Dubai holidays with Virgin Holidays: explore the jewel of the Middle East

Dubai beach ©keithusc/Flickr

This year, why not explore somewhere truly exotic, by visiting Dubai? The perfect holiday destination for families or frequent travellers, Dubai has something to offer everyone.

Travellers looking for places to go in Dubai should take a walk into Satwa, the Indian and Filipino district for some delicious cuisine, and peruse market stalls selling a variety of jewellery and fabrics. Pop into the historical district of Bur Dubai and dine in one of their many floating restaurants. You can also browse the many spice souks in Dubai’s old financial centre of Deira.

If you’re after a more rural experience, you can explore the Middle East’s endless desert in a 4×4 jeep with frequent tours taking place out of the city each day. Or why not take a stroll along Dubai’s many beautiful beaches? There’s just so much to explore! …

A cinephile’s European holiday

Colosseum ©Jeremy Vandel/Flickr

Cinephiles looking to explore the locations of their favorite films have an obvious treasure trove in America and Japan, but what about Europe?

European cities feature frequently in high profile films, but usually as an anonymous substitute for American locations, leaving a cinematic ramble across Europe considerably harder to do.

With that in mind, here are the best European locations to re-live some of the most iconic moments in European film history. …

The French Job

French Riviera ©Serge Melki/Flickr

The below article is worth reading even if you will not participate in the amazing adventure opportunity it presents. When I first saw the below video, I instantly started to imagine myself on the French Riviera being a part of the team that intends to help Sébastien Murat achieve the world record of free diving…

Check out the video and I’m sure you will also want to be recruited, let us know in the comment section which one of the team members would you like to become. The French Job is the opportunity of the lifetime, don’t miss it! …

Reasons to buy a time share for your vacation

Timeshare ©osseous/Flickr

Desperately looking for the best and the cheapest hotels and resorts for an upcoming vacation and doing this for months before we can find something suitable and make up our minds – we have all been there.  But there is a relatively new alternative to booking hotel rooms or condos for a getaway, these are the time shares.

You have probably heard the term already, it is basically share a vacation house with other people and stay at the property at different times according to a schedule you and your fellow owners set up. If you did not give much thought to it before, you should check out what it is all about… …

Switzerland – beautiful places and friendly people

Lake Geneva ©vasile23/Flickr

We have heard a lot of the punctuality of Swiss watches, we have also heard a lot about the chocolate, the banks, the mountains, the mixed culture, it is all Switzerland. The capital is Bern, but the largest city Zurich – both permanent guests on all ‘World’s most livable cities’ lists. But they are not the only places that should be checked out, the whole country is much like a little jewelry box full of gems everywhere you turn.

The beauty of Switzerland is legendary, both the mountain landscapes and the cities, it is really magical, very clean and people – though a bit reserved – are really nice and polite. And if we are talking about beautiful places and friendly people in Switzerland, check out the below video that demonstrates that even the most harsh-looking fishermen can be very devoted when it comes to hospitality… …

A traveler’s guide to Nauru

photo by sadie and maude's place on Flickr

Nauru is yet another speck of land in the vast archipelago of Micronesia, but this little island is special: it is the world’s smallest independent republic. It is so tiny that it takes about an hour to drive from one shore to the other, but that doesn’t mean that Nauru is not diverse and interesting. The island used to be very rich in the 20th century, thanks to its huge phosphate deposits, but its fortunes took a turn for the worse in 2005. Today Nauru hasn’t got it too good, but it manages to stay afloat, and it has by no means lost the thinks that made it attractive in the past. Tourist facilities may be minimal, but the natural beauty of the island makes it well worth visiting. Here’s a traveler’s guide to Nauru, for those who want to visit the world’s smallest, and rather underrated country. …

The amazing beaches of Chile

Isla Negra, photo by Renata Avila on Flickr

More often than not, the mention of Chile will conjure up images of its snow-capped Andes, the lovely colonial capital, Santiago de Chile, or the elongated shape of a country that encompasses both the driest desert and the most impressive glacial fields in the world. It’s easy to forget that Chile’s is 4300 kilometers long, which means that if there’s one thing Chile has no shortage of, it’s beaches. Not all of the Chilean coastline is a smooth strip of sand, quite the opposite – the part where land meets sea is often rugged and craggy, but every now and then it gives way to a lovely beach. Visit the amazing beaches of Chile, another natural wonder that this country can be proud of. …

The most beautiful canyons in the world

Taroko Gorge, photo by B_cool on Flickr

Canyons are some of the most dramatic landforms on the planet (and even on other planets), created over millions of years by rivers that carved their way through the landscape. Geologists can probably rave on for hours about canyons, but you hardly need to know everything about them in order to appreciate their beauty. Wherever they are, canyons tend to be major natural attractions for people who want to see them, take pictures of them, climb them and trek along them. Canyons or gorges have a way of creating the perfect setting for adventures, as long as you don’t shrink from a bit of hiking and walking. Here are some of the most beautiful canyons in the world, for travelers who ‘collect’ natural wonders. …

The world’s weirdest shopping malls

Bullring, photo by Ell Brown on Flickr

If your tastes in architecture run towards the more classical styles, you can’t help but feel baffled by the turn that modern architecture is taking, and how everything built recently looks more and more like props from a sci-fi movie. But love it or hate it, today’s new buildings look really intriguing, and it’s ot that crazy to travel somewhere just to see the newest and weirdest masterpiece of an eccentric architect. Shopping malls have been around for a while, but they are no strangers to bizarre styles. Some malls might seem completely generic, just a place for shops to take up space, but others look completely out of this world. Here are some of the world’s weirdest shopping malls, for the viewing pleasure of travelers who like to see out strange things. …

The best hikes in Vietnam

Cat Ba National Park, photo by unkle_sam on Flickr

History might have not always been kind to Vietnam, but nature definitely was. Ancient terraced rice fields, karst mountains, the natural richness of the Mekiong Delta and many other natural wonders are enough to convince millions of travelers from around the world to visit this amazing country. Wars, colonizations and rebellion did nothing to rob Vietnam of its natural beauty, or of its unique and interesting culture. Though Vietnamese cities and towns are always capable of entertaining a traveler, many of the most breathtaking spots of Vietnam can be found while out in the wild, far from human civilization. Explore the little known wonders of the country that you’ll discover during some the best hikes in Vietnam. …