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Research, research and more research

With the power of the Internet, you have advanced search options at your very fingertips. Find websites that provide quick and easy navigation to help you search for the perfect vacation spot for you and your family. Research is important because vacations can get very expensive and you don’t want to waste your time or your money on a sub-par vacation rental. With all the websites available to you, finding your next getaway is not as hard as it once was. No need to make phone calls and no need to ask the travel agent for pictures. Get all the info and pictures you need on that screen right in front of your eyes with the click of a mouse.

Word Of Mouth

Ask around. Talk to your friends, your family and neighbours about vacations they have taken in the past. Word of mouth is the most honest reviews you will find anywhere. Your friends and family will give you information on everything from the taste of the food, to the size of their suite. Plus, by asking others about their vacations you can ask certain people for exactly what you want. For example if you and your significant other is looking to take a romantic getaway, you can always ask the newly weds next door who just took their honeymoon.

Selecting the General Location

Figuring out the setting of your next vacation can be tough. So do you want to take a nice relaxing vacation on the beach or hit the slopes on top of a mountain? That’s the decision you have to make before anything. Maybe you want camp out in the wilderness or escape to your choice of beautiful Tuscan Villa rentals… who knows! If you want to narrow your search down, think about how much you want to spend, the temperature and how far you want to fly – drive – or sail.

Follow Ashely Wilson @ashelymarie1985 to see what else she has to say!

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Hiking Europe by Mia & Steve mestdagh

The first thing to consider of course is planning out your route. It all depends on what type of hiking holiday you prefer – one filled with walking along the mountain ranges, one concentrated on skiing, or some other type of holiday. After you have this in mind, you will be able to pinpoint the locations, which might suit your requirements with ease since the internet is something we all have access to these days. Make sure you research the route you have chosen well though, because there are a lot of nasty surprises, which might find you in the mountains.

After that, you should really decide what you need and want to take with you. The standard equipment will require you to bring only enough food and water for the hiking holiday, whereas everything else is based on the context of your trip. It is always good to invest in some general things of course, such as a hiking backpack. They can be found in many specialized stores across the world and they vary in sizes and applications. Good advice is to spend some time in finding a truly good backpack, which will not betray you on your trip.

Hiking Europe – 2 by Mia & Steve mestdagh

Last but not least, you should decide who you are going to go with. If you are taking an unfamiliar route on your hiking holiday, you should definitely consider taking someone, who knows the way. This might be a friend, or a specialized guide, who will charge you, but at least you will know that you will be completely safe with them. There are specialized agencies, which provide hiking holidays, and you should observe some possibilities with them in order to be sure that you find the right thing to suit your needs completely.

As a whole, you should carefully observe your possibilities for exciting hiking holiday (or as the Danes say “spændende vandreferie”). There are many things, which you should take into consideration before going on a trip, and if you are not sure as to how to proceed with preparations, it is highly advised that you find a good online guide to read some things. The mountains can be a dangerous place and if you do not have the knowledge required to go through the trip with ease, you should definitely choose another opportunity. Otherwise, you risk both your safety and the safety of the people with you at all times.

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Lago di Bolsena

Within a crater of the extinct Vulcini volcano, Lake Bolsena is just south from Tuscany in the region of Northern Lazio. The main nearby village is the old town of Bolsena on the lake’s northern banks. The town is now a resort village with the old town and castle well preserved. The historic island of Bisentina lies within the lake, and it has an old church as well as a historic prison for heretical priests and a convent. Then, a small fishing town on the lake has a castle. People currently enjoy fishing, boating and swimming at Lake Bolsena.

Lago di Bolsena, Italy by Hengist Decius

Lago di Como

Italy’s most popular lake for getaways, Lake Como is a “Y” shaped body of water of the Lake District in the Alps’ foothills. Visitors are captivated by stunning views of blue waters, charming lakeside villages with comfortable accommodations and tall mountains on the northern side of the lake near the country’s border with Switzerland. Visitors should take a boat cruise and stop at some of the smaller villages for cool treats at gellaterias. Other area activities are photography, hiking and a variety of water sports.

Photo of Menaggio, Lago di Como, Italy by Gerry Labrijn

Lago di Garda

The most visited and the largest lake in Italy, Lake Garda is in the country’s northern Lake District. The lovely village of Limone with its many fragrant lemon trees is on the northern side of the lake where rugged cliffs dominate the landscape. Waterfront walkways, beaches and castles from the Middle Ages are around Lake Garda. Families enjoy water sports and nearby parks like the amusement park, Gardaland.

Photo of Toscolano, Lago di Garda, Italy by Studio eLBee

Lago di Maggiore

To the west from Lake Como, Lake Maggiore is Italy’s longest lake at 65 kilometers. The far north of the lake crosses the border into Switzerland. The area has a fair to mild climate even though it is mostly surrounded by the foothills of the Alps. Visitors enjoy exploring the lake’s three islands. The widest point of this body of water is near the town of Luino.

Photo of Lago di Maggiore, Italy by Oliver Keller

Lago di Trasimeno

Close to Tuscany in Umbria, Lake Trasimeno is known as the site for a battle between Hannibal and Rome. The lake is fairly shallow and has some beaches along its shoreline. A large island is within Trasimeno Lake, famous for the lace that the people on the island produce. Historic towns dot the landscape around this body of water, and many of them have fascinating castle ruins. If you would like to visit any of these lakes you can compare lake Como holidays from inghams.co.uk and I hope to see you at the waters edge for a much deserved cocktail.

Photo of Lago di Trasimeno, Italy by Roberto Taddeo

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Adam Jones

I think April will be a good time, before it gets too hot. The closest major city is Granada. I’ll be flying there, maybe with a break in Barcelona. Granada looks to be stunningly beautiful. I am staying two nights in the city and it will probably be in the Parador de Granada, although the Hotel Casa 1800 Granada is supposed to be very picturesque.

From Granada I could head by bus to Capileira, which is a small town that sits at the foot of Mulhacén, the tallest mountain in Spain. There is a Microbus service there. It takes travelers up the mountain on days with good weather. It’s actually becoming a rather popular tourist destination, so I’m not concerned about it being too isolated. I’d rather walk up the mountain, though. Apparently it’s not that difficult and doesn’t require any climbing equipment, just normal hiking gear.

I could take the bus to Beas de Granada (east of Granada). There is a fantastic one-way walk that leads back into the center of Granada. It’s supposed to be one of the best hiking experiences to be had in the Sierra Nevada. The route is about 30 kilometers atop a broad ridge, which might be a little long for me. I’ve also been warned to hike this path in May at the latest due to the heat.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Andrew Hurley

Another option is to travel in June or July. I could go from Granada to Trevélez (which is on the eastern side of Mulhacén) to climb the path to the Seven Lakes, but any earlier in the year and there’s too much snow. Most of the climb isn’t too difficult and I’ve heard that the waterfalls are amazing. It leads up to a place called the Seven Lakes (Siete Lagunas). I’m probably going to choose this one.

There’s actually quite a few other hikes, like a hard one called Vereda de la Estrella. I could also hike from Capileira to Trevélez, but not in winter. There’s so many choices!

One of the other great activities that you can do around the mountainous countryside of Spain is mountain biking. The hilly terrain and dry conditions lend themselves perfectly to this pursuit and there are no rules against doing this.

This article was written by John Davies who enjoys blogging for Thomson Al Fresco holidays. He has travelled around most of Europe, camping with his family most of the way and he enjoys nothing more than sharing his experiences with other bloggers and travellers alike through guest posts.

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The area of ​​extinct volcanoes is located in the southern part of central France and administratively falls under the region of Auvergne. Volcanic rocks (the rocks resulting from volcanic activity) are divided into four smaller areas. In order from south to north they are Monts du Cantal, Cézallier, Monts Dore and the Chaîne des Puys.

The southernmost mountain is Monts du Cantal, consisting of a single giant stratovolcano (a volcano composed of layers of lava and pyroclastic rocks) with a diameter of 50 km. Originally it was 3,000 metres high and was created by multiple eruptions relatively recently – in the period before 13 to 2 million years ago. French claims that it is Europe’s largest stratovolcano. The whole Cantal mountains were covered with glaciers in the Quaternary. If you want to enjoy distant views you can get up to the Puy Mary (1787 m) – on the way you will see number of flowers in mountain meadows, lots of cows, whose milk is used to produce excellent cheeses, including Cantal cheese, known throughout France and delivered already to the court of Louis XIV.

A little further north lies Cézallier area, the least attractive for tourists, consisting of basalt lava flows that originated from 8 to 3 million years ago.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Sébastien Bertrand

Much more attractive is the third area – Monts Dore with the highest peak of the Puy de Sancy (1,885 meters). It is also a stratovolcano, but smaller and younger. It was created 3 million years ago by a huge volcanic eruption that created a great caldera (a large circular or elliptical crater) consisting of layers of acid ignimbrite and trachyandesite lava flows. View of the eruption must have been really impressive, but also malignant for all living in the vicinity. Fine ash fell even hundreds of miles away. Crater reached a height of up to 2 500 meters. Volcanic activity then continued until about 200,000 years ago and later even erosion and glacier topography changed the original caldera. To the top of the Puy de Sancy you can get by a cable car and then walking for about 20 minutes. The reward is again superb view (in good weather you can even see Mont Blanc) and flowering alpine meadows.

But the most beautiful and most attractive is the last part – the northernmost areas of the chain of volcanoes Chaîne des Puys. On a line about 40 kilometers long, were created up to 48 volcanic cones, lava domes and maar. The youngest is the volcano Puy de Paria. This is a typical type of Stromboli volcano and you can still see beautifully preserved crater here. The landmark of this part is the Puy de Dôme volcano, created about about 12,000 years ago. The peak is a popular place for hang gliders or paragliders. View from the top is really worth and during the nice weather you will see the horizon of the Alps.

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Tyrol is one of the most popular Austrian lands at all – not only because of its landmarks such as mountains, forests, mountaineering and winter sports, but also because of traditional folklore. Land, situated to the west of Austria is divided into a larger North Tyrol and smaller East Tyrol. Those two parts are separated by the city of Salzburg. But its metropolis and the largest city of the Land is Innsbruck.

The entire area of Tyrol is covered by Tyrolean Alps. Broad and deep valley of the Inn river forms a natural border between the northern – limestone Alps and central – crystalline Alps.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by NH53

Tyrol is now mainly known as winter ski vacation, the most famous centers include Kitzbühel, St. Anton im Tirol, Kaiserwinkl or Lienzer Dolomiten. All Tyrolean ski areas have high quality facilities and offer a wide range of sports. Great selection of slopes, sun and snow will satisfy even the most demanding skiers. Evening staying in a nice warm pub with good food and “schnapps” with a typical Tyrolean background music enhances the mountainous romance.

Equally attractive is the Tyrol in the summer, which is a popular destination for hiking. The most beautiful trails leading across the Stubai Alps, Ötztal Alps, Kitzbühel Alps and Zillertal Alps, can be defeated on foot or by bike. Natural beauty of mountain valleys, streams and snow-covered Alpine peaks scenery guarantee an unforgettable holiday. The more experience you can enjoy by visiting the renowned summer Festival of Early Music at Ambras Castle. You can stay in Tyrolean metropolis and enjoy the quality and hospitality of Innsbruck hotels or after a hard sporty day relax in numerous thermal baths and water worlds.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Jiuguang Wang

And how did the period get its name? Just after Hallstatt village, which was at that time an important trading center. There was the salt mined in its vicinity, which was also exported to far away places. The history of the local salt mining extends at least from 2nd millennium BC up to the present and gave the region not only wealth and prosperity, but also created a specific cultural landscape, where nature blends with human activity in unusual harmony. It also led the Commission of UNESCO to add this area “Hallstatt-Dachstein Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape” on the list of World Heritage in 1997.

Very interesting on Hallstatt is that it has long been accessible only by boat across the lake, or along narrow mountain trails. The first road was built along the shore in 1890, but only thanks to the power of explosives. Despite of this apparent inaccessibility the people settled here anyway seven thousand years ago. The rich history recalls not only architecture of Hallstatt, but also the local museum, which collects extensive archaeological excavations. Many of them come from the necropolis on the plateau above the town, where were discovered the remains of 4,000 people. And those remains were the main reason to name the period as “Hallstatt period”.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Party Lin

It is understandable that many places in Hallstatt are related to salt. The local salt mines are reportedly the oldest in the world and you can see them in an unusual museum. Why unusual? Well, how many museums have you visited which had 64 metres long wooden roller coaster…? But the underground salt mines offer much more than this unusual attraction. You can learn about the life of people who mined salt here for thousands of years. The body of one of them was found here in 1734, perfectly preserved by salt. Notable is also an underground salt lake with an area of ​​1400 m2.

If you already have enough salt, you can target the other wonders of the underground world – Dachstein ice caves. And because we are in the Alps, it is not necessary to say that you can see lots of interesting also on the surface. Whether it’s a remarkable historical buildings, or simply “just” beautiful countryside with fresh air and a nice panorama of mountain giants.

There are lots of Austria hotels in the town as well as camp sites at the shores of the lake. Hallstatt is also a great starting point for your hiking tours around the mountains.

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Another interesting mountain range is Börzsöny which is protected by National Park of Duna-Ipoly. It lies at the Slovakian border, above Budapest, and includes also popular Hungarian towns of Visegrád and Nagymaros.

The park is also famous for many castles and forts. It is a pleasant, mostly forested landscape that waves together with the banks of the Danube and Ipoly rivers, interwoven with series of waterways and wetlands. Only in the Börzsöny mountains there are more than 335 different springs and streams. This area is one of the least accessible parts of Hungary. There are no roads, but you can get there by the narrow gauge railway which is also interesting and popular technical monument here. Of course, the best way how you can get to know the landscape is on foot, but be careful, some parts of the park are not accessible at all due to protection.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Tamas Ring

Most features of the landscape were created by volcanic activity, there are an extinct volcanic cones, steep ravines or bizarre rocks. Fourteen million years ago these places were occupied by the great volcano, about 1400 meters high. After the eruption, the central part of the volcano failed down, so today we can see the remnants of the crater. The highest point of Börzsöny mountain is Csóványos peak with a height of 939 metres above sea level, offering a panoramic view of the region. However, there are also other peaks and hills where you can enjoy beautiful views, such as Hegyes-Tető with the great vista of the Danube. In good weather conditions, you can even see the Slovak High Tatras mountains from some hills.

The area a home to many rare and protected animals, especially reptiles, amphibians and birds including several species of eagles. There are also wild cats and martens. It boasts also a varied composition of plants, including the relics from the post-glacial period.

Börzsöny Mountains are not very visited areas, in comparison with Balaton, Budapest or any of the Hungarian thermal aquaparks. But the prices here are reasonable and the romantic local scenery is an alternative for less demanding, but interesting holiday – especially for hikers and cyclists.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Jaroslav Kuba

Near the waterfalls is located Mumlava shed – a restaurant. Falls are easily accessible on foot or by bike along the asphalt road, an access for motor vehicles is not allowed, so you will not be disturbed. From Mumlava waterfalls you can continue to Vosecká shed.

In the surroundings of Harrachov you can find more rivers offering the similar phenomena, such as waterfalls, but they certainly can not be compared with Mumlava waterfall. Its height reaches up to 8 meters and is 10 meters wide. The waterfalls are different in every season, so whether you come in summer, or spring, or any other time you will see them always in a different form.

On the way to Mumlava waterfalls you can visit the mining museum, which is accessible throughout the year. Or you can hike to any of the countless wonderful places in Krkonoše National Park.

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The full name of this mountain is Kamnik–Savinja Alps. Their northern part – Kamnik Alps – is derived from the name of the town Kamnik. While the southern part is situated in the basin of the river Savinja and therefore is called Savinja Alps.

Mountains can be divided into several areas. The highest and largest of these is the central ridge. Here you will find the most popular tourist mountain peaks such as Jezerska Kočna (2540 m), Grintavec (2558 m) and Skuta (2532 m). The best starting points are the village Jezersko and Logar Valley (Logarska dolina). On the west lies a part called Storžič. Other groups are: Mrzla gora, Krvavec-Kalški greben, Velika planina. The minor parts then include Raduha, Rogatec and Menina planina.

Kamnik–Savinja Alps offer a dense network of marked trails. You can also use secured routes, some of which are among the toughest in the country. Accommodation possibilities are also on a very high level – especially chalets are available at all important places and major resting points.

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