Mark, one of our Japan rail fans, gives his suggestions of how to spend 12 nights in Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka and Tokyo – feel free to speak to Mark to discuss your own travel plans. “With three nights in Kyoto, two nights in Hiroshima and three nights in Tokyo with a rail pass included, this is how I’d spend my time in Japan! Day 1 – UK to Kyoto Fly from Heathrow to Osaka Kansai Airport, arriving next day. Departures from Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and other UK airports are also available. Day 2 – Kyoto On arrival in to Kansai airport, I would head straight for the Japan Railways (JR) Ticket Office, located just outside the main terminal building, in the station complex. Here, you can collect your JR Pass for your week’s train travel around Japan – don’t actually activate the Pass today, the helpful staff will arrange this to happen on day 4 as you will make the most of the 7 days this way (there’s no need to extend to a 14 day pass!) You’ll also be able to make s...

Karen and Christine was in Thailand in 2015 and whilst in Bangkok they went on a tour with a bit of a difference: On my recent visit to Thailand with Karen we sampled the Tuk Tuk Experience excursion in Bangkok . This was a really fun way of travelling around and as our guide was in the Tuk Tuk with us she pointed out different places of interest that we could go back to at a later date if we wanted to. After meeting at the hotel and introducing ourselves to other people doing the excursion as well we headed off to our first destination, Wat Saket (the Golden Mount). You ascend up the outside of this and upon reaching the top the views over Bangkok are amazing. Your guide will inform you of what you are looking out at and also all the history. You then descend and get back in your Tuk Tuk to your next destination. The next place we stopped was Wat Po. Here you will be able to see the reclining Buddha. Your guide will tell you all the history of this temple like this is t...

Karen was recently in Thailand and headed to the beautiful island of Koh Phangan: Christine and I visited Koh Phangan on a recent visit to Thailand, which also included Bangkok, Koh Samui, Phuket and Khao Lak, so it was a bit of a whirlwind trip! Because of this we had just one night in Koh Phangan, and we definitely could have stayed for an extra couple of nights. We stayed at the Santhiya Resort , which is built into the hillside on the north east coast, and is stunning. From Koh Samui airport to the ferry terminal is only about 15 minutes, and Santhiya’s speedboat only takes around 30 minutes, so from landing into Koh Samui airport at around 09:30 it didn’t take long at all to set to the hotel. As the hotel is built into the hillside it can be quite hard work walking to your room (ours was right at the top of the resort!) but there are little wooden cars to take you around if you’re not feeling particularly energetic! Unless you’re heading for the Full Moon Party Koh Pha...

Hong Kong is a great place to include in a Far East itinerary, and you can see much of it in a fairly short time - here's our guide of how to make the most of a short trip to this fascinating destination! DAY 1 - MORNING The best way to get your bearings in Hong Kong is on the Star Ferry, so wherever you're staying get yourself to the ferry pier and catch a ferry across Victoria Harbour - probably the most spectacular ferry Star Ferry arriving at the Central Piercrossing in the world, and at just a few pence it's a bargain too! Before you board, though, get yourself an Octopus card for reduced price travel throughout the city. If you end up on Hong Kong Island take the walkway from the pier towards to the mid levels escalators, a series of escalators that take you up the side of the hill, passing through daily life in the process. Nearby, catch the 120-year old tram to Victoria Peak, Hong Kong's highest point, from where you can look down on the rest of the...

The Thai island of Koh Samui is a real tropical paradise, with beautiful beaches and a stunning interior, quality hotels, excellent food and cold beer - not surprisingly, it's one of our favourite parts of Thailand! Just off the southern coast of Thailand and around an hours flight from Bangkok is the island of Koh Samui, a relaxed tropical paradise that offers everything from peaceful secluded beaches to late night nightlife, traditional temples to superb shopping, and a host more besides. Koh Samui makes the perfect destination for a beach holiday or can be included in to a multi centre holiday to Thailand or beyond. Around the Island Tour Big Buddha at Big Buddha BeachDiscover the beauty of Samui by exploring the island - there's only one main road so it's very easy! Take in Big Buddha Beach and the nearby Wat Plai Laem, beautiful Na Muang Waterfalls, the famous rocks of Hin Ta and Hin Yai, go elephant trekking in the jungle and finish with sunset on Ang ...

We Love Bangkok! It's our favourite Far East city and we can't get enough of it! We've put together our '48 hours in Bangkok' guide to give you some inspiration too. At Escape Worldwide we travel to Bangkok frequently, to get to know this fast-paced city as well as possible - Darren recently stayed at the Chatrium Riverside Hotel , Mark's favourite is the Dusit Thani while Karen & Christine are planning their next trip for September! DAY 1 - MORNING Start your visit to Bangkok by hopping on the Skytrain and travelling down to Taksin Station on the Silom line - the Skytrain is by far the best way to get around, and an all-day pass will cost you around £2, which is worth it for the air conditioning alone! Temple guardian at the Grand PalaceAt Taksin station, walk towards the river and hop on one of the public boats that ply the waters of the Chao Phraya - it's a great way to see the city from a different angle, and at around 20p for the trip to ...

Honeymoons are always a difficult one, you want something special but at the same time you don’t want to totally blow your budget, you have after all you probably had to shell out a small fortune on the wedding! One of our favourite and good value honeymoon options is Thailand . Thailand has so much to offer from the shopping paradise and fun of Bangkok to some of the most amazing beaches you’re likely to see. Also Thailand has some amazing value for money hotels, including some great options with Pool Villas. I’d suggest spending 3 or 4 nights in Bangkok – it’s quite a hectic place so you need a few days just to take in the main sites. There’s loads to see and do in Bangkok, and I find it handy to stay near the Skytrain monorail network to make getting around easy. Areas such as Silom and Sukhumvit are popular for their mix of shopping, great food and easy links to the rest of the city – try MBK centre for bargain electronics, or my favourite Platinum Mall for great clothes ...