Hailed the UK's friendliest city, Newcastle has pristine pavements, shiny buildings, pricey drinks and lost of regeneration funding, which has seen it attracting cultural recognition. Whether it's the Angel of the North, the Blue (but it's grey) Carpet or Sir Norman Foster's Sage Music Centre, Newcastle has developed an identity beyond football and short-skirted ladies. But don't despair - the city is still as much about having a good time as ever.
A quintessential Spanish city, Valencia has loads to offer the traveller, with idyllic year-round temperatures, a charming old town to explore, thumping nightlife, culture in spades, delicious local specialities and the sizzling beaches of the Mediterranean. Now is a good time to head to this beautiful city. It now only takes 90 minutes to reach Valencia from Madrid thanks to the new AVE high-speed train.
As I roll along a narrow country road behind yet another country road being yet another tractor in no hurry, I take the chance to poke to my head out of the car window. Sprawling paddocks dip into a huge body of water and the grass is an impossible shade of green, like it has been touched up in Photoshop. Sheep turn their heads and walk towards me as if they are the welcoming party for the wild west of Ireland - it seems Irish hospitality knows no bounds.
Looking towards the north face of the Bec de Rosses, a fabled mountain in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier, I ask a friend whether the extreme skiers and boarders zoom down the left - or right-hand side of the mountains. "Neither," she replies, "they go down the middle".
'Simply not possible' is the first term that springs to mind. How anyone could navigate a slope that's so steep and so strewn with jagged rocks and cliffs, that it looks more suited to rock climbing than skiing or boarding, is beyond me.
Treat yourself to lashings of festive cheer by enjoying a Welsh Christmas with all the trimmings. With a slew of open-air Ice rinks, Christmas markets, Santas' grottos and cherry shopping experiences (phew!), Wales has plenty to offer anyone seeking a bit of Chrimbo va-va-voom.
Rewind to Victorian time with a visit to Penrhyn Castle, Bangor, December. Opulent rooms will be decked out in festive decorations and carol singing will echo through the halls. Glug back some hot punch and munch on roasted chestnuts to get that cosy festival feeling.
A trip to Brighton's pebbly beach and famous pier can be whatever you make it. Goggle at the bizarrely Taj Mahalesque Pavilion or have a debauched night out in one of the many bars and clubs. Brighton attracts different tribes: there's a thriving gay scene, it's a hub for stag and hen parties and a strong 'alternative' element makes its presence felt through amazing health food and hippy shops.
Pristine snow-capped peaks spread out on all sides as the ski lift takes us higher and higher up into the French Alps. The mountains are grand, stunning and peaceful all at once, but stunning and peaceful all at once, but their impressive size is making me feel like a tiny ant beneath the Eiffel Tower. After all, these are some of the highest in Europe with 80 per cent of the ski area above 1800m.
There's nothing quite like a family road trip, and one of the best ways to see France at its fiest is behind the wheel. What is surprisingly is how much of the country's most traditional attractions - gourmet food, the world's best wine, astonishing history and stunning architecture - are within a doable drive from the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle terminal in Folkestone.
We set off from Hampshire - and after a short dash on the other side through pretty Normandy, crossing some incredible viaducts over gaping valleys, found ourselves in Rouen.
I'm sitting outside a restaurant in France, 700ft up a mountainside and the winter sun is out. Not so strange really, considering that this particular region of the Catalan Pyrenees receives over 300 days of sunshine every year. It is, however, a region that has remained under wraps for years, enjoyed in the most part only by French and Spanish locals.
Font-Romeu and its sister resort, Les Angles, provide some spectacular winter sports activities at prices well below those of their more illustrious neighbours.
Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in a region like Andalucía, rich with natural and cultural attractions, know that tourism is a complex topic, and a great source of wealth. It is not only the climate and nature, though these elements are without doubt the cornerstones of the industry. It is also culture, in the widest sense of the word and in its most modern usage. Culture, ranging from the heritage of its historic sites to its varied gastronomy, from its popular 'fiestas' to golf courses, and a long etcetera.
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