logo
Now You Can Travel for Less by Buying Someone Else's Vacation

Now You Can Travel for Less by Buying Someone Else's Vacation

Samina Ahmed admits she's obsessed with travel. The 46-year-old single mother, who recently left her job as an IT engineer in Leeds, England, said she's taken her toddler, Raees, on 'more holidays than most people have in a lifetime.' What keeps Ahmed both on the road and in the black? She books almost every trip on SpareFare.
Founded in 2016, this eBay-like marketplace pairs unfortunate travelers looking to sell nonrefundable trips, flights and hotel nights they can't use to bargain hunters like Ahmed who take over the reservation. For one vacation, that meant paying around $1,200 for an all-inclusive trip to Thailand that originally cost around $4,700. 'It was a week—I wish that had been longer,' Ahmed said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Government needs to overhaul ‘unfair' business rates, says Greene King boss
Government needs to overhaul ‘unfair' business rates, says Greene King boss

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Government needs to overhaul ‘unfair' business rates, says Greene King boss

The boss of pub giant Greene King has said the Government needs to overhaul business rates for the sector amid rising closures across the UK. Nick Mackenzie, boss of the 1,500-strong pub firm, said reduced property tax payments were needed to drive investment and new jobs after swallowing recent cost hikes. It comes days after figures from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) pointed towards a surge in pub closures due to heightened financial pressures. The body estimated that 378 pubs will close this year across England, Wales and Scotland after increased stress on the industry so far this year. It said this would amount to more than 5,600 direct job losses. Industry bosses have said easing business rates could help support some pub businesses currently at threat of future closure. Mr Mackenzie said the current system of business rates is 'unfair' on the sector, focusing on revenues rather than profitability, which has heavily diminished across pubs in recent years amid sharp increases in operating costs. 'Pubs are going to be around for the long term, but we need to address the unfairness in the system to allow them to flourish,' he said. 'It isn't fair that the sector has 0.4% of the rateable property but pay 2.1% of the bills. 'The sector is a massive employer and incredibly important for local communities, so we just feel it is important to underline how beneficial it is to tax pubs fairly.' Greene King is among pub firms to have said recent cost increases, such as the rise in National Insurance contributions and the higher national minimum wage, have caused them to pull back on some investment plans. Mr Mackenzie said Greene King would secure £13.7 million in annual savings to be invested in its pubs with reforms to business rates. The firm is asking Chancellor Rachel Reeves to introduce a specific, lower business rates multiplier for all pubs at the Autumn Budget, giving them a 20p discount on their current rate. It is also asking the Government to change how the Valuation Office Agency calculates the rateable value of a pub at the 2026 revaluation. The Labour Government has previously said it plans to reform business rates to 'create a fairer system'. It came as the company released its Growth on Tap report on reforming tax policy in the sector, which highlighted that its pubs are facing significant business rate increases due to a recent reduction in discounts for the sector. 'The Government has made growth its number one priority, and the Chancellor now has the opportunity to make changes that will immediately unlock millions of pounds to do just this,' Mr Mackenzie said. 'We will be able to go even further and faster with our investments – creating new jobs, refurbishing pubs and breathing life back into communities up and down the country.' Sign in to access your portfolio

King Charles to host Trump in September for state visit to Britain, palace says
King Charles to host Trump in September for state visit to Britain, palace says

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

King Charles to host Trump in September for state visit to Britain, palace says

By Andy Bruce MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -Britain's King Charles will host U.S. President Donald Trump in September for his unprecedented second state visit to Britain, Buckingham Palace said on Monday. The visit will take place from September 17 to 19. "His Majesty the King will host the President and Mrs Trump at Windsor Castle," the palace said in a statement, adding that further details would be announced in due course. Trump said last month he had agreed to meet Charles after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer handed him a handwritten letter from the monarch in the Oval Office. The U.S. president will be the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch. The late Queen Elizabeth welcomed Trump to Buckingham Palace for a three-day state visit in June 2019 during his first term in office, during which he had a private lunch with the sovereign and had tea with Charles, who was then heir. Starmer and Trump are also due to meet in Scotland later this month, a source told Reuters last week, with details including the specific date yet to be finalised. The two leaders have developed a warm relationship in recent months, and last month signed a framework trade deal on the sidelines of a G7 meeting that formally lowered some U.S. tariffs on imports from Britain. In May, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticised Britain's invitation to Trump for a state visit, saying it undermined his government's effort to project a united front against the U.S. president's talk of annexing Canada. Trump's past visits to Britain have attracted large protests, with his 2018 trip costing police more than 14 million pounds ($18.88 million) as 10,000 officers were deployed from all over Britain. Most Britons have an unfavourable view of the president, according to opinion polls. State visits are usually pomp-laden affairs featuring an open-top carriage trip through central London and a banquet at Buckingham Palace. ($1 = 0.7415 pounds)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store