Travel inspiration for 2010

Fed up with the same holidays? Think of 2010 as an oyster-shaped planet and use Time Out’s ten-step travel plan to find a new you

1. Live and learn

Ever thought about drystone walling? Want to become a thatcher? How about joining the history-lovers and banquet-eaters on a re-enactment experience? A holiday that allows you to escape the drudgery and acquire new skills is a double holiday. Maybe 2010 is the year you will be taught to ride a horse, learn a lingo or even find your true vocation. See www.golearnto.com for learning hols, www.thesealedknot.org.uk if you like dressing up and
www.free-rein.co.uk to saddle up.

Read more about language courses abroad

2. UK – hype or heaven?

Last year was the year the travel media gave this country an easy ride. Staying in the UK for your hols was offered up as the only way to travel in Recession Britain. Here at Time Out, we championed the cause, and tested a range of UK breaks. It was all well and often quite good, but we, like you, were surprised at how expensive hotels and even B&Bs are, how poor service is and how drearily non-commital the summer can be. So do travel here, but be aware that city breaks and fancy stately-home-style hotels are way overpriced; Britain is kinder to campers, hikers, bikers and picnickers. Hot tips for the UK in 2010 are Mid Wales, Northern Ireland and Lincolnshire. And instead of overspending in Bath and Bristol, check out small towns such as Carlisle and Halifax. Also, consider self-catering, as the UK has some gorgeous cottages at great prices, especially out of season – see www.classic.co.uk for ideas.

For more inspiration about places to visit and things to do in Britain read about great British breaks and UK weekend breaks & holidays

3. No longer no-go

Crises, fashions and rumour conspire to keep some countries off the map. But these can often make for great holidays. Mexico, Cumbria and south-eastern Australia had a bad 2009; all are alive and well and full of great deals again. West Africa rarely gets pushed, but from Senegal to Nigeria there are dozens of real experiences to be had. Colombia, still mythologised as a murderous backwater, is fascinating and arguably more exciting than Argentina or Brazil. Saudi Arabia is becoming a dive destination. Finally, the Philippines has all the things Thailand has, and none of the backpacker-trail slaves, and only a tiny few of its 7,107 island are hangouts for rebel groups the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayyaf.

Read more about Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Sydney

4. Getting hotter

It’s a fact: Egypt and Turkey have become the UK’s new faves for assured sunshine and affordable beach fun. But wise, worldly tourists heading for Egypt might want to shun the likes of bland Sharm el Sheikh, and head instead for teeming Cairo or ancient Alexandria, Luxor on the banks of the Nile, the Western Desert and trek-friendly Mount Sinai. Check out  specialist operators www.discoveregypt.co.uk and www.worldexpeditions.co.uk. In Turkey, Istanbul is an obvious entry point but Izmir, the Lycian Coast and the National Park of Cappadocia are other hot faves. See www.exclusiveescapes.co.uk for tailor-made tours and visit www.timeout.com/romanticturkey for some honeymoon hideaways, lovely whether you’re getting wed or not.

Read more about Istanbul, kiteboarding in Egypt and Turkey's most roamntic places

5. Pimp your hotel room

Things still aren’t looking too clever in the economy stakes, so 2010 will probably be another year of living frugally. Here’s a checklist of money-saving measures:

a. Book in to a basic hotel and add a couple of stars by taking your iPod or iPhone, which will have games, music, web-browsing and sundry other perks – there’s even a reception bell app if you want it – usually associated with a luxury hotel.
b. Go beyond the eurozone.
c. Visit a voucher website like www.discountvouchers.co.uk to start hunting for cheapo deals and see www.quidco.com for cashback deals.
d. Get your currency at the Post Office, which charges zero commission.
e. Don’t hire cars at the airport – it’s usually cheaper in town.
f. Buy all your grub at smart delis and use your savings having cocktails.

Read more about travelling to destinations beyond the Eurozone

6. There are no crap towns!

A few years ago the metropolitan toffs who make up The Idler team (http://idler.co.uk) came up with a clever, but invidious, joke about ‘Crap Towns’. Thing is, it’s a non-joke, because, when it comes to holidays (meaning fun, good food, a decent hotel, meeting people), some of the supposedly uglier places in Britain are great alternatives to being ripped off in tourist honeypots such as Stratford and York. So this year, consider a weekend break in, say, Wigan, Stoke, Bangor, Walsall or Kilmarnock.

For more inspiration about places to visit and things to do in Britain read about great British breaks and UK weekend breaks & holidays

7. Perfect packages

Or package-plus, if you like. This is simple: go on to Teletext or www.lastminute.com or the websites of megafirms Thomas Cook (www.thomascook.com) and Tui (www.tuitravelplc.com), and get yourself a cheap bucket-and-spade deal. You’ll get a flight to Greece, Cancún, Gambia or some other tourism hotspot, transfers and a place to sleep the first night for a fraction of the price you’d pay for a scheduled, indy deal. Use this as your way in and then go off and do your own thing, returning seven, ten, 14 or 21 days later as allowed by the package.

8. Discover Europe’s second cities…

With the euro still beyond the easy reach of the humble quid, Europe’s capital cities are super-expensive, and other cities can be just as interesting and are usually more relaxed. So if you really want to stay in Euroland, don’t go to Paris; go to Marseille, swap Madrid for Valencia, avoid Rome and head for Naples and do Thessalonika instead of Athens. Yep, we can feel a book coming on – and all sorts of complaints from ‘third’ and ‘fourth’ cities.

9. Spin the globe

We’re all guilty of prepping ourselves until we’re overinformed. For once, just once, why not do what you’ve always dreamt of doing. Spin a globe or open an atlas at random, and just go for it – you may land upon Guam or Kamchatka or Greenland, inspiring you to either go and find out a bit more or just be brave and do the full Diceman thing and go and see the place for yourself. Forget all that ‘Experimental Tourism’ nonsense about setting up challenges or daft games; the world is best experienced in the raw.

10. The zero-carbon holiday

The CO2 v travel debate goes on and on and can be very boring. But why not take the bullshit by the horns and actually take a holiday that produces no carbon whatsoever? Walk out of your door or bike out of your street, and head to a place where you can source safe wild food. Navigate using the sun and stars, and come bedtime you will have to camp – ideally wild camping so you have no showers or sockets (watch out for the coppers as it’s illegal in most parts of the UK). You can rinse off in the morning with some wild swimming. As you’ll spend so little, you can use your savings on a worthy eco-project.

Read more about camping and wild swimming in the UK

Time Out guidebooks

Some of the above ideas are adapted from Time Out’s brand new megaguide ‘1000 Great Holiday Ideas’, which is published January 7 and available for £7.99 from www.timeout.com/shop (a discount of £2 on the usual bookshop price).