They’re giving away over £1000 of Haglofs gear, and you can enter in four different ways!

To find out more, head on over to

http://shop.packyourbags.com/xmascomp

Good luck !!

Here’s what Alan said: “It was taken whilst i was doing the Cape Wrath trail last May, leaving Shenavail Bothy, Nr Ullapool, so why is it interesting? Well the person in the picture is your Michelle, who I met en route and walked with for several days. Happy memories.”

Please send your photographs to photos@packyourbags.com.

Here’s what David had to say: “The picture, taken by my wife, shows me paddling for the first time solo in our new canoe. I’m trying to edge it for the first time, too (I didn’t fall in).

The river we’re on is the Hérault in the Languedoc region of France. You can see Mont St Baudille in the background.

The trip? It took us a whole lifetime to get to this area. It’s where we’ve retired to. Looks peaceful, doesn’t it? Particularly from under the brim of my new Tilley hat. (I lost my old hat in a canoeing incident we shan’t go into here.)”

Thanks David!

Please send your photographs to photos@packyourbags.com.

With Christmas time knocking on our door, many of us often decide to avoid the frenzied shopping time and instead take to the slopes or even relax on a hot sunny beach. If you haven’t tried it, perhaps it’s time to experience something a little bit different over this holiday season. Worried that you might be missing out on something special at home? Christmas time and New Year can be just as atmospheric when away on holiday. Whether you are in the mountains or in any exotic destination, the hotels would typically prepare the decorations and food to match the festive season, so you can feel at home whilst away from home.

Which destination to choose? Depending on your budget and mood, there are always several options. Many of us dream of ‘white Christmas’, so why not head for the wonderful mountain resorts in France, Switzerland or even Colorado? Also, Austria will never let you down with its authentic postcard-perfect villages amidst the sugar white mountain scenery. Enjoy your Christmas dinner and hot punch whilst listening to the wood crackling in the fireplace and start the next morning with skiing on the sunny slopes. The breathtaking views of the forested mountains with powdery snow glittering in the sunshine are sure to have you come back for more!

Okay, but what if skiing is not your thing? Then perhaps the hot sunny beaches of the Caribbean or the Maldives would tempt you with their exotic backdrop of swaying elegant palms and tiffany blue seas. Here you can unwind and forget the ‘reality’ for a while and let the hotel take care of all your needs. The gourmet food and drinks are always freshly prepared for you and there is no need to worry about that Christmas turkey in the oven. This is also laid out in style for you and your family on Christmas Day. It’s probably hard to believe just how spoilt you can get on your Christmas holiday.

If you don’t fancy going far or spend a long time away from home, a city break in Prague, Vienna or Venice is always a good option to treat yourself to just for a quick change of the familiar home scenery. Family days and short breaks in Lapland will entertain the kids no end with all the activities and personal meetings with Santa Claus.

To help you make the right decision, here are some advantages and disadvantages for you to consider before you travel on your Christmas break.

Advantages of travelling on holidays over Christmas period:

• You have a long holiday period on your hand to treat yourself to something special.
• Escaping from the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping fever can be a true relief for many of us.
• Spending comfortable time at the hotel where everything is ready for us provides a nice change to the traditional Christmas at home where most of our time is spent in the kitchen preparing food.
• Many countries across the world celebrate Christmas differently, so this could be an enriching cultural experience.
• Being away from the British rainy winter weather can be priceless.

Possible disadvantages:

• As this is peak season, going away on holiday over Christmas can be a lot more costly compared to other seasons or travelling off-peak.
• Some of us might feel nostalgic when missing reunions with family and friends at home.
• As the season is in its height, holiday resorts and airports tend to be busier and the queuing longer.
• What if we just can’t do without the homely Christmas atmosphere and home prepared food?
• Our hope to pocket that last minute bargain can leave us disappointed due to possible lack of availability of cheap last minute holiday deals at such a busy time.

Croatia, one of the former Yugoslavian republics, has certainly undergone a turbulent political past in the recent years. Although this affected its tourist industry rather negatively for a while, at present there are several reasons why Croatia still remains firmly placed on the map as one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe.

Croatia’s unique cultural and historical heritage, its varied terrain consisting of hundreds of scenic islands as well as its mainland coastline offering stunning nature, clear blue sea and clean beaches, have served as a magnet for    millions of international visitors. Also, the great geographical location has benefitted the country with its good climate, ideal for various types of holidays.

The best time to take a holiday in Croatia is definitely the summer. The main season here usually starts at the end of May with average temperatures not dropping below 22 degrees Celsius. Although the Adriatic Sea can be still rather cold at that time, it is worth coming this early in the season. Everything is freshly in blossom and the heat is not so oppressive. The best coast to enjoy is certainly Istria with its old Roman heritage or Dalmatia with the splendid UNESCO heritage city of Dubrovnik. The Dalmatian coast and most of Croatia’s islands enjoy typical Mediterranean weather, so can get a bit wet at the start of the season. But if you go for example to the island of Hvar or Korcula, these are typically the sunniest and driest in Croatia. You can explore the stunning natural scenery of lavender fields, rolling hills, rocky mountains and green pine forests and enjoy the hospitality of the locals.

June is on average the wettest month in Croatia, so if you are thinking of some serious sun, then book a holiday to Croatia in July and August. These are definitely Croatia’s  hottest and busiest months. People flock here to stay in the numerous well equipped hotels, private rental villas and apartments. Some of them also moor their boats in the numerous yacht marinas. The Dalmatian coast is excellent for sailing as it is marked by its winds. The sea is also warmer and ideal for snorkelling. There are some great dive sites around the Dalmatian coast exposing the colourful underwater world of the translucent Adriatic Sea. The beaches in Croatia are usually a mixture of pebble and sand and they are backed by dense fragrant pine forests; ideal place for cooling down on hot sunny days.

September and October are great months to do some trekking, horse riding or mountain climbing in Croatia. The temperatures are still warm, but not too hot and the beaches are not that busy after the school holidays have finished. The sea still retains pleasant temperature after the hot summer, so it is ideal to combine some beach life with sightseeing and sporting activities. Croatian nights are very pleasant throughout the summer, even in October, therefore popular for night fishing trips and al fresco dining and dancing till early morning hours.

The inland and the Northern part of Croatia are marked by completely different climate. The country’s interior is rather mountainous with winter temperatures dropping well below minus and offering a good ski season throughout the winter months. Bjelolasica is one of the best known mountains in Croatia incorporating the popular Croatian ski resort Platak, also offering good snowboarding conditions.

Croatian weather, just like its landscape or culture, is very varied; from typical continental to Mediterranean. Climate in this country plays the most important part in the development of its tourism and makes a holiday in Croatia undoubtedly one of the top choices whichever time of the year one chooses to visit.

Links:

• Croatian Tourist Board
• Dubrovnik on Wikipedia

Holidays resorts like Costa del Sol, Marmaris, Olu Deniz or Malia are famed for providing excellent value hotels for all international tourists. The great news is that with package holidays you won’t need to worry about anything – your flights and transfers are pre booked, your room is reserved and if you booked all inclusive or half board, your food is also ready for you for your maximum comfort.

So why wait? Head straight to that sunny beach or laze by the imaginatively designed pool. Ooops! You know the feeling when all empty sunloungers are actually occupied by towels? And no matter how long you wait or how early you wake up in the morning, they are still there! This summer season, the tour operators like Thomas Cook have decided to spare their German guests the unnecessary headache with the ongoing issue of sunbeds in the hotels being permanently reserved.

Thomas Cook have launched a new service on their German market – pre-book your sunlounger for only 3 Euros. This way there is no need for anyone to wake up at the crack of dawn to snap up their spot at the swimming pool. Luckily, many hotels understand how much discomfort and disappointment this can cause to their guests and therefore have decided to sign up to the scheme. Although this new idea will be put in place for this season’s winter sun holidays, many willing hotels in Turkey, Egypt and the Canary Islands have embraced it and Thomas Cook are hoping more hotels will join in the future.

There is no reason why this idea shouldn’t be extended or work on the British market. Many holidaymakers are prepared to spend extra money for making their holiday as comfortable as possible. The airlines as well as the tour operators are constantly trying to improve their service and we are being given the options to pre-book our meals on the flight, our foreign currencies, our rooms with sea views or balconies, our tables at the restaurants, so why not have your sunlounger and umbrella waiting for you at your chosen hotel without any ‘towel wars’ with other hotel guests?

Photo credit: Nick Butcher http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickbutcher/

If you have any photos you’d like to see featured on the blog, or even on the packyourbags site, then send them through to us at photos@packyourbags.com.

Loch Lubnaig which is an awesome little find and hideaway in The Trossachs in Scotland’s highlands, taken March 2009.

This is a sunset over Ayr’s main beach taken in January 2009.

A sunset over Ayrshire later that same evening.

St Moritz taken from the train on the Bernina line in July 2009.

John said, “I’d like to submit this photo of Half Dome. This was the third time we’d climbed it and once again it was a fantastic experience.

The ascent of the final face to the summit plateau involves steep rock that can be slick, especially after the afternoon shower that can be common in Aug/Sept. It’s not a ladder you can see on the face, it’s fixed (via Ferrata type) cables.

The wooden slats that hold the ‘guide’ steel cable poles are actually several metres apart. The feature is set up each April until around October as a safety measure. Old work or gardening type gloves are recommended for the route to protect hands on the steel wires. The colour of the granite in the sunshine, combined with the overlying ‘armadillo’ plates of rock – with the steepness of the face – makes this look a more frightening experience than it actually is.

Towards the bottom of the picture is an injured faller being treated by Mountain Rescue, the helicopter was behind me at the base of the face.”

Thanks for sending in the picture John!

Find out more about the Half Dome at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Dome