Two of my best friends are getting married in May and so the talk has turned to hen dos. One has suggested a long weekend in Paris while the other is thinking about a break in Brighton.

CD-Traveller tells you what’s hot and what’s not in the travel world. This month, Spain and skiing holidays both get a big thumbs up, but readers are advised to think twice before booking a bungee jump in Zambia or getting a tattoo in Bali

Unless you have spent the past year living on another planet, you’ll know that times are tough and money is tight. Happily, however, you can still get some winter sun without having to remortage your house.

As a country Spain conjures up images of sun, sangria and siestas. But there Spain is looking to become known for a fourth S – skiing.

A survey by holiday comparison site, Travel Supermarket, has found that more than one in 10 UK holiday-makers will opt for familiar destinations – step forward Spain, Portugal, Italy et al.

History travel website, Historvius, picks ten of the best destinations for European city breaks bursting with history, perfect for everyone from the casual sightseer to diehard history buffs

Travel website, Crapsouvenirs.com, is celebrating the worst in holiday memorabilia and inviting users to upload pictures of their dubious holiday souvenirs. In light of this, CD-Traveller thought it was time to guide you through what’s hot and what’s not, when it comes to holiday mementoes

After a few years when the number of us going to Spain dropped, 2011 has seen a big return to our favourite destination. Up until the end of September, eleven million of us had been there which is up by not far short of a million over the year before.

This week the capital is going crazy over Peruvian food thanks to the Cookbook Cafe at InterContinental London Park Lane’s ‘Flavours of Peru’ – a week-long gourmet food festival celebrating contemporary Peruvian cuisine, in association with the Embassy of Peru.

Last week, London hit the headlines – for all the wrong reasons. Forget London Fashion Week or the premiere of Broken Glass at the Vaudeville – the Arthur Miller play starring Tara Fitzgerald, that opened to critical acclaim. No London was all over the front pages of the popular press, following US singer Kelis’ claim that she had been branded a “slave” by a “red face sweaty man” who accused her of queue jumping.

Want to get fit but find the treadmill a turn off? Why not dance your way into shape instead…The UK is home to a myriad of dance classes –from ballet to belly dancing – but right now flamenco is the hottest style for summer

Daybreak, the ITV breakfast programme that few of us watch has decided the holiday season is here. From Monday it is having a slot for a while called “Daybreak does Benidorm.” When Kaye wrote about Benidorm for CD-Traveller a few months ago, it quickly become one of our most read articles that month.

It looks as though those of us who haven’t booked holidays are finally getting around to it. Over the weekend, travel agents that we’ve spoken to saw more customers than they expected. Last minute bookings seem to be the theme this year again.

CD Traveller speaks to Greg Norman – golf’s most successful off course businessman – about his quintet of quality courses in the Caribbean

The Spanish resort of Benidorm has all the ingredients for a perfect week-end beach break. Your definitive guide starts here…

Lanzarote is more than just an all-year beach destination. Jane Egginton takes us on a quick tour to find good food and drink.

Looking for the perfect beach break? Look no further. Your definitive guide to the Costa Dorada’s best beaches (and beyond) starts here

CD Traveller tells you what’s hot in the travel world. This month the Turks and Caicos, camping and the Spanish Costas are all having a moment while sleeping pilots and towel thieves get the red arrow

Some holiday destinations are like a loaf of bread; they go stale over time as the tourist traffic picks up. Not so with the Costa del Sol which is akin to a fine wine – the longer it’s around, the better it gets. Don’t believe us? Just ask the nine million (and counting) tourists who flock to the area each and every year. Your definitive guide to the Costa del Sol starts here…

The Costa Brava has its critics, but a holiday here can be a delight. Your definitive guide to this beautiful stretch of Catalan coastline starts here

Starting today, in a number of cities throughout the UK you will see the traveling bus promoting Menorca. Menorca has been one of the big winners in attracting us to visit them this year as concern grows about a North African holiday are heightened by media pictures. But Menorca is not leaving anything to chance and its bus to “battle” for our bookings is the way it has chosen.

As you will know by now, the biggest booking time is just after Christmas. If it is mild, bookings tend to drop. If the weather is bad bookings go up. And that seems to be just what has happened this year. Although the snow hit most of us before Christmas, there was still quite heavy snowfall in the north and Scotland afterwards. The first reports seem to suggest that bookings are well up on last year. By 18%. Bad weather makes us think about holidays more.

CD Traveller reader, Emilie Scholey, takes us on a tour of her five favourite destinations

Now that most of our airports are open again, you might fancy getting away to southern Spain, the Canaries or the Balearics for a bit of warmth. Forget it. Spanish air controllers, almost as one, have called in sick. This serious, contagious epidemic is apparently anti-governmentitis. Upset with the government cutbacks, air controllers who have always been fairly volatile in Spain, decided to protest by calling in sick. Those who did turn up face a herculean task in keeping flights going. Barcelona, in the north, is rumoured to be operating, albeit a much reduced service but trying to get into the official Aena websites is slow at present. Madrid is closed till 1pm this afternoon, but one report says Spanish airspace may be closed until 6pm tonight.

Figures recently released show that the slowdown in us visiting both Spain and the United States have ended. During July, the numbers of Britons visiting Spain rose by 4.5% and to the Us by up to 9%. This would seem to show two things; that the weakening euro has encouraged us to go back to visiting countries we found expensive last year and that the rise in Air Passenger Duty last November is not affecting our desire to travel long-haul

Because Spain has attracted so many British and Irish holidaymakers over the years, a small percentage dip in visitors hides a drop of tens of thousands. The decline has been going on for a few years yet Spain remains as the most important destination. To Spain, the decline is worrying despite the vast numbers who still travel there.
Why do fewer Brits and Irish visit and what can be done to attract them back again?

This is the biggest weekend of the summer holiday when supposedly the largest number of people head off. And judging by the state of the M25 yesterday that could be the case. On the Surrey section there were entry speed advisory signs of 40mph and slow moving traffic when I crossed over it. A National Express coach going from Gatwick to Swansea came up from Dorking and headed off towards Cobham in an attempt to try and avoid the traffic, a sure sign of lots of traffic since a regular North Surrey-Swansea link isn’t in the timetable

There are signs that Britons are going further for their holidays. Last year was the year of the staycation and the government has announced that they are going to try to persuade us to holiday in the UK. But it seems we aren’t neglecting a desire to travel further afield as well. Five different destinations have announced that visitor figures from the UK are up.