With the Christmas festivities over and the imminent approach of work lurking in the background, it is no wonder people can feel a little deflated towards the end of the holidays. Indeed, with all the manic preparations yuletide brings, coupled with squabbling relatives, it can leave even the most Christmas-spirited person yearning for some rest and relaxation before another year begins.

Taking yourself off for an indulgent New Year break then, can be seen as the perfect solution. As it goes, there so many interesting places around the UK to visit, as well as some amazing festive activities to experience.

Take Edinburgh, for example. With hundreds of thousands of people flocking to the Scottish capital every year to experience Hogmanay, the city puts on a spectacular end of the year celebration. The street party is the most popular attraction, with four live stages boasting an array of music and entertainment.

There is also the Concert in the Gardens, which features some great musicians, as well as the opportunity to partake in some traditional Scottish revelry with the Glayva Ceilidh in the Gardens. The festivities culminate in an impressive fireworks display against the stunning backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, providing visitors with a truly unique start to the New Year.

Alternatively, you could head to the English capital to involve yourself in some serious partying. The Moondance is London’s biggest New Year’s event, which sees 60 DJs and MCs, in addition to 3,500 revellers convene to celebrate the end of the year in true London fashion.

For something a bit different, you could always head to the Bond Ball. Priding itself on offering guests a decadent night to remember, it is described as a ‘secret spy soiree’ which is akin to something out of a James Bond movie! However, make sure to book early enough for this popular even.

If you can think of nothing better than to switch off and indulge yourself, there are also a range of great spa breaks to find. In fact, why not escape the madness of city life by discovering a quiet hotel hidden away in the English countryside or the Scottish Highlands? Not only can you pamper yourself with a selection of beauty treatments designed to melt away any stress, but you can also go for romantic walks, soak up the charming scenery and enjoy cosy nights in the local pub, in front of a roaring fire.

But whatever you decide to do, there is a variety of New Year breaks to choose from. So, all you need do is decide whether you want to go out and party or simply kick back and let someone else do all the hard work for you!

Valentine’s Day is undoubtedly the most romantic day of the year. And what better excuse is there for taking a night or two away from it all and perhaps even surprising your partner in the process?

As far as the men are concerned, booking a romantic meal at a quiet location can prove a wonderful way to treat the woman in your life. In addition, if you choose to surprise her with a romantic break, you could call ahead and ask for some champagne and chocolates to be left in the room for your arrival. She’s sure to appreciate every little detail like this!

But the great thing is that you don’t need to go too far afield to enjoy a night away from home for Valentine’s. In fact, from doing a bit of research you may find that there are suitable locations for a break close by that won’t take more than an hour or two to get to. That way you will have more time to enjoy your time away, rather than spending it on the motorway, which can spoil even the most well planned break, no matter how nice the venue itself might be.

If you manage to find somewhere really romantic, you could even keep the hotel itself as a surprise. Women love to be pampered and taken care of, so if you merely say you are going out for a meal (having smuggled an overnight bag in the car first of course) you can keep the surprise of the room until later on.

But the best part about staying away from home for Valentine’s is simply that you will be able to spend some quality time together. And if you have busy working lives then this becomes even more important, as you can both wind down and enjoy each other’s company.

Of course you won’t want to stay in your hotel room for the duration of your time away. Plan to stay somewhere that is picturesque and charming if you can, and if you decide to plan a short getaway together, remember that you can still surprise your other half if you put some prior thought into it. Indeed, a woman might appreciate tickets to see a romantic film for example, whereas a man might enjoy having the chance to visit some kind of sporting occasion. Either way, make sure you pick activities that you will both enjoy in some way.

In the end, whether you keep it a secret or not, romantic breaks can really enhance your relationship and provide a romantic getaway from your normal everyday lives. And the best time to start thinking about it is now; leaving you plenty of time to plan the perfect surprise.

When you’re visiting the largest city in Europe, you may need a helping to ensure you’re not missing out on any of the best bits. And sightseeing tours are an ideal way to take in the top sights and attractions that London has to offer; where you can tailor your tour to suit whatever it is you wish to see.

Bus tours are operated by several rival companies, so you have the option to price shop between them in order to find the best deal. Open top double-decker buses set off every fifteen minutes from Victoria Station, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly, amongst other popular and well known tourist spots. It is important to understand that tours take roughly two hours, but remember you can usually hop on and off the bus as you please; so if something catches your eye, there’s nothing stopping you from taking a closer look.

If you’re looking for a sightseeing tour with a twist then look out for the amphibious World War II vehicles, which allow you to take a combined bus and boat tour along both road and river. The tour departs from behind the London Eye, where you tour the city streets for about 45 minutes, passing popular landmarks like Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. The multitasking vehicle then takes to the River Thames where you can enjoy a view of the city from its watery banks.

Walking tours are another appealing way to get up close and personal with all that Britain’s captivating capital has to offer. Guided by local specialists, walking tours tend to combine historical information with interesting tales, meaning you can discover some facts of London in the most interesting of ways.

General walking tours are also easy to find and can prove one of the best ways to see some of the more popular landmarks. You can also choose from the variety of themed tours on the market, varying from literary pub crawls to Beatles tours.

In fact, the city of London was a compelling source of inspiration for great writers such as William Shakespeare, William Blake and of course, Charles Dickens. With themed tours available on literary greats such as these, you can catch a glance into a world gone by and see for yourself some of the features of London that sparked the imagination of many.

What’s more, you can indulge your dark side with a Jack the Ripper tour where Londoners and visitors alike can explore the shadowy East End alleyways where the infamous murders occurred. The trip round the crooked and cobbled alleyways of Whitechapel and Spitalfields offer an insightful glimpse into Victorian life in London, which is a must for anyone with an interest in the macabre side of the city.

It is also good to know that many of the London Hotels should have further information on sightseeing tours, if you feel you should need it. Of course, the most difficult decision may be choosing which tour ticks all the boxes for you.
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Summer is upon us again, and naturally many are choosing to spend the warmest season of the year exploring different countries and cultures. Thanks to low-cost airlines and the ease of using the internet for booking, even the most fiscally-impaired are able to organise holidays that won’t break the bank.

But what about staying in touch while travelling? There’s obviously the possibility of using the phones at your accommodation, or taking your mobile phone with you. However, the phones available at your accommodation generally may not be the cheapest to use, and depending on the landline infrastructure in your visiting country, might not provide you with the best connection either.

Bringing your mobile phone abroad to stay in touch with friends can seem more convenient, as the phone can be with you at all times, making calls easy. Mobile phones have become prevalent in most countries since the turn of the millennium – indeed, some countries that have poor landline infrastructure, such as China, have a vastly superior mobile phone network, with a rapidly improving quality of service and competitive prices. However, due to confusing roaming charges, travellers could find that bringing their phones with them on holidays abroad can leave them with call charges that cost almost as much as the holiday itself.

A recent survey by the European Union found that the standard price for roaming calls home costs around 4 – 6 Euros for just four minutes, and could cost significantly more. For example, an Austrian holidaymaker in Malta could pay 9.51 Euros for a call home of this length, while a Cypriot travelling through Belgium could end up shelling out 12 Euros. It is no surprise then, that the same survey showed that 63% of Europeans would rather leave their phones at home than worry about the intricacies of mobile phone roaming charges.

An increasing number of holidaymakers are therefore opting to simply leave their phones at home and forego the local landlines in favour of voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services to stay in touch with friends and family. VoIP providers allow users to make calls and other services, such as video calls, over the internet for free, meaning it costs holidaymakers no more than the cost of going online. Nowadays, internet connections are available at hotels, motels and guesthouses all around the world and several internet cafés use the availability of VoIP services as a selling point.

So if you’re going a holiday abroad this summer, leave your phone at home and you’ll find that using the web can provide a better and cheaper way of staying in touch with friends and family.

Disclaimer: Andrew Regan writes on behalf of a digital marketing agency. He hopes you enjoyed his article, but urges you to seek further understanding of its topics before making any decisions based on its content.

The internet has long been associated with disruptive technologies, the most obvious case being the entertainment industry, where stagnating record labels and Hollywood studios have found that polarised tastes and easy transferability have turned power over to consumers.

Another, perhaps not as obvious case, is the telecoms industry. A decade ago, backpackers would keep in touch with friends and family with the odd letter retrieved from a poste restante. Then, following the turn of the millennium, mobile phones became more prevalent, and people became able to make calls regardless of location, subject to the limitations of their mobile phone contract and handset.

However, using a mobile phone abroad can be a costly experience, with confusing roaming charges often getting the better of tourists. Indeed, OfCom in June 2008 put out a news release titled “How to avoid the holiday mobile bill blues”, giving readers advice how to keep mobile phone bills down while abroad. This is sagely advice for anyone planning a trip to another country, highlighting horror stories such as that of a British holidaymaker who recently returned from a trip to Austria only to find a bill for over £4,000 for usage, being informed that the 5GB data roaming card he had purchased was restricted to 50MB due to operator limitations.

In addition, the European Union is advocating more clarity in roaming charges and tariffs and is putting pressure on the telecoms industry to drive down its costs to consumers.

As a result, mobile phones are slowly losing favour with holidaymakers as Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (or VoIP) services are enabling them to stay in touch with friends and family for no more than the price of an internet connection.

Previously, most online communication – chat rooms, e-mail and online messengers – allowed people to communicate for free, but they did not offer the simplicity or immediacy of a phone call, and before the advent of broadband or even ISDN, could be less dependable than even the crackliest phone connection. Nowadays, however, it is a different story.

A VoIP program effectively works as an online messenger that allows communicating users to make free calls, using headsets, or for those who do not have dedicated equipment, headphones and a microphone.

If you are heading abroad this summer it is highly unlikely that you won’t find an internet café that will provide this service – indeed, many internet cafés attract customers solely for this purpose – meaning that, rather than running the risk of coming home to a phone bill more expensive than your holiday, you can stay in touch with those who matter most just as conveniently and for free.