Expedia has looked at past price data for flights and accommodation to determine which day of the week the prices are historically lowest.

According to data on average ticket prices, booking domestic flights on Sunday can help travelers save up to 25% on airline tickets, compared to booking on Friday, when prices tend to be low. higher.

The most ideal departure day for a domestic flight is a Thursday, when travelers can save almost 20% compared to a Sunday departure.

RELATED: Hack To Triple Your Vacation Leave In 2021

Even though international travel remains out of reach for the moment, Expedia has also found the best days to book international flights: book on a Sunday to save up to 15% and leave on a Tuesday or Thursday to save almost 20 percent. . hundred.

Expedia found that air fares in 2020 hit their lowest point in April, when Australia entered COVID-19 lockdowns. Prices started to recover in June and the average ticket price remains around 20-30% lower year over year.

Hotels are where we always pay a little more, however.

Expedia found that prices rose between March and April during the early foreclosure restrictions. “But as borders and restrictions loosened, prices started to normalize as appetite for travel increased,” Expedia said.

“Looking ahead, as demand continues to grow and with limited supply, prices may remain higher than last year.”

Still, there are savings to be had if you know the best day to book.

For national holidays, the lowest average daily rate for accommodation is on Monday, saving up to 15% compared to Saturday, which is usually more expensive.

Tips for saving are part of Expedia’s 2021 Travel Report, which examines the best tips for saving for travel in the coming year, where Australians are likely to vacation and what behaviors will shape how we travel nationally and hopefully internationally. year.

He revealed that the top destinations for 2021 were an optimistic mix of Australians and international favorites, with Gold Coast leading the way, followed by Bali, Sydney, the north coast of New South Wales and the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.

Fiji, Oahu in Hawaii, the Whitsundays, Melbourne and Byron Bay round out the top 10.

With ongoing state border changes requiring flexibility from travelers and businesses, refundable bookings are up 10% from 2019 and are also up to 20% cheaper than refundable bookings in 2019. 2019.

A recent Expedia traveler survey found health and safety to be top concerns, prompting the company to introduce an “improved cleaning” filter on property searches on its site.

Expedia Australian director Alex Ozdowski said health and safety considerations and changing circumstances have made travel even more stressful for Australians.

“2020 has certainly been a trying year for Australian tourism (but) it wasn’t long before resilient Australians began to explore their backyards, making domestic tourism and vacations the only escape route for our people. travelers, ”he said.

“We want to want to relieve the stress of planning in these uncertain times and equip travelers with the relevant information and tools they need to feel confident about traveling again.

“We continue to encourage our travelers to opt for flexibility in their booking and to take into account our savings tips to achieve the ideal travel result. ”

Ask Wayne Clark if the hotel rooms he’s been staying in for the past three months are better than the four rooming houses he’s been living in since August of last year, and he’ll just say, “That was a godsend.”

The 54-year-old has been homeless for about 18 months after breaking up a relationship.

He needed a third back surgery for an injury at work just as the pandemic struck.

His transfer to a hotel in Melbourne’s CBD meant escaping rooming houses where he was paying $ 250 a week.

“If you’re lucky you have a few mattresses that were pretty gross to sleep on. Places were usually full of bedbugs, cockroaches,” he said.

The first one he moved into he was told if you leave food in the fridge don’t expect it to be there tomorrow.

“It’s just nice to have a peaceful place to go back to without having to worry about people knocking on your door… with rooming houses, everyone wants something from you,” he said. .

“No one has ever had anything.”

Although he is grateful, it was not a dream salvation.

He had to call his housing service provider every week or so to find out how much longer he could stay and how much he should contribute.

“It’s gone from $ 100 [per fortnight] at $ 200 to $ 340 to $ 450. Tomorrow I have to contribute $ 215, so it’s still different, ”he said.

“So, I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on.”

A Victorian government spokesperson said it was common practice for homelessness agencies to ask people to co-pay.

“However, during the coronavirus pandemic, the department ensured that it was optional and that the person will receive accommodation regardless of their decision,” the spokesperson said.

But Wayne said it wasn’t his experience.

He said last Monday that he was told there was “no more government funding for Unison,” one of the housing agencies that obtain public funds to organize accommodation.

He said it forced him to go out on the streets for two nights, with dire consequences.

“I received no warning. That Monday night, when I moved, I had to take all my things with me,” he said.

“Almost everything I had was taken.”

Unison’s Director of Housing and Homelessness Sue Grigg admitted tough decisions had to be made as the state government sharply downgraded spending on emergency shelter when it seemed like the situation was improving.

“Without any advice regarding increasing funding beyond July, Unison, along with other homeless services, were struggling to cut spending until the recent spike in infections in Melbourne,” a- she declared.

After raising his case with lawyers, Wayne found his way back to a hotel and is still there – for now.

New insight into why hotel rooms aren’t the only answer for homeless people

Ashley *, 21, has also found her three hotel accommodation placements over the past two weeks intimidating.

Even after 18 months in and out of shelters and friends’ couches on and off, she said hotel rooms were “a little scary.”

“I’m not going to lie because some of the accommodations they put us in, I have a few other people staying there who are not safe,” she said.

New data from the Council to Homeless Persons suggests that around 2,000 people are currently staying at the hotel in Melbourne alone.

60 percent of them have high support needs – to deal with serious mental issues or chronic health issues.

At least 40 percent have experienced prolonged periods of homelessness, including the streets, which means they will find it difficult to rent private accommodation.

Accommodation funding is only guaranteed until the end of July.

The state government did not extend this commitment, even with the extended lockdown.

It is estimated that $ 15 million has been spent so far on this solution, which supporters say could build many social housing units.

A “golden” moment to find a permanent solution to homelessness

Kate Colvin, acting CEO of the Council to Homeless Persons, said it was a “golden moment” of opportunity to build momentum in this health response to the coronavirus and forge a permanent solution to the free. shelter.

“This is actually a fantastic opportunity,” she said.

She said that all of these people are now in one place and can easily be helped with housing.

“We have all the people who are generally very difficult to hire and who could live in rooming houses, surf on sofas, sleep on the streets, spread across a myriad of types of places,” she said. .

“If only we had the support workers and housing packages to help people, we will end homelessness for thousands of Victorians right now.”

Sue Grigg of Unison said purchasing hotel accommodation would always be an expensive and temporary solution.

“This draws attention to the lack of permanent affordable housing in Victoria, especially for singles,” she said.

“It is time for local, state and federal governments to commit to working with the community housing sector to invest in badly needed good quality social housing.

Wayne Clark hopes the pandemic can help expose and eliminate our hidden ailments.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s a good thing, but the arrival of the coronavirus has kind of made a lot of people sit down and watch what’s going on with homelessness,” a- he declared.

* Ashley didn’t want her real name used for privacy reasons.

Homeless people in Bristol will be moved out of hotels and into any accommodation the council can get their hands on, including student accommodation.

Bristol City Council has appealed to universities, private landlords and other actors in the housing sector to help provide housing for the homeless who were transferred to hotels during the Covid-19 crisis.

Many private landlords have already answered the call, and the University of Bristol has indicated that it is also ready to do its part.

It comes amid controversy over whether the government’s emergency program to get homeless people off the streets and into hotels has ended.

The program covered people who are generally not eligible for public funding due to their immigration status, but it is not clear whether funding for this group will continue.

The council’s housing options manager, Paul Sylvester, told an intersectoral city housing council that 280 homeless people live in hotels and hostels across the city.

He said 50 of them were not eligible for public funding – ten are “destitute” asylum seekers and 40 are unemployed EU nationals.

“Clearly our goal now is to move people out of hotels,” Sylvester told the Bristol Homes and Communities Board on May 14.

“We are working with hotel providers, looking to expand access for some of them and scheduling when hotels want to take hotels back and let them go about their normal business.

“We don’t want to see anyone who leaves hotels returning to the streets and it is particularly difficult for people who have no recourse to public funds.

“I think there will be a great demand from universities and student union housing providers who could hopefully provide us with the interim accommodation we need while we seek to move everyone.”

University of Bristol chief financial officer Robert Kerse said the university could help as it expected some of its student accommodation to remain empty next year.

“What I have is largely closer to bed spaces than discrete accommodations,” he said.

Presenting the council’s One City Move-on project, Mr Sylvester asked for ideas from the Houses Council, which includes councilors and interest groups such as the university, tenants, landlords, charities for homeless people, housing associations and house building companies.

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The project aims to significantly reduce homelessness by increasing the supply of affordable housing and providing them with the support they need to maintain their rental and stay in that housing.

His goals are long term, but his first job is to find accommodation for the homeless living in a total of five hotels and hostels in Bristol.

Mr Sylvester said: “We know how many people need supported housing, we know how many people can be placed and will do well in the private sector, and we know how many people need support. more tailor-made solution. “

A “number” of homeless people had already abandoned their hotel rooms or had been evicted but were receiving support, he said.

Paul Ingerslev of St Mungo’s said the homeless charity’s relationship with a “very large hotel” which accommodated 100 people had been “sometimes difficult”, but things had gone better at two hostels of youth.

The number of homeless people in Bristol who were infected with Covid-19 remained low but was likely to rise if placed in unsuitable accommodation such as dormitories, he added.

Housing Cabinet Member Paul Smith said: “A lot of people in hotels will not be moving directly into their own apartment.

“Many of them will have to move into supported housing, and for that to happen, we need many people living in supported housing to be able to move into apartments and other independent housing. So it’s a lot more complex than just taking people out of hotels and putting them in an apartment somewhere.

Mr Sylvester said social housing was a priority for people receiving homeless housing in care, to create vacancies for those coming out of hotels.

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Lindy Morgan of the housing associations sector has warned that the pandemic will create a flood of homeless people on the streets of the city.

“This will only be the first wave, right,” she said. “More people can lose their homes and become homeless.

“We are only dealing with the people we know at the moment and we don’t know what that will look like in six months.”

The council explores “each particular avenue” to obtain the “radical change” in the offer of supported housing that it is looking for as part of its relocation project, he learned.

Options include doubling the number of private rentals to over 400 this year, buying homes, temporarily converting properties into “new gated developments” and exploring the use of modular housing.

Ian Knight of Homes England said: “I find it extraordinary that it has taken a pandemic to bring us to the position in society where we are able and willing to take action to ensure that people are not living on the streets. “

By staff reporter

The GOVERNMENT has come out with new allegations, accusing some of the 65 returning citizens who returned from the UK last Monday of being MDC Alliance activists determined to sabotage the country’s COVID-19 fight by attempting to score cheap political points.

The allegations follow allegations that one of the returnees, housed at Belvedere Teachers College in Harare, was among the hordes of MDC Alliance activists who attacked Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo during the latter’s visit to London last July.

Moyo had traveled to London at the time with other senior government officials as part of Zimbabwe’s efforts to re-engage with the international community after years of global isolation due to its poor record on human rights and its inability to implement economic and political reforms.

According to state media, the alleged assailant is Mary Nyandoro, a well-known MDC Alliance activist and one of the people who resisted the mandatory quarantine at Harare Middle School citing “bad conditions”, preferring to be hosted in a hotel.

Deputy Social Affairs Minister Lovemore Matuke also confirmed her presence at the teacher training center, adding that the government noted with concern that some of the British returnees were in fact MDC Alliance activists who attacked the Minister Moyo.

“Ms Nyandoro is one of a group of 26 British returnees who are complaining about the college facilities,” Matuke said.

However, 65 confirmed returning citizens at Belvedere Teachers College came on the same Ethiopian Airlines plane, and not 26 as Matuke claims.

State media accuse Nyandoro of being part of the crowd seen dousing the Zimbabwean delegation led by Moyo with bottled water in London.

“She was holding a labeled sign; “TROO TT TO TAKE OFF SANCTIONS”, referring to the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by some western countries which have affected the economy, “he said.

Matuke went on to accuse the MDC Alliance of trying to score cheap political points.

“Now is not the time to score cheap political mileage as the government, along with the rest of the world, is making frantic efforts to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These people are attention seekers with a political agenda. Now is not the time for politics, the pandemic is serious. We cannot risk their families because they have their own motivations. Activists are trying to politicize COVID-19 and try to destabilize the spirit of unity that currently prevails in the country.

“We will only be able to pay attention to such behavior after we have successfully brought the pandemic under control. “

State media also dismissed allegations of a deplorable situation in the isolation center as inaccurate.

He claimed the training center had an uninterrupted supply of electricity and running water for bathing, while bottled water was provided, with the group enjoying three-course meals a day.

In fact, and for the avoidance of doubt, I am one of the returning residents who came via an Ethiopian airline yesterday (Monday).

I don’t want to tire you out with a long read. So I’m going to get right to the point. Yesterday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Nick Mangwana, tweeted that we returnees abroad were asking for hotels. No, this is an outright lie! We did not request hotel accommodation.

I was shocked when I read the tweet that many Zimbabweans believed in, including those claiming to be frontline human rights defenders.

And the Fourth Estate, too, has been deceived. Here is the reverse side of the coin. Like any other Zimbabwean citizen with rights, including access to shelter, water and health, among other basic amenities, we asked to be accommodated in a decent facility.

Decent on basic health as defined by health organizations in the wake of the coronavirus. By basic facilities we meant at least one room with a bed and blankets; toilets with running water and clean bathrooms,

Belvedere, a facility provided by government authorities does not have all of these. And the government image specialists led by Mangwana want all Zimbabweans and the rest of the world to praise the government for a job well done when in fact what they are doing is exposing returning residents. in COVID-19, a pandemic government claims to be trying to stop.

The fact that hundreds of desperate students live in slums like Belvedere without complaint doesn’t make it a habitable place.

The fact that other citizens returning via the Plumtree and Beitbridge ports of entry have agreed to be accommodated in dirty, stinky and cholera infested facilities is also not correct and does not indicate at all that the Zimbabwean government cares about its citizens.

If this treatment of citizens by the Zimbabwean authorities has anything to show, it is that the authorities who have presided over poor infrastructure, including hospitals, do not care at all about protecting their citizens from COVID-19.

While we understand this is an abnormal situation, a time of crisis, no self-righteous Zimbabwean should praise the government for treating its returning citizens like animals.

When we got to Belvedere we thought the authorities had already assessed the place and certified it habitable. While we didn’t expect anything flashy given that this is a temporary emergency quarantine facility, we didn’t expect to be thrown into a place that does not have the necessary health care facilities. basic amenities such as running water.

To make matters worse, the government officials who came to talk to us about our concerns were arrogant. This is the case, for example, when a senior official in the Ministry of Civil Service, Labor and Social Welfare threatened to unleash the police on us, to force us to occupy uninhabitable accommodation.

“If you do not comply, we will ask the police to enforce our orders,” told us the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs who should otherwise better know the government’s obligations regarding the care of vulnerable people, we including.

He added: “You can’t choose where to stay, we’ve chosen for you.”

This was after we asked to be quarantined at home or put in a decent facility. Alternatively, we have asked the government authorities to open one of the hotels so that we pay the living expenses ourselves while the government provides food.

We have also made it clear to government authorities that we are prepared to be quarantined like other returning citizens, but only if the minimum conditions are met.

To those who insulted returning residents, their full-time jobs during this ongoing crisis; Be aware that while we understand the importance of being isolated from the rest of the community now, the conditions that return residents face will spread the spread of COVID-19.

Although most of us come from coronavirus hotspots, we don’t necessarily have the disease, but due to our poor living conditions in quarantine, we are now more at risk of contracting the deadly disease than other citizens, but the government should protect everyone equally.

And while some of you lament, thinking that going home is the dumbest thing to do, remember that some of the returnees are students whose accommodation has been taken away by their universities in countries like the Kingdom. United and the United States.

And also remember that some of the returning residents are people who have just visited for shorter periods and therefore cannot live in these countries indefinitely.

After all, it is better to die in Zimbabwe where your family can bury you within 24 hours than to die elsewhere where your family cannot access your remains.

And by the way, returning residents also have homes where they can self-quarantine and provide basic services that our government fails to meet.

While most of us are ready to be quarantined, we also don’t understand why authorities are imposing 21-day isolation, instead of the 14 days approved by the WHO.

Why should a cash-strapped government seek to accommodate returning citizens for an additional 7 days at its own expense when it can use these resources to meet the needs of more vulnerable communities already bearing the brunt of the extended lockdown, with barely any food?

And while you, the naysayers, support the government for a blatant human rights violation in the name of fighting COVID-19, remember that the government you allow to abuse its returning citizens is not will not stop there.

After COVID 19, this government will continue to violate civil rights because you allowed it to do so during a crisis.

Last but not least, Mangwana, we appreciate your hard work in keeping the nation up to date on COVID-19, especially using real-time platforms such as Twitter.

But I just have one request: please stop releasing any information of public interest. It does not help your government and the citizens who should be making informed decisions during this unprecedented time.

And gullible Zimbabweans, please always take what government officials say with a pinch of salt. 99.9% of what they say is false or half true.

The worst you can get from government authorities is a single story. Find the other story before you decide on matters of public interest.

Quick updates:

There is still no running water in Belvedere.

Contrary to reports, the police did not guard Belvedere so that the returnees did not revolt or at worst escape. Three police officers came, spoke to returnees and then left after a friendly discussion.

No matter what the authorities say, we will not stay where we risk catching more viral illnesses in addition to the coronavirus.

We will fight for our rights until we are relocated to an establishment that meets the basic conditions: running water, single room, functional sanitary facilities, bedding and food.

Finally, let’s just say my name is Case # 0

health time

By Costa Nkomo

The GOVERNMENT has given in to requests for special accommodation from Zimbabwean doctors during the current period of their potentially dangerous experiences with Covid-19 patients.

This was revealed Thursday by Vice President Kembo Mohadi during a meeting with delegates from the Insurance and Pensions Commission in Harare.

Zimbabwean doctors who are training frontline soldiers against the current battle against the coronavirus have requested special accommodation away from home for fear of infecting loved ones with the dreaded disease.

Recently, a nurse at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo was infected with Covid-19 after unwittingly attending a coronavirus patient without any protective clothing.

The patient has since died.

The experience fueled requests for separate accommodation by medical staff through their representative, the Association of Senior Hospital Physicians of Zimbabwe (ZSHDA).

Mohadi revealed that hoteliers have agreed to house doctors during the fight against the pandemic.

“We had the Senior Hospital Doctors Association in that same room,” said the vice president.

“They told us they were very concerned about going home after treating patients. They would like to be isolated.

“They would like to be somewhere like a hotel where they don’t meet their families because they don’t want to pass the deadly disease on to their loved ones and we thought that was a positive thought.

“That done, we called the hoteliers and they came to that same room and told the situation that our frontline fighters would not want to go back to their families for fear of passing the disease on to their families. So can you give them this accommodation so that they can be isolated, and they have accepted that in principle. I’m sure they finalized it yesterday.

“So everyone is on board. We are in the same boat. We left no one behind. “

Old Mutual, a leading life insurer, has also partnered with government, among other stakeholders, by offering doctors life insurance for six months a package that can also motivate doctors during the fight against Covid- 19.

Lillian Mbayiwa, Head of Marketing and Innovation at Old Mutual Group, also attended the meeting with the ministerial working group chaired by Mohadi.

Mbayiwa said, “First and foremost, our wish and desire is to make sure that they are protected (the doctors) and that any deaths should be avoided.

“We put them under life insurance. Life coverage will cover all medical personnel fighting on the front lines against Covid-19 and coverage will be free for all health workers for six months. “

The government’s decision may also have been influenced by a High Court order on Tuesday directing the government to provide healthcare workers with protective gear and deploy mass tests against the deadly coronavirus.

An association of human rights doctors brought the case to force the government to strengthen the protection of public hospitals and health workers.