1 Island-hopping in style

When paradise just isn’t enough, here’s a truly decadent sightseeing option. The Banyan Tree Lagoon 1 is a catamaran that explores the Seychelles’ 115 islands. The sleek, white wisp of a boat shows guests the rugged, untouched islets rarely seen by tourists. Carrier Worldwide (0161 491 7630, www.carrier.co.uk) can take you there.

2 Photo magic

Bored with photograph albums? Already broken the digital frame you got last Christmas? No problem, just upload a video of yourself performing a suitable act of derring-do to www.bobbooks.co.uk and it’ll magically turn it into a retro-style flick book. Eight seconds of Spielberg-esque action can be turned into a 70-page “it looks like you’re really moving” piece of modern art (£12.99, plus £4.50 p&p).

10 classic wintersun destinations

Now wouldn’t that be nice? Chris Haslam laughs in the face of the impending cold and takes a fresh look at 10 classics

• The 13 hottest hotels for winter sun

• Eight winter sun hotspots

• Do the hippies still run Goa?

The world's 50 best walks

From a grade-one pub stroll to a grade-five yeti hunt

6 wintersun breaks at the hottest prices

Get the timing and destination right and you could still bag a hot holiday bargain, says Julia Brookes

• The 10 best winter sun music festivals

Related Links

• The 50 little luxuries of travel

3 Little Ones Come Too

That’s what LOCT stands for: a new high-spec children’s bike seat designed for mountain bikers. It anchors between the saddle and handlebars, and you won’t believe how natural it feels until you try it. We’ve been on all sorts of single-track with our little ones. All of a sudden, families can adventure too. The price is £170; www.loct.co.uk.

4 Tropical getaway

Tucked into forests and overlooking a gorgeous private beach, Sri Panwa’s glass-boxed bedrooms are the most deliciously private hideaways on the increasingly glam island of Phuket (00 66 7637 1000, www.sripanwa.com; doubles from £533, B&B). Gordon Ramsay describes the place as his second home. But then, he is so easy to please...

5 Kip and a cuppa

An excellent innovation in the weekend-break business: we’ve bumped into two B&B coffee-shop establishments in the past few months. Somewhere comfy to sleep upstairs, while downstairs doubles as your breakfast buffet and a locals’ coffee shack – offering you a base to relax, watch life go by and plan your next outing. Take a bow, No 12 Quality Street, in North Berwick (01620 892529, www.no12qualitystreet.co.uk; doubles from £110), and the Apothecary, in Rye, (01797 229157, www.bedandbreakfastrye.com; doubles £60).

6 No excuses

MapMyRun (www.mapmyrun.com) is the healthy traveller’s saviour. Before, you visited a new city with your running kit and either went sweatily mad on the hotel treadmill or got desperately lost on a distant dual carriageway as dusk fell. Now, visit this site, type in your destination and get the locals’ favourite jogging routes – leaving you with no excuse.

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