Escapism
Photographer David Montgomery, renowned for his iconic 1960s shots, and cultural commentator Stephen Bayley are hosting a creative long weekend in Andalucía's Sierra Morena mountains from 27-30 June. Called How To See, the course will cover photography and the visual arts and costs £775pp including full-board accommodation at the pretty Trasierra hotel.
What's new?
Family attraction
So many children are obsessed with Lego Star Wars that this was only a matter of time. Next month Legoland Windsor opens a dedicated gallery, with models made from 1.5m bricks. And from 4-6 May, 100 costumed characters from the Empire's 501st UK Garrison will host themed activities including building sessions, helping create a giant mosaic of R2D2, and Jedi Training Camp.
• Adults £34.20, children (two-15) £27.45, legoland.co.uk
Irish adventures
Wilderness Scotland has extended its outdoors adventure trips to Ireland, with a programme of walking, cycling, sea-kayaking and family holidays in remote west Cork and Kerry. Six-night group breaks with most meals, transport, ferry and boat trips and guiding cost from €1,250pp.
• 01479 420020, wildernessireland.com
Ibiza clubbing
Ibiza gets a hot new place to party this summer with the opening on 22 May of Bomba (artist's impression, left), a 1,000-capacity venue near Ibiza Town. Luciano and the Vagabundos, Defected Records and Erick Morillo are already signed up. Giuseppe Cipriani of the Cipriani Group and Pacha's Danny Whittle are involved, and the club says it will have plenty of seating and tables. Entrance from €35pp. No website yet.
Glamp watch
In the Sarthe area of northern France, Zoo de la Flèche now has four safari-style lodges where families can sleep in sight of the tiger or wolf enclosures. Each has a terrace and an outdoor shower and comes with two days' entry to the 34-acre zoo, home to animals including polar bears, elephants and sea lions.
• +33 2 4348 1914, zoo-la-fleche.com, adults £92 a night half-board, children under 12 £52
Travel tech
Sawdays has launched its first app, a digital version of its pub guide Special Places to Eat and Drink. The app – compatible with iPhone and iPad – is available to download from iTunes for an introductory price of £2.49. It covers 700 pubs in England and Wales and lets users browse an interactive map and share details of their favourite hostelries.
Cheap date
Among its late deals for Greece, Olympic Holidays (020-8492 6868, olympicholidays.com) has a week in a choice of studio apartments in Heraklion, Crete, for £252pp including flights, departing 14 May; and a week on Kefalonia for £378pp including return flights from Gatwick, departing 30 May.
Festival fun
A Midsummer Night's Ball is the theme for the next Wyndstock, a sophisticated festival run by Victor Wynd of the Last Tuesday Society at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, on 22 June. Daytime games and literary talks are followed by candlelit dinner, cocktails then an all-night party at a woodland bar.
• Tickets from £70 (glamping extra), 020-7724 1617, wyndstock.com
Travel trash
For slack, paranoid – and, yes, concerned – parents, Easy2Name has a range of children's ID wristbands for use on the types of trips and treks where kids may experience wanderlust (or just get lost). It's possible to write mobile numbers and any medical or allergy information on the wristbands, which cost £3.50 for a pack of 10.
Guardian Trains booking service
The Guardian is launching a new booking service for rail travel across much of Europe in partnership with Loco2, an online travel agent that focuses exclusively on train travel.
On the website, guardian.co.uk/guardian-trains, it is possible to search for train times and prices across Europe, as the site integrates timetables from two of Europe's largest rail booking systems. Readers can then book their chosen rail journey via a link to Loco2.
Thousands of destinations accessible by train are covered, in countries including France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium. The service does not include rail travel within the UK, but does feature train services departing from London. More European countries will be added in the future.
The new website includes interactive maps, ticket upgrade options and a chance to sign up for reminders about when your ticket of choice is released for sale. There are also related city guides and destination features taken from the Guardian Travel website. The Guardian Trains service aims to promote greener, more sustainable holidays: a calculator function on the website allows users to compare the carbon footprint of a rail journey with that of flying.
It aims to highlight that rail travel can be more convenient and less stressful than flying and offer great value for money. There are no booking fees with Guardian Trains so the price is the same as going direct.
Loco2 says international train travel in Europe has grown steadily over the past decade, as new high-speed rail lines have improved access. It expects the market to open up and become more competitive, and that this will drive down ticket prices.
