Most of us enjoy a glass of wine or two on occasion, whether it is a bottle of white with the girls on a Friday night, a rich red with Sunday lunch, or a splash of champagne at celebrations. However, what many people don’t realise is that most wines will benefit from being decanted before drinking. Read on and discover all you need to know about decanting wines. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are looking for something a little different from the run of the mill tourist attractions that you usually visit on your holidays, we’ve got a fantastic suggestion for you - and one that all the family can enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »

Desynchronsis is the medical term for what most of us would call jet lag. Usually experienced by travellers who have taken a long haul flight which crosses several time zones, jet lag can leave you feeling out of sorts for several days following arrival at your destination. In order to beat jet lag, we look at what causes jet lag, what jet lag feels like and what we can do to prepare ourselves before a long plane journey. Read the rest of this entry »

Halloween or All Hallows Eve is celebrated on the 31^st of October and is traditionally the night when spooks, ghouls and witches roam the earth. Instead of staying at home waiting for trick or treaters, why not make this Halloween one to remember, by taking a break to a spooky location and seeing if you can spot a ghost or two! Here are our top  favourite five haunted places in the United Kingdom, where ghosts and mysteries abound! Read the rest of this entry »

The next time you go on holiday, you might want to think again before jumping directly into that pristine, beautifully made bed. Since the mid 90s, a worrying trend has come to light - the number of Bedbug (Cimicidae) infestations is on the rise. Scientists link the soaring figures to a resistance to pesticides such as DDT, which had succeeded in almost eradicating the creepy crawlies after the 1940s, and increased global travel. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone enjoys watching a good film from time to time, but if you want to take the movie experience further, why not be inspired by the locations used in your favourite flick for your next holiday. Here are four suggestions to inspire your choice - from Spanish deserts masquerading as the American West to mystery and magic in New Zealand.

Almeria - Heaven for Spaghetti Western Fans Read the rest of this entry »

Statistics from The International Life Saving  Foundation suggest that internationally 1.2 million people die each year through drowning, and over 50% of those are children. These sobering figures only show one side of the story - many more people are rescued and live to tell the tale.  It makes sense then, to take some time to ensure that your family understand the need for safety around water before you go on holiday. Kids and adults can all benefit from learning how to avoid unnecessary risks and what to do if they find themselves in trouble. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you are going on a self catering holiday to Greece or spending your summer holidays in the UK, protecting your family from the sun is one of the most essential parts of proper skin care.

Some of our readers may remember that as recently as the 1970s and 1980s, we were largely unaware of the dangers that excessive exposure to the sun can create. You may even have memories of baking in the sun, smeared with baby oil, and even using sheets of aluminium foil to direct the rays of the sun onto your skin to deepen and intensify your tan. Despite a greater understanding of the connection between the sun and skin cancer, according to a quick Google search on the subject, some people are still choosing to fry their skin using the “foil and oil” method.

Excessive exposure to the sun - whether it is from relaxing on a sandy beach during your vacation or mowing the lawn in your back garden - can have devastating effects on the skin. Premature ageing, rough and dry patches, wrinkles and freckles can all be looked forward to by those who don’t use sunscreen or take proper precautions, not to mention the proven link with skin cancer…

Of course, the best way to protect your skin from the sun is not to tan, but, lets face it, who wants to come back from their holiday without a bit of healthy colour? Bear the following rules in mind when you are on your summer break, and protect yourself and your family.

Use Sunscreen

While a small amount of exposure to the sun is good for us (a reaction of the sunlight on our skin produces Vitamin D for the body to use), everyone in your family should be applying sunscreen frequently.

A waterproof skin protection cream with a minimum of Factor 25 has been suggested as a starting point, although parents may choose to use a total sunblock on kids. There are many, many different brands and formulas of sun protection available, from coloured and scented products aimed at encouraging children to apply their cream, to organic based lotions which are ideal for those who prefer not to use chemical based creams on their skin.

Sun protection cream needs to be applied to clean, dry skin 30 minutes before exposure to the sun in order to work properly. One mistake that people tend to make with sunscreen is to apply it sparingly - experts say we should be lathering it on liberally and rubbing it in well.

Throughout the day,  especially after swimming or sweating heavily, reapply your sunscreen as it can rub off and lose it’s effectiveness.

Cover Up

An cover up clothing such as hats, long sleeved tops and trousers can all help prevent sun burn. It is important to remember that if you can see through a garment when you hold it up to the light, the sun can get through! You should also consider investing in sunglasses which offer high UV protection. Wrap around styles are considered to be the best as they offer the most protection.

Shady Spots

Ever heard the saying “mad dogs and English men go out in the midday sun”? This is a good one to bear in mind when you are on holiday and facing scorching temperatures on a daily basis. Take a hint from locals (and sensible dogs!) by staying in the shade throughout the hottest time of the day, usually between 10am - 4pm.

Sunburn and Sunstroke

If you, or a family member gets sunburnt, it is important to get them out of the sun right away - in addition to skin damage, sunburn can lead to a condition known as sunstroke. Focus on cooling the sunburn sufferer down and rehydrating them - think cool(but not cold) showers and lots of water to drink. Pain killers can be given to soothe the sting and it is beneficial to apply an aloe vera gel to assist healing.

Sunstroke is an extremely dangerous condition which can cause rapid deterioration and is the cause of unnecessary deaths every year. Symptoms include cramps, sweating, headache and rapid, weak breathing and pulse rate . Should you suspect that someone has the symptoms of sunstroke, seek medical attention immediately for treatment.

Holidays are a relaxing time, and it is all too easy to be lulled into a sense of security by the sunshine, sea and sand. Unfortunately, holiday resorts and busy tourist attractions tend to be magnets for thieves and scam artists, who take advantage of crowds, distraction and use the opportunity to relieve you of your hard-earned money, mobile phones, cameras and jewellery.

Pickpockets frequently work in gangs and have numerous distraction techniques designed to extract your money. Often as simple someone resting a map over your table as they ask directions(and steal your phone) or bumping into you in a crowded street(and whisking away your purse,  if it happens, it’s likely your money will be the other side of town before you realise it has gone, with little chance of getting it back.
So what can you do to protect yourself?

•    Don’t make yourself  into vulnerable victim – flashing wads of cash around will attract the wrong sort of attention. If you are going to a  local souvenir market for example, it’s sensible to get small change before you set off – rather than pulling out huge notes to pay for small purchases.
•    On the subject of money, it has long been recommended that you take a mixture of cash, credit cards and travellers cheques when you go on holiday. Obviously this comes down to personal preference, but remember whatever combination of spending money you take – don’t carry it all round with you, and keep the excess in a secure place such as a safe in your accommodation.
•    Wallets that peep temptingly from your back-pocket, and handbags which gape open to reveal their contents are just asking to be stolen. Switch over to a money-belt or “bum bag” for your valuables, and ladies, if your bag is vital, choose a style which hangs across the front of body and has a concealed zip. You may even like to use safety pins to secure your bag and make it more difficult to open. Never leave bags sitting on the floor or hanging over the backs of chairs, and maintain physical contact with them at all times. If you are asleep on public transport or relaxing on the beach – do yourself a favour and pop your belonging under your pillow or behind your back.
•    When you are out and about, think about your behaviour and how you might appear to potential thieves. Try to look confident and make eye contact with people around you to show anyone watching you that you are aware of your surroundings and what is going on. If you are going to an area where pickpockets are a known issue, make sure that your clothing and actions don’t scream “tourist” - swap those designer sunglasses for a cheapo pair, leave your Rolex at home and don’t keep your camera in your hand all the time etc. Be alert if anyone you don’t know approaches you or tries to touch you, and feel free to shout and make a fuss if you see someone interfering with your belongings! Remember, if something seems suspicious is probably is!
•    If your passport is lost or stolen during your holiday, don’t panic. The first point of call is at the police station to report the crime, and then you should visit the local UK embassy or consulate who will issue travel documents to help you return home. Super savvy travellers recommend sending a colour scan of your passport to a secure email account, as this will come in handy – just in case.  Other valuables that are stolen should be reported to the police, although  of course it is better to prevent the crime rather than deal with the consequences.

We hope that these tips will be useful to your for your next holiday, and will keep your valuables safe. Have you got any anti pickpocket tips you’d like to share with fellow travellers? Comment, and let us know!

Food glorious food. The most transient of pleasures. But if there’s one thing the rich are good at, it’s forking out the dough for the nosh. Below are the top five raw ingredients so expensive that it seems a shame to eat ‘em.

5. Kobe Beef

Kobe beef, from carefully-reared Wagyu cattle, is considered the most succulent and tasty of all beef. With its beautiful marbled texture and taste, this meat can sell for up to $150/lb. Some have compared it to the meat equivalent of foie gras, or, for the less cultured, a smooth and velvety melt-in-your-mouth flavour explosion.

4. Saffron

Ladies and gentlemen, the world’s most expensive spice. Viewed as perhaps the most decadent foodstuff of them all (the ones following will at least fill your belly), Saffron’s cost can be attributed to the difficulty of its production. Over 70,000 Safron flowers are required to make a single lb. of Saffron (for those of you metrically inclined, that means 150 flowers for every single gram of the stuff). Depending on the quality and variety, Saffron can see for up to $5,000 per lb. Not bad when you consider it takes one man an entire day to harvest a single lb. of the stuff over an area roughly the size of a football pitch.

3. Yubari Melons

The humble melon, so often the go-to healthy snack for low-flying professionals, makes the number three spot on the list, specifically the Yubari variety. These japanese melons regularly sell for $150 each, but in 2008 one went for a fat and juicy $20,000. Yubari melons are traditionally given as gifts in wooden boxes, so if you do have any long-lost japanese relatives visiting soon, do not turn your nose up at the carefully packaged fruit they bring with them.

2. Caviar

Any James Bond aficionado will be familiar with Beluga caviar, that most prized of salty fish eggs. But if James Bond had been an aficionado of caviar, he would have asked for Almas (‘diamond’ in Persian) caviar. This pearly white variety of Beluga caviar comes from older Beluga sturgeons. The sturgeons can take up to 20 years to mature, but the Almas variety requires a fish of 60 - 80 years old, and is the most prized of all the most prized of salty fish eggs. This variety goes for $25,000/kg. So rare is this caviar that there is only one known outlet in the UK - the Caviar House & Prunier on London’s Piccadilly. The same restaurant is also home to the most expensive meal ever eaten in the UK, when two ladies gobbled down over £21,000 worth of salty fish eggs over the course of an afternoon.

1. Truffles

Truffles are a great social barometer. Ask someone what a truffle is. If they say ‘the soft strawberry marshmallowy thing in my pick n’ mix’, chances are they have never rubbed shoulders with someone who says ‘the king of all fungi’. Although there is no definitive answer for the question ‘What is the world’s most expensive food?’, the truffle would be the most likely to take the crown. A gigantic Italian White Alba truffle 1.5 kg in weight and bearing a striking resemblance to a bit of old, worn leather, recently sold for $160,000 dollars. Not bad for a mushroom you can fit in your pocket.