FANCY taking the kids on safari? Want to explore up-and-coming Bahia in Brazil? Or is it time to take a six-month career break and see the world?
Whatever your travel plans may be, plotting a trip has never been so much fun. This year, The Times is delighted to be sponsoring the hugely popular Destinations Show, held in London next month and Birmingham in March, where you’ll find hundreds of holiday companies offering the inspiration and information you need to hit the road.
Don’t worry if your travel plans are more modest — such as exploring different corners of the UK or Europe. Exhibitors from every continent will be at the shows, along with specialist companies offering cruises, activity holidays, equipment, guidebooks and safety advice. Plus there’s a Responsible Travel zone where you’ll find companies that offer “fair-trade trips”, which give you a memorable holiday while treating the host community fairly.
There are also talks, discussions, slide shows and cultural displays for when you need a break from all that travel planning.
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To set you in the right direction, this Destinations supplement focuses on the key travel trends for 2006, such as the “adult gap year”. Extended career breaks are becoming increasingly popular — and she should know, since she is the co-author of the Lonely Planet book on the subject.
For those of you who grew up having exciting gap-year adventures and don’t see why the fun should stop now that you have children, Andrew Eames has a guide to travelling the world with youngsters in tow — and explains how to create adventurous trips that are fulfilling for both parents and kids.
If you’ve always dreamed of heading to the Far East, 2006 is the year to do it, according to Jill Hartley. A combination of post-tsunami rebuilding and the opening up of new air routes is helping many regions of Asia to draw tourists as never before.
But if you really want to beat the crowds, South America is the continent to aim for. Rarely visited areas of Peru and Brazil are among the up-coming destinations on that continent for travellers wanting to get there first.
Personally, I’m seriously stuck as to where to go next. Madagascar or Brazil? Montenegro or Botswana? Malaysia or Benin? I’ll be doing some plotting at Destinations, and I look forward to seeing you there, too.
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The best bit is that all Times readers get tickets for free - call 0870 1200332 - quote “The Times” when booking - saving you the ticket price of £8, or £10 on the door. Maximum two tickets per caller.