Advice

Savvy travellers know the value of using the bank holidays to their advantage to spend as much time as possible relaxing under a palm tree drinking cocktails out of coconuts. This year offers even more chances to maximise your annual leave, with an extra bank holiday to honour the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on June 3. 

Take a walk down through the Hotel Liro in Albania on a sunny morning – passing the breakfast terrace, then stepping onto the staircase, which clings doggedly to the sheer cliff-face, all the way to the sea – and you will find yourself marvelling, again, at the glory of the view. It won’t just be

Last month I arrived in Cairo late at night expecting a driver to meet me. Nobody was there. Time to make a call. I’d made the arrangement through my guide using WhatsApp messaging so that seemed the easiest way to get answers. I flicked mobile roaming back on and sorted the problem out. The cost

March is a tricky month for heat-seekers. Most of Europe is a touch too chilly for a proper beach break, with the exception of the Canary Islands, but there are plenty of fine options if you’re willing to go medium- or long-haul. Below are 10 sultry shortcuts to the sun just before Easter, but there

Storm Eunice is causing travel chaos in the UK, with London City Airport halting flights until this afternoon and airports facing major delays and cancellations across the country. British Airways has cancelled “a number of flights” due to severe weather and said that the number of aircraft permitted to land at Heathrow Airport “is being

Half term is finally here for many families across the country and with it the perennial problem of what to do with the children if the weather turns bad. On the positive side, the beach is rarely a realistic option at this time of year anyway – except if a blowy walk is what you’re

In those heady early days of infatuation, romance can be found wherever you go. Love is blind to candle­wick bedspreads, rude waiters and stale cigarette smoke. Indeed, in Paris these are essential ingredients for your first weekend break together. It’s almost ironic that the honeymoon should be your ultimate romantic blow-out, at a stage when you

The excellent news that Australia is re-opening to tourists on February 21 immediately brought back a vivid memory of my first trip there, many years ago. I was hitchhiking around Tasmania and had bumped into two girls from Sydney. We had spent the day exploring the rainforest, then stopped overnight in a small town in

February half term is fast approaching and Britain is bursting with brilliant ideas for family days out. From stately homes with sprawling grounds to immersive museums and nature reserves, and even a couple of theme parks, there’s no shortage of options to fill your calendar with, wherever you are located. Opt for adventure with zip

The chime of seagulls, on the prowl for a dropped chip. A coastal path following the contours of Jurassic cliffs, with white waves crashing beneath. A rickety harbour pub, recovering from last night’s knees up. As islanders, never more than 80 miles from the coast, an appreciation of Britain’s seaside is written in our DNA.

The English have warmed their cockles over a bonfire of restrictions in recent weeks. Testing for vaccinated travellers has been scrapped, masks and Covid passports are toast, life has returned to normal with nary a one-way system or social distancing sticker in sight.  Beyond our shores, the Scandinavians are marching to the same beat, while

March is a tricky month for heat-seekers. Most of Europe is a touch too chilly for a proper beach break, with the exception of the Canary Islands, but there are plenty of fine options if you’re willing to go medium- or long-haul. Below are 10 sultry shortcuts to the sun just before Easter, but there

Mention Bulgaria to seasoned skiers and snowboarders and the first thing that comes to mind is its cheap reputation. With pints of beer for £1.50 and lift pass prices under £200, its bargain basement fame seems justified – this year the resorts of Borovets and Bansko both, once again, topped the chart of the cheapest

It is the Valentine’s Day news that many of us have been waiting for. And it has nothing to do with love-hearts, chocolates or vastly overpriced flowers. Spain has announced that, on February 14, it will simplify the entry requirements for teenage tourists.  Where previously, children over 12 needed to be fully vaccinated in order

Fully vaccinated holidaymakers will not be required to take any Covid-19 tests for return to the UK from February 11, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed. The Day 2 test for immunised arrivals will be dropped. The only remaining restriction for fully vaccinated arrivals to the UK will be completing a passenger locator form. The

A number of countries have closed the door on unvaccinated Britons (a cohort in excess of 10 million people, according to some estimates), with Spain among the most recent to announce that only double-jabbed Britons would be welcomed. Previously, a negative test was sufficient.  However, with omicron proving to be a far milder version of

Half term is finally here for many families across the country and with it the perennial problem of what to do with the children if the weather turns rainy – which is looking more and more likely. On the positive side, the beach is rarely a realistic option at this time of year anyway –

The news that France is to drop the requirement for fully-vaccinated travellers to show evidence of a negative test on arrival is an excellent breakthrough for huge numbers of travellers. Combined with the ending of Day 2 tests for travellers coming back to the UK from this Friday, it means that most of us will,

The NHS app or a letter from the NHS are the two ways in which Britons can show proof of vaccination for travel abroad. Travellers who have received the booster dose can now use the app to demonstrate this. Those who have previously tested positive for Covid on an NHS test can also access their proof of recovery via

You’ll have heard of the traditional gap year, the much-mocked “gap yah”, and all the associated talk of “finding yourself” in the countries you visit along the way. Perhaps you even took a gap year yourself, back in the day, intent on exploring the world before heading off to university, or diving into the workplace.