If you are looking for a winter escape over these cold, wet months to get away from our short days and long nights, then you may be wanting to get away to somewhere with a bit of sun, sea views and probably neither too far away for travelling nor too expensive.

An escape to some far flung tropical destination might be the preserve of the rich, but what can the rest of us mere mortals do for a winter break? Where is near by, sunny and pleasant to go to?

Well, in my opinion, the Canary Islands fit this description nicely. The islands that make up this group benefit from excellent weather all year around. Their climate is typically warm in the winter, whilst not always scorchingly hot in the summer, when some of the Mediterranean islands can become unbearable.

Tenerife is possibly the best well known of the Canary Islands and not only is it the largest, but it is also the most populated of all of Spain’s islands. It is very easy for find Tenerife Villas for hire and flights from the UK to the island are easy to come by. It offers several tourist resorts, including the ever popular Play de las Americas, which is lively with plenty of night life opportunities. Other popular tourist destinations in Tenerife include Costa Adeje, Golf del Sur, Los Cristianos and Los Gigantes, home of the massive sheer cliff faces, dropping straight into the Atlantic Ocean!

Another very popular destination within the Canary Islands is Lanzarote. Of all of the Canary Islands, Lanzarote is the one that is nearest to mainland Africa and can be affected by a gentle wind at times. Although in summer, this can be very welcoming.

As with Tenerife, there are plenty of Lanazrote Villas to choose from and book and with flights to the capital city of Arrecife taking around only 4 hours from the UK, it is a worth while out of season destination. Two of its main resorts are Puerto Del Carmen and Costa Teguise, both pleasant resorts and neither too far from the airport. Costa Blanca is a little further away, at a guess taking up to 30 to 45 minutes to get there from the airport. The entire island is a lot smaller than Tenerife and it is possible to drive around the whole island in a day, allowing time to stop off and enjoy various scenic spots.

If you are looking for a winter break and don’t want to travel too far from the UK, then the Canary Islands do make a good destination. Have a look at them and see which of the islands appeal to you.

Learn also how to buy vacation home.

Southern California is the place to be for fun. There are amusements parks, aquariums, zoos, museums, water parks, nature parks, mountains, beaches, deserts and more.

A new attraction to Southern California is Disney’s California Adventure. Inside this disneyland vacation you will find a boardwalk along a large lake with rides such as a marine life merry-go-round, a huge Ferris wheel, and a roller coaster that only the hardiest stomachs can handle. A favorite attraction is California Soarin’, a ride that simulates a hang gliding tour over many scenic and popular California spots.

Be sure to visit the sourdough bread factory. There you will find that for a reasonable price you can make a meal of their delicious, fresh sourdough bread and butter.

If it is a hot day come prepared to get wet. There is a great river rapids ride and there are several spots around the park for children to have fun with sprinklers and fountains.

With a two-park pass you can visit both California Adventure and Disneyland. In the summer disneyland vacations are open till after midnight so you can enjoy California Adventure in the morning and early afternoon and then cross over to a disneyland vacations for the rest of the day to enjoy their rides, the parade and the fireworks show.

A short drive up Interstate 5 takes you to Knott’s Berry Farm, another very popular spot for vacationers and local families wanting to spend time together having fun.

Camp Snoopy provides loads of fun for the younger kids. There you find a pony ride, petting farm, small Ferris wheel and several more rides that children want to go on over and over again. Knott’s also has great roller coasters and other rides, including a stage coach, river rapids ride and log ride as well as several shows.

After a day running around seeing the shows and enjoying the rides you will want to visit the famous Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. Delicious fried chicken, mouth-watering biscuits and everything topped off with their famous boysenberry pie. It cannot be beat.

Further up Interstate 5 you come to Six Flags Magic Mountain, which is full of roller coasters of every type. For the very young there is a children’s area with rides they will love. Be prepared for higher temperatures in the summer than Disneyland or Knott’s, but if you have teenagers or if you love adventure yourself you do not want to miss it.

Heading south on Interstate 5 about 150 miles you come to a fairly new amusement park, LegoLand. With over 50 rides, shows and attractions it is another Southern California amusement park that takes at least a full day to get around.

They have rides especially for the very young including a miniature train and a boat ride that gently takes you through some favorite fairy tales. There are several water play areas and of course legos to play with. For older children and adults there are roller coasters, water rides, and more.

All of these parks are loaded with fun and all are located a short drive from each other. If you are traveling from out of the area and plan to stay in a hotel, there are many that offer shuttles that provide easy transportation to and from the parks.

You want to spend a holiday on the beach? Your kids were already looking forward to having fun in the water? But at the same time you would like to have a city break and enjoy some culture? The answer is simple; come to Berlin.

You might ask “but where is the beach in Berlin?”…Tropical Island is about 35 kilometres away from Berlin in a place calles Sch