5 reasons why you need travel, not Christmas

Mark Pawlak    ash     camping, kitesurfing, Kitesurfing Egypt, New Zealand, RTW, Spain, Travel, trekking, Walking, Xmas

If you’ve a travelling gene, every holiday is a chance to get away and Christmas is no exception. Now, if you’re living in the UK or northern Europe, it’s likely you’ve been waiting all year for that skiing or snowboarding holiday.

Can you spot Santa?

But, if you’ve needed thawing out since October and are dreaming of feeling the sun on your neck, you’ll be teasing yourself with trekking somewhere warm – or just going ‘random’ and rocking up at departures with half-baked plan and a dream…

So, here are 5 reasons why you need travel, not Christmas.

read more

Travel pictures and the worlds 10 best travel photography cities

Kerry Hetherington    ash     australia, England, Italy, japan, RTW, scotland, Spain, travel photography, travel pictures, united kingdom, US

There are thousands of places in the world you could grab travel pictures, but which cities offer up the best travel photography opportunities for the travel mad snapper/ photography mad traveller?

We are all travel photographers. Could be with a brand new DSLR, a happy snappy or an iPhone/ mobile phone; it’s still photography.

Have camera will travel, but where?

“You can find pictures anywhere. It’s simply a matter of noticing things and organising them. You just have to care about what’s around you…” (Elliott Erwitt).

So, whether you want a great city scape, a beautiful sunset or a bustling restaurant, all corners of the globe can provide a multitude of opportunities to capture creative images.

Here’s my 10 best travel photography cities and top spots to get those shots (I’m sure there are many more!).

read more

Mountain biking clothing: Does it improve your ride?

Luke    mountainbikingholidays, MTB Gear     Mountain bike gear, mountain bike holidays, mountainbiking, mountainbiking clothing, MTB, MTB gear, riding a mountain bike

I started mountain biking this summer and until recently was going out in a pair of sport shorts and a normal t-shirt.

Does good gear make for a great ride?

Most of the guys I ride with have all the gear, and in comparison I felt a little like a kid that forgot his gym kit and was being made to do sport in clothes from the lost property box.

So is MTB clothing just about fitting in and looking cool? or does the correct gear improve your ride?

To test this, I went crazy on the Halfords website taking advantage of the ‘buy one, get one half price’ on all cycle clothing. I kitted myself up without breaking the bank and my thoughts are below:

read more

Ski jobs: is this the best job in the world?

Gabriel    bestskiholidays     heli skiing, ski jobs, Skiing, Skiing Holidays, skiing jobs snowboarding, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays, snowboarding jobs

What’s the best ski job? Well, others might disagree, but I think it could be the heli-ski guide. When it boils down to doing what you love, heli-ski guides love what they do because to them it is the best job in the world. But I can’t be the judge of this – I’m just a professional tour guide and ski instructor: I know they’ve got one of the coolest jobs around!

Ski Jobs: we think we've found the best job in the world Image:Flickr/ kentgoldman

So, answer the following questions and see how your job matches up. Time for a career change? Or just a skiing holiday to see for yourself? This could be one of the best jobs in the world – if you’re not jealous now, you soon will be!

How big is your office space?

Heli-ski guides’ offices are about 2.2 million acres and have an average annual snowfall of 25 meters. Getting to the copy room might be tough, but then again, we don’t make copies. Heli-ski guides have earned a 360-degree corner office, with mountaintop views. The only time they see a “cube” is when they drop them to the bottom of their tumblers and pour a drink over them.

read more

10 Safety tips for Kayaking and Canoeing at night

Rich    kayakingholidays     canoeing, Canoeing holidays, Kayaking, kayaking at night, kayaking holidays, kayaking in winter, watersports, winter

Winter’s crap isn’t it? And as I build both kayaks and canoes of varying designs I like to keep paddling as long as possible in the year. But why mothball the boats at all when you can carry on kayaking and canoeing at night or just long into the evening?

Canoeing at night: Be seen!

So long as you follow some simple safety advice and use the right kit, you should never get into bother – and you’ll pretty much have the water to yourself!

Here’s 10 safety tips for kayaking and canoeing at night, read them and get hours more paddling time.

read more

Should I book a Package Snowboarding Holiday or Book Independently?

Luke    snowboardingholidays     Snowboarding, snowboarding deals, snowboarding gear, snowboarding holidays

Most people only get one snowboarding holiday a year. Any worries over work want to be forgotten and stress left behind to relax with friends, family and great snow. So you want to get it right.

But enthusiasts and novices alike are overloaded with options and choices, often making the process a daunting one. For many, a package snowboarding holiday is an easy answer to this problem, for others booking their holiday independently delivers the freedom they seek.

For those unsure as to which may suit them best, here is a quick look at both.

read more

Sailors limber up for Sydney-Hobart

Mark Pawlak    sailingbreaks     boats, Sailing, sailing in Australia, sailing racing, Yachting

Sailors will be warming up for this year’s Sydney to Hobart challenge in Friday’s Cabbage Tree Island Race.

The fleet of 32 vessels will get plenty of experience sailing in Australia when they embark upon the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 180 nautical mile sailing race. The race is a qualifier for the Sydney-Hobart, which gets under way on December 26 and will see thousands of sailing fans following its progress over the Christmas period. The Cabbage Tree is seen by many as a good indicator of how crews will perform during the main event on Boxing Day.

But this isn’t the only opportunity to limber up for the Hobart, with a number of other events also pencilled in over the coming weeks. On the weekend of November 26, Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship will get under way, with the Lion Island Botany Race planned for December 3. The Botany Race is the latest addition to the CYCA’s Blue Water Pointscore Series (BWPS).

But there are opportunities for sailing in Australia all year round, with many other events to keep people busy and entertained. One of these is the Hamilton Island Race Week, which attracts thousands of yachting lovers every year. Last year’s Cabbage Tree race was won by Chris Bull on board his Cookson 50 Jazz, however he won’t be taking part in this year’s event. He isn’t the only major face missing out either, as Bob Oatley’s super maxi Wild Oats XI won’t be involved in the race.

Weather experts have predicted that the yachts will embark upon the race amid an east to north-easterly of up to 15 knots, with the sea breeze remaining steady until late on Saturday, when winds are expected to reach 20-25 knots. The weather conditions cast shadows over hopes for beating previous records, experts have suggested.

The rush for the BWPS title is being led by Darryl Hodgkinson, who will embark upon the challenge fresh from victory last month in the Flinders Islet Race. He currently holds an eight point lead over Loki, the current BWPS champion. Many commentators have also mentioned Hodgkinson’s name when discussing potential winners of the Sydney-Hobart Tattersall’s Cup. The coming few weeks mark a busy time for lovers of yacht racing events, with the BWPS series set to conclude at the end of the Sydney Hobart and the prizes dished out too.