It’s the time of year when many people like to head off to the ski slopes of Europe in order to experience the exhilarating thrill of sliding downhill at break-neck speed on skis or a snowboard. And each year an unfortunate few do exactly that, break their necks.
The more active you are on your activity holiday the more chance you have of experiencing injury. Taking a few basic precautions can go a long way towards ensuring that you have an enjoyable, safe skiing holiday.
So here are a few tips intended to help you have a safer, more enjoyable holiday in the snow:
- Get in shape before you go. Many office-bound desk-jockeys find themselves in agonising pain after injuring themselves in their first few hours on the slopes. Don’t be one of them!
- Ensure that your equipment is of the best quality, is suitable for you and for the activities that you will be engaged in.
- Wear appropriate clothing in layers and always wear gloves and a hat.
- Use sunscreen protection. It’s very easy to get seriously sunburned on the ski slopes.
- Protect your eyes with ski goggles.
- Get some instruction from a professional if you have never slid about on snow before. Skiing and snowboarding are skills that are best learned from a professional.
- Drink plenty of water, not booze. Lots of people become badly inured each year due to the combination of booze fuelled over-confidence and a lack of judgement.
- Dont’ allow yourself to become overly tired. Accidents are very common when skiers become fatigued
- Ensure that you know where to go for first aid and that you are aware of local safety facilities and avalanche procedures.
- Ensure that you have adequate and appropriate ski insurance. Amazingly many people will think nothing of spending thousands on the best quality ski and snowboarding kit but choose to ignore the few pounds it takes to give them adequate accident and injury cover.
A little forethought goes a long way towards ensuring that you have an enjoyable and rewarding winter holiday. Too many people find themselves under-insured and injured on the ski slopes every year. Make certain that you are not one of them!
The South Downs Way is around 106 miles long, from Eastbourne to Winchester. It follows prehistoric, ancient droveways that have been in use for around 6000 years. Much of the eastern end of the route is high on the downs providing walkers with breathtaking panoramic views of the Weald to the north and the English Channel to the south.
The path is open to walkers, horse riders and cyclists and there are many sections that are accessible to suitably equipped disabled ramblers. If you enjoy the outdoors then the South Downs way should be on your list of trails that you must visit.
A great way to ‘get away from it all’, maybe only for a few days, is to rent yourself a self catering cottage in one of the towns or villages along the South Downs Way. Arundel, for example, makes a great base for walking adventures. The town is ideally located close to the middle of the South Downs Way providing a great point from which to embark upon walks either to the West or to the East. You will find that there are some exceptionally beautiful cottages to let in Arundel and there are many excellent restaurants, pubs, antique shops and many historic attractions including the famous Arundel Castle.
Being over 100 miles long the South Downs Way is far too great a distance to be walked in one day. Covering around 12 or 13 miles a day it would be possible to complete the whole of the South Downs Way in around 8 or 9 days. But it is recommended that you don’t hurry.
The South Downs Way is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, I think. Hacking across the countryside on a mountain bike wearing a helmet and skin tight lycra might be exhilerating, particularly when you are quite young. But taking the time to savour the beauty of the Downs, to enjoy being close to nature and to wonder at the many thousands of feet and hooves that must have trodden these ancient pathways brings peace of mind and relaxation. In my opinion, there is no better way to escape from the madding crowd than to get up on the South Downs Way.
An article on IOL highlights the extreme negative effects that could occur on tourism in South Africa as a result of the recent elephant culling, especially as many travel to this beautiful country specifically to see these majestic animals on an African safari holiday.
The article suggests that a large number of tourists would choose not to holiday in South Africa should the culling be re-introduced.
This view was based on discussion with tour operators and specific animal rights agencies.
Culling in South Africa was introduced to control elephant numbers although this was ceased in Kruger National Park in 1995 after it was deemed that tourism would suffer if the culling continued.
Professor Rudi van Aarde of the University of Pretoria claims it was human interference that lead to the overpopulation of elephants, caused by the introduction of waterholes into the Kruger National Park. These waterholes reduced the impacts of the droughts in the area, which had previously controlled the elephant population in South Africa.
Ramadan is a great time for a holiday in Dubai, when at night the Emirate becomes lit up and alive with the many tents set up by local mosques in celebration of the religious period.
During this time, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and having sex during the daytime, but come evening there is much entertainment, with live music, cards and other forms of entertainment to be enjoyed.
These celebrations also provide a place to go to escape the heat of Dubai, and provide a fantastic array of entertainment.
There are many other great reasons to visit Dubai besides Ramadan, wit the cosmopolitan lifestyle and variety of sporting activities available such as golf, rallying and horse racing.
A must see if you do visit is the remarkable 7 star Burj al Arab hotel which has been built on a man made island.
Kenya is a booming spot for tourists, and the popularity is growing and growing over recent years with more and more people flocking to experience a holiday in Kenya, and this is no surprise with the beautiful coastal town of Mombasa to the south east of the capital, Nairobi.
Mombasa is worlds apart from its capital city, where high rise buildings, mobile phones and the hustle and bustle are left behind when you reach the warm, calm and laid back lifestyle you will experience on a holiday in Mombasa, with its beautiful Arabian influences evidented in it’s local dress and architecture – with the beautiful whitewash buildings dotted along the magnificent coastline.
Mombasa’s beaches are stunning, with the wide powdery sand and turquoise sea, calm behind the coral reef a mile off the coastline causing the sea to break calmly on the shore where the locals are bartering away their wares.
A holiday in Mombasa will relax and revitalise, in a beautiful part of the world where the pace simply drops to a gentle stroll.
For those seeking an eastern experience, a holiday to Malaysia could be just the thing for you. An article on Todays Zaman has highlighted the delights the country has to offer, and points out the ethnic diversity of the country, with the country being made up for 55 percent Malays, 30 percent Chinese and 10 percent Indian, with Malay being the official language, although English is widely spoken.
These influences are most evident in the wonderfully diverse foods available, and because of the tropical heat, many locals eat in outside roadside eateries where fantastic food can be found at a very low price, from local traditional Malay dishes, to Chinese, Indian and Sri Lankan – there is something to suit all tastes.
A holiday to Malaysia doesn’t offer just the culinary delights, but the sights are also something to behold, from the tropical beaches on the island of Langkawi, to the orang-utans found in the forests of Borneo, and if trekking around the forest leaves you weary, you can look forward to a warm teh tarik – a delicious light ‘pulled’ tea that is served across Malaysia.
Malaysia is home to many delights, from pristine coastlines, tropical jungles and a great array of marine life for divers and wildlife for nature lovers and there is sure to be something for everyone in this wonderfully diverse country.
St. Lucia is a place I have never been to, but it is one of those places on my list, or at least was on my list until discovering an article on The Sun website, proclaiming St. Lucia as a so called ‘Jeep and Cheerful Resort’. So is St. Lucia set to become the new Benidorm, or will the full English breakfasts on the beach remain where they are and leave the Caribbean in peace?
Jeep, (or cheap), and cheerful are two words I would never have associated with the exclusive Caribbean island of St. Lucia, but with the Sun featuring that destination as just that, cheap and a great resort for families, could this luxury island become the new holiday haunt for your average Sun reader?
With the price of long haul flights dropping constantly, and the lure of the all inclusive break where everything is catered for, the luxury holiday you seek could soon be not so luxury as it once was.
The Times has revealed its list of top worldwide destinations to enjoy a hot golfing holiday during the winter months.
Among the hotels coming high on the list was La Source hotel in Grenada. La Source is a beautiful holiday property located in Grenada in the Caribbean and features a luxury spa and golf facilities.
La Source offers the ability to combine activity with relaxation, with numerous facilities available such as scuba diving, aqua aerobics, water/land volleyball, tennis, archery, golf and more, and if the though of all this activity leaves you feeling tired, why not unwind and restore in the Oasis spa with it’s wide range of classes and treatments.
All this activity and relaxation can build up an appetite. The three restaurants and coffee shop/deli will leave you spoilt for choice and ensure your every want and need has been covered.
La Source in Grenada offers visitors a fantastic resort hotel, and beautiful grounds and picturesque surroundings – a great location for a Caribbean holiday.
Numerous tourism projects to aid poverty, development and preservation have been set up in Thailand to mark the 80th birthday of the King of Thailand and are being promoted by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Thai Airways Intl, the Tourism Council of Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Those looking to enjoy a holiday in Thailand will have the opportunity to learn about Thai elephant conservation, and are able to learn how to be mahouts, learn about Thai arts and crafts and much more.
Find out more about these tourism initiatives in Thailand at traveldailynews.com.
An article on holidaylettings.co.uk highlights the upcoming availability of cheap flights to Far East holiday destinations, and how it looks set to do for the Far East what Easy Jet has done for Europe.
The impact of these lower cost flights, which will be available from AirAsia X initially only to Kular Lumpur in Malaysia, could affect the local property market as has occurred in Europe as a result of the cheap flights offering, and with tourism in the Far East rising at such a rapid rate, this trend looks set to continue.
View the article at holidaylettings.co.uk.
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