Europe is warming up in April, with smaller resorts starting to open after the winter lull; buds are opening, and many trees are laden with beautiful coloured blossom…

Paris in April is beautiful with the parks awash with cherry blossom and a carpet of colourful flowering bulbs.  Pack a suitcase for the warm, wet and chilly weather, slip on your walking shoes and discover spring time in the French capital.  Book ahead for Le Grand Monde d’Andy Warhol, and visit the annual Foire du Trone, a huge market and funfair combined.

For beach holidays in Europe, look at Cyprus and the resorts of Limassol and Paphos, the southern Greek islands of Crete or Rhodes, the unspoilt Cape Verde Islands off Africa, southern Italy or the Canary Islands.

Travel in April to the Cayman Islands south of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, and stay on the stunning islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac or Little Cayman, where the fauna and flora is spectacular. Relax on Seven Mile Beach and visit the Pedro St James Castle; sail around the islands and swim with the stingrays.

For the active and fit, a trip to the Mount Everest base camp in Nepal at the beginning of April is an experience never to be forgotten.  Fly into Kathmandu, then onto Lukla a Sherpa village before a 10 day return trek to Base Camp.

Travel in April to explore Egypt, and combine a Red Sea holiday relaxing on the beach and scuba diving amongst the beautiful coral reefs around Sharm el Sheikh, with a Nile Cruise between Cairo, Aswan and Luxor, visiting the spectacular pyramids and Sphinx, bazaars and temples.

Easter is celebrated in India with the territory of Goa, particularly popular.  As the Arabian Sea laps Goa’s shores, spend time on the endless warm sandy beaches and take time discovering the delights of the”North”  capital of Panjim, Fort Aguada and Candolim. Colva and Bogmalo are popular resorts in South Goa.  Make sure you pack lots of high factor sun lotion!

Will there be April showers or April sunshine? Could be April snow…who knows?!

What there will be is Easter and long school holidays; the perfect time to explore many April holiday ideas and dust off your suitcases…

Easter Day is Sunday 4th April, with Good Friday the 2nd and Easter Monday the 5th, making for a fabulous long weekend.  Should you wish to holiday outside of the school holidays when holiday prices tend to drop, then stick to the last two weeks of April.

For warm April beach holidays, the Costa del Sol in the south of Spain and the Algarve in the south of Portugal are very popular Easter holiday destinations, as the temperatures rise and the smaller resorts start to open after the winter.  Book a low cost flight into Malaga or Faro, pick up a bargain car hire deal with easyCar and add cheap hotel or self catering accommodation for your cheap April holiday!

If you wish to explore, why not discover the delights of at the Neapolitan Riviera on the western coast of Italy?  Fly into Naples Airport and base your holiday on the steep hillside resort of Sorrento with its pretty maze of footpaths, many bathing platforms and pebble beaches. Visit the fishing town of Amalfi and spectacular cliff faced Positano and take a boat tour to Mount Vesuvius and the island of Ischia.  Don’t forget to spend an April day at Pompeii!

For a luxurious holiday or honeymoon in April, Tahiti in the French Polynesia is a superb holiday idea. Beautiful, romantic, full of adventure and the perfect location to escape the rat race, Tahiti could be your own paradise!  Fly into Faa’a International Airport half way between California and Australia, and explore a few of the fabulous 118 islands set in five archipelagos. On the exotic Tahiti islands, book an all inclusive package in a stunning resort, water ski, sail and snorkel, or jump in a 4×4 or quad bike, or take a tour of the islands by helicopter or speed canoe.

If the sun is too hot, then you may be in luck and the high European Ski Resorts may still have a good sprinkling of snow at the beginning of April!  High factor sun block will be a must but head to Tignes or Val d’Isere, Obergurgl or Obertauern, Les Arcs or Chamonix and you should be able to enjoy end of season skiing and boarding.  Best to look out for last minute cheap deals – just in case!

Travel in March and you should discover a travel lull before the Easter storm!

With Easter Day being on Sunday 4th April this year, the first few weeks of March should be quiet for holiday makers which means lower priced holidays, cheap flights, budget car hire and low cost accommodation available. UK schools break up between 13th and 20th for two to three weeks. Holiday prices will be higher but there are still many online holiday bargains to be had!

March is not too late to ski or enjoy a whole host of winter sports in the snow. Bardonecchia in Italy has been experiencing good snow conditions this season and offers a superb choice of cross country skiing trails, two ski areas offering 100 km of runs particularly good for beginner and intermediate skiers, and excellent snowboarding facilities, especially as Bardonecchia hosted the 2006 snowboarding competitions for the Turin Winter Olympics.

In France the deepest snow can be currently found in: Argentiere, Chamonix, Flaine, La Clusaz and Alpe d’Huez. For Austria ski resorts with good snow at the moment look at St Anton, Solden and Lech, whilst Swiss ski resorts recently experiencing a good “dump” include Engelberg, Saas Fee, St Moritz and Gstaad.

For a March city break holiday, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Malaga and Lisbon are all superb holiday destinations. You may still need a coat and gloves whilst exploring these beautiful, cosmopolitan European cities but with the streets clear of most tourists (except closer to Easter) you shouldn’t have to queue at the galleries or city’s attractions. Alternatively include March 17th in your New York City break and the St Patrick’s Day celebrations will take your breath away!

The Canary Islands are a favoured sunshine location in Europe in March. The average temperature in Tenerife in March is around 25 degrees Centigrade/77 degrees Fahrenheit but do keep to the south of islands (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote etc) for warmer, dryer weather as the north tends to be wetter and windier.

School holidays and children equal Florida! Enjoy the Irish theme at Walt Disney World Resort and at the UK pavilion at Epcot around the 17th March or Epcot’s stunning Flower and Garden Festival; every Saturday throughout March enjoy Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando. Combine the Florida theme parks with the spectacular beaches of St Petersburg and Clearwater, or a Miami Beach come city break with scuba diving in the Florida Keys!

There are many beautiful cities close to home and what better than a special Valentine’s City Break to explore them!

Take your loved one to one of the world’s most romantic cities, Paris. Travel direct from central London or Kent by Eurostar, hop in a Paris cab or jump on the Metro and you could be strolling hand in hand along the River Seine gazing at the Eiffel Tower, meandering through the Louvre or gazing into each other’s eyes over a cup of steaming hot coffee in a tiny French Bistro or café!  This trip could be done in a day, as can Eurostar trips to Lille in northern France if you want to cut costs.

The Spanish cities of Barcelona and Madrid are simply gorgeous. In a little more than two hours, fly from the UK to Madrid, Spain’s romantic capital city.  Take a pleasant walk through Buen Retiro Park or discover the delights of the El Prado Museum and many stunning Madrid art museums.  On the Mediterranean Sea, is Barcelona, a stunning cosmopolitan city; perfect for a dreamy Valentine’s holiday. Stunning architecture, nonstop entertainment, a cultural delight to explore!

Prague in the Czech Republic is alight with fairytale buildings, and its historic surroundings ensure the city is one of the top romantic holiday hotspots.  Enjoy a candlelit valentine’s meal on a cruise along the Vltava River then wind through Prague’s beautiful streets in a horse drawn carriage.

For cheap February flights throughout Europe, Ryanair have a seat sale that finishes at midnight tonight (4 Jan 10). Fares start from £5 per person each way excluding taxes and the choice of locations to fly to is endless. Sadly the Valentines weekend is a blackout period, but travel from Stansted to Malaga in Southern Spain on Friday 12th February and return on Monday 15 February and the flight only price is under £160 for two inclusive of taxes and online check in. Book accommodation with lowcostholidays and you could stay in the Hotel Los Arcos, Torremolinos (about 15 minutes from the airport) in a twin room with balcony/terrace for 3 nights self catering for a total cost of £89.00 (price quoted on 4 Jan10).

Take a city break outside of Europe during January, and travel worldwide!  But where to go on your January city break? Cairo in Egypt may be a little chilly but it is midsummer in Cape Town on the south west coast of South Africa.

The driest time to visit Bangkok, capital of Thailand, is during our winter months. A shopping haven, Bangkok is a bustling cosmopolitan city oozing with cultural delights, top class hotels, brightly coloured markets, stunning temples and palaces, and a world renowned nightlife!

Hong Kong in January is the perfect time to explore for a city break as there is very little rain and no humidity, although the winter temperature is low at around 15C or 59F degrees. Explore some of the largest shopping malls in the World and fascinating markets in Hong Kong where your desire to “shop” will definitely be sated. Take your offering of fruit to the beautiful temples especially the Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay, ride in a junk from the harbour in Hong Kong to one of the fantastic sandy beaches and Hong Kong islands, jump onto a green tram and tour Hong Kong island, and if in the city on a Tuesday you’ll be able to visit many of the museums for free including the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

January is summer time in South Africa, and whilst the country prepares for the 2010 World Cup, why not take advantage of the lull before the storm!  Cape Town is located on the coast between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and is overlooked by Table Mountain. Known as the Mother City, enjoy a Cape Town city break to explore the stunning Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the Cape of Good Hope Natural Reserve, the many art galleries and museums, or venture out to the wild and enjoy a day’s safari.

Rio in Brazil is also in the midst of the summer during January, which means it is the perfect time to relax on Copacabana Beach – especially if you arrive in Rio for New Years Eve!  Ipanema Beach is also full of life and Rio’s annual carnival due to take place in late February. Pay a visit to the Jardim Botanico or Botanical Gardens, take a helicopter tour of Rio or the cog-train from Cosme Velho station (sit on the right for the best views) up to the Christ of Corcovado, Rio’s well known icon and landmark overlooking the city.