At this time of year, a lot of us start to crave a few days of sunshine. But all the hot destinations are too far away for a long weekend, right? Wrong! If you want to escape your everyday routine and soak up some much-needed vitamin D – without using too much annual leave – we have the solution.   A long weekend in Dubai is the perfect antidote to the winter blues. You’l...

This weekend is the Lunar New Year – also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. Based on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, the celebration begins on the new moon, which can be anytime between 21st January and 20th February. In 2020, the first day of the New Year falls on 25th January, and it will usher in the Year of the Rat – an animal which symbolises wealth and t...

These are boom times for brewers and drinkers alike. Changes in taste, techniques and ingredients have left us with a bewildering choice at the bar. There are more breweries in Britain today than at any time since the Thirties – and it’s proving the same around the world. America is leading the way but, all over Europe, craft beers are becoming more popular than wine. Further afield,...

Canada’s third-largest metropolis, after Toronto and Montreal, Vancouver’s consistently ranked among the world’s most liveable cities. And it’s fairly easy to see why. Besides having thriving arts and food scenes, this coastal city still retains a laidback charm. It also boasts one of the most spectacular settings of any city in the world. Fringed by the ocean on one side...

Antigua is small and astonishingly pretty, with a lush, hilly interior fringed by idyllic white sand beaches. Famously, it has 365 of them – all public, all free – so you’re spoilt for choice, no matter how long you stay. Development here is low-rise and low key, with no ugly blocks or out-of-character towers, making it one of the best islands in the Caribbean for uninterrupted...

Last year, Travelbag’s Managing Director Lesley Rollo travelled to Indonesia with two of her children, Eva and Oliver – aged 13 and seven. Although they spent some time in Bali (often mistaken for a country itself), they also explored other parts of this vast and diverse nation. Incredibly, Indonesia is actually made up of more than 17,000 islands. Here, she spills the beans ...

Oregon’s home to cool cities and diverse landscapes, ranging from wild rivers and evergreen forests to rugged coastlines. As Jo Thomas and her fiancé, Chalky, found, an eight-day trip along Oregon’s Scenic Byways is a fantastic way to explore this incredibly scenic American state.   Horse Riding in Central Oregon Here was the day I’d been waiting for. Ever since ...