Sri Lankan adventure
Sri Lanka has topped many polls as the place to go in 2013 – it offers beaches, wildlife, scenery, food and culture. It's great for community-based tourism, homestays and spending money with local businesses. British Airways (britishairways.com) is launching flights from Gatwick to Colombo in April from £721 return. Experience Travel (experiencetravelgroup.com/sri_lanka) offers an 18-night family adventure, including flights, from £2,168pp, with several nights in a village house in the Knuckles Mountain Range.
Pit-stop spa
Durham is the perfect pit-stop county and one of its original stopping places is reborn this year as the Garage Spa (thegaragespa.co.uk), which offers a shepherd's hut as a log-fired sauna, a "car wash shower" experience with four sensory settings, and motor-maintenance-themed treatments and cosmetics. Spa packages – including use of the facilities, a selection of treatments, a one-night stay at the four-star Morritt next door, and meals – start at £190pp, based on two sharing.
Moscow on a budget
EasyJet's (easyjet.com) launch of flights in March from Manchester and Gatwick to Moscow with fares from £47.50 one-way (£67 from London) offers a budget break in one of the world's costliest cities. Try the Bulgakov (bulgakovhotel.com), a mini-hotel on Ulitsa Arbat with rooms from £65 a night.
Virgin's northern connections
Flying Virgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com) long-haul from Heathrow becomes a more realistic proposition for those in the northwest with the launch of VA's first UK regional flights to Heathrow from Manchester from 31 March. Virgin hopes its three daily flights will make connecting to destinations such as Boston and Cape Town straightforward. Virgin is branching out into Scotland, too – six return flights a day between Terminal 1 and Edinburgh, and three to Aberdeen, start in early April.
Nordic style rolls on
Nordic cool shows no sign of letting up. This year offers fantastic aurora-spotting conditions, a Borgen-themed Copenhagen itinerary (visit copenhagen.com/see-and-do/borgen) to mark the second series of the Danish political drama and a notable new opening in Stockholm. The team behind the Swedish capital's Berns Hotel is opening Nosh & Chow, a Soho House-style club with an upmarket restaurant, bars and a courtyard. Interiors – polished wood, light details – are by Barcelona-based Lázaro Rosa-Violán. A two-night B&B stay at Berns (berns.se) in April costs £262pp, based on two sharing.
France or Flanders on two wheels
Cycling's booming popularity has made the Tour de France a big event for British travellers, and this year marks the centenary of the race. For a less-hyped event, try the Tour of Flanders, also marking its centenary. Devotees love visiting for the hysteria of Belgian bike fans and old-school devotion to racing. Sports Tours International (sportstoursinternational.co.uk) offers three nights' B&B plus coach travel from a variety of UK locations to Ghent for £319pp, with an additional £25 to enter either the 75km or 150km 2013 Flanders Cyclo Sportive ride the day before the professional event.
Eurostar in the spring
Eurostar's (eurostar.com) services to the south of France have come to herald the arrival of summer. This year, it is messing with the formula by trialling direct springtime services (starting in May) running weekly to Lyon, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence. Return fares start from £99 to Lyon and £109 to Avignon and Aix-en-Provence in standard class and £199 and £249 in standard premier, respectively.
On the trail of the Iberian wildcats
Naturetrek's (naturetrek.co.uk) five-night Realm of the Wildcat visits remote parts of northern Spain's Navarra region, where wildcats still roam, and observe local birdlife such as lammergeier and migrating common cranes and honey buzzards. The trip visits the Pyrenees in winter and a day's skiing is on offer, too. Departing 10 March, it costs £995pp, including flights from London, transport and five nights' full board in a family-run hotel and guiding.
Livingstone's 200th anniversary
This year's Livingstone bicentenary (livingstone2013.com) is the perfect excuse to tour the areas of southern Africa he explored. The town which bears his name is running a year-long programme of events, including a cultural festival, concerts and a 4WD rally. Expert Africa (expertafrica.com) offers a 12-night holiday, starting with two nights at the Zambezi Sun for the Victoria Falls, then crossing over to Zimbabwe for three nights at Ivory Lodge in Hwange, three nights in the Matobo Hills at Camp Amalinda and ending with two nights in Bulawayo at Bulawayo Club, from £3,096pp based on two sharing. This includes flights with South African Airways (flysaa.com), transfers by road, all accommodation, meals and activities at Ivory Lodge and Amalinda.
See Cuba from the saddle
Horses are part of daily life in Cuba, and Wild Frontiers' (wildfrontiers.co.uk) new Cuba Horse Ride itinerary offers rides with former champion jockey Richard Dunwoody, and local cowboys, through the Pinar del Río province, a beautiful tableau of limestone hills, underground caverns and fertile farmland. The ground-breaking 11-day recce in March costs £2,395pp, excluding flights.
