The best time to visit the USA depends on your itinerary and your interests. Weather patterns vary considerably from place to place. Summer in the south-west can be very hot indeed, while it is pleasantly fresh and cool in New England, which is at its prettiest in the autumn. Spring is the best time of year to visit the Deep South and it’s also when the Rockies are at their most spectacular.

Touring the USA can be done in comfort and ease however you choose to travel. Whether you opt for a pre-planned fly-drive or one where you choose your own itinerary, driving along the open roads in this wide-open land is an experience not to be missed. With over four million miles of excellent roads and a high-speed Interstate Highway system, driving is an absolute joy and you will never be short of places to stay as hotels and motels are plentiful throughout.

You can recreate the glory days of the 1950s by driving that classic road Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles, stopping off at the Petrified Forest National Park, the Grand Canyon and the Las Vegas Strip en route.

In the Deep South you can visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or enjoy the music of Nashville and Memphis. On the West Coast follow the world’s most scenic drive along the Pacific Coast Highway. In the south-west drive through Monument Valley, where many a classic western has been filmed. Or in New England follow the trail of the earliest European settlers on the continent along leafy winding lanes where the white painted steeples of small churches gleam in the sun.

The USA offers a network of long-distance train routes, including some spectacularly scenic journeys. You can even cross the 3,000 miles from coast to coast by train. As luxury holidays in America go, that one takes some beating. Coach holidays and cruises are also available where you can relax and leave the driving to someone else while the tour guide shares their wealth of knowledge and takes care of the small details.

Overlooking the city is the imposing Mount Benacantil. On one side of this mount is the Old Quarter, a part of Alicante made up of diverse and historic buildings. It tends to be quieter than the main city and there are many attractions here, such as the oldest church in Alicante, the Basilica of Santa Maria. The architecture of this church seems to be as diverse as the Old Quarter itself, ranging from Gothic to Baroque influences. The basilica has six chapels in addition to the main nave.

To the north of Mount Benacantil is Sierra de San Julián. This point provides wonderful views not only of Santa Barbara Castle, located at the summit of Mount Benacantil, but also of the coastline and parts of the city itself. The site is of archaeological significance, with evidence of settlements dating back to the Bronze Age.

One festival to experience is the Bonfires of Saint John, held across Spain in June each year. Alicante hosts the biggest celebration, including bonfires and fireworks. In the autumn, people construct works of art based on famous people, politicians or historical figures. These become a part of the street parades held during the Bonfires of Saint John festival and all are burned on the last night. The best view of these pyrotechnics is from Santa Barbara Castle.

Some twenty kilometres from Alicante are the Canalobre Caves. This would be a nice day trip for travellers and although only a single cavern is open to visitors, the rock formations are well-lit. The cave is shaped like a cathedral vault and features some extraordinary stalactites on its ceiling.

Many tourists can be found on the Alicante shore, enjoying the sand and the Mediterranean Sea. El Postiguet is the most popular among Alicante’s beaches due to its proximity to the city. Lined with palm trees, the beach has won many Blue Flag awards for its clean bathing water and high environmental management standards. Although Alicante has many beaches to tempt visitors, it is worth knowing that there are many other attractions for travellers to see. Many airlines now offer flights to Alicante, making it easy to fly to a city which has so much to offer.

Beach

During the day, the long sweep of golden sand that is Laganas beach is the centre of activity. Visitors sunbathe, hand out at the bars and tavernas that line the beach, and swim in the warm azure waters. Thrill seekers will need to travel further up the coast for watersports, to St Nicolas or Mavratis, for example, as the ocean off Lagunas is part of the island’s marine park and home to endangered Caretta sea turtles, which you may spot if you’re lucky. You can also take dedicated turtle cruises to view these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat

Restaurants

There are many places in Lagunas where you can get traditional Greek fare for a very decent price. Panos and Akropolis are two of the best-known dining spots, each serving a selection of authentic kebabs and dips with pitta bread. Sarakina offers similar choices but with a bit more pizzazz. Laganas also caters to most culinary tastes. You can get Indian at Taj Mahal, Italian at Bella Napoli and Favela or traditional English pub grub at The Fishery Inn. Alternatively, simply stroll along the beach or the main road through town and see what takes your fancy.

Bars

Cherry Bay on the beach is a great place to start or end your evening. Serving cocktails complemented by disco tunes, the crowd here is always up for a good time. Cocktails and Dreams is a similar concoction but further in town, while Ghetto Bar focuses on R&B beats and regular drinks offers. There is also a smattering of English and Irish pubs along the main strip to satisfy the need for a pint.

Clubs

Any self-respecting clubber visiting Laganas will invariably visit the Rescue Club. The biggest nightclub, not only in Laganas but also in the whole of Zante, the Rescue Club regularly hosts 2000 revellers, and are renowned for their UV parties. Zeroes nightclub is another favourite destination, with fire breathers and bar games.

Dive in to Menorca

One of the most enjoyable sports you can take up in Menorca is scuba diving. With its easy accessibility, it’s a great way to get into the water and see some of the island’s fascinating sea life up close. There are scuba diving schools located all around Menorca and chances are that if you visit one of its many beaches, you’ll find a scuba diving school located very close by! A variety of different courses are usually available, ranging from ones tailored towards absolute beginners to ones for advanced divers. Snorkelling courses are usually available from the island’s schools as well, and offer an enjoyable and cheaper alternative that is perfectly suited for holidaying families.

In the wake of Britain’s success in sailing events during the London Olympics, the windsurfing courses that are readily available in Menorca might pique your interest. The island’s larger beaches often have a sailing school and, like the scuba diving schools, they offer a variety of different activities that are suitable for both newcomers and those with more experience. You can choose between handling single handed or crewed boats, and the courses available include windsurfing, sailing or simple dinghies.

If you don’t fancy getting wet or handling a boat for yourself, there are numerous boat trips around the island that you can take. Departing hourly from most seaside towns, they offer the opportunity for visitors to see parts of the island that would otherwise be missed, and can be taken in either sailing or motor boats. What’s more, if you change your mind about handling a boat, you can usually request to take the wheel for yourself.
So if you’d like to really get under the surface of this beautiful island, check out cheap holidays in Menorca with Jet2holidays, and don’t forget to pack your sea legs!

With its strong transport links with the rest of the UK and multiple international airports, it is easy to reach Scotland from almost anywhere in Britain or Europe. Cheap tickets are available to most of the main airports, which are located in Edinburgh (the capital), Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. When deciding how to travel to Scotland, it’s useful to think about what you want to do during your visit. If, for example, you love the great outdoors and want to avoid city life then you might choose to fly straight into Inverness, with its excellent position in the heart of the highlands.

The wealth of travel options available into Scotland, especially from the rest of the UK, means there’s no excuse not to visit. Easily accessible by road from the south as well as fast and efficient rail links from London, Manchester and Birmingham, to name just a few. The abundance of low cost flight routes available today makes it even easier to reach Scotland in only an hour or two from almost anywhere in the UK. Great value budget flights are available with BMI Baby, Easyjet, Ryanair, Flybe and Globespan. If you are flexible with dates you can find some great deals by choosing to fly during the week and outside of the regular business flight hours. For example, an early outbound flight on a Thursday morning returning on a mid-afternoon flight the following Tuesday could be as much as 60% cheaper than visiting from Friday to Monday at peak times.

If you do arrive by air, car rental will be invaluable in allowing you to explore this amazing country and really make the most of your trip. This can be arranged in advance and cars collected from any of Scotland’s airports, otherwise search online for a local rental company and shop around for the best price. There are now various price comparison websites for car hire, otherwise Alamo generally offers good deals. If you are travelling in the more remote Highland areas, do remember that many of the roads are single lane, winding affairs and you will have to keep an eye out for passing places should you encounter a vehicle coming the other way.

Scotland is famed for its bad weather but don’t let that put you off! This does mean that when the sun comes out, everyone heads outside and really makes the most of it. Undoubtedly two of the best times to visit the capital are August and December. In August, Edinburgh puts on one of the greatest festivals in the world: the Edinburgh International Festival, which is actually lots of different festivals rolled into one. December brings Hogmanay, which celebrates the coming of the New Year – arguably one of the best parties to be had in the UK. However you choose to travel, the transport options available today make it quick and easy to reach Scotland. In only an hour you could fly home from Glasgow to Birmingham after the best party of the year.

Firstly another great Finnish designer called Antti Suhanko has designed this Fold a Light Blue Table Lamp. The design is very intriguing and puts a fresh perspective on table lamps. What you see is a cut out design that folds out in the shape of a lamp. Inside there is a high quality LED light that illuminates the room just enough so you can read a book before bed.

Still on the subject of lighting F4H also offer this Firefly Glow Sphere. Although this is suited for indoors and outdoors and can even be put in a swimming pool. We found that the soothing light and soft shape really worked well in the bedroom. This can be put in a corner and light up a dark area giving you a warm soothing glow before you go to bed.

What really stood out for us on the fashion for home website is that they have a wide range of bedside tables. They come in a range of really amazing designs and you can choose from classic, contemporary, retro, and Scandinavian styles. To view this exquisite collection please click here and you will be able to see exactly what we’re talking about.

Buying quality items especially for your bedroom and creating that perfect space is extremely important. That is why we recommend this online store for some of the best pieces money can buy.

Gaming laptops have always been a slightly niche product, but Alienware has been making efforts to bring its brand of high end performance to a more mainstream market, so let us look at what the M17x has to offer.

With a 17.3 inch high def display and a large, obsessively detailed chassis the M17x is definitely striking to behold. While its design may not be for everyone and its weight is going to be a little bit of a burden if you have long distances to lug it, this is a gaming rig that will need to compete with far more garish items at LAN events, so compared to these it looks relatively subdued.

If you love stereoscopic 3D gaming then you can request the inclusion of a 120Hz edition of the 17.2 inch monitor with active shutter technology, although there is still no certainty that this gimmick is actually going to catch on, so it is an optional extra for the time being.

The M17x is based around the latest generation of Intel’s Core i7 processor, with various options available from the new Ivy Bridge family. These chips are faster and more efficient than their predecessors, with the availability of a 2.3 GHz quad core chip that can overclock itself to 3.3GHz when duty calls.

Depending on your preference or brand allegiances you can opt for a graphics card solution from either AMD or Nvidia, although to be honest the difference between the two companies is really superficial unless you are a stickler for counting every frame, so expect good performance whatever the setup. DirectX 11 support is available so that you can activate the latest effects in top titles.

When it comes to RAM you can really take advantage of the base level 8GB allocation that is found on the M17x, although Alienware lets you customise the amount onboard up to a frankly ludicrous 32GB if you have the cash. Bear in mind that no game will ever need this much memory, so the only real reason to pick it is for bragging rights or to prepare for the future.

In fact if you are worried about how long your investment in the M17x will actually be worthwhile, the fact that this whole laptop range is so future proof will definitely be a benefit. Most agree that the gaming market is teetering on the brink of a new generation, with engines like Unreal 4 on the horizon, so getting ready for the shift to the next gear is sensible and, moreover, possible.

Since the Alienware M17x is going to be a bit of a beast to take with you and protect while it is in transit, as well as featuring a battery that will quickly deplete when you game, it might be worth heading to 3 Wise Monkeys to pick up accessories that will make life with it that bit easier.

Car Finance

Unsecured Loan: This form of purchase can be easy and convenient and is repayable on a monthly or weekly basis at a fixed interest rate. The car belongs to you from the outset, but it is important to check the small print as there may be conditions and car finance clauses that make the deal less beneficial to the buyer.

Hire Purchase: By effectively purchasing the car in monthly instalments, the car will only belong to you once the money has been paid. Before the end of the hire purchase the car can be repossessed if payments are not made on time, but, overall, hire purchasing can be convenient for many.

Personal Lease: This is a relatively cheap way to effectively rent a car. MOTs and repairs and taxes are not your responsibility, but limits on mileages can be restrictive and should be checked.

Credit Card: Buying a car with a credit card offers extra protection and low interest that falls with repayments. However, you may face a card processing fee.

Personal Contract Plan: This usually works by paying a deposit and deferring some of the payment to the end of the contract in a few years. A minimum guaranteed future value is agreed on and this option offers low monthly payments to the buyer. If the car depreciates or the car is worse for wear, this can prove expensive after the contract is over.

Finding Car Finance

Finding the right car finance for you can take a little time, but researching and comparing deals and providers can really pay off. There are numerous comparison sites around and a few calls to car finance companies can make a big difference.

One of the things you will have to look at is the APR, which is calculated based on the total payment amount. The lower the APR, the better it is for you, but a low flat rate may simply be compensating for high administrative costs that pop up elsewhere. All these things as well as details such as car insurance should be checked carefully and deeply considered before deciding on a car finance option.

India is famous for the monsoons; during summer extremely heavy downpours can occur from westerly sea breezes so, combined with high heat, it can be humid or tropical depending on the region of India you are in which can make it difficult to know what to pack. Temperatures may vary according to region, from less than 20 degrees centigrade in the far north to in excess of 27.5 degrees in the south-eastern coastal regions. Many people favour white or pale cotton or linen clothing as it is more breathable and less likely to make the body sweat.

India is a busy and bustling country although it is still a fairly conservative place to travel to. Inner city life may well be more all-embracing and a little more liberal but holy sites, older districts and villages are likely to require dress codes. In such areas it is advised to cover the shoulders, knees and sometimes the arms as a show of respect. Light cotton fabrics will make such dress easy and comfortable in hot weather whilst remaining respectful of this Indian tradition.

For men long cotton trousers and long length shorts are a must for both comfort and acceptability and cotton shirts are likewise a good option. Short sleeves will be acceptable for most local streets and markets but long sleeves are advised for visiting holy shrines. A hat or cap is a useful addition to a summer outfit and on hot day an essential part of preventing sunburn.

Ladies may find cotton trousers more comfortable than a skirt with a loose shirt offering a trendy and stylish way to look less like a tourist and more like a local. Shorts and short skirts would be disapproved of in conservative areas so take care when choosing your outfit. A head scarf or cap can be added for extra protection against the sun with comfy sandals offering the perfect footwear for this warm and relaxed country.

Of course this kind of dress code tends to matter less on the beach and India has a lot of coastline for visitors to enjoy, offering some of the best surf in the world, India attracts many a keen boardie. However, if surfing is your thing it is important to make sure you go properly equipped and prepared, especially when you consider waves in the monsoon season can reach from 3-5 feet to 8-15 feet, so be careful!

Caravanning is a great way to holiday, not just because it reminds people of their own childhood holidays, but because they offer great value for money. Most caravan sites charge just a few pounds a night if you bring your own caravan. Many parks also provide plenty of facilities, activities and entertainment for the whole family. There are caravan parks based all around the UK, from the traditional seaside destinations to lakeside locations or rural beauty spots. The truth is a caravan holiday lets you discover parts of the UK that you would not normally see, with the knowledge that you have a comfortable base to return to after a long day exploring.

Today’s caravan parks are varied and offer everything you might need. Choose from adult-only sites that let you explore wonderful National Trust property or the countryside without kids around, or if you are bringing the family you will find hundreds of parks that offer play areas, sports, activities and lively entertainment.

The caravans themselves have improved significantly in recent years. Many now offer inhabitants lots of space, comfort and, in many cases, a little bit of luxury. In the latest caravans and static homes you will find everything you need for a self-catering break, with modern bathroom facilities too, just a little bit smaller than at home.

Whether you choose to own your own touring caravan or buy a static home at your favourite destination, protect yourself with the right insurance. There are plenty of policies available, from touring caravan coverage to static or motorhome insurance, so it helps to do some research before you buy. The right policy can be tailored to your exact requirements and will help to keep your caravanning holidays memorable for all the right reasons.