Bob’s off to Tanzania - for a 'gap year' with a difference!

 In October 2006 Bob Phillips climbed to the top of Kilimanjaro with five friends. This summer he plans to return to Tanzania -  to the same place where the trek to the top of Africa’s highest mountain began, but this time to support teachers in three local schools.

 

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Gap years - not just for students!

 The gap travel market is now big business. And the biggest growth is being seen amongst older 'gappers', who are currently spending an astonishing £1billion each year. 

Costa Rica - Homeward Bound

 Nigel Heath describes a memorable trip home from Costa Rica - on board a banana-bearing cargo ship!

Crocs, kids and exploding volcanoes in Costa Rica

 The tropical vegetation and rich wildlife of Costa Rica make it a fascinating place to visit. But there's much more to the Central American country than flora and fauna, as Nigel Heath discovers.

Time on your hands? Book an Air Pass to the World

If you've decided to take time out, or have waited for retirement before seeing the world, then air passes might be just the ticket for you. They work a bit like a book of bus tickets that you rip off one by one and give to the driver as you go - but with more exotic and far-flung destinations.

Lanzarote: the Mystic Isle

  Of all the popular holiday resorts, few can have such a varied – and frankly different! – geography as Lanzarote. One of the main Canary Islands and just 60 miles off the coast of Africa, it was created by a series of volcanic eruptions, the last in 1824, and this has endowed parts of the island with a moonlike landscape – most notably in the area of the Timanfaya National Park. The government has protected the nature of the island well: In 1993 UNESCO declared it a "World Biosphere Reserve”.

Australian outback: stuff of dreams

If there is one abiding image that we all have of Australia, it’s Ayer’s Rock – now part of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. 500 million years ago it formed part of the ocean floor. Today, it rises sheer out of the desert floor and - depending on the time of day and the atmospheric conditions - the rock can almost mystically shift colour… from brown to blue to violet.

On the Frankincense trail

  ...Laila’s job is supplying luxury incenses and perfumes as well as essential oils. Like nearly everyone else in the market, Laila stocks oblong tears. Tears are very precious and necessary commodities in the Arabian peninsula... Kevin Pilley takes us on a trip to the wonders of Oman.

In search of Goldeneye

  "Relax, man," said Ramsey giving me the first ingredient of "The Commander's" secret recipe for a happy life. "Drink water with your rum. Eat a little red meat but more fish; swim, fish and keep your drinking, smoking and women in moderation. And at a long distance from your wife." Kevin Pilley discovers the secrets of Ian Fleming's Jamaican hideaway.


Get a glimpse of China

  China is such a vast country, the great majority of which has been shut off from Western eyes, that no trip there can hope to give you more than a flavour. But the tour organised by Collette Worldwide will  open your mind to this phenomenal land with its huge, wide open spaces, teeming cities, ancient culture and astonishing architecture.