A round-up of the rest of this week's travel news
Best job in the world?
Here’s a job you want to apply for: all you need is a great blog. If Tourism Queensland picks you from more than 10,000 other serious applicants, you will get a luxury oceanfront villa on Hamilton Island for six months from July 1st, with a salary of 150,000 Australian dollars (about €75,000). Highlights of the role will include exploring some of the 900 islands and cays of the Great Barrier Reef, along the 2,300km of Queensland’s coastline. The only requirement is to report back on your adventures to Tourism Queensland HQ in Brisbane (and the rest of the world) via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates. The competition website, www.islandreefjob.com, has had more than 2.3 million visitors.
1980s prices
Irish Ferries says its service to France is now cheaper than it was 20 years ago. In 1989 the fare for a car and four passengers, with berths, was £290 (€368) one way. It is now €274, or £216 in old money, with a cabin. The company says passengers also have the bonus of sailing on a more luxurious ship than they would have 20 years ago.
500
The markup, in per cent, that Ryanair says is being added to some of its flights by third-party websites. It says it wants courts to protect consumers against hidden fare increases and handling charges.