Ahead of the Golden Gate Bridge’s 75th birthday on May 27, San Francisco has never looked more golden writes Kaye Holland. Read her guide to the city with its head in the clouds, here

So Sir Richard Banson’s airline, Virgin Atlantic, has announced that has announced that it will be the first British carrier to allow passengers to use their mobile phones on board.

So Boris is back. The blonde buffoon has been appointed Mayor of London for another term and as someone who positively galloped to the polling booth to vote for him – despite not being a Conservative – I am pretty pleased

I flew into Heathrow recently with a certain amount of fear and trepidation having read all the horror stories about immigration control

Approximately 1, 65 miles south of San Francisco, lies the quintessential californian beach town of Santa Cruz. Come for the surfing but stay for the quirky shopping, sensational meals and mountains, says Santa Cruz resident Kayla Peterson

The writer and poet Gertrude Stein, who was born in Oakland, once remarked about her California birthplace: “Oakland? There’s no there, there.” Fast forward to today and few would agree with Gertrude

So Olympic organisers, Locog, have done a U turn and declared that babies and infants under 12 months will be allowed free entry into London Olympic venues – provided they are seated on their parent’s lap

It may only be Wednesday but here at CD-Traveller towers, we already have our quote of the week. Take a bow US actor, Zach Braff

Patricia Schultz, author of the newly revised #1 New York Times bestseller 1000 Places to See Before You Die, talks travel

Thanks to shows such as the Real Housewives and MTV’s Laguna Beach which see skinny socialites and rich kids cruise up and down the Californian coast in their porsches, you don’t immediately think of California as a green destination

Another weekend, another wedding… this one was in Cambridge – a bustling market town famous for its bicycles, choristers and one of the most respected universities in the world, if not its affordable accommodation

Cast aside that cappuccino. Leave the latte alone. Tea is brewing up a storm. Yes, the charming, relaxed ritual of afternoon tea is back in fashion: the UK Tea Guild estimates that there has been a 20 per cent increase in afternoon teas in the last year so much so that some London hotels have a waiting list of upto seven weeks!

The historic city of York is an ideal destination for a day trip, as Kaye discovers

My friend Ben popped down to London from Leeds yesterday. As his time in the capital drew to a close, he confessed that he was more than a little relieved to be leaving – and then laughed as he watched my draw drop to the floor

Looking for a show to see over the forthcoming Easter break? Look no further than Sweeney Todd

A few weeks back the government launched Britain’s first domestic advertising campaign – at the cost of £4million – which saw Stephen Fry and friends wax lyrical about the UK.

The Government has confirmed that Sunday opening hours will be extended during the London Olympics. For eight Sundays – starting July 22 – large stores will be able to trade for longer than six hours and, according to analysts, the move move could lead shoppers to spend almost £200 million

Salem is famous for its witch trials of 1692 but there’s more to this Massachusetts town than witchcraft, writes Kaye Holland

“Why go all the way to Bondi when you can come to Bridlington?” remarks Rupert Grint. The Harry Potter star features – alongside Stephen Fry and Downtown Abbey’s Michelle Dockery – in the new £4million government backed ‘Holidays at Home’ scheme.

Word has reached CD-Traveller towers that the 100 year old afternoon tea menu at the Ritz-Carlton London is getting a ‘British makeover’ ahead of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.

Tui Travel’s distribution and online director, Nick Longman, has gone on record as saying that travel companies could soon become completely brochure free – as more and more Brits choose and book a trip online, rather than through a glossy brochure.

The transport unions are at it again. It’s a new year, but the same story: despite being generously paid as it is, they want yet more money.

Tube staff have been offered a bonus of £500 – or an extra £20 per shift – to work during the Olympics but have rejected it as wholly inadequate.

The signs are unmistakable. It’s wet, windy and dark at four o clock so it must be time to head abroad and bask in some winter sun. If the daily grind is getting you down and you need to recharge your batteries in a tropical paradise, may we suggest Barbados?

A couple of days ago, I got offered a job back in Beijing (as regular readers of this website will know, I recently spent a year working in China) totally out of the blue. China is arguably the only country to have emerged from the financial crisi relatively unscathed yet this time around I wasn’t remotely tempted to take up the offer.

Now that the chocolates, pudding and mince pies have been eaten, it’s time to get back to work. Or is it?!

A survey by HolidayExtras.com has revealed that nearly six-and-a-half-million people flying in and out of the UK in the last year failed to turn their phones off.

More passengers chose to take off from Gatwick rather than its bigger London rival, Heathrow, throughout November. Gatwick reported that it saw an extra 12,800 fliers last month – representing a rise of 0.6 percent.

UPDATE: 17/12/2011. Scottish Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing has announced that there will be no accommodation tax in Edinburgh.Without the transfer of powers from the government to loacl authorites, any such introduction would be illegal.