Holidays

Excellent riding is on offer together with an insight into rural Spain during Equine Adventures’ 8-day Spanish trail ride through one of the most picturesque regions of the Iberian Peninsula. Explore the spectacular Sierra de Gredos - a land of magnificent views, crystal-clear rivers, ancient forest and highland pastures, following ancient cattle tracks and Roman roads.

Book 7-nights at the Blue Waters Inn in Tobago and receive a special 20% discount on accommodation and diving from dive specialist Dive Worldwide – daily departures available from London between 1st June and 31st October 2008. Aside from Dive Worldwide’s great discounted deal, Tobago offers lots of great draws for divers, from Manta Rays, Great Hammerheads and myriad reef fish including Barracudas, to the island’s phenomenal brain coral.

After 239 years of a monarchy that had increasingly become a symbol of oppression, Nepal has just recently celebrated its first day as a new republic. Newly-appointed Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, said “The nation’s dream has come true”. Peregrine Adventures continues to follow its dream in the world’s greatest mountain range – the Himalaya, refining its programme and including more new and exciting adventures.

The Great Wall is a highlight of any visit to China. Stretching over 4,000 miles, from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, the Great Wall of China was built mainly to protect the Chinese Empire from the Mongolians and other invaders from the 6th century BC. Successive dynasties have all had a hand in repairing, re-building and preserving the wall, and Chairman Mao once claimed that ‘he who has not climbed the Great Wall of China is not a true man’.

With summer well and truly underway many of us are thinking about how to make the most of the warm weather, who knows how long it will last! For some of us it’s an opportunity to catch some rays, for others it’s a time to get out and be active in the great outdoors. For those active types, grab your water bottle and energy bars - 14-22 June is National Bike week, the UK’s biggest annual promotion of cycling and all things bike-related.

Luxury tour operator Ampersand Travel has announced the expansion of its portfolio into South East Asia and a new helicopter tour in the Himalayas. After five years of specialising in luxury travel on the Indian Subcontinent, Ampersand adds Thailand and Indo-China to its portfolio in late June.

British holidaymakers want to combine city and beach in their summer holidays. City breaks in Barcelona and holidays in Nice are becoming a very popular choice for summer 2008 holidays, reports leading online travel agency Holidays-Direct.co.uk.

As the UK population becomes more dispersed and people have family peppered throughout the country and even across the globe, holidays have become a key time for getting the family together. A recent survey conducted by the UK’s number 1 holiday home rental website, Holiday-Rentals.co.uk revealed that nearly 80% of British families have been on holiday with extended family.

Single parents might like to have some fun in the sun with their children on the island of Majorca this year, staying at the Marina Skorpios & Corfu complex above the bay of Cala Egos. Inclusive packages to the resort are being offered by Small Families, the UK’s leading operator for single parent holidays during July, August and October.

World Walks Ltd, a walking holidays specialist, is responding to current worries about the economy by offering budget versions of its holidays to some destinations. First on the list is Umbria in Italy.

If you have ever tried out a new activity on holiday only to discover on day one that “this is not quite for me”, then you might like to try the “tapas” approach to activity holidays that Andalucia-specialist, All Ways Spain, is launching. You can choose from a range of activities, either cultural or active, which allow you to sample a little of everything – the essence of choice inherent in tapas dishes.

In response to the fall in the pound’s value against the euro and consequent increase in the cost of land-based Eurozone holidays, editors from Cruise Critic (cruisecritic.co.uk), the world’s leading online resource for cruise news and reviews are advising British holidaymakers to book a cruise to beat the exchange rate blues.

Heading to the airport and need to pre-book your car parking? Booking a weekend break away and need to drive to the airport but don’t want to queue up to pay on your return? Short break operator Superbreak is for the first time offering airport parking for anyone flying out of nine of the UK’s major airports. With savings of up to 60% on standard ‘drive in’ on the day prices there has never been a better reason to pre-book.

The dismal Bank Holiday weather and downpour which greeted commuters last Bank Holiday as they travelled back to work has lead to a huge surge in holiday bookings as Britons make a bid to escape the downpour for sunnier climes.

When the first ever transatlantic flights to New York from Leeds Bradford were launched this month, it was expected to be popular among Christmas shoppers; now, figures released from Jet2holidays.com show that it is the most popular ever route among female travellers – more than two-thirds of breaks have been snapped up by women.

The world’s longest established travel company, Cox & Kings, has announced record figures for Mali this year. In the past, Mali’s annual Desert Festival in Essakane has been a huge tourist draw, showcasing local Tuareg music as part of a wider eclectic mix from around the world.

High bills, the low pound and environmental concerns are all contributing towards a rise in popularity of Britain’s caravan parks – with Haven Holidays reporting increases of around 30% over the last three weeks for breaks in June and July.

Fentafriddle’s two luxurious holiday cottages have joined only a handful of properties in Cornwall to be included in the exclusive self-catering accommodation guide ‘Smith & Friends’. The new collection, compiled by the top-end hotel guides Mr & Mrs Smith, features luxury self-catering properties with boutique hotel style.

20 June, 2008 marks the start of the world-renowned Verona Opera Festival. The festival, which is in its 86th year, is held in the magnificent setting of the Arena di Verona until 31 August 2008. The programme comprises five operas, with a total of 49 performances, involving all the artistic groups of the Arena di Verona: the Orchestra, Chorus and Corps de Ballet.

Sail with the number one cruise line in the Med this summer and you’ll be carried away with the choice. Costa Cruises offers more ships, more itineraries and more ports of call in the Mediterranean than any other cruise line. This is why Costa Cruises has to be the number one choice for sailings in the sun kissed region this summer.

easyCruise Life has set sail on its maiden cruise from Piraeus, Athens (Saturday 17th May). The ship is visiting five different Greek islands and Turkey’s number one resort, Bodrum, with an itinerary that will run until 11th October 2008.

The new colour supplement from West Country specialists, Helpful Holidays, features sixty-three self-catering properties increasing their existing portfolio to nearly 650 holiday homes. Most are in stunning coastal locations including an ultra-modern riverside house for fifteen guests in the south Devon sailing centre of Noss Mayo, and a new selection of over forty stylish places to stay around Falmouth and St Mawes on the south Cornwall coast.

This week, ten young disabled people featured in the BBC’s documentary Beyond Boundaries - Across the Andes, attempt to cross Ecuador and the treacherous Andes, including climbing Cotopaxi, one of the world’s highest active volcanoes. With the help and guidance of expedition leader, ex-SAS man Ken Hames, and a healthy dose of teamwork, the group take on the journey-of-a-life-time.

Walks Worldwide encounters a different side of Greece during an 8-day self-guided walking exploration of the Mani peninsula in the Greek Peloponnese, following cobbled mule tracks amongst fabulous flora and fauna, from secluded sandy coves to the mighty Taygetos Mountains. Daily departures from Kalamata are available throughout May, June, September and October 2008.

From the abundant wildlife of Tanzania’s lesser known Selous Game Reserve, Ruaha NP, and idyllic beaches of Mafia Island, to the unique village life of rural Papua New Guinea, Undiscovered Destinations’ new tours search out remarkable though little-visited regions in two new destinations, with tours depart London throughout 2008.

Trips Worldwide’s brand new 15-day Belize and Guatemala itinerary is designed for those of an adventurous spirit and an Indiana Jones’ persuasion, offering steamy virgin rainforest with its hidden cache of ancient Mayan ruins, refreshing highland waterfalls plunging into sparkling pools, a little underground exploration in the Cave of the Crystal Maiden, followed by a few days of extremely unadventurous luxury on a palm-fringed beach. Pack your hat, your whip and get cracking! Departures from London are available daily.

August is one of the best months in the year to visit Hungary, many butterflies and dragonflies are on the wing, and the already phenomenal birdlife is joined by wildfowl, waders and raptors from the north and east as they move southwards on migration.

Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is released worldwide this week. Although Spielberg only shot the film in the United States, a second unit filmed certain scenes elsewhere, including Brazil's Iguaçu Falls –later digitally combined with a fight scene shot at Universal studios.

As rising prices take their toll on household budgets, camping holidays are gaining in popularity. Often described as ‘stone tents’, Lakeland Camping Barns are a watertight alternative to sleeping under canvas and don’t need to be transported from one overnight site to the next.