In recent years, villa holidays have increased in popularity and villas can now be rented in many more parts of the world. As well as traditional destinations such as Spain, France and Italy, holiday villas can be found in Morocco, Croatia and other less well-known countries. Many companies advertise on the internet and you can find more information on villa rentals here or from your High Street travel agent.

Dalmatia

Dalmatia, on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, is one of the few remaining totally unspoilt areas of the Mediterranean. Here you can enjoy beautiful beaches and islands to explore, dramatic mountains and absorbing cultural experiences. A villa holiday in Dalmatia gives you the opportunity to discover the real Croatia. The local markets supply all the fresh produce you need and there is a wide choice of restaurants, bistros and small taverns where you will find local speciality fish or meat dishes and local red and white wines.

Meganissi

Villas can be rented on many of the Greek islands, but visitors to Meganissi will find a peaceful, traditional destination where they can relax and enjoy the lovely beaches or walk on the many footpaths through the beautiful scenery. The rich history of the island is evident all around and you can see old churches, wells and ruined windmills. The island’s cuisine can be sampled in the local tavernas.

Marrakech

The exotic city of Marrakech makes for a very different destination where you can rent a villa. The culture of Morocco is very interesting and you will find souks and bazaars where you can haggle for a wide range of produce. The architecture is stunning and there is plenty to see in and around the old city.

Hurghada

In Hurghada on the Red Sea Riviera you can enjoy wonderful snorkelling and diving to see the rich sea life, try a variety of water sports or simply relax on the beach. This is a lively resort with a wealth of shopping opportunities and energetic nightlife. The old town is quieter and gives visitors a taste of traditional Egyptian life.

Madeira

This beautiful island is famous for its gardens and flowers. Holidaymakers are attracted by Madeira’s subtropical climate and stunning scenery, but there are lots of activities and water sports to enjoy as well. Whale and dolphin watching are also popular pastimes and visitors to the island will have a huge selection of restaurants to try as well as excellent shopping facilities.

Wherever you decide to go for your villa holiday, you will enjoy the benefits of your own private accommodation and a more relaxed, independent experience.

Malaga is an ever-popular destination thanks to the numerous cheap flights that fly there throughout the year, but also because it has a rich culture and can boast to be the birthplace of the artist Picasso. With plenty of sightseeing opportunities, restaurants and the added advantage of a beach, this city really does have it all.

If you’re planning a quick break away then Malaga could be the destination for you. We’ll give you a break-down of our top four things to do in this fantastic city.

Museo Picasso Málaga

No trip to Malaga could be complete without a trip to the Museo Picasso Málaga, which celebrates the life of Malaga’s greatest son, Pablo Ruiz Picasso. It may be one of the world’s many Picasso museums, but this one can boast 285 works donated by members of the legendary artist’s family.

Dolphin Watching in Gibraltar

A great benefit of Malaga is its proximity to neighbouring Gibraltar. Making for a fascinating day trip it’s just a two hour air-conditioned coach journey across the border, where you can climb the famous Rock of Gibraltar to marvel at the views of Spanish and Moroccan coastlines. There are several dolphin-watching cruises to add a touch of magic to your trip. Home to three different species of dolphin, the cruises often deliver sightings of the beautiful creatures.

On Your Bike

See parts of Malaga that traditional tours simply can’t reach on a thrilling guided biking tour! You can cycle through narrow Arabic streets and the historic Jewish quarter, around beautiful Spanish churches, ancient Roman ruins, hidden plazas and parks, the port, the bull ring, and along the beachfront – to name but a few, of course.
Your guide can explain the history and culture of Malaga and its people. When you take a break at the beach bar don’t miss a chance to try Malaga dulce, the famous local sweet wine.

Dine at La Moraga

This new chain opened by the Michelin star awarded chef Dani Garcia simply must be experience. It can be found near the airport, so it’s easy to locate. Promising creative cuisine with deep local roots, the cherry gazpacho is great, as is the ox tail hamburger, but you’re sure to find your own personal favourite.
To do all of these great things and more in Malaga, simply head to Jet2.com to snap up cheap flights to Malaga for less than you might think!

Top tips on where to eat, great market stalls and last-minute snacks in the city’s capital…

London has a reputation for being a city with a big appetite. It may not be as precociously ravenous as New York, but then the UK capital isn’t nicknamed after a foodstuff. Instead, Londoners like themselves good food and a lot of it; in variety and diversity…but also sometimes we like something a little bit dirty. Easy. And not too posh.

It’s at Christmas time that all these hungers come to a head: the traditional season of feasting yourself silly, big cities are well-known for doing the festive dining thing with over-enthusiasm.

Whether you’re up in the capital for a city break and need a reason to leave your hotel breakfast or cosy bed, or you’re a resident and need a bit of inspiration, here are some thoughts and tips on eating well in the coldest of seasons.

Big dinner blow-outs for meat eaters

Where to go? Meat is a big deal in London dining circles at the moment. For the ultimate roast – beef, that is – then you’ll want to check out Hawksmoor. It’s pretty fancy schmancy but the runaway success of the restaurant now means that you have four London branches to choose from. The central one in Seven Dials Covent Garden is ideal for a big boozy Sunday lunch and good cocktails too.

For the ultimate in indulgent snacking, however, check out Meat Liquor.  There’s no reservations and this Welbeck Street newbie is fast becoming a hipster favourite with evening queues, but hop in at 1am on a Friday or Saturday and you can gorge on the most ridiculously massive – and very good – burger you may ever eat. For a burger prices are pretty high – but I’ve been reliable informed that it’s worth it….

Quick refueling

If you want a delicious falafel and you’re in the east, wander up Hoxton Street – you might be lucky enough to find the falafel man with his wandering trailer. For £4 you get a righteously massive wrap – but if that doesn’t sate your hunger you can go one size bigger for an extra pound.

Other great stalls and street vendors around the city include the Wahaca pop-up outside the Southbank Centre, where you’ll get a huge burrito for £6, or some of the excellent stalls on Whitecross Market near the Barbican. It’s very busy at lunchtime, but a bit less of a crush than Borough Market.

Cheap and cheerful

Indian Veg on Chapel Market N1 remains my ultimate place for never ending, healthy and yummy food: a choice of three vegan curries, rice, salads, onion bhajees and lots of little extras, for about £4 all you can eat. Mien Tay on Kingsland Road is a standout Vietnamese spot for your cheap and cheerful needs – plus it’s BYOB.

Festive as hell

An obvious choice is the Real Food Christmas Market, back on the Southbank for another bumper year. Get inspired by everything from great little liqueurs and drinks to huge cuts of meat and cheese for the end of the Christmas feast. Or, for a proper posh mince pie, head to Villandry on Great Portland Street for some very soft buttery pastry and mini sizes.

And if you’re looking for a hotel in London during the festive period, consider a stay at the Crowne Plaza London-Kensington hotel.

While most of us would love to be able to take our pets on holiday with us, it’s not always possible. It can cost a lot of money to transport a dog or cat, and the strain of a long journey might not be something you want to put them through. Kennels are the most popular alternative, but they come with their own costs and your own worries about whether they are being looked after while you’re gone! If you’re in two minds, here are the main things to consider:

Benefits

• Leaving your pets behind is far more convenient, especially if you’re heading off on an adventure holiday, where you’ll have to find somebody to take care of your pet every time you want to go off and do something. There’s a lot of paperwork and vaccinations involved, too, which can take up valuable time and money, as well as adding extra stress to your holiday.
• Opting for a kennel instead of a sitter will ensure that your pet receives professional attention for the duration of your holiday. Boarding kennels often have busy schedules laid out for dogs, ensuring they get plenty of exercise and a healthy diet that can be altered to suit your pet’s needs if necessary. Staff will also be trained to ensure animals take any medicines, giving you the peace of mind that it won’t be forgotten.
• A kennel offers all-day socialisation for your pet, making it the ideal option for those who like to interact with others. Do be aware though that if your pet is not very good at playing, they may be kept isolated.
• Another alternative option, if you don’t want to leave them in a kennel, is to hire a pet-sitter, who will let your pet live in their house until you return. This is ideal for very old or very young pets or those that are particularly nervous – but it will cost more!

Disadvantages

• Leaving your pet in care can be expensive, particularly if they need specialist treatment. If you have a pet insurance policy that covers you for travel, it could work out cheaper to take your pet with you, as at least this way you’ll get this money back if anything should prevent you from taking your holiday.
• An unfamiliar environment can make kennels stressful for many animals, which in turn will affect appetite, activity levels and sometimes even respiration. It’s important to always check over the facility first if you do intend to leave them, but for a lot of pets the experience is entirely too overwhelming.
• You may feel that your pet is too much a part of your family to leave behind, in which case you’ll want to avoid a long separation!

For more on how to arrange a trip abroad with your pet take a look at DEFRA’s advice page where you can find a full guide and steps on where to start.

If you’ve been well and truly bitten by the travel bug, the natural next step is to uproot yourself and try living in a different country – but there are plenty of things you need to do before you can hit the road. We’ve put together a list to get you started and get you thinking about what you need to do.

Selling your home

The biggest and most difficult task to manage is selling your existing home. Once it’s done, it will release valuable equity and ensure that you’re not tied down to that area any more, but ideally you want to sell it while you’re still in the country – which could take a long time in the current housing market. Look into information about selling your home quickly, and think about how you can quickly increase the value before you do so.

Moving your belongings

Really sit down and think about what you have that you need to keep – be as ruthless as possible to lighten the load! While there may be certain pieces of furniture you want to take with you, bear in mind that the cheapest way to ship items is by sea, which can take up to 8-12 weeks. Calculate the cost of shipping versus the cost of replacing items when you get to your new home, as you may find that some items simply aren’t worth keeping.

Finances

Do make sure that the cost of living is realistic in the country that you’re moving to, and ensure that you can find work in your chosen field – or, if you’re working for yourself, make sure there is a demand for your services. Always fill out all the relevant government forms when you leave the country, especially your tax forms, as this could gain you a valuable income tax refund. Leave copies of these documents with friends or family in the UK, just in case the originals get lost in transit.

It may nestle midway down the country, but the city of Nottingham is anything but middle of the road. Steeped in history, Nottingham is a bustling city with an impressive nightlife and plenty to offer in the way of cultural and educational escapades.

Whether you’re looking to spend a romantic weekend with your other half or want to introduce the kids to some homegrown history, Nottingham is a top place to visit. There are some great quality hotels in Nottingham to use as a base and plenty of attractions and entertainment within easy travelling distance of each other.

Your itinerary is likely to vary depending on your purpose of visit but a stop off at Nottingham Castle should be on everyone’s list. In additional to the beauty of the clifftop building, which stands on the site of the original wooden Norman castle, guests can enjoy the regional national and international art collections that are now homed within. Over 15 centuries of Nottingham history are displayed through a combination of interactive displays and art – making the castle a great place to get to grips with the city that came to great prominence in the industrial revolution.

Of course, Nottingham Castle is perhaps most famed as the seat of Robin Hood’s arch-enemy and if you do want to follow the Robin Hood trail, you’ll need to schedule both a stroll in Sherwood Forest and a visit to the Galleries of Justice. The Galleries are built around the courthouse and gaol that acted as the base of the Sheriff of Nottingham for centuries and offer superb insight into the history of crime and punishment in the UK. For those wanting to pack as much history into their visit as possible, it’s worth knowing that visitors to the Galleries can purchase tickets for the underground caves of Nottingham.

For those who are all history’d out, or for whom history is a welcome bonus while taking in Nottingham’s bright lights, the city boasts plenty of great places to eat, drink and be merry. The Nottingham Arena plays host to some of the biggest international touring artists and nightclub Rock City is consistently named one of the UK’s best alternative venues. If you are a bit of a foodie – Nottingham won’t disappoint. A diverse range of cultures are represented through culinary excellence in the city, which has its own Michelin-starred eatery in the form of Restaurant Sat Bains.

Finally, if you judge a city by the retail therapy on offer, you’ll want to check out the shops. You’ll find the usual high street chains situated in the Broadmarsh and Victoria centres but there’s plenty more to investigate including boutiques and vintage wares on Flying Horse Walk and in the Exchange Arcades.

Having island hopped for over a decade, I consider myself a well-rounded cruiser, so I was embarrassed when a friend asked my opinion on the P&O Cruise Line. How had I managed to never board one of the ships in their luxury armada? P&O Cruises is the oldest cruise operation in world, having transported its first passengers in the 19th century. Originally known as the Peninsular and Orient Steam Navigation Company, P&O cruises has been operating for over 175 years. There was no way I could consider myself any type of cruise specialist if I had never gazed at the stars from a P&O deck. It is the jewel of the British cruise market, after all.

P&O Virgin Cruises operates out of Southampton, England, and my friend was alarmed that I hadn’t at least taken a weekend jaunt over to Bruges.

“I love Bruges,” he said. “They call it the Venice of the north. They have great beer in Belgium. The monks created it. It’s potent stuff. The glasses they pour it in are a bit silly. You know what’s even better than the beer?”

“Let me guess, I said. “Belgium chips?”

Bruges or no Bruges, I decided to plan a surprise holiday for my wife on the P&O Cruise Line. There are seven ships in the P&O fleet. These ships are divided into a host of subcategories. The idea is to attempt to cater to all types of clientele, and to provide them with the exact type of ship they are looking for. Let me break it down. The Aurora, Oriana and Artemis celebrate a more traditional cruise experience. The Azura, Ventura and Arcadia cater to a younger crowd. The amenities on these ships are more contemporary. Some P&O ships are child free, while others welcome families and children of all ages. This is an excellent model for a cruise holiday. Families will not have an excuse to blame partying twenty-somethings for their bad holiday experience, and twenty-somethings will not have to listen to screaming kids all day.

My wife and I opted for the Azura. Why did we choose that liner? It has four pools, an outdoor cinema, hi-tech gym, dance floors, twelve bars and eleven different places to indulge in some top-of-the-line cuisine. I spent the day sunning myself on the deck like some type of tropical snake, and in the late afternoon I went for a swim in a different pool each day. One of the pools even has a sliding glass roof in case it rains. British weather can be fickle. We left Southampton for a 10-day jaunt through the Mediterranean. Maybe next year we will pop over to Bruges for a quick Chimay.

Excited about taking a cruise? Book cheap cruises from Southampton with Virgin and see what it can save you.

You might say that it used to be hit or miss when you were traveling as to whether you would find the things you needed at the place you were staying. If you were looking at Paris apartments you may or may not have been provided with washing facilities. Or if you were interested in an apartment in London it could have been iffy as to whether the ones you were considering had internet, much less fully functioning and fast internet.

I know that both of those things have been rather important in my travels, one as a luxury I suppose, but the other as a necessity. Sometimes, I would have to just cross my fingers and toes and then hope for the best, and on more than one occasion it did not help. Now, I am talking about it in a rather lighthearted manner, but it was in fact important.

For, not having what I required proved to be more than simply inconvenient, and eventually led me to have to move on to another place. Frankly, I do not like to disappoint people, and equally I do not like to be disappointed, especially when my livelihood is at stake. Yet, that is just how things were.

Which brings me to today’s topic of facility and appliance clarification made with the click of a few keys. You can now do internet searches on short term accommodations that will confirm whether or not the proposed apartment has those extras that you need and want.

Thankfully, some of the people behind the accommodation websites have taken things up a notch. Their efforts have made me a more confident traveler. As they have taken steps to make it so you can isolate the facilities that have a lift, internet, washer and/or dryer and other appliances.

Just learned that at least a few lucky holiday travelers will be able to show up to their destinations with their gifts wrapped. As you probably know, it is strongly recommended that you not bother to wrap any gifts that you are flying with in your carryon bag. There seems to be a pretty strong likelihood, depending on the country of your departure, that wrapped gifts will become unwrapped gifts by the security workers as you go through their area.

But, for those flying on Virgin Atlantic from JFK International in New York, things are looking up. Virgin Atlantic has set up a station of “elves” at Terminal 4 following the security checkpoint. They will charge two dollars per package to be wrapped, and all of that will go directly to the Virgin Unite charity. This service is scheduled to be available from December 21 thru December 23, 2011 and sounds just brilliant. If only other airlines would follow their lead….these are the kinds of things that really make a difference in the holiday traveler’s experience. Hope this spurs others to do the same and that Virgin Atlantic extends it to other airports too, fingers crossed!

For some, the time they get off from work for a holiday is determined by factors beyond their control. Plenty of us have kids, and as such we have to work around their school schedules. Others are low men on the totem pole at work, and are required to go when nobody else has a break scheduled. Still, there are times when nothing stands in the way of preselecting the actual dates for a vacation. While the first thought is that we are lucky to be able to choose, but there is a lot more to be thankful for in this situation. Being able to travel out of high season can prove to be super beneficial, both financially and for stress levels particularly for those who come prepared and are willing to do some ‘digging’ before they set off.

So, if you are fortunate enough to be able to cherry pick the dates for your time off, then do some research on the area you plan to go to. It is easy enough to find out the factors that concern you most for example, look to see when the area is busiest, and if it has any poor weather seasons that you will want to avoid as you won’t be able to wear your ladies swimwear (or boys bermudas) in these areas, then you will have even more reason to gloat.