European Freeze Shuts Down Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Holiday travelers in Europe have run into some serious problems this week, as flights are down in many of the continents busiest airports, and there is currently no end in sight.  Even many trains – which seem like the safer alternative in winter weather – have been cancelled across Europe.

Only a few flights managed to make it off the ground at London-Heathrow, and over a third of flights in other travel hubs like Frankfurt and Paris have been grounded.  Perhaps the city hit the worst by the freeze is Brussels, whose airport has cancelled every flight until at least Wednesday because they were not prepared with de-icing liquid.  European train companies with services between UK, France, and Belgium have also canceled or delayed several of their scheduled services. 

Paris has just gotten another round of snowfall, shutting down their bus system, slowing down traffic, and worst of all for many young Parisian’s, forcing Lady Gaga to cancel her show at Bercy Stadium.  Berlin had to shut down their commuter trains and many of their roads, while Dutch authorities decided to enforce a 50 km/h speed limit on many of their highways.  Italian airports at Pisa and Florence just reopened today after being shut down all weekend. 

Need a better idea of how bad things are?  In Moscow – one of the coldest and snowiest places in the world, where over 9,000 snowploughs clean the streets – numerous city roads have been shut down by authorities until further notice.   

This string of unseasonably cold weather has been hitting Europe since late fall, and as we’ve mentioned before, this has caused an influx in holiday travel reservations, especially out of the UK.  Unfortunately, it appears for now that many of these hopeful holiday travelers literally cannot escape the freeze, as the Met Office in Britain has warned of even more snow and ice in the coming week.  Temperatures got as low as -19.6 degrees Celsius in the UK, and radar only shows more snow and below zero temperatures. 

Have any relatives who may be stranded in European transit hubs?  Looks like they’re going to have plenty of free time on their hands, so why not give them a call?  With Stanacard’s call forwarding technology, you can simply dial their local number and pay absolutely nothing, and they will only pay our service’s super-low rates.  So go ahead and spread the holiday cheer, but whatever you do, do not complain about how badly you want a “White Christmas.”

By @StanaMark

How to Enjoy the Holidays Abroad

There’s nothing more important than being with loved ones around the holidays.  When you’re living or traveling abroad, you may not get the opportunity to be with your friends and family from home, which can certainly be hard.  We have composed a list of some tips to help you travelers feel at home and still have fun during the holidays. 

Volunteer.  If you have some time off around the holidays, why not use it to do something good for others less fortunate than you?  It will definitely make you feel good, and you will meet other good people while helping out. 

Explore a new religion.  For many, religion is an important part of the holidays.  Even if you are living in country with a different local religion, why not go and see how they celebrate the holidays?  It is always good to feel like a part of a community around the holidays, and you will have the opportunity to learn a thing or two.

Give gifts.  Sure, everyone loves receiving gifts around the holidays, but there is no better feeling than giving a gift to someone who truly appreciates it.  Organize a “secret Santa” at work or another type of gift giving event; this will bring people together and make everyone happy.

Decorate.  There’s nothing better than coming back to your home and seeing it fully decorated with holiday spirit.  If you celebrate Christmas, go out and get yourself a tree, even if all you can find is a fake one.  While you may want to try out new customs in the country you are living in, there’s nothing wrong with coming home to a place decorated just like it would be at home.

Start new traditions.  You’re not going to get anywhere sitting around missing your old holiday traditions.  You are in a new country with different holiday traditions and practices, now is the perfect time to start brand new traditions to look forward to.  Get together with a few friends and do something out of the ordinary, even if it isn’t related to the holidays.  As long as it’s a memorable experience, you will always look forward to it and you can carry on the tradition for years to come.

Most importantly, stay in touch.  Just because you are far away from home doesn’t mean that you can’t stay in touch with friends and family.  Call your close family frequently, but also try to get in touch with the people that you may not see as often.  It will make them feel good to be remembered, and you will be glad you kept in touch.  With Stanacard, you can talk to friends and family at home as much as you want, and they can call you for free just by dialing your local number with our call forwarding feature.

Enjoy the holidays, and please share some stories of any special ways that you dealt with being abroad for the holidays in our comments section below!

By @StanaMark

Freezing Temperatures Drive International Travel

It’s that time of year again.  It finally feels like winter here in New York City, as temperatures have crept down to the low 20’s, and city dwellers have yet again begun to wonder why they put up with winter after winter.  Though we think we have it bad here, we still have a lot less to complain about than many places in the UK.  This is UK’s coldest December so far since 1981.  Some Britons have already been putting up with sub zero temperatures for weeks, and many have had enough and decided to head to warmth.

Many travel sites such as Lowcostholidays, Travelmatch, and TravelSupermarket have reported spikes in holiday travel reservations out of the UK this year.  These websites say that holiday travel from the UK to warm-weather destinations such as Egypt, Turkey, Spain, Dubai, Thailand, and the Canary Islands have grown significantly since last season, most likely due to the extreme cold.  Perhaps the most popular destination has proven to be Miami, Florida, which Hotels.com has reported having a 700 percent increase. 

The British aren’t the only people trading in their boots for sandals this winter season.  Canadian travel to popular sunny destinations like Florida, California, Jamaica and Mexico has also significantly risen this season, as about 55 percent of Canadians said that they plan to take a vacation in the next three months, as opposed to only 6 percent who are planning a “staycation” close to home. 

Luckily for all of you British and Canadian folks who plan to get out of your freezing countries around the holidays, Stanacard has a great rate for almost any sunny destination you want to soak it up in.  Check out our rates below for the countries that are popular this season in the UK and Canada. 

UK to…………………………………………...Egypt: 11.88-14.28 cents per minute

          …………………………………………..Turkey: 3.0-8.9

          …………………………………………..Spain: 2.32-21.38

          …………………………………………..Dubai: 13.99

          …………………………………………..Thailand: 2.28

          …………………………………………..Canary Islands: 2.39

          …………………………………………..Miami, FL: 3.12

Canada to………………………………………California/Florida: 3.12 cents per minute

                ………………………………………Jamaica: 9.99-19.99

                ………………………………………Mexico: 2.70-10.99

Traveling to or from somewhere else this winter?  Check out all of our super-low rates here.

By @StanaMark

The Greatest Gift Idea Ever!

There are a lot of holidays coming up!   Whether you plan on celebrating a few, all, or none, sometimes gifts are involved.  What do you get for the person who has everything?  Or the person who is far away, perhaps overseas? 

We have an idea.

Give a StanaCard Gift!  It’s easy to give, easy to use, and never expires. It’s absolutely risk-free.  If after ten days the recipient does not claim the gift, the money will then be returned straight to your account.

Have a family member who won’t be home for Thanksgiving?  Give them a StanaCard gift; they can call whenever they want!  Have friends or family in any of the Commonwealth countries?  A Boxing Day StanaCard gift is an idea!  Will someone you know be abroad for Christmas or Saint Nicholas Day?  Give them a StanaCard gift!  It can’t be wrapped or placed under a tree, but it’s still great.  Besides, haven’t you always wanted to Tweet a gift?  You can give someone a small (or large) StanaCard credit for all 8 nights of Hanukkah if you wanted.  Don’t forget about Kwanzaa.  StanaCard gifts are totally applicable there, too.  St. Lucia Day may traditionally be celebrated with lights and sweets, but who says you can’t give a card for that, too?   Finally, we have New Years’ Eve and Omisoka.  What better a way to ring in the New Year than with a literal ring, as in a phone call? 

As you can see, StanaCard gifts are applicable for all the upcoming holidays.  It’s a wonderful way to keep in touch when someone you know can’t be there to celebrate in person.

Happy holidays!