Well who’d have thunk it: With all this talk of recession you’d have thought the holiday companies would be packing their own bags, but my old friends at Thomas Cook say business is strong, and forecasted sales through to summer 09 are up on the year before. Same goes for German rival TUI (First Choice and Thomson) where sales are up 8% in the UK. See we all like a holiday, and in hard times, the new carpet, fancy jacket and foie gras are the things we cut back on first. The trend seems to be that we’re cutting back on the euro-strong weekend break to Paris or Barcelona (surely not Amsterdam) but are keeping the big two-week holiday further a-field intact – especially as the weather here can’t be relied on. So its golf course Friday for the management, or as Jonathan Jackson, an analyst at Killik Capital, puts it: “Capacity reduction and fuel hedging, combined with the merger synergy benefits provide some reassurance that the group will be able to cope with a downturn.” That’s it JJ – as clear and humorous as ever! But wait – my old friend and hairy-egg MP Vince Cable has come forward to pour water on my BBQ by warning that this recession (lack of consumer spending) could last between 3 and 10 years! Vince is a man I trust and we’ll keep you posted. Now worries for a loaded old cove like me though, I’ve booked my first class trip to go and hunt Big Foot. Pull!

Here’s a good way to remind everyone you’re still there: The Co-operative Travel has 400 high street stores and sells over £1bn worth of holidays each year. No, I’ve never heard of them either, but they are a sizeable force in the tourism industry. Worrying for Downing Street then that they have added their name to the list of protesters who firmly oppose plans for a third runway at Heathrow. Boss Mike Greenacre (apt name) pointed out that the “proposals conflict with the UK’s targets to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050.” Co-op sees growth in better use of existing regional airports, feeling that a third runway would gridlock West London. Mike has got huge claps on the back from the Green lobby for putting his neck on the block and saying what many are thinking. Without business support, the Government has no case to push for the expansion of Heathrow. A decision is expected this year…

It transpires that The German Bundesliga isn’t just the nickname of a working girl I met in Hamburg last weekend, but a low German football league. It’s become an interesting barometer of modern times as hordes of our own Premier League fans have got so fed up with paying a large fortune for a season ticket to UK games, they find it cheaper to travel to the land of sausage and pay as little as £6 for a match (as opposed to £102 for Chelsea). Fans report being able to get return flights, a hotel room, and a ticket for as little as £65. The experience has been likened to the glory days of 1970s – you stand on terraces, pass round gaspers and get your pint glass filled up for £1. Similar enthusiasm is shown for the Spanish La Liga. The new season starts in August and if I wasn’t so busy waiting for this rash to clear up, I’d think about setting up an online travel business that sorts out coaches, tickets, hotels and bail money for the disgruntled UK fans…any takers?!

The Football Association (FA) is looking to recruit a campaign team to run England’s bid to host the World Cup. If you think that there are more qualified people than yourself out there, bear in mind this is for the 2018 World Cup! Australia, Russia and the United States are also in the running. FIFA will make its decision in 2011. The recruitment firm Odgers Ray and Berndtson say the ideal candidate will have strong skills in building relationships to persuade members of FIFA to vote for the British bid.  The budget for bidding to host the games will be £15m so we from our Olympic experience we can double that and add ten to find a truer figure.

If you fancy a taste of the highlife how about a career with fair trade travel agent Bespoke Experience? Their boss Amy Carter-James had her conscience given a grilling in this month’s BA magazine when asked about juggling travel with eco-credentials. Asked how she minimises her impact when travelling she bafflingly replied “I’m aware of any cultural sensitivities and respect local traditions. I always learn the local greeting.” What’s the local phrase for “there’s a whole in my ozone layer?!” I’m being harsh on the young man; she does use carbon offsetting and points BA customers at a nifty site for any eco-minded travellers – propoortourism.org.uk (not a typo dear reader, that’s “pro poor.” How kind!)