Taking a self drive tour of Morocco is the best way to explore at leisure this historic African land which borders the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the hot Sahara.

When first embarking on a driving tour of Morocco, make sure you have a good road map which includes the cities and surrounding areas. Road signs are limited if nonexistent in some of the Moroccan cities, and you may find that the supermarkets are better marked than the highways!

Between El Jadida, Casablanca, Rabat and Fes there is a good highway with a cheap toll system which is worth using as little traffic use it.  Do watch the speed limits (in km per hr) especially in Fes and Casablanca where the police regularly use speed cameras, and driving at night can be a little risky, so best avoided when possible (not every vehicle puts on their lights)!

Marrakech is the ideal spot to start a driving tour of Morocco, either as part of a desert tour before heading onto the coast.  To keep your Morocco tour authentic, why not consider staying in a riad; a traditional, often elegant, house or palace with an interior garden?

You can get cheap flights to Marrakech from many UK airports with Ryanair, Royal Air Maroc or Thomson Flights. There are airports at Casablanca, Agadir, Tangier, Oujda and Fes.

For a driving tour of the Morocco desert, starting in Marrakech, spend a day or two here exploring the Medina and maze of souks; not forgetting the Djeema El Fna plaza. You can pick up your hire car at the end of your stay leaving as the sun rises.

With a drive of around five hours, your next night will be spent in Ouarzazate. Enjoy the spectacular views as you meander high along the Tizi n’Tichka Pass through the Atlas Mountains, also known as the N9 highway.  An important town, Ouarzazate is where east meets west and north meets south; a mixture of modern buildings, Moroccan markets, the Palace of Glaoui and the Kasbah of Tifoultoutte.

In less than four hours you can travel through the Djebel Sarhro Mountains, along the Tizi n’Tinififft pass and through the Kasbahs of the gorgeous Draa Valley, to the market town of Zagora, south of the Anti-Atlas Mountains, awash with modern pink buildings, for a nights stay.

It will take around six hours to drive to Merzouga where you should spend at least one night before embarking on an overnight camel trek and spending the night in a tent in the desert.

Drive through Mellaab and Tinejdad to Tineghir, which will take about four hours, before taking a detour to the Todra Gorge via the stunning Todra River Valley Road.
It will only take around 2 and a half hours to drive the next day to Skoura, surrounded by palm groves and many Kasbahs; the Kasbah Amerhidl being Skoura’s main attraction.

Returning to Marrakech will take approximately five hours, and from here either fly back to the UK, or head to one of the Moroccan seaside resorts such as Casablanca or Agadir.

The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily, is not often considered as a low cost destination with cheap hotels.  But like most locations, if you look, you will find!

July and August are the peak summer vacation months in Sicily, when the weather is very hot and the beautiful beaches, busy.

Book a budget flight into Catania Airport on the east coast and a cheap hotel in the popular seaside holiday resort of Taormina. With views towards Mount Etna and the islet Isola Bella, long sandy and shingle beaches, historic sites, and a huge choice of hotel accommodation and restaurants, Taormina is the perfect choice for a cheap holiday in Sicily.

From 20 July for three nights, lastminute.com has availability at the four star Hotel Villa Paradiso in the heart of Taormina from £238.22 for the hotel stay including taxes and fees. For a cheap yet well reviewed hotel in Sicily, the three star Hotel d’Orange d’Alcantara is set in the hills, an hour from Taormina and the beaches of Giardini; with lastminute.com costs just £120.01 for 3 nights from 20 July 2010.

With laterooms.com you should be able to book a room in a two star hotel in Catania from around £20 per night. This price is based on two sharing a room at the two star I Vespri Rooms from 13 August for 7 nights.

Flying with British Airways, the Italian specialist Citalia, is currently offering a cheap holiday to Sicily from £678 per person based on two sharing a room, at the four star Grand Hotel Villa Politi in Syracuse from 7 August 2010 for a week.

Thomson Holidays have cheap package holidays in Taormina, Sicily from 15 August for 7 nights starting from £518 per person including web saving and coach transfer with flights from Gatwick; Kristina Villa Hotel.

Sicily is particularly popular with couples and groups wishing to explore the many wonderful ancient sites of this Italian island, and to climb Mount Etna, but around Giardini Naxos, there are a number of large family friendly hotels including the Caesar Palace Hotel and Naxos Beach Hotel.

The stunning capital of France, Paris, may be known as one of the most romantic destinations in the world, but Paris is also a fantastic holiday location for families too.

Many Parisians vacate the city during August in favour of the French coast and countryside, but if you can stand the heat, it is actually the perfect time to explore Paris, as there is less traffic and the queues to the many sites are reduced.

Kids, old and young, will enjoy visiting the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, and Paris has some beautiful parks and gardens, including Tuilies with its large ferries wheel and Jardin du Luxembourg, where the oldest merry go round in Paris is situated, together with pony and donkey rides available during the summer.

From mid July cool off on Paris Plage; a summer time beach on the river Seine close to Chatelet complete with imported sand, sun beds, umbrellas and palms, or at La piscine Josephine Baker, a floating swimming pool on the river.  How about a Seine River cruise or boat trip so you can all gather your bearings and decide what to explore first?

The Cite des Sciences, the fascinating hands on science museum, offers presentations in English, and don’t miss a visit to the Chateau de Versailles with its magnificent castle, and beautiful park and gardens.  Note that many museums and sites are closed on Mondays.

The Playmobil Fun Park is just south of Paris with 12 themed play areas, then there is the historic themed Parc Asterix amusement park just 22 miles north of Paris, and of course Disneyland Paris in Marne la Vallee, 20 miles west of the city.

Travelling in Paris is simple.  If you want to discover the delights of Paris by foot, there are plenty of cafes and shops to stop for drinks and snacks. Bike hire is popular in Paris with bicycle hire readily available.  Use the Metro, the Paris underground rail service, if your destination is more than two stops away, with 16 Metro lines running from around 5am to 12.30am

The prestigious Henley Royal Regatta, founded in 1839, is an annual international rowing event on the River Thames.  Henley on Thames is located just over 40 miles north west of central London, 30 miles from Heathrow and eleven miles from High Wycombe.

Starting at the downstream end of Temple Island, the “Straight Course” covers one mile 550 yards or 2,112 metres, to finish south of the river near Henley on Thames.

Crews row two abreast rather than six with the course marked by two lines of booms.  The two rows are called Bucks and Berks (Buckinghamshire and Berkshire), and should a crew deviate from their allocated side, they can be disqualified.  The regatta is won on a knock-out basis.

The 2010 Henley Regatta will be run over five days from Wednesday 30 June to Sunday 4 July 2010 with competing teams travelling from Canada, France, USA, New Zealand and of course, Great Britain.

Qualifying races will take place on Friday 25th June and then on Saturday 26th June the draw will take place at Henley Town Hall where selected crews’ names for each event will be written on individual pieces of paper and drawn from the Grand Challenge Cup to decide crew positions.

Nearly 170 heats will be held over the Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st, with the quarter finals on Friday, semi finals on Saturday and the finals on Sunday.

Where you view the Royal Henley Regatta can be as important as the partaking, with the Stewards’ Enclosure on the Berkshire side at the finish only open to the Stewards of the Regatta, Members of the Stewards’ Enclosure and their guests; a strict dress code is enforced and use of mobile phones prohibited.

The Regatta Enclosure is next door (away from the finish) where competitors have free access and non members can purchase a Badge (£12-£20 per person in advance).  There is no dress code and the Enclosure has a licensed bar and a choice of food on sale, as well as an unreserved open grandstand.

There are plenty of viewing opportunities along the banks of the Thames to watch the Henley Royal Regatta for free, especially on the Berkshire side along the towpath. The Buckinghamshire side of the River is mainly private homes and corporate tents.

First Great Western will run a special train service from London Paddington to Henley-on-Thames (journey time about 70 minutes) and Twyford during the Regatta.  Car parking is limited but there are designated car parks with prebookable (only) car park labels at a cost of £23 to £28 per day.  The roads are always very busy and the organisers do warn spectators and participants not to underestimate the time it takes by road to reach Henley.

The Dominican Republic is located between the Caribbean Sea (south) and the Atlantic Ocean (north) on the east side of Hispaniola Island, an island shared with Haiti.

Beautiful stretches of white sandy, palm lined beaches, dramatic waterfalls, fantastic shopping, a vibrant yet laid back atmosphere, incredible nightlife, scenic coconut forests, fun adventure parks…and a huge choice of all inclusive resorts to suit every budget!  This is just a taste of what you’ll find in the Dominican Republic.

Staying in an all inclusive resort is the ideal way to have a cheap holiday, and in the Dominican Republic the choice of all inclusive hotels, complexes and holiday villages is extensive.  A great way to beat the credit crunch, on an all inclusive holiday you prepay for just about everything before you go away, with your meals, drinks and entertainment included in the cost.  No need to worry about finding change to pay for your poolside drinks – it’s included! Ice cream?  Most likely included!  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks?  Included!

The activities and entertainment included in an all-inclusive Caribbean holiday in the Dominican Republic depends on the property, but you will usually find there are evening shows or a local live band, daytime exercise classes and sometimes a selection of non motorized watersports.  At some locations you will find a choice of eateries, numerous bars and cafes, with some of the luxury all inclusive resorts in DR also offering a la carte restaurants at a supplement.

Charming Puerto Plata on the north coast of DR is the perfect choice for a cheap all inclusive holiday in a beachfront resort, with many hotels on Playa Dorada, Cabarete and Sosua. The Puerto Plata area is festive with music playing on the long narrow beaches, and a huge choice of watersports available  The best time to visit is November to April and the airport is Gregario Luperon Internation (POP).

Punta Cana is located on the furthest eastern tip of DR and is particularly popular with families and couples. The Punta Cana beach extends for over 30 miles and is a glorious wide stretch of white sand incorporating Macao, Punta Cana and Bavaro, backed by jungle and hills. There are five golf courses in Punta Cana if you want to escape the beach, and for shopping, buy souvenirs in El Cortecito or head to the Palma Real Shopping Village.  Fly into Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ).