Amy Hope

Sadly one of Malta and Gozo’s most cherished natural wonders, the Azure Window, collapsed early yesterday morning due to overpowering weather conditions. After giving so many travellers such joy for so many years, it is sad to see it lost to Mother Nature.

Nevertheless, this delightful part of the world offers so many other great experiences for all to enjoy!

With the festive season creeping up on us, it’s not too early to turn your attention to the February half-term holiday in order to make the most of this precious time with loved ones.

Take a look at this roundup of my favourite holidays departing during the next school half-term:

Lapland has so much to offer families who are eager to experience a winter wonderland escape, but sometimes with its vast range of activities it can become the case of having too much choice of fun things to do during your stay. 

We’ve picked 3 great winter experiences that you must do this year:

Activities Abroad have created bucket list holidays that bring families together, so you can share memorable experiences you will recall for many years. Our family activity holidays are fun, extremely safe, and responsibly operated to make planning, travelling, and simply enjoying your family holiday as easy as possible.

From unhurried and intimate Father Christmas experiences to wilderness adventures driving a team of dogs through snowy forests and gazing spellbound at the fabulous Northern Lights, we have holidays in the snow to suit families with children of all ages.

Borneo, just a mention of the name conjured up thoughts of Sunday night in front of ‘Wildlife on One’ watching Sir David Attenborough explore the wonders of the natural world in the rain-forest. This was a destination which I had longed to visit for many years and having finally found the right partners to work with I was on my way!

The place is wonderful, I have travelled in South East Asia before and Borneo is certainly different. There was no hassle, no overpowering cities, no maniacal driving that you encounter in some places, just a friendly and relaxed atmosphere from the moment I stepped off the plane.

Borneo did not disappoint me on any level. The accommodation was fabulous with the best breakfast I have ever encountered anywhere in the world at the Shangri La and the flora and fauna surpassed my expectations.

The scuba diving off Kota Kinabalu is wonderful and the perfect place for novices like me to learn as well as satisfying those with experience. The other activities do not disappoint either, jungle mountain biking was a huge thrill.

The Lake District is one of my absolute favourite places in the world (and not just because I’m a Cumbrian born and bred!).

With stunning lakes and mountains there is always something different to explore and it really is as picturesque as anywhere else I’ve travelled.

A walk around Derwentwater to take in the spectacular views of the fells and the lake is a must. Derwentwater is just a stone’s throw away from the town of Keswick, which has a wide selection of cafes and boutiques to enjoy; a visit to Luchinis ice cream parlour is certainly worthwhile I speak from Lakeland experience!!

There are many different activities to experience in the Lakes from kayaking to climbing but I’ve always found ghyll scrambling most enjoyable.

Jo and Amy our Product and Sales managers are currently in Finland checking on preparations for our family Christmas holidays.

As they touched down in Rovaniemi it was clear winter had arrived and there was even a couple of inches of snow on the ground making everything look extra special!

I am a very lucky girl and I get to visit a lot of wonderful places as part of my job.

Normally the reaction I get from friends and families is of general jealousy and gentle teasing about how hard it is to work in tourism but when I said I was going to Croatia it brought on a wave of blatant begging and pleading to see if they could accompany me and sneak into my suitcase!