Holidays | City Breaks, Camping, Golf, Adventure Holidays

The luck o' the Irish is now on every traveller's side, thanks to a new website catering exclusively to affordable, customized trips to Ireland. Launched just this week, IrishGetaways.com is debuting as the definitive online resource for planning and booking trips to the Emerald Isle. People who've dreamed of visiting or who wish to return to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are discovering great luck through this one-stop webshop, dedicated to attention-grabbing prices for Ireland-only travel.

Top 20 Travel Agent*, directline-holidays.co.uk has added video content to its website in the form of hotel guides. Visitors to directline-holidays.co.uk will be able to view videos of its 1,000 most popular hotels after completing a holiday search. Another 1,000 are being filmed in summer 2008.

For those who still haven’t decided where to go this summer, Stena Line is giving customers even more reason to set sail across the Irish Sea and enjoy a holiday in Ireland with a fantastic summer motorist fare from only £90* single for car plus two adults and kids go free.

Parents hoping to treat their kids to a family holiday will be hit by inflated holiday premiums according to the latest study from Abbey Credit Cards.

Go wild – literally – and make tracks across Australia in the ultimate camping vehicle. Britz, Australia’s largest campervan rental company has unveiled the new frontier in self-drive camping holidays- the Britz Safari 4WD. There’s never been a better way to get close to nature and go camping while kicking back with some of the creature comforts of home. The rugged V8 Landcruiser 4WD Workmate Wagon enables you to explore the open road, pull up a site and pitch a tent - whilst including everything you’ll ever need for your camping holiday.

Interhome, Europe's fastest-growing holiday homes group is expanding throughout the United States. It has concluded a co-operation agreement with ResortQuest, the leading US company specialising in holiday property rentals. The deal will create the largest holiday rental management network in the world.

The famous Tour De France pedals off in July, and there’s perhaps no better time to visit France – taking in the electric atmosphere of the race and its beautiful backdrop.

Reef and Rainforest Tours, the operator specialising in upmarket wildlife viewing holidays, suggests that travellers in search of premier safari experiences should look beyond Africa.

Walking holidays in Ticino in Southern Switzerland – an area known as the ‘Tropics of Switzerland’ with its long sunny days and distinct Mediterranean feel – are being featured by the Switzerland Travel Centre.

Tailor-made natural history specialist Wildlife Worldwide offers savings of up to £500 p/p on 9-day safaris, staying in luxury camps amongst the pristine, game-filled, unchanged wilderness of Kenya’s Amboseli NP, Shaba National Reserve and Masai Mara. The Luxury Kenya Safari departs Heathrow daily now until December 2008.

Trips Worldwide’s latest special offer - a 6-night Thai holiday combining a Bangkok city break with a beachside stay at the glorious Paradee Resort in Koh Samed is bursting with complimentary goodies, including 2 free nights, a yoga lesson, soothing massage and fine dining. Departures from London are available until 31st October 2008.

The air is filled with cries of ‘campeones, campeones’, showers of red and yellow confetti float through the air and wild celebration is the order of the day after Spain’s Euro 2008 victory this week. If footie isn’t your thing but still fancy a bit of Spain’s wild side - join Naturetrek on its 8-day Wild Spain - La Montaña Palentina tour, exploring a spectacular region of high ridges, rounded summits, sweeping valleys and panoramic vistas, in search of the region’s birds, plants, butterflies and mammals, departing London 18th September 2008.

From the recently restored 18th century Le Bourdil Blanc, saddle-up and head out into an ancient land of forest, meadows and valleys, sampling local cuisine and regional wines en route, during Equine Adventures’ exclusive 7-day centre-based riding holiday amongst the spectacular countryside of the Dordogne. The Dordogne Ride next departs Bergerac 27th September and 11th and 25th October 2008.

As thousands of relatively dry Glastonbury revellers return home, some set their sights on the next headliner at Wiltshire’s WOMAD, and for others - Africa, where even the most seasoned festival-goer would be hard pushed not to be impressed at the musical vibrations emanating from Mali’s Sounds of the Sahara.

According to new research released today by Kayak.co.uk, the majority of Brits (95%) admit that taking a holiday at least once a year is even more important to their overall happiness than owning a home (73%), being in a relationship (63%), having a car (47%) or starting a family (42%).

Explore Kruger National Park’s pristine wilderness on foot and by 4WD, see South Africa’s ‘Big Five’ and spend a night in a tree house - or experience a village homestay, cruise around Nha Trang’s offshore islands, snorkel amongst coral in the South China Sea and crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam. Peregrine Adventures offers family holidays guaranteed to keep children and adults enthralled from beginning to end.

Summer is the perfect time for adventure seekers to visit Canada and experience its contrast in wilderness, from alpine to arctic, lakes to forests. With many activities to undertake along the way, explore Canada’s British Columbia region three different ways with TrekAmerica and Footloose.

With news that the Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive will return to South Australia in 2010 due to the expected popularity of the soon-to-be released movie “Australia” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, South Australia (southaustralia.com) is highlighting its impressive collection of Outback station properties.

According to recent research, the UK remains a top destination for both long and short breaks. Despite our unpredictable climate, it seems holidays closer to home are attractive for a number of reasons including the lack of language barrier, the eco-friendly aspect and the fact that it avoids the stress of air travel.

Get in there! What a scorcher! No, stop us before we list every footy cliché – we’ve got more important things to talk about. Do you have budding premiership football players in your family?! Are your children fanatical about Beckham, Rooney, Ronaldo or Owen? Well, Thomson Al Fresco are about to kick-off their exciting Reebok International Soccer School at La Croix Du Vieux Pont, Champagne, Northern France and Yelloh! Village Parc des Alicourts, Loire, Central France.

Butlins, the UK holiday company, has won the “Best Use of Technology in a Hospitality and Leisure Environment” Award at the European Retail Solutions Awards for their Instant Customer Feedback Service. It is a simple texting system that allows guests to communicate easily from their mobile phone to the most relevant resort team. Due to successful trials it was rolled out across the three seaside resorts, Minehead, Bognor Regis and Skegness in 2007.

Explore the European Capital of Culture 2008, Stavanger, on a 3 night break with DFDS Seaways. The city offers exciting events and natural beauty. Sailing overnight from Newcastle enjoy dancing, eating, drinking, shopping and relaxing before spending a day and a night in a 3 star Stavanger hotel (upgrade to a 4 star hotel from just £10).

Butlins has really gone to town on this summer’s entertainment with stars from Britain’s Got Talent, X-Factor, Cartoon Network and Extreme Sports headlining a summer of fun at the three seaside Resorts, Minehead, Bognor Regis and Skegness. Butlins has loads of Child Goes Free places available through August and remember prices include accommodation, all live entertainment and over 50 free activities.

Leading boating holiday specialist the Le Boat group is offering 14 night holidays for the price of 10 nights for all cruising holidays taken in 2008. This special offer is available on boating holidays in France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and England.

Savour the true taste of Tuscany on a harvest-time holiday where visitors can help gather – and sample – the cream of Chianti’s crop of wine and olive oil. The picturesque hill village of Barberino Val d’Elsa is famous as much for its wine and cold-pressed olive oil as it is for its beautifully-preserved medieval centre.

The ‘greatest wildlife show on earth’ is about to begin, as the migration season gets underway in Kenya. From July through to October, over 1.5 million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle start their pilgrimage in search of food and water – closely tracked by Africa’s great predators, including lions, cheetahs and leopards. Specialist tour operator, Africa Sky, has some exceptional safari packages during 2008 offering couples and families alike first-hand experience of the very best that Kenya’s wildlife has to offer.

Thinking up ways to keep children entertained while travelling to a holiday destination can be hard for parents…there are only so many games of ‘I Spy’ that can be played on one journey! However, families travelling with Irish Ferries’ on either the Ulysses or Dublin Swift - the two ships on the Holyhead/Dublin route – will benefit from extra ‘crew’ in the form of children’s entertainers who will keep the youngsters amused with balloon modelling, face painting and general clowning around.

Make the most of your time this summer and enjoy a mini cruise break to Denmark with DFDS Seaways this summer from only £79pp. Sail to Esbjerg from Harwich on a DFDS Seaways cruise ferry and explore the coastal town of Esbjerg – travel on selected dates in July and August and save over 30%. Experience 2 nights onboard the Dana Sirena – with great restaurants, comfy ensuite cabins, and even a watch on demand film collection you can enjoy from your own cabin.

As well as starring two of the hottest names in Hollywood Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller, The Edge of Love has turned the spotlight on some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales. Dylan Thomas, probably Wales’s best-known poet, is said to have based his famous play Under Milk Wood on the stunning harbour of New Quay in Cardigan Bay. And that is where many of the scenes in the just-released film were shot.