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!

Guaranteed there’ll be rain in the UK – but don’t let the weather get you down, there is plenty to do to escape it!

So where to go on your December holiday?   Hot or cold?

As Christmas approaches, the Caribbean is the perfect hot spot to spend the festive season. There is still last minute holiday availability in Grenada, Dominican Republic, St Lucia, Barbados and a selection of other Caribbean islands for Christmas holidays and New Year holidays; however, if you can complete your holiday before Christmas Day, you are likely to find that your total holiday package is a few hundred pounds cheaper per person than if taken during the end of December. For your December Caribbean holiday, choose to stay in a luxury all inclusive spa resort or in low cost self catering complex – there are December holidays to suit all budgets!

Alternatively, how about slightly further north of the Caribbean, off the Florida coast and north of Cuba; the Bahamas?  Over 700 islands and 2,500 cays make up The Bahamas, although most people are only familiar with New Providence Island where the city of Nassau is located, a charming and colonial setting with many exclusive beachfront hotels.

Head south to South America in December, and 400 miles off the coast east of Argentina are the Falkland Islands. An ideal winter holiday location to unwind and escape the hustle and bustle of daily life, the Falkland Islands is a natural paradise. Over 740 islands make up the Falklands, with beautiful long sandy beaches and outstanding flora and fauna.

Not so far from home, in the north of Africa is the fascinating country of Egypt, bordering the Mediterranean to the north and boasting some of the world’s most beautiful and ancient historic artefacts, as well as many world famous seaside and diving resorts along the Red Sea.  The days are pleasantly warm during the winter although the evenings may be a little chilly – take a light jumper or cardigan rather than a thick ski jacket though!  Combine a Nile Cruise with a city break in Luxor or Aswan, or spend a few weeks relaxing on the luscious pale sandy beaches or exploring the colourful sea life.

Christmas ski packages are exceedingly popular with families and groups, many staying in chalets which offer a very sociable atmosphere with everyone dining together.  Snow in Europe tends to be good around the Christmas to New Year period, especially in the French Alps, Switzerland and Austria, although of course, you could also ski in Canada or America. Ski resorts that you can almost guarantee will have snow throughout the ski season because of their high altitude or glacier location include Val d’Isere, Tignes, Les Deux Alps, La Plagne, Courchevel 1850 and Meribel in France, Courmayeur in Italy and St Anton, Austria.