at a nearby restaurant!

Contact us to discuss your next holiday:
Email [email protected]
Or call 01923 947074 (office hours only please)

Let The Travel Den Make Your Dream Holiday Become a Reality
Thetravelden.co.uk


The Travel Den is an independent travel agency based in Elstree - we plan and book your holidays, cruises, city breaks and more.

02/07/2026

Have you ever wondered where The Travel Den sends their clients to?
This chart shows where clients we have booked holidays for since April are travelling to…. how about adding your dream destination to the list or, maybe, you can see somewhere you would love to visit and haven’t yet been?
Contact us for help planning your next holiday, irrespective where in the world you are travelling to.
Email [email protected]
Or call 01923 947074 (office hours only please)

Let The Travel Den make your Dream Holiday Become a Reality
Thetravelden.co.uk

19/06/2026

The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advice for several destinations in the region, including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia, and no longer advises against all but essential travel.

This is positive news for those planning trips and provides greater confidence for future travel arrangements.

If you have any questions about an upcoming booking or are considering travel to these destinations, please get in touch - our email is [email protected] or call 01923 947074 during office hours.

17/06/2026

If anyone has family coming to the UK to visit that were born in the UK, please read the following:

A 93-year-old woman born in the UK has been barred from entering the country because she does not hold a British passport. 😯

The 93-year-old was actually born in the UK but has spent decades living in Canada.

She has always travelled back to England using her Canadian passport without any issues.

But strict new electronic travel authorisation rules mean people with dual nationality can no longer use their foreign passports to enter the UK.

Because she did not have an official British passport, the elderly traveller found herself barred from the country.

"It doesn't matter that I've lived in Canada for decades, hold Canadian citizenship and travel on a Canadian passport," she warned.

"If I want to go to England, I now need a British one too."

The Home Office has admitted these changes have significant implications for dual nationals living in places like Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Yet the government has totally rejected calls to apply additional grace periods for those caught out.

They have instead quietly issued temporary guidance telling airlines they can let passengers fly if they show an expired British passport issued from 1989 onwards alongside a valid foreign one.

But officials stress this is strictly a short-term transitional measure that is entirely at the discretion of individual carriers.

UK Border Force staff have now been told to take a compassionate and pragmatic approach to travellers experiencing genuine difficulties ahead of the summer holiday season.

16/06/2026

FREE CARRY-ON LUGGAGE FOR EU FLYERS FROM 2027

The EU Parliament on Monday said hand luggage will be included in airline ticket prices.

From 2027, airlines will be required to include both a small personal item and hand luggage in the ticket price, effectively ending separate carry-on fees.

Passengers will also be eligible for a discount if they choose not to bring additional baggage.

The rules mark an end to carry-on baggage fees, a common practice particularly among low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and EasyJet.

Passengers will be entitled to a free personal item measuring 40cm x 30cm x 15cm, as well as a wheeled carry-on bag with maximum total dimensions of 100cm and a weight limit of 7kg.

The EU also retained rules requiring airlines to seat adults next to their children without charging an additional fee.

The new rules clarify that airlines will pay 300 euros for delays on flights over 3,500 kilometres, and 600 euros if delays exceed four hours or if a flight is cancelled outright.

Airlines will also be required to provide more help to passengers who miss connections. They will no longer be allowed to force travellers to download a mobile app to obtain a boarding pass, a requirement introduced by Ryanair in November.

Carriers will also be barred from charging fees for correcting spelling errors or changing passenger names on tickets. So-called 'no-show' penalties on return flights will also be banned.

Airlines say the rules will harm their competitiveness in the market and lead to higher ticket prices.

EU member states and the European Parliament have been locked in political wrangling over passenger rights for 13 years. The new rules are due to take effect in 2027.

12/06/2026

Celebrity Cruises and NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) are both offering amazing offers on their European Cruises. Contact The Travel Den for more information:
Email: [email protected]
Call: 01923 947074 (office hours only please)

Examples:

NCL OFFER:
Norwegian Epic 21 June 2026 7 nights Rome to Barcelona £387pp cruise only or £832pp incl flights from Gatwick
Norwegian Epic 19 July 2026 7 nights Rome to Barcelona £515pp cruise only or £952pp incl flights from Gatwick
Norwegian Epic 30 August 2026 7 nights Rome to Barcelona £435pp cruise only or £789pp incl flights from Gatwick
Norwegian Epic 13 Sep 2026 7 nights Rome to Barcelona £519pp cruise only or £880pp incl flights from Gatwick
Norwegian Epic 25 Oct 2026 7 nights Rome to Barcelona £619pp cruise only or £1,098pp incl flights from Gatwick

CELEBRITY CRUISES OFFER:

Captain's Club members will save up to an additional £160/€200 per room, and that is on top of their existing promotions!

Here’s everything on offer:

- At least 60% off 2nd Guest*
- Up to £600/€700 in savings on all sailings
- Up to an additional £400/€500 in savings on selected 2026 Europe sailings*
- Flights from only £99/€99 pp on selected 2026 European sailings*
- NEW Captain's Club savings of up to £160/€200 per cabin

A SPECIAL GIFT FOR NEW MEMBERS
For those yet to discover Celebrity, sign up to Captain's Club as preview members and tou will save up to an additional £80 per room as Celebrity's way of welcoming you.
Like the best things in life, this sale won't last. So sign up today and your loyalty will start paying off.

THE DETAILS
Booking Window: 12 June 2026 - 15 June 2026
Applicable Sailings: 16 June 2026 - 30 April 2028

SAVING AMOUNTS (per cabin)
- for 3-to-5-night sailings Zenith / Elite / Elite Plus members £80 / €100
- for 6-night+ sailings Zenith / Elite / Elite Plus members £160 / €200
- for 3-to-5-night sailings Classic / Select / Preview members £40 / €50
- for 6-night+ sailings Classic / Select / Preview members
£80 / €100

Exclusions: Celebrity River Cruises and Galapagos

Subject to availability at time of booking

18/05/2026

Is a holiday to Australia on your wish list, but you always thought it would be unaffordable? How about a road trip, starting at £2,602 per person including flights*?
For further details on the following itinerary, or alternative suggestions, contact us via email: [email protected] or our direct line: 01923 947074.

Coral Coast Highway
Discover Western Australia's Coral Coast on this 11 night self-drive from Perth to Exmouth, taking in stunning coastal landscapes, unique pink lakes and incredible marine encounters.
Itinerary:
Fly UK > Perth - Rottnest Island - Perth - Geraldton - Monkey Mia - Carnarvon - Exmouth - Carnarvon - Kalbarri - Perth > Fly UK
What's Included?
• Room only (breakfast at select hotels)
• 12 Days car hire
• Ultimate coastal road trip freedom
• Unforgettable wildlife & ocean encounters
• 11 Nights of hand-picked accommodation
• Rottnest Island bus day pass & ferry combo
• 4WD and sandboarding adventure
• Half-day sea kayak & snorkel tour
11 nights from £2,602pp*

Various departures between 1st May 2026 - 31st March 2027
Price based on two adults sharing
Fly from LHR* | MAN from £2,908pp | EDI from £2,736pp
Subject to availability

Let The Travel Den Make Your Dream Holiday Become A Reality.

thetravelden.co.uk