Dodrum Marina, Turkey (creative commons)

Turkey is a popular holiday destination with the Brits, but do you know all the tips you could benefit from when visiting this exciting country? Packed full of culture and thrilling attractions, there’s a lot to think about when visiting Turkey.

Where to stay

The south west of Turkey, referred to as the Turquoise Coast, offers visitors clean, unspoiled beaches and is often seen as the gateway to Turkey. Stay here for the perfect trip and look at top Turkish resorts including:
Belek
Bodrum
Kemer
Palmiye

Flights and airports

If you’re visiting the Turquoise Coast, Dalaman and Antalya Airport will be the most convenient destination airports. Both service regular flights to and from the UK, with a variety of holiday providers.

Currency

Before hopping off the plane, you’ll need to change your pounds for Turkish Lira. Depending on the exact rate, you will get around 2.75 Turkish Lira to the British pound.

History

Turkey is often referred to as the world’s largest open air museum because history is everywhere you look. From Julius Cesar to the Gulf War, Turkey has a vast and varied history, so make the most of it and get exploring!

Location

You will find Turkey where the Middle East meets the Mediterranean. It borders eight other countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Weather

The popular south west Turkish resorts have a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and wet winters, but up north towards the Black Sea, it is cooler all year round. Pack the sun cream, as temperatures can reach 35-40?C.

Antalya – Hadrian’s Gate by Ingo Mehling (Creative commons)

Cuisine

A blend between the spicy Middle East and traditional Mediterranean flavours, the traditional Turkish cuisine is popular with most visitors. However, you will find dishes from all around the world in the restaurants and cafés, so there’s no need to worry about missing your home favourites.

Things to do

If the swimming pool and beach isn’t enough to keep you occupied, don’t worry as there are plenty of things to do and see in Turkey. Some of the most popular attractions include:
Termessos and Güllük Dagi National Park
Antalya Archaeological Museum
Hadrian’s Gate, Antalya
Koprulu Canyon National Park
Castle of St. Peter, Bodrum

Beaches

Due to vast sea borders, Turkey has a lot of beaches. You will find some excellent beaches at the top resorts, but if you fancy venturing elsewhere, check out these gorgeous golden sands:
Marmaris
Kusadasi
Oludeniz
Bodrum
Antalya

Nightlife

For a true taste of the best nightlife in Turkey, there’s no better place than Istanbul. If you’re staying outside the city, other top destinations include Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris and Halikarnas.

If all this sounds right up your street, visit Club Med to find out more about luxury holidays to Turkey.

Gris’s Portrait of the Artist’s Mother, 1912

In the unending and unmeasurable and, probably, unjustifiable race to have the most absurdly expensive collection of coloured canvas hanging in the same place the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) has taken a sudden and substantial lead in the form of a billion dollar gift of representative cubist art from the billionaire philanthropist and cosmetics tycoon Leonard Lauder.

And it’s spectacular. Whether or not 78 paintings from the previous century can actually be “worth” a billion dollars is a debate for lawyers and insurance brokers and no doubt the internal revenue service who may be a little vexed at Lauder’s charitable deductions for fiscal year 2013. But for those of us for whom cubism is at its root simply nice to look at (among whom the estimable Mr. Lauder is apparently counted) this is a significant wrinkle in the process of deciding where to go next — Paris and the Pompidou, Chicago and the Art Institute, St Petersburg and the Hermitage or, in 2014 when the full collection goes on display, New York and the Met.

Picasso’s Woman in an Armchair (Eva), 1913

The inventory is 33 works by Picasso, 17 by Georges Braque, 14 by Juan Gris, and 14 by Fernand Léger and in addition to being worth an obscene amount of money they’re highly representative of a watershed period in modern art. I’d be particularly anxious to see that many Juan Gris in one place — he died young and left relatively few cubist examples compared to the prolific Picasso and that which exists is spread thin, but even more so than his contemporaries when you’re looking at cubist ephemera like posters or the credits at the beginning of Poirot or a Dubonnet ad, you’re looking at something derivative of Gris and it would be an unrivaled pleasure to see 14 essential pieces in one place.

Among them is Portrait of the Artist’s Mother which convincingly demonstrates Gris’ partiality to the geometry that became inseparable from the populist manifestations of the movement.

Braque’s Fruit Dish and Glass, 1912

Also in the collection which was assembled over forty years of disciplined concentration on a few select artists and Cubism is Picasso’s portrait of his mistress, Eva Gouel, regarded as his most radical and erotic work.

The Cubist movement incorporated non-traditional materials which, at the time, meant anything that wasn’t paint and canvas, and Braque’s Fruit Dish and Glass apparently was the first of papier collé and so it’s very very important and, obviously, expensive. I just think it’s beautiful and I really want to see it in real life.

Lauder has said that he knew that this unprecedented gift would be transformative and he chose the Met carefully, although he lives in New York and it seems the obvious choice. In any case it absolutely is transformative and has taken the Metropolitan Museum of Art from being the single most important art museum in the United States to the possibly the single most important in the world.

“The world is a book”, the philosopher Saint Augustine once famously said, “and those who do not travel only read a page”. Whether embarking on a fortnight, month or year of travel, the experience will undoubtedly change your life, almost certainly for the better. And if you are spending time volunteering, the experience will be all the richer if you do it abroad.

Atop Sharp Top Mountain by L. Richard Martin, Jr. (creative commons)

Experience new cultures

You could spend an entire lifetime hunched in front of Wikipedia learning about the cultures of the world, but until you’ve experienced it first-hand, you have only reached the tip of the iceberg. Diving into the deep end of a new and unusual culture is a thrilling adventure: challenging but wildly gratifying.

You could spend some time soaking yourself in a country’s history and heritage. Gorge yourself on the local cuisine and become a food connoisseur of unique delicacies and trends. Or simply get to know the people and see how differently others live. Their outlook on life might offer you a whole new perspective of your own.

Helping others

There is a profound sense of achievement that comes with volunteering. Instead of simply indulging yourself in a luxurious beach holiday, volunteering gives the sense that you have contributed some essential good to human society, and does wonders for your self-esteem.

There are volunteer programmes in virtually every corner of the globe, and countries everywhere are grateful and welcoming for friendly, energetic volunteers to assist in practically every field of work. Whether you want to do conservation, construction or voluntary teaching abroad with children there are a number of programmes for everyone.

Volunteering abroad by The Dilly Lama (creative commons)

Learn a new language

There are countless advantages to studying a second language, including improved cognitive and literacy skills, greater understanding of a culture and increased employment opportunities. There is no better way to learn a new language than in the country where it is natively spoken. By immersing yourself in a foreign language and its culture you can pick up a vocabulary faster and more accurately than any classroom could teach you. And you will have earned a skill for life, providing a handy reason for return visits in future years.

Remind yourself how lucky you are

Many people who have done voluntary work with organisations like Projects Abroad in more vulnerable parts of the world have spoken of how the experience dramatically affected their perspective on life and the world. Living in the West, where healthcare and running water are taken for granted, it is easy to forget how fortunate our lives are; being confronted with extreme poverty teaches an important lesson in humility and provides a singular vantage point on the world. It can also make you appreciate your own native land, making your return home that extra bit sp

As Colorado becomes the latest state to concede a half-assed acceptance of the inevitability of time and tide and begins the slow process toward the legalization of cannabis possession, two Denver entrepreneurs have jumped the gun with America’s first marijuana tours.

There appears to be no effort to hide the obvious gimmick — the company is called Four-Twenty Tours after the achingly uncool seventies urban slang for “somehow related to marijuana” and, although the term finds its origins in the after-school hour ripe for smoking up, the first tour will be on April 20th (4.20). April 20th 2013, that is, fully eight months before anyone without a medical marijuana prescription will be able to buy product any more legally in Colorado than they could in any of its less progressive neighboring states.

Which means that those experienced with similar tours to, say, Amsterdam, may need to modify their expectations or break the law or, perhaps more safely and efficiently, go back to Amsterdam, because this tour includes a stay at a “pot-friendly” hotel (so, a lot of perfectly sober people hanging around the lobby asking each other if they have glaucoma), a hash-making demonstration, visits to dispensaries and legal grow-houses, and tickets to cannabis-themed events, and no dope. In short, a school field trip just with marijuana instead of maple syrup.

Four-Twenty Tours is proceeding without, unsurprisingly, the endorsement of the Colorado tourist office, which prefers to keep the focus on the traditional family-friendly activities for which Colorado is already a destination for visitors who spend nearly $10 billion a year in The Centennial State. Colorado’s reputation for quality conventions, tours and camping could be undermined, they feel, by an influx of a new breed of tourist who find their hands hilarious.

Having spewed all that, it should be pointed out that Four-Twenty Tours is probably only slightly before its time and there’s a good chance that the currently unclear implementation of the state’s new consensus on legalization could be dedicated marijuana specialty shops with a legal mandate to sell to tourists, and this could happen as early as 4.20.14.

There’s absolutely no excuse for any travel blog to be adding to the self-replicating list of packing essentials. But when I saw this while shamelessly looking for ideas to steal I knew it was time for a voice of reason to finally bring a stop to the madness.

Bring some clothes, your passport and a way of getting to your money. There, you’re done. Don’t even bring a book — pick one up along the way and give it away when you’re done reading it. If you’ve got a lot of paper tickets and reservations and boarding passes then presumably someone printed out this article for you because in the age of the internet there’s no excuse for any of that. Few destinations can’t be reached these days without e-tickets and print-at-will boarding passes and if you just need reminders then by all means have one, single sheet in your back pocket but make sure it’s accessible in the cloud, too, because no vacation should be at risk because you lost a piece of paper or all your luggage or anything at all. In fact, scan your passport and your credit cards and put them in the cloud, too, and you can be stripped naked and left for dead under bridge and, assuming you don’t actually die, if you can get online and/or to your embassy you can get your stuff back and you’ll lose maybe a day (depending on how you wound up naked under a bridge, possibly two days).

That’s the most offensive thing about these helpful lists of essentials — well-intentioned or not the effect is to instill fear. What if you lose a button and you haven’t packed a miniature sewing kit? What if you have to sponge-bath in an airport toilet and you haven’t brought any hand soap? Well obviously in either of these cases you’ll have to turn around and head home and prepare a little better next year.

Sleepwear? In 2013? Who wears jammies in 2013? I suppose if you’re on a shooting weekend at the country estate of your uncle, the Duke of Elmsworth, in turn of the previous century England, then by all means have your man pack your flannel dressing gown. Otherwise I suggest you practice in advance to enure yourself to the risk that someone might see you in your underwear.

Money belts are itchy, sweaty, uncomfortable and above all useless artifacts from a thankfully dead era they shared with travelers’ checks and charter flights. Put your passport in your breast pocket, secured with a button, and your wallet in the other breast pocket, secured with another button. Everything else should be digital and if it’s not then for Christ’s sake stop using a “travel agency” — they belong in the past with money belts. Airport security is already pointlessly and absurdly time-consuming, you don’t want to be the one to hold up a line while you get half-naked so you can show your passport.

Clothes line, laundry detergent, hair dryer, spot remover, flashlight and first aid kit are just a few of the altogether pointless items that inevitably turn up on lists compiled by those who’ve failed to make the important distinction between that which you must pack and that which you can pack. Don’t pack anything because you might need it. Don’t pack anything that you can acquire just as or more easily at your destination. Never select what to pack motivated by fear.

I’m of the school that says you should assume that everything’s going to go well and pack accordingly. If things don’t go well, respond to this at the time, and be physically and psychically prepared to do so because you packed the only real essential — the right attitude.

 Suitcase photo from Cea.’s photostream

View from an old bridge in Bergerac by Lionel Allorge (creative commons)

Bergerac is a popular region of southern west France, also known locally as Purple Perigord (Perigord being the ancient name of the area and ‘purple’ referring to the local grown wines!) It was once a trading port and is situated alongside a river, with easy access to wine making areas and beautiful countryside – it is surrounded in fact by over 120 wind producers, making it a great location for wine lovers and only 90 minutes’ drive away from the famous wine-producing region of Bordeaux. Bergarac and the Dordogne region have both grown quickly in recent years, thanks predominantly to an influx of British holidaymakers and a rising number of affordable flights from various UK airports, including Birmingham, Edinburgh and Southampton flights. Bergerac’s popularity shows no sign of waning and many of its visitors return year after year, staying in cosy guesthouses or traditional French gites – or even camping in the beautiful countryside.

Getting there

As mentioned above, many UK airports fly to Bergerac and the town’s Airport is just 5 km south of the centre – with a five minute taxi transfer. Some visitors also choose to take advantage of Eurostar or the Channel Tunnel and drive across the France (click here for Eurostar discounts), taking in various sights and regions as they go. There are also good high speed rail links to other areas of France.

Bergerac Weather

A good time of year to go is in early Spring and early Summer, when the terraces and town squares come alive for al-fresco dining and drinks and the temperature is balmy. Harvest time in October is great for wine lovers – the region has a real air of anticipation and buzz – and Christmas in France generally is a lovely, family focused and traditional affair.

Bergerac Attractions

Bergerac is a lively and buzzing town that nevertheless is sometimes overlooked by visitors who head to the Dordogne’s traditional villages and castles. Even for day-trippers it affords a good day’s exploring, with a delicious local lunch thrown in and a trip to one or two of the town’s museums or other attractions. The old town runs up in a section from the river and it has a wide number of impressive and culturally important medieval buildings and open squares to relax in. There are several restaurants and cafes to take advantage of, offering everything from a la carte gourmet food, to simple pizzas and pommes frites so is definitely a different option than the more traditional trip to Paris.

Bergerac

Other highlights of Bergerac include the Maison des Vins cloistors, the Wine Museum… or find out more about the region’s important tradition of tobacco cropping at the Tobacco Museum. Art lovers may also enjoy the Costi Museum with many lovely sculptures.

The great thing about Bergerac however is that there are many quirky highlights hidden around corners and it’s well worth finding a nice pub or cafe and speaking to the locals to find out their recommendations. The locals are very proud of their town and are generally happy to point out its best spots! Also make sure to ask your travel agent about the best areas to go to when travelling as they will usually have a whole list of information to provide you.

If you were planning on travelling within or to or from the US this Spring but are restrained by the financial crisis engendered by the intractable conflict in Washington between the ideologies of those who want to cut spending and taxes and the social safety net and those who are not living in a parallel Randian dystopia of roaming gangs of welfare cheats and steaming sewer grates, there’s a bit of good news.

It turns out that even if after paying the health insurance premiums that make you the laughing stock of the rest of the civilised world and investing your tax reduction in enlightened and self-interested job creation you had enough to fly somewhere you wouldn’t want to anyhow. As part of the austerity measures imposed on it by the suicide pact signed by senate Democrats and Republicans last year as a means to narrowly dodge the wholly artificial debt-ceiling crisis, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is shuttering some 149 control towers and simultaneously giving hundreds of air traffic controllers rolling three-day weekends. There are those who think that this might have some impact on air traffic.

The most positive, happy-clown-on-valium perspective is that there’ll be some delays. While almost certainly true, this view seems to betray a limited grasp of the big picture. Presumably every air traffic controller we have — and will have and until April 7 when this total capitulation to political petulance kicks in — performs some sort of role in the safe and smooth operation of US air traffic. Even if that role is redundant backup, it’s redundant backup that — during an era of lush abundance that afforded the luxury of air safety — somebody who studies these things thought was at least a good idea, if not absolutely necessary. Some things — say taking on a mortgage or selecting a gift for a child — should be planned in crisis mode. Others need to be planned in an environment of ostentatious luxury and the assumption that you’re going to be able to pay for all the silk lining and brass knobs that the dealer offers. Among these things is air traffic control.

Cold comfort is that the closings are limited to small and mid-sized airports, unless of course you happen to be flying into or out of small to mid-sized airports, and in any case the rolling four-day weeks and subsequent manpower shortages apply across the board. More worrying still is the icy sang-froid with which this announcement is delivered from the FAA, which claims that service will be largely unaffected and in any case the towers to be closed only add to the 5000 airports nationwide that already operate without them. In these cases pilots follow existing FAA procedures for underserviced airports and radio each other to negotiate right-of-way.

So the bad news is that there are certainly going to be worse delays than usual this Spring and for as long as it takes a mature and reasoned consensus to be reached in Washington, so in pretty much forever. Let’s hope that’s as bad as the news gets.

Amsterdam at Dusk

With its famous red light district and coffee houses you would be forgiven for assuming that Amsterdam is more of an adult destination. However, with its lack of traffic, canals and child orientated attractions Amsterdam is the ideal location for families looking to keep children well entertained.

Museums

Most of the museums offer dedicated children’s tours and the Rijksmuseum is free for under-18s. Three other excellent museums are NEMO, Anne Frank Huis and Tropenmuseum. NEMO is a science museum in an incredible green building, which has to be seen to be believed. You can access the roof which gives excellent views of the medieval part of Amsterdam. Anne Frank Huis will be of interest to older children particularly, especially if they have read The Diary of Anne Frank and the Tropenmuseum is colourful enough even to impress the adults.

Other Activities

Vondelpark makes the perfect location to allow children to run around and let off a bit of steam, there is a great caff next to the playground called Het Groot Melkhuis. Alternatively, for a full day out go to Amsterdamse Bos, a goat farm where children can fully interact with the animals.

Vondelpark, Amsterdam by Jorge Royan

Another winner for children is a ferry trip across the IJ, you can combine a free ferry ride with dinner at the IJ-kantine. Alternatively there are plenty of canal boat rides on offer, where everyone can enjoy the sites of the city as they are supposed to be viewed.

In the winter ice-skating outdoors is a popular pass time in Amsterdam and one that children will love to join in with. In the winter the canals often freeze, making perfect ice rinks and are one of the most magical ways to experience Amsterdam. Smaller ice rinks pop up all over Amsterdam in the winter. If you would rather be a spectator however, there are plenty of ice-skating races and events which take place throughout winter, for up to date information check with your tourist office or hotel. For those visiting in summer there are indoor rinks available or you could visit Artis Zoo. The oldest zoo in the Netherlands, it has a geological and zoological museum, a planetarium and an aquarium.

Eating Out

Other than the Het Groot Melkhuis and IJ-kantine, finding places to eat as a family can be difficult as most restaurants are small and adult orientated. However if anywhere has ‘eetcafe’ in the name it is usually appropriate for children as well. Loetje, Bazar and Los Pilones are particularly recommended.

In the summer children will love the poffertjes, these are little pancakes sprinkled with sugar and can be bought at temporary stands. In the winter these are substituted with oliebollen, deep fried doughnuts.

Children will also enjoy the big Dutch-style pancakes, Pannenkoekenhuis is recommended as children will love the fairy-tale feel.

Once the children are worn out you can leave them with a babysitting service, offered by most high end hotels, to enjoy the city from a more adult perspective.

Lloyd is a freelance travel writer, who is currently a freelance contributor for Cheapflights.

Gone are the days when international travel was only a dream. Today, you can go anywhere in the world in the shortest time possible hassle free! While some things change, some things still remain the same like the part of being human and making mistakes. No matter how advanced we are technology-wise, there are still so many ways you can mess up when going on holidays. Here are some of the most common EPIC mistakes that people make when travelling.

Overpacking and then paying fees for excess baggage. This is something that can be easily avoided with a little bit of forethought and a lot of common sense. To avoid this, make sure that you know how much the airlines will allow you to carry and weight your bags before going to the airport. Remember that excess baggage is not one of the things that you plan for when planning your holiday so keep your baggage within limits.

Excess baggage (creative commons)

Forgetting to check the customs of the place that you are planning to visit? Many travellers forget about this and find themselves stuck in the middle of some festival or event. Worst scenario being the places you planned to visit is closed! When planning your holiday, always check and double check the local celebrations and make sure you keep this in mind.

Cultural shock is also something that when not planned, can cause unnecessary frustration. Keep in mind that although English is considered to be an international language, you shouldn’t expect everyone to speak it! Make sure you are aware what kind of customs and language you will be facing on your vacation in order to avoid disappointment.

Not planning for a long flight is another seemingly ‘unimportant’ thing but can cause you a lot of unnecessary worries. Imagine having to sit for eight hours straight with no reading material or gadgets to keep you company- a nightmare!

Long flight (creative commons)

Wanting to do everything at once is another snare to be aware of. Although it is understandable that you want to make the most of your vacation, you do a lot of cramming in your life already so why do the same on your vacation? Plan your time wisely so that you aren’t left exhausted after your trip.

Forgetting to double check the visa requirements is another epic mistake. Usually, your passport needs to be valid for six months before you are issued a tourist visa so if you aren’t aware of this, you just might find yourself in trouble.

Provided you wisely plan your trip in advance, these mistakes are definitely not going to ruin your vacation.

Taking your family on a holiday is the most beautiful thing you can experience. Spending time with the loved ones will definitely bring joy and a bright smile on your lips.

Welcome to Méribel (creative commons)

The winter season is the perfect opportunity to choose a ski resort travel destination. Whether you are a master of ski or haven’t even tried on the ski equipment there is no reason to say no to this. On every ski trail there is an instructor that will teach you the basics.

If you want to take your lovely family on a ski run then maybe you should consider Méribel as an option. This place has its own special thing and is a great challenging mountain for most beginners and intermediate skiers looking for some recreational outdoor activities. It is considered to be one of the most attractive ski resorts in France.

Méribel (creative commons)

There is something to do for everyone in this beautiful region, especially when it comes to the best ski run in Méribel.

Maybe someone in your family is not a really ski junkie. No problem, you will find fantastic places in Méribel where you can enjoy some leisure moments or relax after many hours spent skiing. Look for bars and restaurants that vary from Michelin Starred to the simple ones where you can delight yourself and your family with a great traditional Savoyard cuisine. For non-skiers there are plenty of non-skiing diversions. Take a scenic walk around Méribel and Mottaret and explore the mountain restaurants that can be accessed from the gondolas.

If you are into sightseeing, you can book sightseeing flights from the Altiport. Other major attractions are the Olympic Ice Rink, a large bowling alley, modern fitness centre, snow-mobiles renting option  and shops of every kind. And if none of this seems appealing for you let your family enjoy them while you simply unwind in your chalet with a good book or watching a nice video. At night, take a round and discover the taverns from the centre of Méribel like Le Pub, Jack’s or Le Poste.

For beginners, Méribel Altiport area is perfect place for learning how to ski. Mottaret also has a small protected tow lift for those ski novices.

As for intermediates, skiing in Méribel and the 3 Valleys is the most exquisite spot. Take a 3-valley pass and go exploring the wonderful ski runs.

Advanced skiers are not forgotten. For you there are several excellent places in Courchevel and Mont Vallon where you will find and challenging ski trails with guaranteed snow.