Cruises are amongst the most popular types of holidays at the moment, effortlessly taking you to different destinations throughout your trip - without the need to keep packing & unpacking! Settle in to your ship and wait for the world come to you, ideally with a good book and a gin & tonic.     At Escape Worldwide we tend to focus on Cruise & Stay Holidays, with the cruise as part of your trip but with a whole load more included too. Invariably you’ve flown to your departure port, so rather than heading straight from the airport to the port we’ll include a few days to explore the destination - places such as Singapore , New Orleans, Cape Town, and Dubai deserve more time than just passing through. After you’ve disembarked we can take you on to another location to round off your trip - a beach resort, perhaps, or another city. Fly onwards from Singapore to Bali or Phuket , take a train from New Orleans to Memphis, pick up a rental car as you return to Cap...

As the wedding season approaches, we take a look at some of their most popular destinations for honeymooners. If your idea of the ultimate romantic honeymoon is to be alone with just the love of your life, then look no further than the Maldives . Hundreds of tiny islands scattered across the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is a stunningly beautiful destination where romance comes easily. Lazy days on the beach, beautiful sunsets and understated service are the order of the day here – forget sightseeing and partying! Resorts do vary quite considerably, and as you can’t really leave your island once you’re there its important to get the right one for you. Larger islands tend to offer a range of facilities and more of a village feel, ideal for those who like a little more activity, while some islands are little more than a dot on the horizon, perfect for a real get-away-from-it-all. From the moment you land at the airport, the beauty and romance of the Maldives really does take your breath a...

It’s been a crazy year of travel already this year for the Escape Worldwide team. The team has been far and wide looking at hotels, resorts, cities, checking out the beaches and of course testing the local beers! So far this year we have been to: ·          Sydney and most of New South Wales ·          Jamaica ·          Japan (Osaka, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto by bullet train) ·           Cuba (Havana, Vinales Valley, Santa Clara, Trinidad, Ceinfuegos, Remedios and Varadero) ·          Abu Dhabi ·          Ras Al Khaimah ·          Dubai ·          Orlando All this before June, so what’s next for the rest of the year, well th...

The countries of the Middle East offer a wealth of interest to the visitor, from the incredible history of Egypt to the modern metropolis of Dubai. With guaranteed sunshine, top quality hotels and short flight times, it’s no wonder this region is so popular. There’s nowhere quite like Egypt for accessible history, unique sights, amazing diving and guaranteed weather, and its all just a 5 hour flight away! While it’s seen its fair share of change in the last few years, once Egypt is back on its feet it will return to its place as one of the world’s best visitor destinations. A Nile cruise is a superb option for taking in a few thousand years of history in comfort, while the Pyramids and Sphinx should be on  anyone’s ‘must see’ list. Divers flock to the Red Sea and it’s easy to see why, plus there’s loads for non-divers too. Dubai has firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading destinations over the last few years, and offers an incredible range of lu...

Darren has just got back from staying at the fantastic Atlantis the Palm : Driving up the trunk road of the Palm in Dubai the Atlantis dominations the horizon, and to be honest I was a little unsure if I'd like the resort as it looked very big and possible a bit soulless. The driveway to the hotel was full with other guest being dropped off and entering the lobby was a bit overwhelming with all the people whizzing around. Check was pretty quick and efficient which was a surprise as the lobby was so busy and I found the welcome extremely professional and friendly. Things were looking good! I was taken to my room with was lovely, very spacious with great views over the Palm and also the main swimming pool. The room was very clean and the quality of the furnishings very good, with all the facilities you could need for a comfortable stay. I have to say the hotel was a lot less themed than I was dreading and not tacky at all. After I settle in I head to the pool for a fe...

There's more to Dubai than skyscrapers and luxury hotels, says local travel agent Mark Haughton of Escape Worldwide. The city also acts as a hub for destinations across the Indian Ocean and beyond. Dubai is one of the Middle East's most dynamic cities, and one that has seen more change in the last decade or so than anywhere else on the planet. Major construction projects, including offshore islands, the famous man-made 'palms', huge shopping centres and even the world's tallest building – the 829-metre-high Burj Khalifa -  have turned Dubai from a fairly small town in to one of the world's most visited cities. It's a great place to start a holiday, with water parks, beaches, museums and superb shopping in the form of the historic souqs as well as the more modern outlets, with the likes of the Dubai Mall, three times the size of our own Westfield Stratford City. Spend a few days exploring the city, or a little longer to take in the beach too, before...

This month we're celebrating our 10th birthday at  Escape Worldwide , and looking back at 10 years of globetrotting in the name of bringing you great holidays - at least that's our excuse! We're having a look at our personal top 10 favourite travel experiences of the last 10 years. Karen makes a splash in Dubai "My first visit to  Dubai  was on the way back from Thailand one September, and while the weather in Thailand had been hot and humid, I wasn't really prepared for quite how hot Dubai can get in the summer! I wanted to see Dubai's main attractions in the few days I had there, but having explored the older parts of the city and finding that the only place I could cool off was on a traditional abra crossing the creek, I decided to head to the beach and to one of the best water parks in the region, Wild Wadi.  Take an abra accross Dubai Creek I wouldn't normally class myself as a water park kind of person, but in the hea...

As happy a time Christmas is, by January, there’s not better feeling than putting your feet up and taking a deep breath of relief knowing that you’ve got 300 odd days until the next round of festive cheer. But seeing as you’ve been buying gifts and treating others around you, why not reward yourself with a New Year’s getaway? Abandon the cold weather, rainy days (and maybe even snow) and fly of to somewhere with abit of winter sun. There’s many places worth going on late deals in January - Luxor would be my personal choice offering great value for money aswell as the nice weather! Other destinations I would suggest include Cairo for a slightly busier sightseeing trip. Going away in the New Year may initially seem expensive, but you can actually find some great deals - Stay for 7 nights in Luxor 3* from just £309! Or see the amazing Pyramids in Cairo 4* for 4 nights from £599 Dubai or Abu Dhabi for either a beach or city break are also great options - Stay for 5 nights in Dubai 3* fr...

Hi fellow travellers, Another week and another newsletter: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/offers/Aug10b2.html This week have some great value options to Thailand , Goa , Sri Lanka  and Dubai . The Thailand  triple centre has to be my favourite. Bangkok , Hua Hin  and Pattaya . This holidays is a great introduction to Thailand and at a great price, only £849 per person for a 15 night holiday ! Though the offer we have to Sri Lanka  is blinding, only £669 per person for 8 nights staying at the 4* Kani Lanka , this offer cannot be missed! We have plenty of other great holiday  idea, so why not shopt by: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/ Happy travelling Darren Escape Worldwide Home of great long-haul holidays

Creating the perfect twin centre holiday requires the combination of a number of factors, and with our experience we can put together the ideal itinerary. The first thing to consider is time, and how much of it you have. In many destinations, if you try to do things too quickly your memories will only be a blur, but if you spend too long in certain cities, things may get a bit much. Also bear in mind your total duration, of course. In busy cities such as Bangkok, three or four nights would be ideal to get to grips with it and to take in the main highlights – if you tried to do it all in a day you probably won’t remember much, but stay too long and the traffic will get to you! In Singapore, however, where things are more organised, a shorter trip will allow you to take things in without getting too hot & bothered. Next thing is location. If you’re only looking at a short stopover before hitting the beach, then the location of your hotel is an important factor when it comes to making...