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When the recession hit many of us had to tighten our belts. Unfortunately, for many of us, this meant dropping the family holiday for a year or two. A holiday is a luxury but I believe it is also quite essential. It is a time to relax, recuperate and regroup as a couple or family and can give everyone the boost they need to go back to their normal lives.

Holidays do not have to cost the earth to be great. Some of the best holidays a family can have are only a few hours drive from their home in a tent. The UK has so many beautiful places that you do not need to venture far to find somewhere picturesque to pitch up.

Entertainment is often something that families spend a lot on when away, often even more than they actually did on the holiday, but again, this does not have to be the case. There are always a number of activities to do on your door step and many of them are totally free. Walking across a beach (regardless of the weather) and looking in rock pools is something most people would enjoy. Hearing the sound of the sea and seeing nothing but water for miles and miles can relax even the most busy people.

Go Ape is a UK based company where you can have a real forest adventure, there are a number of locations across the country where you can climb, swing from the trees on precarious looking rope foot bridges and do a long zip wire from the tree canopies down to the foresty floor.
The prices vary depending what sort of course you choose and how many people are in your group but prices start from about £30 per person.
You can even do a little ape adventure for children age 6-12 years, children must be at least 1 metre tall to ensure that the safety equipment fits them properly and you are free to supervise from the ground to take plenty of pictures. On the children’s activity they are constantly attached to a safety line and don’t change safety lines at any point during the activities. Children under 6 can take part providing they are over 1 metre tall and are accompanied on the course by an adult. Prices for this course start from £18 per child.

Has winter gotten a bit long where you are? Is that set of golf clubs sitting in the corner by your favourite chair, mocking you?

Has it been too long since you donned your golf shoes? Is it time to see a warmer temperature on that outdoor thermostat? Are the clouds getting you down? It may be time call your local travel agent and consider a golf break in the Algarve.

Located on the north edge and on the mouth of the Mediterranean and to the far south of Portugal’s coast, the Algarve region boasts some of the best golf courses the world over. Weather in this region is typically amazing, known for sunny days and cool breezes. (more…)

Planning a holiday each year can be pretty stressful as most people are faced with the dilemma that they feel they really need a good holiday to relax and unwind but can’t really afford one. This debate usually results in the holiday being put on the credit card and forgotten about where it sits collecting interest and becomes added to that year’s debt.

This can mean that you feel more stressed as a result of booking the holiday worrying how you will pay it off when you get home, which is far from ideal.

A better idea can be to open a savings account specifically for a holiday fund that you can build up throughout the year. You start by thinking about how much a holiday will cost then dividing it by 12, you then make a deposit into the account each month for this amount allowing it to accrue. Ideally you’d try to save a little extra so that you can also cover your spending money. Adding this cost into your monthly budgeting really will make it so much easier to save and will take the stress and extra cost out of getting a holiday on credit and pay interest fees on top of the cost of your holiday.

A tourism officer is someone that tries to increase the amount of tourism in an area or that visit an attraction in order to increase revenue or awareness. Sometimes the officers work for a local authority but other times they may be employed by an agency or a private company.

There are many ways in which you can increase the level of tourism to a place but it does need to be done with care. If you start to promote a place in the wrong way you can end if actually giving it a bad reputation and putting more people off.

The role of a tourist office is to plan events, liaise with the public and local and public agencies. They are also normally responsible for much of the behind the scenes work such as booking acts, arranging any catering and security of an event. If you love working with people and have a flare for being creative then it may be a job for you.

Eco tourism is growing in popularity as people are becoming more aware of the effect tourism can have on poor areas with fragile communities. Tourism does generally bring money to an area but it can be a case of making the rich in that area richer and the poor suffer because of expanding businesses.

Eco Tourism in Kenya involves staying in the ‘eco cottages’ which are huts built by the local people in safe areas. These are at a fairly low cost to tourists but all money generated by renting them out is put straight back into improving the surrounding community.

The aid workers in this area are endeavouring to boost the profile of the women and young girls in this area by giving them access to education and good health care to empower them to realise their rights and their full potential.

This is a great way to really immerse yourself into the African culture and a chance to give a little back to help build and strengthen communities.

If you’re looking for a bit of a different holiday suitable for all the family then an outdoor adventure holiday could be just what you need. This kind of trip is perfect for those with teenagers that are fed up of ‘boring beach holidays with Mum & Dad’.

There are many companies that offer great trips within the UK with scheduled outdoor activities over a week-long vacation including your accommodation and travel arrangements as a package deal. These can be great value for money and are good to get a taste of a range of different activities.

Amongst the most popular activities to try are rock climbing, white water rafting and kayaking as well as the less adventurous ones such as paintballing, go karting and off road cycling.

These activities often focus on team building and working together through challenges to complete courses so really are ideal for quality time with the family to help build bonds that last a lifetime.

Not everyone wants their vacation crowded by tourists. In fact, many people wish they knew of a little-known hideaway where they could enjoy a paradise trip without all of the crowds that usually come with the experience. Balaia is one such place.

Balaia is a wonderful place to visit. It’s a small village on the coast of Algarve, Portugal, known mostly for its small sporting community and its nice and quiet beaches. It has the feel of a time gone by. Terracotta roofs are still the style of construction in Algarve for instance. Balaia has a small number of hotels and villas for holiday traffic, and Balaia holiday villas are a great way to experience the village. (more…)

There are many beautiful locations all over the UK. Some of these areas are protected in terms of wildlife or developments. Tourists flock to these locations from all over the UK and the rest of the world to experience the breath taking sights and nature that they have to offer. But how does this tourism affect the areas and those that live there?
Unfortunately some people think that it is ok to drop litter and rubbish wherever they like. They will have a BBQ or a picnic and literally just dump their rubbish on the ground. This can be dangerous to the wildlife in the area and also damaging to the environment.
Often the increase in visitors to an area can cause damage to trees, plants and pathways. If there is a particular building or monument that visitors want to see, this needs to be protected. A good example of this is at Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a national legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument and therefore the amount of tourists allowed to view it is limited. Also tourists are not allowed to get as close as they would possibly like to, to avoid damage and vandalism.

An increasingly popular holiday option among many people is the idea of training in survival techniques. There are plenty of holiday packages which you can pay for which will take place in the wild, where you are accompanied by a trainer who will guide you on how to survive in the wild. From learning how to start a fire with no matches or modern day conveniences, to learning how to catch your own food; this type of holiday can give you a crash course in everything you need to survive in a situation where your survival is at risk.

Not only does this type of getaway offer you training in useful techniques, and give you a greater idea of what you would go through if you were living in prehistoric conditions, but it can also be a very fun holiday. You can go with your family, and be exposed to things that you would never expect to encounter while on a typical holiday.