Rye/Camber Sands, East Sussex
Two hours from London and only a short drive from bustling Brighton, Camber Sands is a picturesque stretch of coastline that, although popular, is large enough to never feel busy even in the height of summer. It has been dubbed the kite surfing capital of the UK, and is a haven for wildlife with plenty of scenic walks. Just down the road is the medieval town of Rye, with cobbled streets, cosy local pubs and the famous clock tower of St Mary’s to climb should you feel the urge. After a day’s exertions head for the snug at the Mermaid Inn – one of the oldest and most haunted pubs in Britain.

Image courtesy of Su–May via Flickr creative commons

Masham, the Yorkshire Dales
The perfect country getaway destination, Masham is famous for its two breweries, Black Sheep and Theakstons, and other attractions include a golf course and pony trekking centre. A tiny market town with a population of just 1,235, Masham offers visitors the perfect escape from busy city life. The market itself has been in operation twice weekly since 1393, and there are also numerous antiques stores, tearooms and cosy little shops to explore. A good time to visit is the end of September when the annual Masham Sheep Fair takes place.

Image courtesy of Helen Olney via Flickr creative commons

Loch Ness/Urquhart Castle, Scotland
The Scottish Highlands are one of the most beautiful areas of the UK. Acres of snow-topped mountains and heather-strewn glens make up this remote area. The legend of the Loch Ness Monster has been drawing tourists here for centuries, yet it never feels busy or crowded. Nearby Urquhart Castle is also worth a visit – now a ruin, this was once a majestic stronghold and retains an element of that majesty to this day. To round off your trip head out to the Glen Ord Distillery to sample some of the finest whisky Scotland has to offer.

Image courtesy of Assaulted Peanut via Flickr creative commons

Cardiff, Wales
If a city break is more your style then you could do far worse than Cardiff. The Welsh capital was recently voted one of the best shopping destinations in the UK. This is the perfect time of year to pay a visit as the city boasts not one but two fabulous Christmas markets. Get settled down at night on a cosy hotel mattress in one of Cardiff’s top hotels, and then head out during the day for some unrivalled retail therapy.

This was a guest post provided by Hotel Contract Beds – the UK’s leading hotel folding bed & mattress supplier.

You have to be really eagle-eyed to spot a biomass boiler in a hotel, as they’re usually in a storage cupboard concealed from the guests’ view, but a more visible sign of a hotel’s eco credentials is a wind turbine. Any hotel which generates its own energy using the power of wind is worth staying in, especially if located in a valley or on the coast where exposure to wind is much greater, meaning the likelihood of power failure is low.

Similarly, if a hotel has solar panels on its roof, you’ll know for sure that its owners are doing their best to cut down on the amount of CO2 it omits into the atmosphere. By using natural sunlight, solar panels can do anything from power the lighting system to heat the water. Solar panels are also pretty reliable, especially in a country with a persistently sunny climate.

Other things to look out for when searching for the ideal eco-friendly accommodation include the use of fluorescent light bulbs, requests to turn off electrical items when not needed and technology used to retain rainwater. If it ticks all those boxes, then your accommodation is most certainly green.

Author Bio

This article was provided by Dulas the green technology company they have been established since 1984. In this time they have strived to making the world a greener more environmentally friendly place.

There are actually two options you can take. The first one is to make a tour by yourself and I can tell you how to do it. In fact I would not recommend this to you if you are visiting Krakow for first time. So all you need to do is to go to some of the big stores and buy a guided Krakow book. The latest version of the book is really great and it has listed all of the tourist-friendly places. So all you have to do is to follow the directions and choose the places you are interested in.

The second and more preferable one is to take a guided tour. It is true that you will spend more money on this but I can ensure you that you will be more satisfied than the first option.

By the way since you are looking for MUST DO things in one of the worldwide known countries for its vodka producing I guess you know what you should try. Just go to any bar and ask the bartender for any recommendations. I can ensure you that you will taste some of the world’s finest vodka. Just don’t drink too much because the consequences can be awful.

Then go to Schindler’s factory – it is a really nice museum in which you can see many interesting photos and notes from the World War II. Here is a link that is useful – http://cracow-life.com/culture/culture_details/1163-Oskar_Schindler%27s_Factory. If you are looking for one day trips you should go to Auschwitz. Then go back to Krakow, walk downtown, visit the Wawel castle and St. Mary’s church.

I think those place are really the ones that you must visit while you are in Krakow. By the way I would recommend you to rent apartment Krakow because they are really cheap as apartment in Kiev or apartment in Split but since you want to visit those places I really think that you should stay at a hotel because most of the hotels are located in the central parts of Krakow and most of those places are really easily accessible from downtown. It is true that you will spend some extra money on accommodation but at least you will save some trouble with transportation. I mean if you rent an apartment in the suburbs then you will have to take a taxi and if you make a simple calculation you will see that the money you are going to give for taxi is the same amount as the money you will spend for a hotel room.

Award for the most protective dad – Lion

Most people know that the male lion’s reputation as a father precedes him.  Known for his lazy and disinterested attitude towards parenting, as head of the pride he happily lies in the shade and sleeps while the females look after the kids and ‘bringing in the bacon’. That is no mean task with the male needing around 65 pounds of meat to get enough calories for day to day living.

The male lion is also quite the Casanova, with a prides of 7 or more lionesses and plenty of cubs there is lots for them to look after.  Unfortunately 4 out of 5 lion cubs die before reaching their first birthday so the male lion has to have as many cubs as he can to keep the blood line going. However, lions actually make surprisingly good dads. Male lions only hold their position as head of the pride for around 2 years but during that time if the pride is threatened the male lion strongly defends the whole pride.

Award for the best disciplinarian – Mountain Gorilla

Living in family groups of around 30, the dominant male silverback gorilla is always the one in charge.  On his broad shoulders is the responsibility of finding food and where the group should stay, which considering gorillas need up to 50 pounds of food a day this has to be exactly the right spot. Gorillas are quite disciplined, the males dine with mum first and then allow the cubs to join in. The males set examples of how to behave, settling any arguments within the group and fending off any threats against the family with displays of charging and chest beating. The silverback is in no way a neglectful father as he spends lots of time with his young and keeps an eye on them all the way up until their teens. The gorilla is a solid example of good parenting.  While at times he may come across a little controlling he is overall a very good dad.

Award for the most liberal minded dad – Greater Flamingo  

Flamingos are generally monogamous birds, who remain within the same mating pair for life. The males are caring and dutiful towards their spouses observing gender equality, not really seen anywhere else in the animal kingdom. Together they determine the site of their nest, usually constructed of mud, which dad helps mum to build. During incubating their egg, the male again shares equal responsibility, together they defend and rear their young hatchling.

Dad of the Year? – Seahorse

The Seahorse surely has to be one of the front runners for dad of the year for one very special reason. The male seahorse takes on the task of pregnancy. The female lays her eggs in a pouch on the male’s front. The male will then fertilize the eggs over a period of around 15 days, keeping them safe in his pouch before giving birth to up to 2,000 offspring. There are not many more dedicated dads, although it has been said they occasionally eat a few of their young, a factor somewhat overshadowed though.

For some more info on some of Africa’s top ten dads visit Mahlatini.com’s blog where you can read about their travels through Africa and see some stunning pictures of their adventures!

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With amazing weather and a socialite’s hot spot it’s no surprise that Dubai is a growing golfing destination for enthusiasts the world over. Some spectacular purpose made courses have been opened only recently which has sparked the flocking of golfers to the lawns to be the first to tee off on virgin courses. Famous competitions such as The Dubai Desert Classic and the Dubai Ladies Masters have brought even more acclaim to the area. Some of the more famous and frankly unmissable courses are:

The Majilis Course, Emirates Golf Club

The vast greens, ominous sand traps and plentiful water features make The Majilis course testing for even professional golfers.  It is famous for the afore mentioned Desert Classic and has attracted some of the world’s most famous golfers such as Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els. The Course’s first accolade came in 1898 when the European Tour made it its first Middle Eastern hosted event. Since then the club has grown in both class and exclusivity.

The Montgomerie Course, The Address Montgomerie Dubai Hotel and Golf Resort

The Montgomerie course is not one to be taken lightly. It spans an impressive 49 acres and boasts 81 bunkers and 14 lakes, it is a big course so make sure you have the day to really experience it. Remember not to take the Middle Eastern sun lightly and take precautions where necessary, golf transport is highly recommended; make sure you check out online golf holiday suppliers such as YourGolfTravel.com who have a whole list of extras to add to your golf holiday package.

The Els Club Course, The Els Club, Dubai Sports City

You can’t talk about golf in Dubai without a mention of Ernie Els designed super course the Els Club Course. Like many of the big courses in the city this is a very testing course for any golfer, featuring huge stunning lakes and sandy fairways described by Ernie himself as ‘desert links’. Throw in a quality finished club house and you have an experience you will never forget.

Figures from the office of National Statistics seem to suggest that all that has changed, beginning last summer, when overseas bookings rose by 0.8 per cent. This trend looks set to continue in 2012 as over 100,000 more people jetted off in February 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, with over 3 million Brits heading to the continent looking to escape the cold snap. It is good to see that the British holiday market has shown a bit of resilience and in the face of shaky consumer confidence on the high street and ever present economic gloom the industry was able to grow.

These latest figures show that rather than giving up on over seas holidays completely, many Brits are looking towards the greater financial security offered by tour operators and package holidays that are a little closer to home – but just not in Britain! Something that has seen an increase in popularity is shorter breaks and quick getaways. While the big ‘two weeker’ in the summer is still the mainstay of many overseas holiday makers from the UK, many people (particularly couples) are looking to take advantage of last minute deals on short breaks. On average the British household spends around £3,900 on overseas holidays.

This post was written by Andrew from www.majorcanholidays.co.uk – a great resource for reviews of resorts and hotels in Majorca for anybody looking to travel there.

Expectation is being driven by occasions such as the London Olympics (27 July -12 August), the Paralympics (29 August until 9 September) and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations to commemorate 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

Activities for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee have been arranged to celebrate this historic occasion and will centre around the long weekend of 2-5 June.

A special bank holiday has been agreed for the 5 June to ensure people across the UK can take part in the celebrations. Community activities will be encouraged to ensure that for those not able to visit the main events in London, an event of their own can be organised to add a local flavour to the celebrations.

The events taking place in London are expected to attract huge numbers of people from all over the world. Hotels will be operating at almost full capacity and prices will increase significantly during this period. For groups of friends or family thinking about booking cheap serviced apartments, London has a number of options to meet even the most demanding of requests.

Events taking place in May and June include the Parade and Muster at Windsor on 19 May. Some 2500 troops from the armed forces will parade through this most royal of towns and they will be joined by a fly past of historical and current forces aircraft. This moving tribute will give onlookers a rare opportunity to witness an inspiring parade of the UK’s highly regarded soldiers, sailors and pilots and for military enthusiasts this unique event is not to be missed. Windsor is easily accessible and with a large number of properties available as holiday rentals in London, these will provide an ideal base to enjoy the show.

The Epsom Derby is another historic event that the Queen will attend on 2 June. Famed for her love of horses, jockeys will race for the honour of winning a Derby that will form the opening event of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Although many of these events will be broadcast around the world, being there and soaking up the atmosphere will be hard to beat. With the hassle taken out of finding a place to stay with a range of holiday rentals London will create memories that will stay with you forever.

The Olympic torch route will pass through some wonderfully characteristic places in the UK, giving the country a chance to show off some of the best tourist spots and let the rest of Britain get involved in the Olympic Games. The torch will travel through cities and some of the more picturesque spots in the UK, so where is the best place the view the torch from? If you haven’t managed to get tickets for any of the events then viewing the torch on it’s route around the British Isles is a great way to get involved

Here we have gathered together few suggestions on where you can not only see the Olympic torch but would be a great place to spend a week if you’re planning a good old British summer holiday this year.

Inverness
One of Scotland’s most popular destinations, Inverness is set to have the torch pass through its streets on the 9th June. This northern city is close to Loch Ness and perfectly situated for visits to many great sites in the Scottish Highlands, such as the Cairngorms National Park, so seeing the Olympic torch will just add to the whole experience for you and your family.

Hexham
The Olympic torch will reach the quaint Northumbrian market town of Hexham on Saturday 16th June, on day 29 of its journey. Residents of Northumberland will be treated to plenty of chances to see the torch, but visitors will particularly enjoy a trip to Hexham because of its setting and character. It is only about 25 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Whitby
Day 31 on the torch journey will see it pass through one of Yorkshire’s finest coastal towns. Whitby is a historic fishing town that  was known more for the whaling in the past few centuries, but the abbey is promenantly featured in Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel which has turned it into somewhat of a cult Gothic town. There are lots of holiday cottages around the Whitby area which would be a good way to spend a week while catching sight of the Olympic torch, as the torch is only around Whitby for two hours.

Bowness
Bowness is famously one of the most aesthetically pleasing and welcoming places in the whole of the Lake District. The torch will reach the pier at about 18.45pm on the 21st June, so get your camera to the ready and prepare to make your time in the Lake District even more culturally significant.

Buxton
Day 42 of the journey will see the torch reach Buxton at about 5pm. The Derbyshire market town is also known as the ‘gateway to the Peak District’, much like Kendal is the ‘gateway to the Lake District’, so it is perfectly located for a true British holiday. The fact that the Olympic torch will pass through there is an added bonus.

There is plenty to do through out the UK during the Olympic period it’s not all about London. There are some fantastic places to stay throughout the UK and Regional Cottages has put together a list of holiday cottages avaliable to watch the Olympic torch relay from.

The torch’s journey will end at the Olympic Park on 27th July, ready to light the torch to end the six year journey and kick the Games off in style – then the celebrations will really begin!

Image courtesy of PitchUp.com

While looking for campsites in Devon and Cornwall, it’s important to bear a number of things in mind. Nearby amenities such as shops, pubs and on-site facilities are worth looking for, especially toilets, showers and, if necessary, Wi-Fi hotspots. You also need to think about equipment needed: taking cooking equipment could be a lot cheaper and less time-consuming than trying to find the nearest shop, especially if you’re camping somewhere off the beaten track.

Devon and Cornwall are packed with campsites, each of them offering fantastic views, plentiful local activities and attractions and fresh air. You could go walking along the jagged coastline of North Devon, explore the many wonders of Dartmoor, go kayaking or surfing just off the Cornish coast or, if you fancy something to do on a warm summer’s evening, go on a pub crawl in some of the local villages or towns.

Image courtesy of PitchUp.com

Camping holidays in the West Country, as well as the rest of the UK, are much more environmentally friendly than other types of holiday. When camping, you’re not constantly using electricity to keep you warm or bathed in sunlight, you rely on nature for light, you don’t drive everywhere like you would if staying at a hotel or B&B, and get to do more outdoor activities. Camping is also a lot cheaper, as you don’t have to fork out hundreds of pounds for hotel fees or thousands for a caravan.

For further information about Devon or Cornwall camping you can visit PitchUp.com

Online voucher code specialist Netvouchercodes.co.uk have put together an interesting infographic showing some of the most bizzare “collars” that custom officials have made. Must remember to put my Chameleon under my hat next time instead of on top of it!!

Source: NetVoucherCodes.co.uk