With many of us feeling the need to tighten belts and ease up on expenditure in these economically gloomy times, it still matters to arrange for a little beam of sunlight to cut through the grey mist every so often. And getting away from home for a couple of days is one very effective way of introducing some much needed levity and fun into the routines of life. For everyone on a tightened budget, this might seem like a wishful daydream, but there some great offers to be found out there which will get you out of the house (relaxing ... read more

Over 1 in 10 Britons want to migrate in the near future, according to a recent survey. For every 10 of your family, friends or colleagues, one of them is unhappy with the quality of life, the cost of living and the weather. Immigration is an even more appealing prospect for the younger generation in a climate where property prices, job competition and unemployment after graduation are realities for thousands of overqualified and underpaid students. If you think this trend is new, think again. Anyone heading to warmer climes this year will be joining a population of over 5 million ... read more

As the ski season approaches the question arises again of whether it is better to save money and avoid the crowds or avoid the cold by taking a holiday later in the season. The Christmas and New Year period is always going to be busy, although it is still possible to find good deals. However, at that time the snow may not be at its best. Generally the best bargains can be found in January and this is also the time when snow conditions should be good. It is also when temperatures dip to their lowest so warm clothes are essential. European ... read more

We’ve all been there. Before Christmas, Valentine’s Day seems like a far distant occasion, safely wrapped in the mists of the remote future. Then all of a sudden you can see the whites of its eyes; like those frightening ‘Weeping Angels’ from Doctor Who, you blink and it’s staring you reproachfully in the face. It’s tomorrow – and this is one tomorrow, unlike most of the others we talk about, which is definitely going to come. You haven’t put any thought into it, and you don’t have a gift for that special person in your life. What makes it worse ... read more

Being the victim of crime when you are in familiar surroundings is difficult enough. When you are abroad in a foreign country, it can be the factor that exacerbates an already very stressful and unpleasant situation. Tourists are an ideal target for thieves; 1 in 20 will be the victim of some sort of crime on holiday. The problem with tourists is that they are generally easy to spot, they usually carry large amounts of currency and they often wander off the beaten path, ignorant to the risks they are taking. As a tourist, it is difficult to be any ... read more

Italy possesses a rich culture. Art, music, food and architecture - the country features near the top spot worldwide for nearly all of these. It’s a pleasant coincidence, then, that these are high up in the list of things most wanted on a good holiday. However, Italy’s embarrassment of riches can also be its Achilles heel. Even scratching the surface of all that Italy has to offer would take more than a month, a luxury most of us cannot afford. So in a country so full of great places to visit, where do you start?... read more

To give you an idea of the scale of our sewer system in the UK, every day we flush nearly 11 million tons of raw sewage down our toilets. This is 77 million tons per week, or 4,004 million tons a year. That is just shy of half a billion tons of raw sewage, just in the UK, channelled through nearly 400,000km of sewer systems. We are clearly a dirty bunch, and it is not exactly something we can decide not to do. Unfortunately, despite having nigh on half a million kilometres of piping lying underground waiting for our outpour, it appears that is still not enough to protect our beaches. read more

During the recent catastrophic global economic collapse (you might have caught it on the news) Iceland almost went bankrupt. In January of this year, the government collapsed due to public dissent over the handling of the financial crisis. A new, left-wing government was formed shortly afterwards, the combined debt of the banks reaching six times that of the country’s gross domestic product, at that time around €14 billion. As of July this year, the interest rate stands at 12%, down from a record 18% at the end of last year. It's been a ... read more

“Yeah, but the book was better.” It’s almost like a mantra, a sort of badge of honour to tell your friends that sure, the movie was OK but you read the book first and the book just happened to be better. Conventional wisdom dictates that anything once removed from its source material is inevitably going to be worse. A photograph of the Mona Lisa is no Mona Lisa, after all. But there are times when the movie is better than the book. It’s rare, but it happens. This is a celebration of those instances when you can thumb your nose at ... read more

In 2010, the Football World Cup will be held in South Africa. Second only to the Olympics in terms of size and popularity, the World Cup is a time where friendly rivalries overlap with community, competitiveness and fun. For any nation hosting such an event, there is one overriding, primary concern: security. It's a lovely place though South Africa is the rape captial of the world. Robbery, armed assault, carjackings, muggings, thefts, pickpocketing, kidnapping and corruption are all common occurrences. By general consensus, South Africa is considered the most dangerous country in the world ... read more