And whether you’re off to Lower Saxony in the north, mountainous Bavaria, the Swabian or Black Forest in Baden-Wurttemberg, or the great cities of Berlin, Hamburg or Cologne, you can’t do better than rent a villa. These combine all the comforts of home with complete flexibility, and make a great alternative to staying in a hotel.

With plenty of space for everyone instead of a cramped room, and self-catering facilities to prepare your own meals and picnics, renting a villa is about the closest you can get to the lifestyle of the locals. Do your own shopping at the local markets and practice your language skills, and eat out at the local restaurants rather than being tied down to fixed meal times, without the worry of getting up early for breakfast.

Germany has a particularly wide range of villas available for hire, from small converted farmhouses in the countryside to medieval, gabled merchants’ houses in the towns and cities, and you can even rent your own castle if you want to go for the full Teutonic experience!

Villas in Germany are the natural, cost-effective way to sample the wonders of this remarkable country at your own speed.

Last minute cruises are ideal if you aren’t too worried about where you will be going.  Some people aren’t worried about going to a specific destination; instead it is the holiday itself they are most concerned about.  They want to make sure they have a good time and provided they can relax nothing much else matters.

Last minute cruises are readily available to many destinations and the best place to look for them is online.  You can sometimes get a better deal because the cruise company wants to fill up as many cabins as possible.  To do this the company will sell off any remaining cabins at a lower price if you are willing to book at the last minute.

And sometimes it really can be at the last minute too.  One recent online listing was for a 14 day cruise that was leaving in just two days time!  Obviously this may be too soon for some people, but if you are well organised and prepared to pack and head off at a moment’s notice, this could well suit you.

A lot will depend on how many other people might be travelling on the cruise with you.  If you have to arrange it for several people you may not have the time to make it work unless you have a couple of weeks notice.

After a day on the slopes above Bansko, there’s nothing more relaxing than a massage and a soak in hot mineral springs.  The village of Banya is just five kilometres out from Bansko, offering visitors the perfect finishing touch to their ski holiday. Above and beyond the ski slopes and the hot springs, however, Bansko is also known for its variety of restaurants featuring a range of national cuisine as well as several Irish and British pubs and restaurants catering to the U.K. traveller. In addition to the winter and summer festivities, the town also features an annual women’s race in the Alpine Skiing World Cup and the annual Bansko Jazz Festival. And to finish off the perfect winter or summer holiday in Bansko there is also a scenic train ride on the route from Septemvri to Dobrinishte, two villages in the surrounding mountains.

Tenerife is a popular tourist destination and the largest of the Canary Islands. As well as a rich Spanish history, the island also offers many stunning attractions, including the breathtaking Anaga Massif and gorgeous valleys such as Valle de Güímar, known for its wines. Also worth visiting is Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island’s capital, which offers a thriving nightlife and the famous Santa Cruz Carnival.

For those who love nature, Lanzarote is worth exploring. The fourth largest of the Canary Islands, Lanzarote is known for its wide selection of plants and wildlife. There are a variety of fascinating locations to explore, including Timanfaya National Park, which is known for its rare plants. Also worth visiting is the Lanzarote Aquarium, which houses many fascinating creatures.

Gran Canaria is worth a visit for those looking for an idyllic location. Famous for its sandy beaches and stunning villages, Gran Caneria has much to offer. The second largest of the Canary Islands, Gran Caneria’s many attractions have made it one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world. The island also has a large shopping centre and a bird park as well as an archaeological park and a botanical garden.

The beautiful views and attractions offered by the Canary Islands are sure to make your holiday cruise a memorable experience. 

First, you need to make sure that valuable items are not left in the villa during the time you want to rent it. Accidents happen and things get broken. If you really care about something put it away – don’t trust strangers to treat your valuables with respect.

Secondly, you are going to need to clear out your clothes, toiletries and other personal items. If this is just your holiday villa then chances are it will be much easier to clear these items out. However, if you live in this villa you will need to consider where all these items are going to be stored.

Additionally, you will need to make a list of all contents to ensure both you and your tenants are aware of all facilities and fixtures provided. This list is verified at the end of the tenant’s stay and any breakages or damaged items are compensated for accordingly.

In addition, you will have to make sure everything is in working order and that there are support staff available to solve any problems that may occur during your tenant’s stay.

There are quite a few things to consider before you decide to rent your villa.

You will find you have lots of options to choose from as well, so you may want to consider taking a two week cruise (or longer if you can) to really make the most of it.  Imagine an itinerary which benefits from stops in San Juan, Grenada, Dominica and many more exotic and exciting locations.  These are the kinds of destinations that regularly pop up on Caribbean cruises, so if you can afford to go on one you should definitely make a booking.

Of course there are other more familiar destinations on offer as well.  If you like the sound of visiting St Lucia or Jamaica, for example, you can make these dreams come true on board Caribbean cruises as well.  The best way of visiting such places is to approach them from the sea, because you can sit back and watch as your next stop gradually comes into view as you sail towards it.

There is no doubt that Caribbean cruises offer an amazing degree of luxury, both in their destinations and the surroundings on the cruise ship.  All the cruise ships that visit this part of the world offer sensational facilities to enjoy as you prepare to see your first slice of the Caribbean.  Which port will you call into first?

Antarctica is one of the last great wildernesses on Earth and because of the extreme climate and dangerous terrain holidaymakers can only go as part of an organised cruise. Experts in the wildlife of the area, who are also very experienced in travelling through and surviving in such an extreme environment, always accompany these cruises.  The ships’ crews are also very experienced in navigating these waters.

Despite its inhospitable climate Antarctica is a beautiful place to visit with its majestic icebergs and unique wildlife including colonies of penguins and seals, seabirds and whales.  Most cruises head to the Antarctica Peninsula region, which may also include South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. There are also cruises that go to the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea region and East Antarctica. These cruises generally include visits to historical settlements, emperor penguin colonies, the Dry Valleys and other remote areas.

As Antarctica is a protected area there is a limit on the number of people who can go ashore at any one time. Some people will take a cruise to Antarctica and never leave the cruise ship. However, a number of cruises do offer zodiac cruising in small boats which gives tourists the opportunity to see the icebergs up close and to spot Humpback whales or Minke whales. Trips to one of the research stations located in Antarctica are also possible and give an interesting insight into life on a modern research station.

Perhaps best known for its controversial Sex Museum, red light district and mellow coffee shops, Amsterdam has much more to offer than pornography, peep shows and pot. Top tourist attractions include the Anne Frank House, Dam Square, Oude Kerk, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum (modern art) and the Tropenmuseum (anthropology). There are also numerous windmills and parks. Two of its prominent top-end hotels are the Krasnapolsky and the Okura.

Amsterdam has good shopping facilities, from luxury department stores (e.g., Maison de Bonneterie) to speciality and curiosity shops arranged along most of the cobbled side streets. A plethora of cafes generally stay open at all hours; if you work up an appetite, you are never far away from a decent restaurant. At night, the atmosphere in Amsterdam becomes noticeably more intimate, and certainly during the summer months, the outside terraces will be filled with wine-drinkers getting acquainted by candlelight, and chilled-out couples relaxing in the moonlight. Nightlife centres around the Leidseplein and the Rembrandtplein, where tourists who want to dance and socialise can find a good choice of discos, bars and clubs.

Amsterdam is characterised by its numerous canals, intersected by pathways, side streets and bridges. Cycling is the most popular and encouraged mode of transport. Trains, buses and trams also operate on a regular basis – and additionally there are even water taxis to take travellers across the canals. Amsterdam loves music and parties, and plays host to over 100 festivals a year, including Gay Pride and the Holland Festival. The main airport serving Amsterdam is Schiphol, around 10km from the city centre.

The best place to look is on the internet because this will provide you with the most up to date information about the latest cruise deals.  Sometimes you can get last minute deals that offer superb value for money.  It pays to be more flexible when looking for last minute cruise deals because there may only be room left on a limited number of cruise ships.  The most popular ones tend to get booked up well in advance in many cases.

You should also have a firm idea of the kind of cruise you want.  This will cut down the amount of time you will spend searching for the best deals.  Alternatively you can be open to anything, and in fact this can be better because you can watch out for the best cruise deals from all providers and in all parts of the world.

Try looking for cruises run by different companies as well.  For example don’t just stick to P&O – look at cruise deals offered by Costa Cruises and Thomson Cruises as well.  This will provide the largest number of options and give you the best chance of getting a great price.

In short, if you want to enjoy a discount cruise holiday, make sure you check online first for the best possible prices.

There are hundreds of stunning nature reserves all over this beautiful country. South Africa is also home to the largest baobab tree in the world – at six thousand years old, it is 22 metres high and 47 metres in circumference! With both mountainous and desert landscapes to thrill and inspire visitors, South Africa has the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal, the magnificent Palace of the Lost City at Rustenburg, the bustling port of Durban, the Table Mountain backdrop of eclectic Cape Town (the most popular international tourist destination) and the buzzing vibe of Johannesburg (the largest and wealthiest city, but not the country’s capital).

South Africa is also home to some of the oldest and most significant archaeological sites in the world. Cape Town has numerous attractions, from the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Two Oceans Aquarium and more than 25 beaches across False Bay, the West Coast and Atlantic Seaboard. Accommodation is plentiful across a range of regions and resorts, from rustic B&Bs and rental apartments to deluxe hotels.