Based on predictions of tour operators, China will have a bullish post-Olympic year especially in the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, and Xi’an. Additional destinations in China are under consideration as tourists are beginning to come forward and book with companies offering 2009 tours to China. Shanghai, one of the top places to visit, no doubt Shanghai is being marketed as the place to be on July 22, 2009 when a total eclipse of the sun will cover this highly populated city. In addition, Shanghai will host Expo 2010 during ... read more

The Cayman Islands – Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman – are three small islands in the Caribbean, lying between Cuba and Jamaica. Grand Cayman is the largest island. It is the most commercial, and despite being a British Overseas Territory it feels more like America with the big SUVs and shopping centres. Looks horrible doesn't it? But is it better than Wales? Famed worldwide as a tax haven its five-star hotels and Seven Mile Beach are frequented by the ... read more

The Cayman Islands – Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman – are three small islands in the Caribbean, lying between Cuba and Jamaica. Grand Cayman is the largest island. It is the most commercial, and despite being a British Overseas Territory it feels more like America with the big SUVs and shopping centres. Looks horrible doesn't it? But is it better than Wales? Famed worldwide as a tax haven its five-star hotels and Seven Mile Beach are frequented by the ... read more

New Zealand is comprised of two islands located to the southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea; a stretch of water named after Abel Janzsoon Tasman. The Maoris who lived there for hundreds of years did not welcome Tasman and his crew as they came ashore in 1642. Until their arrival, New Zealand was isolated from the rest of the world. The Maoris killed most of Tasman’s crew; however others survived to tell the world all about the inhabitants on the island. Maoris are the rightful inhabitants of New ... read more

Japan is a popular tourist destination having beautiful shrines, monuments, temples and magnificent architectural masterpieces. However, Japan can be a stressful country to visit for those without some knowledge of the Japanese language. It is therefore helpful to plan well and seek out guided tours to save yourself from excess frustration. It is a good idea to carry a card with your hotel name and address and some basic Japanese phrases as an aid for times you need directions or other help. Japan is a wonderful land of contrasts Overall, Japan ... read more

There are two major components of a vacation that tend to take the bulk of a budget - the accommodations and the traveling expenses.  Staying close to home or at least within driving distance can help to cut down on the bottom line, but there are other ways to enjoy some of the best vacations in the world at rock bottom prices. Stay really, really, really close to home. The first thing you will have to determine is just what you consider cheap.  A $5000 getaway may seem ... read more

Anyone who has sat through a slideshow of utterly lame pictures of family and friends on the beach, all looking horribly burned and/or way, way fatter than you remember, will appreciate a good travel book when they read one. Holidays. Fun. Sometimes With summer a few months away and most of us clinging on to work through the spring months as we await our precious two-week breaks, now is the ideal time to hunker down with a great travel novel and live vicariously through the pens of the ... read more

Anyone that has ever travelled through more than one time zone has likely experienced jetlag.  Your body struggles to adapt to the change in time and you might find yourself miserable during this process.  Everyone experiences jetlag differently. Some people have very little trouble adjusting while others struggle for multiple days.  During this time a person can experience a number of symptoms related to jetlag. The symptoms can be rather frustrating. Flying rocks, but jet lag is terrible - can it make you ill? Say you fly from New York ... read more

‘The devil himself had probably redesigned Hell in the light of information he had gained from observing airport layouts.’ - Anthony Price My dad used to travel from London to Geneva and back the next day, three times a month. He kept this up for a year. Upon his return, I would stare into his eyes and realise that some part of him, some fundamental, happy part, had died forever. It wasn’t the work he had to do when he got there, it was the getting there that got him. The word ‘ashen’ springs to mind. ... read more

‘You haven’t been on a cruise? Oh, you have to go on a cruise.’ These are words that many of us will be familiar with. A cruise is a very specific type of holiday, with very specific pleasure criteria. Floating on a ship the size of the moon for nigh-on two weeks is not everyone’s idea of a great time, but for some it really hits the spot, and this is what triggers the outpourings of love and recommendation.... read more