Non EU Holiday Destinations: Istanbul, Turkey

I've already previously mentioned Turkey as a top non EU holiday destination, but I would not be doing justice to this great country if I did not talk about it in a bit more detail. Istanbul is definitely one of the hottest locations in Turkey, it has a cosmopolitan atmosphere but at the same time remains relaxing and therefore you do feel like you are on holiday.

Romantic Holiday Destinations

Valentines Day is rapidly approaching, you still havn't booked a restaurant and the presents you ordered off Amazon still havn't come yet...looks like the doghouse for you son. But wait....perhaps the promise of a nice romantic holiday would solve all your problems and earn you plenty of brownie points. But where to take her? There are just too many romantic holiday destinations to choose from, the last thing you want is to end up back in the doghouse after she finds out you've taken her to Grimsby.

So what are the most romatic holiday destinations? Below are a few suggestions of places to take your loved one for a romantic break.

Paris - the ultimate city of romance. If the beatiful river, the stunning architecture, the delightful food and top-notch wine don't bring out the love in you, then a trip up the Eiffel Tower probably won't either- you might as well go to Grimsby after all.

Rome - Italy has a certain charm to it that is certain to appeal to a couple in love. The cafes and restaurants shout out romance. One tip - don't go in August - the heat could cause you're partners make-up to run. Avoid such disasters by sticking to slightly cooler summer months.

Morocco - there's something incredibly exotic and mysterious about Morocco that gives it alot of appeal as a romantic holiday destination. Casablanca and Marrakesh are good places to visit - the sounds and smells of these cities should have you in each others arms.

Bali, Thailand - this beautiful coastal resort could easily be the backdrop for any romantic movie. Aside from the idyllic beaches, there are a host of other activities to partake in as a couple, like snorkeling, skuba diving and kayaking. Thailand's tropical climate only helps cement its appeal as a romantic destination.

Bahamas - another classic romantic destination. Nothing but white sands, blue seas and warming sunshine to distract you from your other half - pure relaxation. Take your pick from the 700 islands.

These are just a few of the best holiday destinations for romance that you could go to as a couple - just do some research before you go to ensure your romantic trip doesn't end in a disaster.

Best Beach Holidays - Fernando de Noronha

Beach holidays are by far the most popular type of holidays - the words 'beach' and 'holiday' go hand in hand. The trouble is, there are so many destinations to choose from so deciding where to go is tricky.

Fernando de Noronha, off the coast of Brazil, is regarded as one of the top beach destinations. The fact it is not well known and barely spoken about adds an air of mystery to the location. It is an archipelago comprising of one large, 11 square mile volcanic island, as well as 20 smaller ones. The main island is reachable by plane from inland, and is definitely worth the effort. As your plane descends from the sky, you can see the beautiful turquoise sea and golden beaches and you just know this is somewhere very special.


Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Scuba diving and snorkeling are two must-do activities here, as well as the sun bathing obviously. The range of aquatic life is spectacular - there are more species of animal here than you can shake a stick at. The dolphins are also a highlight of the islands - the 'spinner' species present here can be regularly spotted leaping from the depths acrobatically.

A holiday here is probably out of the price range of the majority of tourists, but would be excellent as a romantic holiday destination or for in love honeymooners. The best time to go is between September to March, when the weather is best. Brazil's Fernando do Noronha is certainly a top beach holiday destination and a jewel in Brazil's crown.

Turkey

Turkey is a country that is both within Europe and Asia - the Turkish Straits that run through the country in the North West is generally believed to be the splitting point between Europe and Asia. Due to this location, it has a diverse culture that include Eastern and Western traits and characteristics. Turkey is not in the EU either - and as mentioned in my previous posts this is probably the key factor that has led to Turkey becoming the most popular holiday destination in Europe, overtaking Spain. As the Euro has increased in power against the pound, holiday makers are looking further afield to get the best holiday bargains available. Turkey is now on average about £100 cheaper per person than Spain is - this fact carries great weight with cash-strapped tourists eager to save money before worse financial times kick in further down the line.

Turkey posesses many qualities that help it top the list of most popular holiday destinations - it has a diverse history, as it was home to the Ottoman Empire, a powerful empire spanning three continents, it has a good, hot climate, food is good and the people are friendly. Also, there are a range of possible holiday destinations for prospective tourists - breaks to the cites of Turkey such as Istanbul or more relaxing coastal holidays to unwind after a long period of work back home - Turkey provides it all.

Non EU Holiday Destinations

In my last post I talked about how the worsening economy is leading to a surge of people booking their holidays to non EU holiday destinations. Non EU does not necessarily a country that is outside Europe – many European holiday destinations are outside of the EU. The EU stands for the European Union – a political and economic union of 27 member countries. There are still a number of countries within Europe that are not members – these may be worth considering when thinking about where to book your holiday as the Euro will not be used in these countries.

As mentioned before, it is the poor pound sterling to Euro exchange rate that is the main factor here, which has indirectly arisen because of the so called ‘credit crunch’. The value of the pound has fallen because foreign banks and businesses are no longer investing money in this currency, so to encourage people to invest from abroad the price of it has fallen in comparison to the Euro. This has meant the average cost of a holiday to a country using the Euro has risen significantly, leading the public to look further a field in their hunt for a cheap holiday.

There are several Western European counties that do not use the Euro – these are Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In Eastern Europe there are more countries who have remained independent and not entered the EU – such as Croatia, Russia and Turkey.

Out of these, Croatia and Turkey would be both be excellent choices if budget is important. Switzerland is an excellent destination for a keen skier but typically this would be quite expensive anyway. Iceland is renowned as an expensive country due to its high taxes – a pint of beer costs around £6. Russia is also very expensive in some areas – Moscow for example is thought to be the Worlds most expensive city.

Holidays & the Economy

Personally, I'm fed up of people going on about the credit crunch and how we're all going to starve due to a lack of food - and if we don't starve we're going to freeze because gas and electricity prices are sky high. Yes it's probably all true, but unless we work in the Bank of England of happen to own an oil field we can't really do much about it - or is there?

I recently read an interesting article in the Telegraph about how people's choice of holiday destination is changing dramatically due to the faltering British Economy. At the moment the Sterling/Euro exchange rate is at a terrible - 1 Euro costs 95.7 pence. Only a year or two ago a Euro cost us about 60p - the change is dramatic. Add harges placed on cash withdrawls and por exchange rates in some shops and you are basically paying £1 for a Euro. This has led people to look outside the EU for their 2009 holiday destination.



Spain has for a long time been the UK's favourite holiday destination - a country with excellent cheap package deals, good food and excellent weather - a classic destination for us Brits. However, apparently, Turkey has overtaken Spain as the most popular destination for the UK - an astounding fact in my opinion. This is mainly due to the average cost of a holiday to the 2 countries - a holiday to Turkey costs over £100 less, per person, than Spain, partly due to the poor exchange rate.

So in conclusion, there are things we can do to prevent starvation during these harsh economic times, and the public have acted already. A simple change of holiday destination to a potentially cheaper non-EU country can help save our hard earned cash, and maybe our lives too.

Portugal

Portugal is a popular European holiday destination bordering Spain. About half the country's circumference is coastal - one reason why Portugal is one of Europes's best holiday destinations - tourists love the sea!

Portugal has a beutiful mediterranean climate like its Spanish neighbour - another huge draw for holidaymakers for colder countries such as England! In fact Portugal is one of the most popular holiday destinations for the UK - the Algarve region is the 5th most popular destination at present. And it is not hard to see why - it is only a 3 hour flight from England, it is relatively cheap, and has everything most holidaymakers look for in a holiday - great weather, beautiful cuisine, laid-back lifestyle and gorgeous beaches and sea.

The cuisine in Portugal is diverse and caters for everyone. Especially popular along the coast are fish dishes - bacalhau, or dried cod, is a national speciality with hundreds of recipes. Freshly caught grilled sardines are also very popular - tucking into a plate of these while staring out across the ocean is hard to beat. Unless you've also got a nice Sagres beer to go with it as well, perhaps.


Algarve, Portugal