Adventure

Sitting between Somerset and Devon, is Exmoor national park.  With steep-sided valleys and russet-hued moorland dotted by solitary trees that have been twisted and contorted by the wind.  A red deer, sporting a crown of antlers, may emerge from the mist; a brooding Raven May flap moodily by.  Above all Exmoor feels like a real country escape.  The landscape is shaped by thousands of years of farming and inhabited by people who have lived and worked here all their lives.

If you read anything about the coral-fringed islands Okinawa archipelago, you'll quickly find out that diving, whale-watching and island hopping are among the best things to do here.  The archipelago of Okinawa, made up of over 160 islands slung across the East China Sea, is a place of chalk-white beaches and mangrove forests, located closer to Taiwan than Tokyo.

Austria is famed for its beautiful mountains and amazing snow sports. Every year, visitors from across the world travel here to enjoy the country's incredible slopes and mountain lifestyle.  With pristine slopes, off-piste powder and the snowiest ski area in Austria, Obertauern is set to become your new favourite winter destination.

With just a 20-minute train journey north of London you can be in St Albans.  This buzzy Hertfordshire city has long been a favourite for those wanting to move out of London.  But apart from being on most commuter’s wish list, there’s a host of things to explore for those wanting wanting a weekend break from the city, like its huge cathedral and crumbling Roman walls. There is a great selection of indie restaurants, brunch spots and a foodie lovers market.

Thinking of going skiing this year, but not sure where your budget can take you? Let us help you with a few options. You have to be quick though before these well-kept skiing and snowboarding secrets are discovered by the masses.  Destination ranges from Europe, North America to the Far East. Some of these were once used as Winter Olympic destinations.

Overlooked by an active volcano, perched on a port, and full of shabbily beautiful streets housing ancient pizzerias and buzzing bars. Naples' scruffily beautiful streets are refreshingly ungentrified: no chance of finding a chain coffee shop here. Every nook and cranny holds a baroque courtyard or a lush, leafy garden, and walls are adorned with cool street art, posters advertising all-night parties in tumble-down abandoned renaissance prisons or a flyer letting the community know a loved one has passed away.

Most of us have heard of slow travel. When you're in Fiji, however, it's more about relaxed travel.  Whether you're chilling on one of the many beaches, watching locals perform a traditional meke dance or snorkelling among kaleidoscope reefs, you can't help but absorb the archipelago's easygoing vibe - as locals have. 

With craggy mountains, rippling cream-coloured dunes and a shimmering coastline, Oman is an extraordinary natural playground fit for a modern-day Lawrence of Arabia. Here are six of the best adventures you can have on a trip to this corner of the Arabian Peninsula.

'Pura Vida' can be heard echoing throughout Costa Rica. Translating to 'pure life', the term has been adopted unofficially as the country's national motto, symbolic of the Costa Rican mindset and indicative of the enriching experiences that await travellers.  With today's hectic lifestyle, it's never been more important to enjoy an occasional break from the daily grind, take a digital detox from our phones or simply make time to revel in the world around us. If you're looking to pair all this with an immersion into nature, then Costa Rica makes for a prime destination choice.

There are many things that Finland does well - saunas, vodka, the hippo-like Moomins - but arguably it's the country's wild landscape that shine brightest. Nicknamed the 'land of a thousand lakes' (although it would be more accurate to say 188,000 lakes), Finland is blessed with natural good looks. Saimaa, the largest of the country's lakes, lies to the east while to the north is Lapland (more on that later), a winter wonderland high above the Arctic Circle.