World Travellers

Bergen

Cruise ships often start their journey of Norway’s fjords from this bustling ferry port. Huddled amongst towering mountains, the town is famous for its Fish Market which not only sells raw oysters but also holiday souvenirs and vegetables. Next to the Fish Market you will see Dyvekegangen which is the narrowest street in Norway at just 99cm wide. Walking in Norway’s narrowest street may not seem a particularly enjoyable prospect, especially for the claustrophobic amongst you. However the Dyvekegangen is home to the popular Dyveke’s wine cellar a Victorianesque building which is definitely worth the stroll.

Also located in the centre of Bergen is the Witch Stone, where 350 suspected witches were burnt at the stake from 1550 to 1700. Equally gruesome is the dungeon at the Rosencrantz Tower which was used from 1400 to 1800.

Voss

The town of Voss is one of the best locations for hiking in Norway, with an abundance of lakes and mountains. It is also the gateway to the breathtaking Sognefjord, which makes it one of the best places to spend a couple of days before continuing on to visit this natural wonder. Whilst the town of Voss may be incredibly scenic for walking in Norway it is also the ideal place to take part in a number of adventure sports. Skiing, watersports and paragliding are all common in this area and the extreme sports festival, Ekstremsportveko, takes places every year in June.

Most news relating to the UK airline industry currently is focused on either the proposed expansion at Heathrow or how the recession is affecting airport traffic to and from the US and Europe. According to BAA, overall airline traffic in the UK has fallen by 7.3 percent in May, which is down 5.6 percent in comparison to a year ago - with both Gatwick and Heathrow showing dropping figures. Yet, in the context of the commonwealth, Scotland may have the hardest battle on its hands.

Actually, in regards to the recession and its impact on travel, its affect on Scotland is not all bad - at least, it is certainly not black and white. In fact, according to BAA Edinburgh is the only UK airport to have seen a rise (1.4 percent) in airport traffic during May, but is still not processing as many passengers as it was a year ago with a fall of 2.5 percent. Additionally, Aberdeen and Glasgow reported worse figures, -14.1 and -11.7 respectively during May. Bringing Scotland’s average to -6.2.

Acapulco is a Mexican resort town that is a popular travel destination for visitors, especially those from the United States of America. This is no doubt due to its delectable Mexican cuisine, gorgeous idyllic beaches, colourful local culture and happening nightlife. It is also very much a travel destination for those who want to have a fantastic holiday without having to splurge, which explains its popularity among college students.

By Air - The main airport in Acapulco would be Acapulco International Airport. This is located about twenty-five kilometres away from Acapulco. A bustling airport that caters to both domestic and international flights, it handles about a million tourists a year. If you are travelling to Acapulco from other parts of Mexico such as Mexico City, Toluca, Tijuana and Monterrey, you can hop onto domestic carriers such as Aeromar, Volaris or Interjet, among many others. Internationally, there are direct flights from Montreal, Newark, Houston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Phoenix. The main international airlines that fly to this airport would be American Airlines, Continental Airlines, US Airways and Sunwing Airlines. From the airport, you will find it fairly easy to get to major tourist areas by taking either the bus or the cab.

The first time I visited Zell am See I was actually staying at a small town further north going back towards Saltzburg called Lofer bie Martin. I was actually staying in the Schloss Grubhoff castle which was once owned by the king of Bavaria but has now been converted into luxurious apartments which can be rented out as holiday lets. I was enjoying my stay at Lofer and in particular the quaint ski facilities there, which incidentally would be no challenge for anyone who considers themselves good intermediate or advanced level but is well worth a visit for curiosity’s sake, it really is oldy worldy Austrian skiing facilities and you will not find much of a presence there beyond the Austrians themselves.

The marked difference I noticed in visiting Zell am See was the level of activity there, lots more people, a thriving little town in a gorgeous setting and much more to offer the higher level skiers, still not a majorly serious challenge for the advanced skiers but certainly enough to keep them happy for quite a few days with some decent blacks and reds to go at.

Located in central, eastern Europe, Hungary is a beautiful landlocked country. There are plenty of things to do and places to see in Hungary. Its countryside has many national parks and its cities are popular for short city breaks.

Autumn is a good time to travel to Hungary - most holiday resorts are too busy during the summer months and too cold during the winter months. Hungary has a very cold climate during winter with the summers being very humid and warm. The south of the country enjoys a Mediterranean climate. Heavy snow showers are common during the winter months.

A large part of Hungary’s landscape is covered in woodland and wetland. The majority of the land is flat with few hills. There are several large national parks and wetland parks hosting a large amount of wildlife that are protected.

Hungary is home to some of Europe’s best architecture. It boasts Europe’s third largest church - the Esztergom Basilica, and the second largest abbey in the world - the Pannonhalma Archabbey. The famous Baroque castle is also situated there. Tourism is an important part of the Hungarian economy much of which is due to the stunning city of Budapest.

Iceland is a little known adventure destination; it’s a little known destination period, let’s face it. But, if you are like me and really enjoy the outdoors, Iceland is a great place to visit. It has so many offerings, coupled with a near pristine environment.

Here is a list of some of the adventure possibilities Iceland offers, some all year round: hiking, trekking, snowmobiling, glacier hiking, mountain climbing, ice and rock climbing, downhill skiing, telemark skiing, ocean and freshwater fishing, white water rafting, adventure jeep tours, extreme off-roading, scuba diving (both fresh water and ocean) camping and cycling tours. Additionally, you can explore hot springs, ice and lava caves, lave fields, geothermal fields, bird watching - the list goes on.

I will not go into detail on all these activities, just the ones I have done myself. First up is hiking and trekking. In Iceland you can opt for easy, short hikes, half day hikes and overnight hikes. I have even see, though not done myself, a trek across the entire country that takes almost a month - what an experience that would be! I lived in Reykjavik for two years and participated in numerous hikes. Just outside of the capital is Mt. Esjan. This is a fairly easy 3-4 hour hike up the face of Mt. Esjan with a rewarding, uncluttered view back to Reykjavik.

A few years back, my husband and I took a trip to Scotland. We were lucky enough to get discounted rates on our airfare and hotels. We even got an additional discount on our car rental for booking the whole package together.

Our arrival city was Glasgow, and what a city it is! We picked up our car rental at the airport and headed to our hotel which had an excellent location for touring the city on foot. At around 9:00 p.m. after a short nap to knock off the jet lag, we headed out to explore Glasgow and we discovered it has a surprisingly lively night life.

We walked to Sauchiehall Street, famous for its many shops and bars. For someone with a late night hunger attack, Glasgow is ideal. At approximately 10:15 p.m. we were eating fresh and delicious fish and chips from a popular place that is open until the wee hours. We then headed to a pub for a few pints before going back to the hotel.