Paradise — and where you can find it!

Much of our vocabulary in daily use has become increasingly diminished because of the overuse of certain words or adjectives. Common sense would suggest that everything simply can't be 'great' or 'brilliant' or 'unique. A prefect example of this phenomenon is the overuse of the word 'paradise' — in the material, rather than the metaphysical sense! Many destinations claim to be paradise or evocative of it and whilst many of these destinations are undoubtedly beautiful in their own

Malta — proof that the best things sometimes come in small packages!

Reputedly the second-most densely populated area on Earth (after Hong Kong), Malta challenges the first time visitor as to what they think they know about this small 90-square mile rock that lies between Sicily to the north and Libya to the south. Boasting the world's oldest free-standing structures — yes, they're said to be older than Newgrange — Malta is an island of contradictions that will delight the eye, ear and palate of even the

Get ready to experience the ‘hidden’ Italy

Some of you may already be familiar with Italian destinations such as Rome, Venice, Florence, Sicily or the Amalfi coast but how many of you have ever visited Puglia in the far south? Probably not that many, I suspect. Puglia is, like most of the rest of the Italian mainland, a veritable treasure trove of antiquities, impossibly beautiful churches mimicking every conceivable architectural form and boasting cuisine to rival anything that one could reasonable expect to find in even

Summer has arrived!

I'm not talking literally of course — just figuratively — and wearing my travel agent hat! Easter has always traditionally represented the start of the summer season as this is when tour operator summer charter programmes begin and winter charter series end. It is also then an appropriate time to remind people of the kinds of things that they need to think of/prepare for, before setting out on their overseas travels. What follows is a

When is the best time to go on holidays?

This is a question that is often asked of travel agents and the answer obviously depends on where in the world that you're intending on travelling to but as a general rule of thumb, if you talking about holidaying anywhere in Southern Europe, then May or September are usually the two best months in which to take your holidays and for the following three reasons: 1. The weather tends to be quite pleasant (like a

Value for money is more important than getting the cheapest deal.

Now that we are all economically challenged, there is an understandable tendency to look out for the cheapest deals or packages in order to make our scarce euros go further but this is a mistake. Looking out for value-for-money deals is much more important in terms of getting more 'bang for your buck' and one of the consistently best sources of value-for-money deals is in cruising. Don't be put off by outmoded perceptions that cruising

Kaiteriteri

Kaiteriteri is the only other place besides Queenstown that I’m spending two nights in. Kaiteriteri is a small seaside resort located just a few miles north of Motueka, which itself is located some 60 kms northwest of Nelson in the far north of the south island. The drive today from Barrytown was about 300 kms and took me around 4.5 hours on a route that bypassed Westport and through Murchison. The rain is still falling

Stopover in Singapore

It was only on my way out to the airport to catch my onward flight to Sydney that I passed by a cordoned off area of the city centre. It was then that the penny dropped.  The Formula 1 Grand Prix circus was in town (for three days as it turned out) so that probably explained the high prices everywhere. My 4-star hotel had cost me about €280 for the night which is not cheap

The art of getting a quote that is both competitive in price and relevant to your needs starts with gathering all the right information about what you want to do (or think you want to do!).