Holidays

More families than ever are expected to enjoy a traditional bucket-and-spade seaside holiday in the UK this summer, with the ‘credit crunch' hitting family spending hard and parents admitting that they are feeling the pinch.

Just You, the holiday specialist for single travellers, has launched its new Europe & Worldwide brochure for 2009 with some great suggestions for the festive season. It features 140 pages and 21 new ideas to culturally stimulating and scenically beautiful destinations – all designed with the single traveller in mind.

Picking your dream destination in North Cyprus couldn’t be simpler – thanks to a revolutionary new website. Holiday makers can now create their own perfect vacation package by selecting hotels and flights suitable to individual holiday requirements and destination desires at Directtraveller.com.

Located in St Girons, the restored 18th century Pradas Farmhouse allows travellers easy access to the Tour De France route. Nestled among the spectacular Pyrenees Mountains, the property offers prime viewing of the famous bike race from a nearby vantage point. For the cycling enthusiast, Pradas is an ideal base for those wishing to retrace the steep climb section of the famous route at their own leisurely pace (or try and beat the times achieved by Cadel Evans!).

Houses may be falling in value, food prices may be rising, but there’s one thing most of us can’t do without – a holiday! The world’s credit problems may not ease up any time soon but one “essential” that most couples will not give up easily is a holiday. Lean times call for innovative thinking and many engaged couples are being drawn to combining their annual holiday with planning their wedding abroad.

It’s a known fact that more and more British families choose camping for their summer holiday. Camping with fantastic outdoor activities thrown in is even better! With Acorn Family Holidays there is no need to worry about cooking, entertainment, babysitting and all other usual pitfalls of holidaying with kids. Whether home or abroad, these all inclusive holidays give you complete piece of mind. You don’t need to buy any euros or spend an extra penny.

Saga Ruby will be hosting her very own ‘Antiques Seashow’ this autumn giving customers the opportunity to meet well-known experts who have appeared on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, on a 16-night ‘Mediterranean Highlights’ cruise sailing from Southampton on October 17, 2008.

Brits may be feeling the pinch with the credit crunch but this doesn’t mean a holiday is off the cards. Escape the UK’s gloomy weather with a holiday that exploits current exchange rates and some of the best value deals on offer to get the most bang for your holiday buck.

Haven Holidays still have some amazing summer holiday deals available – that include their full summer entertainment package at no extra cost. The Incredible Hulk is appearing live on stage – straight out of Marvel Comics and even more fun than his screen counterpart, the 7’2’’ muscle bound green giant is already proving a huge hit with audiences at Haven parks around the country.

Despite the credit crunch the majority of Brits are not worried about cutting the cost of their holidays according to an independent study by YouGov. The research, commissioned by travel website celticcastles.com, revealed fifty-seven per cent of people identify factors other than cost as their top consideration when booking a holiday, with alternative factors including the weather, tranquillity and proximity to cultural attractions.

This summer, make the most of your free time and enjoy your holiday time with minimal travel stress. Set sail for Europe with DFDS Seaways and your holiday begins the moment you step onboard. Forget those long check-in queues at the airports, baggage restrictions and stressful waiting in departure lounges. Simply pack up the car with everything you need, drive onboard and relax. You can even travel with your tent, campervan or caravan and explore European or Scandinavian campsites and the great outdoors.

On the day that the Darwins were sentenced for their "Back-from-the-dead" fraud, Journey Latin America reports a huge growth in sales to the country of their dreams, Panama. Bookings have more than doubled in the past 12 months, thereby bucking the supposed "credit crunch slowdown" trend towards shorter, cheaper holidays.

The third in the epic adventure movie series The Mummy is scheduled for release on 8th August, the opening day of the Beijing Olympics. In this latest instalment, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the action shifts from Egypt to China, travelling from ancient catacombs in Beijing and Xi’an to the bright lights of Shanghai.

Travel City Direct, the Florida specialist, has announced that it will now be the only airline to fly direct from Cardiff International Airport to Orlando, Sanford Airport Florida in 2009, ensuring that nearly 20,000 Welsh holidaymakers will continue to have easy access to the world’s best theme parks and beach resorts.

Your first travelling experience should be an exciting one but it may also be daunting. Apart from all of the arrangements to be made, there is the task of packing and understanding travelling etiquette, not to mention ensuring personal safety and security. TrekAmerica has devised the list below of its top ten tips for first-time travellers on its group trips.

From the timeless serenity of the desert plains to glittering skyscrapers and busy shopping malls, the United Arab Emirates offers a wonderful and diverse range of attractions.

Specialist adventure operator, ‘Windows on the Wild’, is offering a 7 night action-packed holiday in ‘Wolf Country’, Saskatchewan, Canada. This fascinating tour begins at ‘The Land of the Loon Resort’ on the edge of the spectacular Prince Albert National Park where one stays in a log cabin on the edge of an ice-bound lake.

You may have heard of island hopping, but what could be more perfect than visiting some of Tuscany's magnificent, historic castles as you travel on horseback?

The latest of the BBC’s Tribal Wives to give up her everyday life and spend a month living with one of the world's most remote tribes is Dionne Braham. London teacher, Dionne, headed to Africa to stay with the polygamous Maasai tribe in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Highlands. The Maasai are one of Africa’s largest and most famous tribes, their menfolk having up to 10 wives and women are expected to marry and bear children from the age of 14.

Want to climb a fiery volcano but draw the line at melting your boots? Walk Worldwide’s 16-day tour of Ecuador’s hot and high places includes the physically demanding climbs of four volcanoes - Mt Imbabura (4,630 metres), North Illiniza (5,100 metres), Cotopaxi (5,897 metres) and Chimborazo (6,310 metres).

The BBC’s new wildlife series, Lost Land of the Jaguar starting later this month, brings an international team of scientists, climbers and film-makers to the Guyanese rainforest in search of elusive wildlife including Jaguar and Giant River Otter.

The Pyrenees, the great barrier between France and Spain, rises to over 3,000m and stretches for 450km from the blustery Atlantic to the sun-drenched Mediterranean, offering diverse habitats for an equally diverse flora and fauna. Join Naturetrek on its 8-day French Pyrenees holiday, focusing on birdwatching and botanical walks amongst the spectacular Parc National des Pyrenees on the north-facing French slopes.

Nowhere in South Africa is spring more spectacular than in the Cape provinces as thousands of flowering plants cover the fynbos, national parks are filled by game and Southern Right Whales return to the coast for the mating season. From the beaches of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, to the wheat and winelands and secluded stretches of the Western Cape Mountains, experience South Africa’s pristine and breathtaking scenery on the back of a willing horse.

Safari & Adventure Co. is excited to announce the November 2008 opening of Kalahari Plains Camps, a rustic tented camp situated in a remote part of Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). The camp is beautifully situated on a low sandy ridge fringing a typical Kalahari pan in this productive and diverse protected area.

Leading boating holiday specialist the Le Boat group has increased the number of short-break options that are available, including July and August departures, making it even easier for first timers or those short of time to get out on some of the most beautiful waterways in Europe onboard its luxury self-drive cruisers. No previous boating experience is required as the boats are easy to operate and helpful base staff ensure you are comfortable at the helm before setting off on your holiday. Also, for those new to boating holidays Le Boat provides a DVD with techniques and tips to introduce cruising.

David Cameron is following Gordon Brown’s lead by taking his family on holiday in the UK. It is believed that Conservative leader, David and his wife Samantha are expected to stay at Harlyn Bay in North Cornwall, one of the magnificent sandy beaches of the “Seven Bays” area.

Walking specialist operator, Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, is offering a glorious walk from Le Puy to Conques in France – following in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims. This was one of the ancient paths they walked in their thousands (and in some discomfort!) to their ultimate destination, Santiago de Compostela, in Northern Spain.

New accommodation-search specialist, bookahotelonline.co.uk, has a stunning selection of hotel offers for this summer and the autumn half-term holiday. Family sun-seekers looking to escape to warmer climates and exotic locations can choose from the following:

Specialist tour operator, Tropical Sky has teamed-up with bmi and is offering some excellent holidays to the Caribbean this autumn. With non-stop flights from Manchester to Antigua and Barbados, those seeking affordable late summer sunshine will not be disappointed.