Being built as we speak the new cruise liner ‘ Royal Princess’ part of Princess Cruises has already seen bumper amounts of passengers pre booking onto its maiden voyage which is not due to set sail until June 2013.

If sampling the delights of ‘wacky backy’ or cannabis in one of its many forms such in a cake, in a biscuit or smoked in a joint in an Amsterdam coffee shop is on your list of things to experience whilst visiting the Netherlands, well as of May 2012 this may not be possible.

Due to open at the end of 2014, possibly the beginning of 2015, the InterContinental Shimao Wonderland is in direct competition with the highest hotel in the world with the Shanghai Tower J Hotel which is also being built and is due to open at the same time.

Research has been done by Jetcost and it has been found that a staggering 53% of adults interviewed would like to see a child free options when choosing who to fly with. Reasons for wanting a kids free flight were the inability to sleep when babies cry on flights and also the noise children make.

If you’re holidaying in France this year and taking your own or hiring a car then you need to be aware of French driving regulations. These can differ from the UK driving regulations and failure to abide by these regulations can result in fines and even vehicles being impounded.

There is no denying that the situation in the capital has been quite serious but for holiday makers planning their summer holiday this year then Greece and its idyllic Islands should definitely be considered.

The Royal Easter Show for more than 190 years has to be one of Sydney’s highlights of the year.

Previously known as Eurodisney, Disneyland Paris opened its doors in 1992 and since then has possibly become one of the most popular theme parks throughout Europe.

A visit to Geneva in spring is made even more special by the Tulip Festival held in the Parc de L’Independence in Morges. The display of tulips in the park involves around 100,000 flowers of some 300 varieties and makes a spring break in Switzerland or a tour stop over in Geneva a really special event for flower lovers.

The Matisse Museum  is in Cateau-Cambresis around 200 km from Paris and features an exhibition bringing together his brush drawn work for the first time. This particular exhibition is set to finish on the 19th February . This unusual exhibition displays the works made with Albert Marquet in Paris in the year 1900 up until their final partnership in the Chapel de Vence. This delightful Museum is worth a visit anytime!

With the unrest in the country Egyptian tourism has taken a massive hit, though holidays in Luxor have remained available and safe throughout the period. Some tourists are trickling back, but now there is a real incentive to visit Luxor in March when a 150 metre long section out of the 2,700 metres overall of the avenue will be officially re-opened for the public to see. Luxor, once the city of Thebes, was where Queen Hatshepsut (15th C BC) originally built the avenue featuring at that time hundreds of sphinxes.

If there is anything that folks in Edinburgh, Scotland can do really well, it is organising an amazing New Year Party. The Tradition of Hogmanay is set to be another triumph this year. On Saturday evening the 31 December 2011 into the New Year there is probably the biggest Street Party in the world with 80,000 friends and with a scenic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle there is live music and entertainment, giant screens and outdoor bars and the wonderful Hogmanay firework display at midnight.

There’s a chance you can view the amazing aurora borealis in Reykjavik, though this wonderful natural Northern Lights exhibition in the sky is an extra bonus to the pleasure of exploring the capital Reykjavik or of trying the excitement and interest of glacier walks. Reykjavik-a small but attractive city will be the centre for many breaks and holidays but outside the city are a variety of beautiful and striking natural landscapes.

Medieval Bruges in Belgium is the setting for an inviting Christmas Market and is well worth either a flying visit or longer stay in the festive period. The Christmas Market in the main square surrounds the open-air ice rink and you will find many little stalls and shops festooned with lights and full of Christmas delights. The shopper will find wonderful chocolates and sweets,not to mention beer steins, clothing and food and warm herbal wine.

There are over 10 seasonal outdoor ice rinks to enjoy in London from November to January in some cases. A Christmas city break or longer visit to the exciting capital will be enhanced by ice skating on one of the most famous seasonal rinks. The Natural History Museum’s Ice rink covers over 1000 square metres of the Natural History museum grounds – or spectate from the vantage point of the cafe bar. Families can make their visit to the Natural History Museum a whole day out.

There will be fewer tourists in November and December and yet the Festive Season is taken seriously in Rome. Booking a few days around Christmas is a brilliant way to see some amazing activities and do some pleasurable festive shopping. Rome’s Auditorium Parco Della Musica features special music projects; puppet shows food, a market and a range of other events. The exhibition of One Hundred Nativity Scenes shows around 200 Christmas cribs by Italian and Foreign artists at the Sala Del Bramante.

Spring 2012 should see the opening of “Turtle Trek” a series of tanks full of sea turtles and manatees, together with a domed theatre featuring computer generated images that will transport the observer into an underwater world. Next year will also see the opening of “Freshwater Oasis” which will allow people to swim alongside Asian otters in a clear river under a canopy of rainforest trees.

The Canary Islands have benefited from the uncertainties and upsets in popular tourist venues in North Africa and many travellers across Europe will be looking for bargains in winter sun holidays in the Canary Islands this winter. Visitors by air to the Canary Islands in September increased by some 7.5% over the same month in 2011. Altogether, measuring visitor arrivals by air for the first nine months of 2011 show an increase of over 22% over the same period in the previous year. This is really good news for the Canary Islands, as the tourism industry is so important economically for the islands and unemployment (which has risen over the past few years) is beginning to fall.

A city break in Bath this winter could not only fit in the Thermae Bath in the warm spa waters as the Romans did, explore the Roman Baths Museum but also the traditional Christmas Market which is held from the 24th of November to the 11th December. With around 100 wooden chalets selling exciting Christmas foods and gifts and festive decorations the market, situated between the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey is just in a convenient place for the tourist.

UNESCO officials have been looking at ways to preserve Libya’s cultural heritage after the downfall of Gaddafi. There are worries about the safety of cultural sites and museums, and methods to prevent the illegal trafficking of artefacts. Libya has five UNESCO Heritage sites the prominent Roman city Leptis Magna and the Greek city Cyrene. The other sites are Sabratha, Tadrart Acacus and the old town of Ghadames.

Extend your city break in London or Brighton at the end of October with a trip to Ardingley Antiques and Collectors Fair-with over 1700 stalls and goods varying from ceramics to furniture , silverware, textiles and artworks. Whatever the weather visitors can enjoy browsing for bargains and treasures .

For a day be trained in the ways and methods of spies by experts looking also at counter intelligence and identifying agents and then undertaking a mssion of your own involving bugging and making a dead drop. Secrets of the Spy - this realistic role playing activity is run by quintissentiallyescapes.com and you and a partner will be collected by chauffeur from your London hotel and returned there at the end of the day.

Why not make your once-in-lifetime strip to Australia so much more special by visiting at the time of the Southern Hemisphere solar eclipse on November 14th 2012? The total eclipse will only be visible on a slice of land on the farthest northeast of Queensland, just above the city of Cairns. Cairns itself is a favourite destination of visitors wanting to visit the wonderful Great Barrier Reef and would be a top destination for an Australian tour.

Held in the Parc des Expositions this exhibition  of green merchandise and ecologically friendly supplies and equipment has over 300 exhibitors at its annual event. An interesting focus for a city break or stop off through France the Eco Expo will be fascinating for the environmentally aware and eco novice alike, as it covers new trends in areas as diverse as fashion, heating, goods for the home as well as food and drink.

More and more travellers are wanting more than just sea and sand- and though Egypt has both -and plenty of winter sun, safari tours in the desert are becoming more popular. Some may be options on a centre holiday or specialist tours by 4 X 4 Jeep or Camel visiting archaeological sites or amazing geographical features – the Wadis, Oases and desert dune landscapes. Desert tourism, whether in the New Valley (near Lake Nasser), Sinai or the Western desert offers something different for jaded tourists and adventure seekers alike. There are winter safari tour bargains in Egypt available now.

October is such a good time to visit Berlin with the magical Festival of Lights in process. Visitors are treated to over 50 coloured laser illuminations together with firework displays. These superb displays light up Berlin’s major landmarks from the golds of the Unter den Linden to the electric blue of the TV tower- All the major buildings are part of the colourful illuminations and highlight the city in an amazing way.

The global airline industry is resisting the EU proposal for charging a carbon dioxide emissions charge for flights passing over European airspace. The charge will be based on the entire length of the flight not just the part overflying European airspace, and would be passed on to the passenger – for example, on a flight from Hong Kong into Europe the surcharge would be in the order of $8 per passenger.

Discover the pleasures of Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital city with a city break or extended stay in October when a number of events are held in addition to the wide number of existing attractions of this central Balkans city. There is the AmBul festival –a collaborative venture of American and Bulgarian music as well as other Balkan artists and premieres new works as well as collectively composed works. There are a number of fine museums in the city as well as excellent Markets – with the Central Market for food shopping as well as the daily Antique Market for browsing. With hotel prices still very cheap this could be a bargain holiday.

Currently several New England States are repairing damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene and there are fears that this may hit the autumn tourist season as visitors from across the world as well as the USA are cancelling their visits after hearing of storm damage. In Vermont there were roads washed out by the storms and there are repairs underway to try to repair them; in New Hampshire, also, roads and bridges were closed and work is in process to try to open routes in time for the fall holiday season. Key routes are hoped to be open again by September 15th, but alternative routes to the major viewing areas are also proposed.

Upheaval in popular tourist destinations of Egypt and Tunisia over the past two years seems to have been very good for tourism in the Canary Islands. For the first seven months of 2011 there have been 5.8 million international tourists which represents an increase of 20.2% from the same period in 2010. All countries showed an increase, especially the UK, Germany and other European countries. At the same time there has been an increase of some 40% in booking of package holidays.

Top of the gadget list for the traveller abroad must be the Universal Plug Adaptor you can buy almost anywhere except for the place you arrive at abroad when you’ve forgotten to pack yours. No charging your mobile phone or other gadgets without it. Less high tech but essential if you’re going off the beaten track or into the smaller hotels in Eastern Europe or Russia, is the multi-fitting rubber plug for your washbasin. (Just try to have a wash or bath without one – scrunched-up tissues I can tell you do not do the trick). Another essential plug is the earplug – if you’ve ever been on a long flight with crying children or in a hotel with thin walls and an all night party you will know how important it is to have some nice soft malleable ear plugs to cut off the sound.

The 2011 Haydn Festival will be held at the magnificent Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt. The “orchestra in residence” is the Austro-Hungarian Haydn orchestra and will perform in the acoustically excellent Haydn Hall. The Festival in 2011 will be focussing on the effect of contemporary music during Haydn’s time, especially of American music. There will be chances to hear period instrumental groups as well as modern orchestras.

Between 2009 and 2010 there was a 43% increase in lost/stolen money claims totalling some £24 million in lost or stolen money or possessions, with over a quarter of the value of the claims (27.6%) from visits to Spain, with France USA, Italy and Turkey having claims ranging from 7.8% in France to 3.7% in Turkey.  However, the Sainsbury’s research reveals that a quarter of the value of all lost money or possessions goes unclaimed because holidaymakers are uninsured. The advice is clear: make sure you have travel insurance before you go on holiday.

Travellers who’ve not yet had a crisis on holiday often forget to take vital contact numbers with them – and leave a copy with family or neighbours. The top 5 are:
• The telephone number of your bank if you need to report lost or stolen cards
• The telephone number of your insurers emergency number
• The telephone number of the airline in the country you are visiting
• The telephone number of the car rental company you are using
• The telephone number of your hotel

On the west coast of Britain, in North Wales, Coed Y Brenin, the Snowdonia National Park is a brilliant place to spend a day or a whole holiday. Most people think that the area is just about walking and hiking (and there are many superb trails with stupendous scenery) but as well as the mountains there are waterfalls and moors, lush forests and lakes and scenic waterfalls. Take a map, sturdy walking shoes and water. If hiking or biking is not for you within easy driving distance there are 6 steam railways and 6 castles, and seaside beaches.

The Burning Man Festival is held in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA for one week every year. It’s an amazing art festival, it’s a cultural happening with echoes of the 70’s it’s an experiential fantasy and if being part of a mind-boggling life enhancing event is your wish, then this festival is for you. However, it is not easy to get there, and most festival folks will spend months preparing their art installations, building models and customising their weird vehicles and such. Check the Festival website – or you could read Jeff Abbott’s follow up to his hit book Adrenaline, called Last Minute it has descriptive scenes set at the event.

A fire broke out in the west side of  Rome’s Tiburtina Railway station on the 24th July and as the fire started in the relay room many of the controls for tracks and signaling were unable to be operated. This has led to considerable train delays throughout Italy. The structure of the railway station building has been affected and work will be needed to render it safe, so delays will continue for a month or more. After the fire the subway (metropolitana) stop, also called Tiburtina was temporarily closed but metro line B has now been re-opened.

The Munich Oktoberfest – reputed to be the world’s biggest fair and famous beer festival runs this year from Saturday 17th September until Monday the 3rd October with around 6 million people attending the festivities during that time. Munich is a major tourist destination and European hub but at the time of the Oktoberfest all flights into the city and hotels will be booked –so book before it’s too late.
The Oktoberfest will begin on Saturday 17th with the ceremonial tapping of the first barrel of beer by the mayor of Munich, and with a parade with traditional costumes on Sunday 18th  and a Family day on Tuesday 20th with cheap rides and performances h – and much more  before the traditional gun salute ends the Oktoberfest on the 3rd October.

Anyone who has not visited Luxor, Egypt for a while will be amazed at the transformation of a series of a jumble of mismatched buildings interspersed with the wonderful temple complexes, to an amazing extensive open-air museum showing the ancient monuments to their best advantage. Though ongoing from 2005 the changes are now very visible, though work is planned to be completed by 2030. The controversial plan is to restore the ancient 3 km connecting road between the temples of Luxor and Karnak – and for the last few years more and more of the pharaonic lion statues that line the route have been excavated. The works involve clearing a 60m link road between the temples which has involved and will continue to involve the demolition of large numbers of buildings- not only residential but also a mosque, police station and fire station.

 

“La Soffitta Sotto i Portici” is Rome’s large bargain market held on two Sundays in August in the Piazza Augusto Imperatore. Browsers can find antiques and collector’ items as well as new stuff such as watches and furniture, and altogether showcasing the wares of over 100 exhibitors. Go by metro to Trinita dei Monti or Castel Sant’Angelo and then walk to the Piazza.

With around 40,000 performances in 250 venues and over 2500 shows the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has become the world’s largest arts festival. The programme offers shows in categories from theatre to dance, rock, musicals and opera, and ,of course, its huge variety of comedy and this year a category called cabaret. There are also a large number of children’s shows, exhibitions and events. People from all over the world give Edinburgh a cosmopolitan feel whilst still retaining the wonderful historical background of this vibrant city. There is  time to book for performances online and there are still rooms to be found around the city and outskirts.

With the main UK holidays arriving in a couple of weeks those who are waiting to book a last minute bargain should be looking around now or they could have left it too late. In spite of money being short bookings for Eurozone holidays are up from last year. For example, reports GfK Ascent MI, bookings for Spain are up by 11%, Portugal by 8% and Greece by 2% - and overall, short-haul bookings to Europe and North Africa are up by 9%. It appears that in order to encourage bookings hotel owners have been keeping prices low and tour operators have been offering more all-inclusive options.

As world currencies change in relation to each other so do the relative costs of living. The largest change is the rising costs of living in Australian cities – making it more expensive for citizens and visitors alike. As the dollar loses value against other currencies travel becomes much more expensive for Americans – though the USA becomes cheaper for many Europeans so perhaps boosting visitor numbers in spite of high air travel costs across the Atlantic. The Economist’s Intelligence Unit’s cost of living index still shows Tokyo as the most expensive city, followed by Osaka, but now Melbourne and Sydney are just behind the always pricey European cities of Paris and Zurich.

The website Theme Park Insider takes reader feedback ratings on Theme Parks over 12 months and reports on the voting on July 4th. Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando in Florida gets the most votes and  takes the top spot in 2011– and given that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in 2010 and many muggles have consumed gallons of butterbeer and more it’s no wonder that this is a winner with Busch Gardens, Tampa as one of the runners up.

The 1318 km Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway opened on after three years in construction and a cost of 220 billion Chinese Yuan(RMB) , and trains will run at either 250 or 300 kmh. Tickets cost from 410 RMB for 2nd class seats on the 250kmh train to 1750 RMB for a VIP seat on a 300kmh train, and can be bought online. The journey time varies from 4hrs 478 minutes on the 300 kmh train to 7hrs 56 minutes on the 250 kmh train.

Visitors to Brussels during the summer will be able to see exhibitions and art by Belgian artists and tour the Throne Room and Hall of Mirrors of the Royal Palace of Brussels, which is located across from the scenic Parc Royal in the city centre. Open 10.30 to 16.30 except on Mondays.

Visitors to Scotland may often overlook Glasgow when putting together their itineraries. Though often overshadowed by Edinburgh, Glasgow has much to offer in culture and the arts, music and nightlife. It is a UNESCO City of Music with many musical events of many different kinds every week. But it’s not just famous for music: Glasgow is renowned for its architecture, especially the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh the art nouveau architect and designer.

With all issues of the safety of food and water being carefully monitored and most public transportation  back up and running Japan is open for tourists again – and visitors are needed more than ever to help the recovery of the economy. Most of the popular tourist destinations were not affected, for example Tokyo, currently has a radiation level similar to other large cities.

 

Montepulciano, a picturesque hill town in Tuscany holds the Bravio Delle Botti a traditional time of festivity culminating with the barrel rolling contest (the Bravio delle Botti) on the Sunday, the last day of August. A day of events culminates in the competition of 8 local teams competing by rolling barrels through the streets to win a cloth featuring the town’s patron saint.

Up to a 100  Art Galleries, Museums, and Exhibition spaces  in London will be staying open until 9.00 on the First Thursdays of each month and some will be putting on special events for the programme.  There is also a Bus Tour and each month experts such as academics, curators and artists will be leading the tours.

The Las Canteras beach in Gran Canaria is the latest beach on the Canary Islands to be awarded the blue flag, which is the recognition of a clean bathing beach or marina, making 38 the overall total of blue flag beaches for the Canary Islands.

For those looking for a bargain holiday in Europe with a difference may want to check out Budapest, Hungary’s capital, and increasingly popular city break venue but with enough interest for a longer break, especially with the reasonable rates. Not in the Eurozone, Hungary’s currency is the forint and at the moment (May 2011) you can get 311 forints to the pound. There are three star hotels from around £30 per night and a glass of wine will cost you around 700 forints, which means that travellers get plenty for their money .

Rock music aficionados who want to try a different venue with an amazing line-up of bands may like to pop over the channel to Belgium at the end of June to visit the Rock Werchter festival on its own special site around 30km east of Brussels itself. The Festival attracts in the order of 50,000 folks every year and has an amazing line-up for 2011.

The Autostrade Per L’Italia Network Website now gives “Plan your Journey” information in English. Traffic News, motorway distances, toll details and rest areas can be checked online as well as weather forecasts and webcam images. To be able to use the traffic information or to report a problem or accident drivers should know their location on the network which is given every 1000 metres on the left. Information on the message panels indicates the location of accidents and other types of blockages or slow traffic.

Oporto, on the hillsides overlooking the mouth of the Douro is a 2000 year old city and a UNESCO Heritage site for its historical interest. Visitors to Oporto, Portugal, can not only enjoy the wonderful city but can also join in the exciting street festival in honour of Sao Joao (St John the Baptist) if they visit on the 23-24 June 2011. There is wonderful street food on barbecues such as grilled sardines, as well as little pots of basil for luck in life. There is also dancing, music, fireworks and balloons released into the sky.

Garden lovers enjoying a city break to Amsterdam in June can also visit private gardens in Amsterdam that are open to the public for just one weekend a year.  Within walking distance from each other visitors can combine visits to classical and modern gardens, with wonderful trees and unusual plants with walks along Amsterdam’s three main canals.  The 25 or so gardens in the scheme are all within walking distance from each other and have blue signs. Tickets for entry cost 15 Euros.

There are sophisticated plans for travel into and around London on the day of the  Royall Wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton on the-29th April 2011. Though roads along the route of the wedding procession will be closed there will be no congestion charge in operation. All tube stations will be in operation but may have to be shut to avoid overcrowding on the day. All during the week leading up to the wedding limited edition Oyster travel cards will be on sale which have the portraits of the royal couple on them.

A report by Travel Money of the Post Office of a price comparison of 14 popular holiday towns found that Benidorm in Spain was the cheapest for a list of 10 holiday purchase items which meant that a holiday there would be even cheaper than a break in Brighton would be. Florida was found to be the most expensive.

Why not experience a musical and cultural European holiday with a difference by visiting the Lake Constance Festival that takes place around Lake Constance in several of the German, Swiss and Austrian towns around the edge of the lake? There are a range of orchestras, jazz, chamber and organ concerts, as well as theatre and ballet, exhibitions and other events.

International visitors to New Zealand can transit through Christchurch airport for on-going domestic flights  and can travel by road bypassing Christchurch city itself. After the February earthquake much has been restored though if travel plans include Christchurch City itself, then the FOC advises checking with tour provider or airline.

For families wanting a different Easter holiday, the exciting Foire des Rameaux (the Easter Fair) held on Grenoble’s Esplanade from the 16th of April to the 8th of May could be just the event to recharge jaded batteries and delight children of all ages. There are some amazing fairground rides (over fifty of them) and all the additional fun and food that make a fair an exciting experience for all the family.

Now is the time to book a trip to South Africa and Cape Town if you want to go whale watching as well as sample all the many delights of staying in Cape Town as a centre for visiting the area. The southern right whale can be seen in False Bay on its way from Antarctica to spend winter in warmer waters in the months from June until November.

The Sasquatch! Music Festival in Washington State is held in George, Washington on May 27-30th  2011.Foo Fighters are headlining together with a long list of other acts including Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie. A visit to the Sasquatch! will really enliven your spring tour of the western states.

Visitors to Florence who have not seen the city for a while will notice that the streets around the Duomo are now a pedestrian precinct and closed to traffic. The Museum of the History of Science that closed down for refurbishment in 2009 has now re-opened as the Galileo Museum, and you can now get into Gozzoli’s wonderful Capel of the Magi at the Medici Palace without a reservation. Unfortunately the restoration of the Tribune Room of the Uffizi Gallery (closed since 2009) due to open this summer will not now re-open until 2012.

There is a new lower speed limit in Spain and the Canary Islands from March 7th 2011. This reduction will bring the 120km/h speed limit on motorways and dual carriageways down to 110km/h. This new speed limit will give Spain one of the lowest motorway speed limits in the whole of Europe.

Many tourists diverted from their holidays booked in Tunisia and Egypt have been transferring their bookings to the Canaries. The Canaries are now “Full” or close to capacity. Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Tenerife had almost full occupation in February whilst Lanzarote was up 10% from last year at 80% occupation.

If you are scratching your head for ideas for a treat for your mother on Mother’s Day, why not book a weekend break in London, Edinburgh or York. As well as the delights of the cities, why not take her for a truly lovely traditional afternoon tea to make her feel like a duchess.

Egypt holidays are again on the travel agenda as tour operators welcome visitors to several resorts following the change of advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The FCO reports that Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea Resorts, including Sharm el Sheikh are calm but advise staying in touch with the tour operator.

Though Austria has now passed several laws limiting smoking in some public places there may still be smaller restaurants where there will be a smoky atmosphere due to a long transition phase for implementation and several loopholes. For example, small restaurants and bars under 50 sqm can opt to be either smoking or non-smoking. Good news for smokers but not so good for those travellers who have come to expect the pleasure of a smoke free atmosphere.

There are wonderful restored train tracks all over Britain with steam trains that will run over Easter, and children and enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy the excitement and interest of a steam train ride. Check on the Heritage Train Site for details of one near you.

New for 2011 in Rome there is a new online reservation system for the Vatican Museum and new evening opening times during the summer months.Tiburtina, the second largest train station is having a major facelift to house a high-speed rail terminal to run in 2011. Not only is the Colosseum being cleaned, but the underground levels (that used to house the gladiators and wild animals) and the top tier, are now open to visitors. City centre shops will be open longer hours in 2011. Remember, though, May 1st  2011 is set to be the date of beatification of Pope John Paul II. Rome will be full of pilgrims at this time, so unless you are joining them, it’s probably not a good time to visit.

Throughout 2011 Hamburg is showcasing its major initiatives and programs that keep the city’s carbon emissions to a minimum, and this is a good reason for environmentally-interested travellers to visit. Hamburg, sited on the River Elbe, is an interesting city with its public parks, lakes, rivers and canals that wind around the city, all alongside a busy port.

The earthquake in South Island New Zealand  on Feb 21 2011 was part of the aftershock of the earlier M 7.0 earthquake on September 3 2010. The earthquake has caused major destruction and multiple fatalities in the centre of Christchurch, and though Christchurch airport has now re-opened travel in the area remains difficult as the Ferrymead bridge is currently impassable because of rising water.

If you are planning to travel to one of the countries having political unrest you should check with the FCO website to look at whether the British Government is advising against travel to a particular country. If so, then it is probable that your travel insurer will not cover you if you go against this advice.

Los Gigantes beach in Tenerife is in a main area for tourism and trade in Tenerife and was the site of a collapse of part of the cliff above the beach in November 2009 killing two people. Now at last works have begun to repair the damage and improve the structure of the cliff.

In 2011 there are continued developments for tourist facilities in the ecotourism reserves in Costa Rica, offering an adventure holiday and education for tourists. The cloud forests, beaches and river rapids, together with an amazing richness of animals and plants give opportunities for tough outdoor adventuring or relaxing nature discovery.

America’s National Trust for Historic Presentation have announced the annual winners of the “America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations “.  You may well have not heard of any of them, but they will offer a different view of America than your trip just to Las Vegas or Orlando. They include the perhaps best known Colorado Springs in Colorado, and the wonderfully named Victorian Seaport of Eureka in northern California (near the redwoods).

Adventure tourism is growing in popularity with tourists who want something different. Adventure tourism may involve a physical challenge, cultural experiences and exploration of nature or any combination. The good thing about adventure travel is that you can have the experiences pretty well anywhere. Activities may include mountaineering, bungee jumping, mountain biking or trekking in any interesting natural surroundings.

It’s not too late to surprise your special Valentine with a Paris city break in February – and with plenty of bargain hotel prices for all ranges of hotels, it won’t be too expensive. (Check here on Goissimo.co.uk for fantastic prices).

Ryanair’s policy of charging passengers who arrive at the airport without printing the pdf file of their boarding pass a surcharge of 40 euros, has been challenged by a Barcelona court . Ryanair has responded to these findings by threatening not to allow passengers without a boarding pass on board the flight.

Acapulco is Mexico’s premier beach resort on the Mexican Riviera, and has hundreds of thousands of international tourists every year, so when violence erupted on 8-9 January  2011 there was a fear that tourism would be affected.

After a three year renovation the Royal Shakespeare Company are now opening a new season in February in the new Royal Shakespeare and Swan theatres in Stratford, just outside London. The RSC is launching a series of events, exhibitions and special tours to “bring life into the new theatres”.

A law amendment is being debated currently in Barcelona City Hall making it an offence to walk round the streets in a swimsuit. It appears that fines up to 500 euros are envisaged for those who are found naked or semi-naked on the street or on public transport.

Remember February 14th is Valentine's Day. For those who really want to impress their loved one, then a holiday in Verona is for you. It is, of course, where the lovers Romeo and Juliet fell in love – and you can see her famous (fabled) balcony where Romeo plied his troth.

If you want to get a room in Edinburgh during the festival season then now is the time to book ! The Edinburgh International Festival is from the 12 August to the 4th September, whilst the popular Edinburgh Fringe Festival runs from the 5th to the 25th August.

There are a number of countries in Europe with debt or financial problems and which will welcome foreign tourists to help balance their books. These are countries where bargains may well be available: they include Greece – a favourite holiday destination for many, but recently in trouble, Ireland with its well known financial problems may well be offering travel bargains and Hungary – not in the Euro and with its currency falling against the dollar should have cheaper costs – though probably not in Budapest (try the wine country for bargains).

Visitors to Legoland California this year will be able to see the Star Wars Miniland depicting the scenes and scenery of the six Star Wars films plus the Clone Wars series in Lego bricks after the 31st March when it will have its debut.

For those tourists who enjoyed lighting up whilst having drinks and meals whilst on holiday in Spain, there is bad news, though for non-smokers it will be pretty welcome. From January 2nd the smoking ban means no smoking in hotel rooms or bars or restaurants. BUT the law also says that hotels were given permission to allocate up to 30% of their rooms for smokers is they wished.

Tallinn in Estonia and Turku in Finland have been chosen as capitals of culture for 2011, and culture-oriented tourists will be looking for visits to the cities during the period. In Tallinn the folk band Kukerpillid and rock favourites as well as the Estonian National Opera were to be involved in the New Year’s Eve party launching the year of culture.

If you are travelling to or through Estonia in 2011 you will need euros rather than Estonian currency. For the first two weeks of the new year kroons and euros will both be accepted, though change will only be given in euros. Euros will be given as change, from cash machines or from banks.

South Korea’s  Incheon Airport has  five times been voted best Airport though the final service touch -the rail link joining it to the centre of Seoul- has been ten years in the building and is finally open. Express trains will take 43 minutes to travel the 58km stretch of line, at least 20 minutes faster than the buses and taxis previously used.

Cutting two hours off the previous journey times the new Allegro Express Rail service from Helsinki to St Petersburg is operating two return rail services a day. The train leaves Helsinki at 10.00 and 15.00 and from St Petersburg leaves at 6.40 and 15.25.

There are predictions of huge increases in number of visitors to London for the Royal Wedding on the 29th April next year, so booking early is a good idea.

Germany’s travel and tourism industry could lose out as the new air passenger departure tax makes flights from German airports more expensive - and two airlines have already cut capacity and services within Germany for next summer.

BA have announced their top ten flight destinations for 2011.At the top spot is Marrakech, followed by San Diego, New York, St Kitts & Nevis, Puerto Rico the Maldives, Japan, Las Vegas, Mauritius and St Lucia.

There are still bargains to be had for New Year breaks in the UK, for those who have cooked themselves to a standstill with the family at Christmas. Why not try somewhere different for the New Year ? The North of England and Scotland have a range of hotels offering wonderful packages.

It’s not too late to visit London over the festive season to enjoy the many seasonal activities and shows. The family may want to enjoy ice skating at the many rinks that appear at this time, or take a carriage ride or traditional carousel ride at Kew or see the Christmas Festival at the Royal Albert Hall, or just enjoy the Christmas lights and visiting Santa in his various grottos. But there is much more to do in London.

Red Bull Linecatcher freestyle backcountry skiing event is to be help at Vars, La Foret Blanche in January, and the competition will be held on the Eyssina bars, the site that has both exceptional cliffs and also steep slopes to allow skiers to best adapt the route to their own style.

Since the beginning of the year Swiss prices have risen by 15% for visitors from the Eurozone and Swiss hoteliers will be more and more squeezed in the winter tourism market.

A recent survey upturned ideas about “traditional” honeymoon destinations, finding that the most popular honeymoon destination appears to be Paphos on the island of Cyprus – so much more reasonable than most tour operators “top-ten venues for honeymoons”.

Most Christmas Markets across Europe are opening with their special pleasures and excitement. One of the favourites must be Brussels with its Ice Rink, or Lille – which you can reach so easily by Eurostar – and Cologne is very popular too. The UK has lots of choice too.

There are plenty of sunny  places in Europe that are really reasonable this winter . The Spanish Costas, French and Italian Rivieras, the Amalfi Coast, Sicily and the Estoril coast of Portugal are all just a short haul away and bargains are to be had !

A campaign has been started to increase tourism to South Korea based on sustainable tourism, environmental awareness, nature and cultural heritage. And South Korea has plenty going for it – most centred on Seoul.

Many people will be looking for winter sun holidays in the Balearics or on the Costas, but the weather is not always so hot, even though there may be sun. For more reliable sun people will be able to find cheap winter sun holidays further afield in Africa and the USA.

Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi in Lapland  in the Arctic Circle opens on the 27th November.  Visitors can see Santa and see the elves working. Or they can visit Julakka close to Rovaniemi in the depths of the forest where visitors can join the Elf School.

Thailand wants to join other countries in the region that offer quality medical care and services to holiday makers, such as India and Singapore.

The state of Chihuahua in Mexico has opened the world’s third largest cable car in Copper Canyon’s Adventure Park. Visitors can see the canyon from the cable car seat or zip-line across, flying above this amazing natural wonder. This is the longest zip line in Mexico at 2750m.

Beginning on December 4 2010 the northern Tohoku line’s extension to Shin-Aomori will be open the new journey from Tokyo will be just 3 hours and 20 minutes. The southern line bullet train extension on the southern island of  Kyushu will join Hakata to Kagoshima and open March 12 2011.

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011 lists the Shetland Islands in its top ten places to visit next year. It says that this is the “last untamed corner of the UK” and advised adventurous travellers to think about this as a rewarding place to see

The USAs Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have announced new security pat down procedures at USA airports. The organisation said “ pat downs  are one important  tool to help TSA to detect hidden and dangerous items such as explosives. 

There’s no getting away from it all any more – new 3G towers installed near Everest Base Camp mean that mountaineers can surf, tweet and post to their Facebook sites.

The Colosseum lower levels, the underground where the wild animals were caged and gladiators prepared, have just been opened to the public, and tickets are on sale.

Though the China Pavilion will re-open in December next week is the last week of the hugely successful Shanghai Expo 2010, but the event has already made its pre-set target.

 

The last two metres of rock were drilled through to finally complete the Gotthard base Tunnel in the Swiss alps  after 14 years construction – and is due to be operational by 2017.

The new 92K tonne Cunard liner will be officially named by Queen Elizabeth at Southampton today. The first voyage, setting off on Tuesday will be to Lisbon and Madeira. The ship can carry over 2000 passengers and almost a thousand crew, and travel at a speed of around 30 mph.

This iconic hotel on the Strand has been closed for large-scale renovation for three years, and now reopens today (Sunday) with updated rooms and suites, public areas, gardens and courtyard. The Hotel seeks to attract heads of state, visitors from the Persian Gulf, major entertainment stars and other important businessmen wanting to enjoy these luxury facilities.

Russian space group Energiya in cooperation with America's Orbital Technologies have won the tender to build the first space hotel, complete with a menu created by celebrity chefs.

The Monet retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris with over 200 paintings covering famous and less-known works, covering his whole 60 year artistic career will be shown until the 24^th January.

Some USA cities are beginning to see the end of the recession, but not Las Vegas, traditionally one of the first to recover after a recession. This means that there are some real bargains in hotel room rates as hotels seek to entice tourists back to the casinos.

Virgin Atlantic is putting on an additional flight from London to Accra on Saturday evenings from the 11 December to the 9 January 2011 because of high load factors on this popular route.

Marina is known for the holiday home of rich Egyptians, along the coast from Alexandria, and near to the battleground at El Alamein, but used to be a prosperous Greco-Roman city called Leukaspis or Antiphrae, but this ancient city has almost disappeared under a modern resort.

Poland is now one of the most popular destinations in Eastern Europe and a recent report published on medical tourism in Poland highlighted that Poland could well soon be a leader in medical tourism.

 

September 18^th was the 40^th Anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix – who Rolling Stone Magazine hailed as the greatest rock guitarist. To mark the occasion London’s Handel House Museum – next door to Hendrix’s former London apartment – is mounting an exhibition of Hendrix memorabilia.

New flight routes , some from this month, will be available this autumn from Bristol, Liverpool and Edinburgh and Newcastle, as well as Manchester and Gatwick, to several key European destinations for Skiers, city-breakers and sun seekers.

 

Manchester’s In the City Festival runs from 13-15th October 2010, and would be a great choice for an autumn city break. Headline bands include Mount Kimbie, No Age and Kisses.

A European city break in Autumn is better value than last year. Though hotel prices usually rise in September hotel prices in Europe current prices are lower than 2009 in most European cities – especially in Bucharest (down 34% on 2009), Frankfurt (down 36%) and Brussels (down 30%).

ABTA is to seek confirmation of the axing of the Aviation Tax Germany introduced on 1 September. The tax, introduced by the German Government is intended to reduce the German deficit and save the German exchequer €80 billion in the period to 2014 by adding 25 Euros to each flight to the UK as well as €8 to tickets to 52 European destinations, €25 to 50 airports in Asia and Africa, and €45 to all other destinations.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government confirmed the tax will be imposed on all flights out of the country from January 1st 2011, including tickets booked from today.

Luke Pollard ABTA Head of Public Affairs said “The introduction of this tax is a seriously regressive step that will impact on UK visitor numbers to Germany and Germans coming to the UK. The German Government has previously stated that this tax would be a temporary measure and abolished in 2012 when the EU’s Emission Trading Scheme [ETS] comes into effect and we will be writing to obtain confirmation that this is still...

Since Blackpool Football Club was promoted to the Premiership in May, the seaside town has a resurgence of interest by visitors wanting to stay in the town.

The  hugely successful Mummies of the World exhibition at the California Science Centre is said to be the largest travelling exhibition of mummies ever brought together.  150 previously unexhibited mummies of humans, animals and accompanied by burial artefacts , and assembled from collections of  European Museums.

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has revealed the design of the new UK passport to be introduced from October 2010. It has new design and physical security features which will help fight identity fraud.

Many of potential traditional visitors to Greece- including Brits, Germans and other Europeans, have stayed away this season because of media coverage of the serious problems caused by violence and strikes and other side effects of their austerity measures. However, nearby Croatia to the north has prospered with a 7% growth in visitors having overnight stays in the country. 

Intensive marketing campaigns have certainly paid off as visitor numbers to Florida are up around 20 million from the second half of 2009 -  more flights are on offer, making it easier for holidaymakers to get to The Sunshine State –with the majority of the additional visitors coming from overseas.

Over 100 hectares of pine woods have been destroyed in one of the worst fires in the Balearic islands and though only three people had to be treated for smoke inhalation, at the outset around 1500 people had to be evacuated by boat from the beach at Benirras in the north of Ibiza.