Trans Atlantic Cruise

For many people a transatlantic cruise will take them back to the golden age of travel, between Britain and the US. This is a great cruise for those who wish to fully enjoy the cruising experience without many ports of call. These cruises can range from six days to two weeks and some offer more than one port of call including New York, Boston, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and some of the Caribbean ports as well as Southampton, Barcelona and several other European destinations.

Statue of Liberty

Picture courtesy of Rob Young

World Cruise

World cruises can offer you a holiday experience that you may not get anywhere else, a once in a lifetime holiday where you get to explore many of the most exciting and exotic locations in the world. Most days you get to wake up in an exciting new destination and a new port to explore. World cruises range from around 30 days all the way to 108 days. 

Caribbean Cruise

Caribbean cruises are always popular especially for those looking for some winter sun, but don’t want to be stuck in just one tropical destination. The best part of a Caribbean cruise is that you can explore the best the region has to offer, visiting many different ports that are steeped in history. Some destinations include St. Lucia, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe, Curacao, Bonaire St. Barts, Aruba and Antigua.

Rum Point - Grand Cayman - Caribbean

Picture Courtesy of Rob Inh00d

Mediterranean Cruise

A Mediterranean cruise is great for those who wish to have a short cruise holiday, you can travel from 3 nights and you can enjoy a varied landscape as you travel through this destination and its one of the most popular cruise holidays for British passengers seeking easily accessible sunshine. Here you can stop of at ports in Greece and the Greek islands, Turkey, Croatia, Cyprus, and Malta in the east or the delights of Spain, France, Italy and North Africa in the west.

Far Eastern Cruise

If you want to enjoy the best of the Orient then you want to go for a Far Eastern Cruise holiday, here you can see all the tradition, customs and superstition as Asia and the orient unfold before you. Whether it’s the picturesque traditional villages or the soaring skyscrapers and modern bustling cities you can see the contrast of cultures.

Pulau Ubin, Singapore

Picture courtesy of williamcho

For those who want easy going family holidays where all you needs are catered for then you don’t need to look further than the popular resorts such as Tenerife, Gran Canaria or Lanzarote which offer plenty of family orientated activities. If you want a faced paced party holiday then you need to be going to Spain’s world famous party capital, Ibiza or the lively resort of Magaluf. And for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the busier tourist resorts you can look to stay in some traditional holiday rentals in Spain further off the beaten track such as Correalejo National Park, and the resorts of La Gomera and La Palma.

There is also more to Spain than the golden beaches, if you travel a little further in land you will find a country steeped in history with a rich culture as well as cities which boast world’s finest architecture as well as breath taking scenery. Here you also get to enjoy the real Spain, with its sights, sounds and tastes that are a world away from the bright tacky lights and British orientated food found in many of the resorts.  If you stay in holiday villas further inland you will get to enjoy the real Spain, in villages the feel like they have stood still in time.

Jamon Serrano Tapas

Picture courtesy of Kazutaka NAKANO

If you do stay in self catering holiday villas in Spain, it a great opportunity to go out and try all these local flavours, you can also pop to the local markets and have a go yourself at cooking tapas. You can also enjoy trying out the fresh local produce such as giant lobsters and big cheeses.

There are also plenty of places to go for a night on the town no matter what you’re looking for, some quieter resorts like Frigiliana, Marbella and Estepona have a great laidback vibe if you want to just chill out and enjoy great food, drink and local music. If you want to be a bit more energetic you could visit Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola which have plenty of vibrant bars, clubs and pubs that offer plenty to keep you going.

Sangria

Picture courtesy of andriesss

When you’re not enjoying the beaches here there is plenty of places to shopping here in the Costa del Sol, in some of the resorts like Marbella and Puerto Banus for example, you will find big designer-name boutiques. Over in Torremolinos and Benalmadena however you will find cheap and colourful gifts as well as the Costa’s holiday favourite blue and white Andalucian dishes, as well as handmade soft leather bags, straw baskets and flamenco shawls.

A lot depends on what you’re looking for in a holiday, the type of accommodation you want to stay in and what you’re happy paying for food and drink as well as travel expenses’. Some popular resorts in the UK find that businesses impose much higher prices than normal for food and accommodation especially if you want to travel with your family during the school holidays that it can work out cheap to go abroad, even when comparing holiday rentals.

Sometimes it can be cheaper to holiday abroad if you are looking to stay in all inclusive accommodation as although it costs more initially you save money during your holiday because your meals and drinks are included at your resort, however factoring in the flights can bump up the price to more than a holiday in the UK.

If your confident that you can keep to a budget for your holiday then there are ways to save money, if you take a caravan holiday at a park in the UK you can share the cost with a few people, many static caravans can sleep up to 10 people, all you need to think about then is the cost of food which can also be split. Travel may be a bit more expensive but if there are a few of you then to travel around you could hire a mini bus, splitting the cost here will also be handy.

There are plus and negatives to both staying here in the UK for a holiday or going abroad, however with careful planning and comparing deals and prices, you could get a very reasonable summer holiday.

You can experience the Far East on a cruise and stay holiday, which includes a stay in Hong Kong or Singapore, the number of nights spent on the cruise depends on how many places you want to visit, they range from 4.5 or six nights to 14 nights or if you wish even longer if you visit during a world cruise.

Whilst exploring Asia and the Orient you will see a contrast, from large bustling cityscapes to small sedate country life that has been unchanged for centuries, as you explore cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila and Kuala Lumpur you will find yourself immersed in their fast pace of life with sights, sound and smells that bombard your senses. You can also experience the calm whilst here when visiting one of the Buddhist Temples with sedate perfectly manicured gardens as well as learn their history and beliefs.

A Far East cruise holiday will really be a once in a lifetime holiday and nothing can prepare for everything you will encounter, and if all the hustle and bustle becomes too much then you can always retreat to you familiar surroundings of your cruise ship.

There is so much to see and do in the UK we really are spoilt for choice, we have large historical cities to explore all with their own piece of history as well as museums and galleries, we have outstanding natural beauty in our countryside with many national parks. There’s also plenty of fun to be had at the coast, and if we get lots of hot sun this summer then who needs to go abroad for their beach holiday.

So don’t let the worries of delays at the stations or strikes at the airports put you off you can still have a Great British Holiday right here in the UK!

St Andrews Golf Course

Picture courtesy of Charlie Dave

The golf club at St Andrews is world famous and is known as ‘the home of golf’ because the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, founded in 1754, exercises legislative authority over the game worldwide (except in the United States and Mexico) and that its being the host venue for The Open Championship, which is the oldest of golf’s championships the most. The course is also ranked one of the best in the world, as well as one of the most picturesque. The University of St Andrews is also world famous and attracts many visitors, it is the third oldest University in the English speaking world and also its one of the UK’s most prestigious and the University was founded in 1410.

University of St Andrews

Picture courtesy of StuSmith_UK

For those who like to get out and about there are many activities to enjoy in this area such as Horse riding, guided tours, watersports, cycle way’s, off roading, power kiting, walking and hiking, plus so much more, plenty for the whole family to enjoy. St Andrews also offers a wide variety of shopping from traditional Scottish ware to local arts and crafts, it’s also host to farmers markets as well as specialist food shops. You will also fine a great number of places to eat and drink, with fine dining restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars, and fresh fish and chips, there’s plenty for all to enjoy.

There are some great caravan holiday parks in and around St Andres with some fabulous views of the ocean and the surrounding area so you are spoilt for choice for places to stay.

St Andrews Harobour

Picture courtesy of Ed.ward

There are many things to enjoy that won’t cost you anything, popular during the summer are fringe events which take place all over the country and are great for the whole family to enjoy, look out for one near you! Local summer fetes are also a great way to meet your neighbours and are great for the local community especially if you’re holidaying in the area.

If you want to enjoy some sporting activities for free head off to see the Oxford and Cambridge boat race, this tradition has been going for more than 150 years as both do battle on the Thames, some great spots to watch for free include Putney Bridge, Putney Embankment and Bishops Park (at the start), Hammersmith and Barnes (mid-course) and Dukes Meadows and Chiswick Bridge (at the finish).

There are great walking tours to take around many of the UK cities, many of which are available as pod casts and can be downloaded ready for you to use to explore.

Another great way to enjoy your free time for free is to take a tour of many of the UK’s main museums and galleries, entry to these are free as are the tours! The British Museum in London offers short tours that concentrate on different parts of their collection, the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh has one-hour tours and the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff has a range of themed tours.

There are many cruise holidays available to book for summer 2011, so for more exclusive holidays such as round the world cruise holidays such as those offered by Cunard get booked up pretty quickly so you will find for those you will have to book a year in advance. Also when a cruise line is offering holidays on new ships they too get booked up pretty quickly. When booking well in advance you get better choice of what sort of accommodations you can have, from superior rooms to those with sea views and balconies.

Cruise holidays are getting more and more popular and demand is high because they can be better value for money than your average beach holiday, including all inclusive, so its defiantly worth while booking in advance and enjoying some great cruise deals and avoiding disappointment.

You can experience some of the many cultures in Europe and enjoy magnificent scenery as you travel from city to city on a Baltic cruise. Setting off from the UK your first stop is the Danish city of Copenhagen recognised by its dominating skyline as you approach, Copenhagen as with most cities in the Baltic has some of Europe’s most fascinating Architecture and Copenhagen is also one of Europe’s greenest cities. From here you will set out on a cruise exploring many of the wonderful cities the Baltic ocean has to offer such as Gothenburg, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Oslo, Riger, Stockholm and Tallin enjoy the culture, explore each cities history and soak into the atmosphere of each destination.

Different itineraries also offer the chance to explore less discovered destinations along the way, small ports where hanseatic merchants once traded, with quaint centuries-old fishermen’s houses, winding streets and local charm. With so much to see its difficult to decide where to start, there are many great cruise deals that off many different itineraries so all you have to decide is what you want to see first, then book another one next year to start exploring more of this great region.

Boat setting sail into the Baltic Ocean

Picture courtesy of MarvinSiefke