trick

THE clock is ticking, the countdown is coming to an end…the £9.50 hols are nearly here.

From midnight tonight, Sun Club members like Tracy Kennedy (and many of her quarter of a million followers on social media) will be eagerly sat at their laptops, ready to book.

It’s been 36 years of The Sun’s £9.50 holidays, and Sun readers can still collect their coupon codes in the paper to enjoy their holiday deals.

But now, savvy £9.50 holidaymakers have joined Sun Club – where you can get earlier access to booking your holiday online.

Our new £9.50 hols agony aunt, Tracy Kennedy, has her £9.50 holiday night routine locked down.

Because tonight is a big night for holidaymakers across the UK looking to bag their top choice of holiday park for 2026.

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“I call it The Midnight Service” says Tracy.

“It started years ago when we could start booking online”.

“What happens is at about 10pm we stop all posts on the group and have a bit of a quiet down…then midnight comes”.

“After a few minutes, Sun Club people can book. Which includes me, straight after midnight. The people collecting codes have to wait a bit longer”.

“Then everyone jumps on and is booking”.

With a community of 280,000+ behind her, it’s a big night for our Queen of £9.50 hols.

“Tonight is a big night, people get all hyper and excited. It’s always good fun – even after I’ve booked mine I wait up”.

“When I wake up, my inbox is full of messages with everyone excited about where they’ve booked.”

As we approach the opening for bookings, Tracy has some top tips to make sure you get the holiday you want.

Tracy recommends people looking to grab a bargain holiday make a list of their top four resorts, plus a few more that they wouldn’t mind going to.

She also suggests making sure you can get there with your method of transport, checking if your site is dog-friendly, and knowing which dates you are looking to book.

Once you’ve chosen your top picks, there’s a few other steps to make sure you have the smoothest experience possible.

“Make sure to clear your cookies on your browser if possible” she says.

“Sometimes when getting to the page, an ‘invalid session…’ message comes up and stops you booking”.

“We’re not sure why this is, but it’s something to look out for and some people have said that clearing their cookies have helped”.

There’s multiple ways to get ready to unlock your £9.50 Holiday deal, but Tracy recommends joining Sun Club for the easiest way in.

“I’d absolutely recommend people sign up for Sun Club“.

“I love the convenience of having it all online. And it’s nice getting that extra priority with it opening early”.

Whilst Sun Club members can book their breaks just after midnight tonight, those collecting codes unlock booking on Wednesday 14 January.

“I paid £12 for the year, that’s a £1 a month”.

“What can you get for £1 these days?”

Plus, if you ask Tracy a question relating to our £9.50 hols, you could be rewarded with a £100 Amazon voucher.

Simply fill in the form with your details and question.

This Swiss train route is often listed among the most beautiful in the world, but the ticket price is unaffordable for many travellers. However, there’s a trick that allows you to see the same sights for much less

There are many stunning train journeys across the world, and luckily, many of them can be found in Europe, with views from unspoilt mountain scenery to stunning coastlines.

Unfortunately, many of these bucket list experiences also come with a hefty price tag, especially if you choose to travel on a vintage train or opt for extras such as afternoon tea or fine dining with champagne.

However, on one route, often considered among the most beautiful in the world, you can enjoy the views without maxing out your credit card, thanks to the local train service.

The Glacier Express is an epic eight-hour train journey that connects the Swiss mountain towns of Zermatt and St. Moritz. It starts at the foot of the Matterhorn, an iconic peak in the Alps, then passes through spectacular scenery that includes lakes, mountains, and over 291 bridges.

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The route was high on the list of Conde Nast’s best train trips in the world, and reviews of the train call it a “once in a lifetime experience”. The Glacier Express has huge panoramic windows, comfortable seats with tables, and an audio guide to point out the highlights of the route, making it an incredible way to see the Alps.

Passengers can also upgrade to Excellence Class for extras such as Champagne on departure, a five-course Alpine meal served at their table, and access to an individual iPad which provides interesting facts and figures along the way for an immersive tour. This carriage also features its own exclusive bar, situated under a gold dome, where passengers can enjoy fine wines and cocktails throughout the journey.

As you can imagine, this kind of experience doesn’t come cheap, and tickets often sell out well in advance. A second-class seat costs around CHF 213 in total, just under £200, while a first-class seat costs CHF 326, just over £300. Excellence Class costs around CHF 812, approximately £761, although this does include your meal with wine accompaniments, plus many extras that add to the experience.

However, the Glacier Express isn’t the only train to run on this line. Railway operator Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB), the national railway company of Switzerland, also runs a regular service which is often used by locals.

This means, if you’re willing to forgo the panoramic windows and plush seats and travel on a normal train, you can enjoy the same route for a fraction of the cost. Tickets can be booked on the SBB website, making it easy to view the available dates and times.

Simply search for trains from Zermatt to St. Moritz, or vice versa, and make sure they’re the ones travelling via Brig and Andermatt. This brings the cost of the journey down to CHF 44 for second class, about £41, or CHF 59 for first class which is about £55, and offers larger seats.

Doing this journey on a normal train will mean making a few changes along the route, so it’s not just one journey. However, some tourists prefer to do the route this way, spreading it out into smaller journeys and stopping to explore the towns along the way. It gives you more flexibility to visit sites along the way, for example, you may wish to leave the train at Brig to hike the Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps.

You could also spend some time in Andermatt, a charming Alpine village with traditional wooden homes set among the mountain landscapes. From here, you can also visit Schöllenen Gorge, crossing the famous stone Devil’s Bridge, which gives you spectacular views across the area.

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And while you won’t see butlers serving Champagne on an SBB train, some of the longer routes have buffet cars serving food and drink. You can also bring your own picnic, and alcohol is allowed, so bring your own bottle to enjoy while taking in the scenery.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

HAVE you ever holidayed in Spain and wondered if you’re saying the right thing or if there’s an easy way to order at a restaurant? One language expert has the answers.

James Smith, who has been teaching Spanish for years and now runs Learn Spanish with James, has revealed to Sun Travel his top tips from ordering food to the lesser-known spots to visit in Spain.

When it comes to speaking Spanish, James says while you might not be an expert (yet), there’s no harm in trying.

Talking to Sun Travel, James said: “People make mistakes in English everyday, but when it’s in a foreign language they worry about sounding silly.

“In Spain they’d just be happy if you try, and you’ll get much better service if you’ve made an effort to speak Spanish with them rather than the expectation for them to speak English – that’s when you start getting free shots to the table.”

Here’s one way to do this in a restaurant, rather than just speaking English more loudly and slowly.

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James explained: “In order to sound quite colloquial, in Spain, you can say ‘me das’ or ‘me pones’ followed by what you want to ask for which is a very Spanish thing.

“It means, ‘can you get me this?’ – in English we’d say ‘can I have?’. On its own if you say it without the context of food it would mean ‘you turn me on’. But you’ll hear it all the time in restaurants and it doesn’t mean that.

“So for example you can say, ‘me pones un café con leche por favor’ – and always remember to say thank you afterwards.”

When it comes to pronouncing words in Spanish, other top tips include pronouncing ‘ll’ like ‘y’ – which will come in handy the next time you order a tasty paella.

Another example is that a ‘z’ is actually a ‘th’ sound and so is the letter ‘c’.

When it comes to holidaying in Spain, most Brits will head to restaurants for fresh seafood and patatas bravas – but there’s one Spanish classic that James warns against ordering a lot of.

James explained: “I would say anywhere you’re going where you have tapas as your main meal, you’re probably going to get ripped off.”

He continued: “You’re meant to have small tapa with a drink – it originates from people trying to stop flies in the alcohol, so they’d give you a ‘tapa’ which means lid in Spanish and put it on top of their glass.

“It’s only meant to be a small dish but now people have jumped on that and charge £15 for tapas when in reality, it was a freebie with a drink. I never have it as a main meal.”

Another sign of an inauthentic restaurant, according to James, is if there are pictures on the menu – or you see Spanish cuisine alongside egg and chips.

If you want some good recommendations but aren’t sure where to find them, then James says just ask.

He told us: “I always ask the hotel staff for a place to go and eat where tourists usually don’t go and they’re more than happy to help you.”

Most Brits head to the likes of Barcelona and Madrid, but aside from the major cities, where would James suggest to visit?

He said: “The Hanging Houses of Cuenca, which are just outside of Madrid. I would say like always look for these kind of day trips when you visit like the main cities.

“Toledo is another one, in the south of Spain, and Cádiz has the best beaches in Spain.”

James has been learning Spanish since he was a child, having taken an interest playing football in rural Spain.

He then studied the language at university before heading off to Buenos Aires and Costa Rica.

Now, he runs Learn Spanish with James suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced speakers – by signing up you can get a free email series with tips on how to learn the language.

Check out Learn Spanish with James and you can also keep up with James on TikTok.

Plus, one travel writer who’s visited 100 countries always goes back to these Spanish islands…

Robin McKelvie has travelled all over the world but reveals the place he goes back to the most are these Spanish islands…

“Despite having travelled to more than 100 countries in my time as a travel writer, the place I always return to is much closer to home. Having first visited the Canary Islands in Spain back in 1998, I’ve been back at least once a year on holiday.

“In Tenerife alone you can party at the world’s second biggest carnival, bash around the world’s best waterpark (Siam Park) and climb a mountain almost three times higher than Britain’s Ben Nevis.

“La Graciosa could be on a different planet. There are no tarmac roads, nevermind an airport.

“It’s a brilliant escape from the modern world, hiking and
cycling around rough tracks, up volcanoes and out to windswept beaches.

“Lanzarote and Gran Canaria boast Michelin star restaurants and foodies flock to Tenerife to dine at eight Michelin star restaurants.

“Tenerife boasts more Michelin stars than Wales and the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort has more stars than any hotel in Spain with four!

“And Tenerife just keeps winning stars. This year Il Bocconcino snared one. As a Scot I know when hiking is brilliant. Tenerife has massive variety, as does Gran Canaria, but my top tip is La Palma.

“I hiked around what the Canarios call ‘La Isla Bonita’ with Ramble
Worldwide earlier this year. It was a joy soaring with our friendly group of largely British retirees up volcanoes, through thick forests and down to the cobalt Atlantic.”

For more on Spain, one presenter from A Place In The Sun moved to the Costa del Sol where she spends evenings on the beach – but there’s a catch.

Plus, check out the 15 holiday habits Brits need to ditch from dodgy sangrias to pints of lager.

The Kings and Ducks backed into Saturday’s rivalry game at Crypto.com Arena.

The Kings came out of the NHL’s three-day holiday break having lost six of their last seven, scoring just 11 goals over that span. Only two teams in the Western Conference have been worst in December.

The Ducks hadn’t been much better, though, having won just two of their last seven to give up their lead in the Pacific Division. But the league rules said somebody had to win Saturday and that proved to be the Kings, who rode a four-goal first period and Alex Laferriere’s first career hat trick to a dominant 6-1 victory that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.

Drew Doughty put the Kings in front to stay just three minutes after the opening faceoff, finding open ice on the edge of the crease, where he took a pass from Quinton Byfield and deflected it past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal. The second assist on the goal went to former Duck Corey Perry.

Trevor Moore doubled the lead less than a minute later, redirecting in a feed from Brian Dumoulin in the left circle. Ducks coach Joel Quenneville responded by calling a 30-second timeout in an effort to settle his team.

That didn’t work, with Laferriere blasting a one-timer by Dostal from just outside the crease to make it 3-0 with 9:39 left in the first period. When Byfield scored on a power play in the final minute, the Kings had their first four-goal period of the season and their first four-goal game in nearly three weeks.

After being booed off the ice at the end of their last game, a 3-2 loss to Seattle on Wednesday, the Kings left to cheers for the first intermission.

The Ducks finally got on the board when Mason McTavish scored on the power play midway through the second period. They worked hard for that goal, outshooting the Kings 12-1 in the period, yet coming away with just the one score.

Laferriere wound up matching that less than five minutes into the third period, scoring on a breakaway to give him the third multi-goal game of his career and his first this season. Dumoulin and Anze Kopitar both got their second assists on the goal.

And Laferriere wasn’t done, scoring his 10th goal on a one-timer from the high slot at 13:15 of the final period. The six goals for the Kings matched their season high and was one short of what they had scored in their last four games combined.

Tony Hawk, the skateboarding legend synonymous with daring tricks and modern skate culture, over the weekend faced an experience “WAY outside” his comfort zone: performing in a ballet.

The San Diego native and “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” namesake, 57, made his ballet debut Saturday skating on stage for Golden State Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.” During the one-of-a-kind showing at San Diego’s Civic Theatre, Hawk appeared in multiple scenes of the beloved holiday ballet, entertaining audiences with tricks while in costume.

“Sometimes you just have to say yes to things WAY outside your comfort zone, especially when your daughter thinks [it’s] funny,” he wrote Sunday in an Instagram post.

Golden State Ballet teased Hawk’s “Nutcracker” cameo on social media earlier this month, announcing, “he’s trying something completely new.”

“He’s supporting San Diego arts,” the original post read. “He’s making his daughter proud.”

“The Nutcracker” is a two-act ballet that follows a girl named Clara who receives a nutcracker doll for Christmas. When the toy magically comes to life, he defends Clara from the Mouse King and takes her on the journey of her dreams through the colorful land of sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy rules.

So how exactly does a pro skater fit in?

Hawk posted several photos and videos from his performance, including footage of his first cameo during the ballet’s opening number. The sports icon, donning a scarf and newsboy hat, disrupts the snowy scene outside of Clara’s home. He skates across the stage balancing on his board with both hands in the air as a police officer runs after him.

In the ballet’s second act, Hawk was not the only skater to take the stage. During the crowd-pleaser trepak, or Russian dance, Hawk and young skater Katelyn West joined a trio of dancers, launching themselves into the air off a quarter pipe. Like the dancers, both Hawk and West wore Russian-inspired fur hats, tunics and baggy red pants. The audience erupted in raucous applause.

Finally, Hawk and West rolled on stage for the show’s curtain call. Not too shabby, skater boy.

A traveller discovered that paying a small fee to choose your specific room at Travelodge can get you a noticeably larger space in the same category – without upgrading

When booking a hotel, aside from selecting your room category, you’re often left in the dark about what room you’ll end up with. But I’ve stumbled upon a nifty trick that could land you a larger hotel room for just £3.50.

Securing a hotel for any occasion, be it a city break with mates or a romantic weekend getaway, can be a bit of a headache, given the vast array of options available. And even after you’ve picked your preferred hotel, you then have to decide on your room category, which is usually dictated by price (let’s face it, we’d all opt for the premium suites if our wallets allowed).

But what if I told you there’s a way to bag a bigger room when booking through Travelodge, without having to rely on the whims of the booking system? This little gem came to light during a trip to London with my pals earlier this year.

We were staying overnight after catching an evening show, so I booked us into a Travelodge on Central City Road in London. As there were three of us, I opted for a triple family room – the most budget-friendly choice for a Saturday night in the capital.

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A few days prior to our stay, I noticed an option in my booking that let me ‘choose my room’ before checking in. Initially, I was a tad sceptical, but I’m chuffed I decided to delve a bit deeper.

For a mere additional £3.50, I discovered that I could handpick the exact room my mates and I would bunk in during our getaway. In the spirit of investigation and intrigue, I coughed up the trifling £3.50 and was directed to a site map showcasing all the available rooms within my category, enabling me to select our quarters.

What took me aback was that, despite all the rooms displayed falling within the specific category I’d booked, a handful were markedly larger as per the floor plan. So naturally, I opted for the most spacious room on offer.

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Even at this juncture, I was sceptical about whether we’d actually be allocated this room upon check-in, given that I’d shelled out less than a fiver and it was significantly roomier than the rest. So you can imagine my delight when I checked in on Saturday afternoon and they handed over the keys to the exact room I’d chosen – it was absolutely worth the extra £3.50.

We found ourselves in a sprawling room equipped with a double bed and two single beds, despite never altering the room category. Plus, it afforded us crucial additional space for prepping for a night on the town without having to splurge on an expensive upgrade.

This nifty trick can be employed at over 575 Travelodge hotels, and it’s not just for securing extra room. You can opt to ‘choose your room’ to ensure you’re lodged near family or friends, secure a particular view, guarantee a top or ground floor room, or ensure you’re close to a lift.

Not only does this trick potentially offer the bonus of a larger room, as I discovered, but it also eliminates any check-in uncertainty. However, it’s crucial to bear in mind that this hack depends on the hotel’s availability and layout.

Some Travelodge hotels may not have a bigger room available in the category you’ve booked, but it’s definitely worth enquiring. Furthermore, the cost can fluctuate depending on the hotel, room type and duration of stay, but it’s applicable for a range of Travelodge room categories.

Got a travel story you want to share with us? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com