Escapism
Visitors to Queenstown, on New Zealand's South Island, can now explore previously inaccessible locations up the Kawarau river with Expedition X's new "packrafting" experience. Carrying paddles and an inflatable kayak backpack-style, you can move over both land and water, encountering lakes and stunning mountain backdrops along the journey.
• expeditionx.co.nz, one-day trip around £153
Cheap date
Fleetway Travel (020-7082 0380, fleetwaytravel.com) is offering flights and a B&B hotel stay in central Barcelona from £159pp for two nights, departing from 11 UK airports. It's hand luggage only, but hey, it's only a couple of days. It also has four nights' B&B in a five-star beach resort near Casablanca, Morocco from £299pp, flying from Gatwick.
Travel trend
The sunburnt-lobster look may be a thing of the past, if a survey by SDL is anything to go by. Asked what the most important item was in their luggage, Americans and Australians voted for mobile phones and cameras respectively. Brits, however, now put sun cream at the top of our travel pack-list.
What's new?
Homestays
Onefinestay has added properties in Paris and Los Angeles to its portfolio of cool pads in London and New York. Visitors enjoy hotel perks such as toiletries and optional cleaning, plus local tips from the absent owners. The "unhotels" include a one-bed flat in Paris's Montmartre and a five-bed house with pool on LA's Mulholland Drive (pictured) – with Hollywood prices to match.
• onefinestay.com
Teaching overseas
Bunac, specalists in working and volunteering trips abroad, has introduced overseas teaching internships for participants who complete an online TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course. Placements of two months in Thailand or six months in China immerse interns in the local culture, with a week on Koh Samet beach or a trip to the Harbin Snow and Ice Festival as a bonus. The introductory price of £745 (excluding flights; down from £995) applies to trips in November 2013 and February 2014.
• bunac.org.uk
Travel product
British brand Breffo has introduced a range of flexible smartphone or tablet grips and stands, that can attach to a bike, coach seat or other object. The Spiderpodium, made of rubber-coated steel, can be set to any angle or position.
• breffo.com
Travel trash
There's nothing more annoying than losing balls in the rough on your golfing holiday, right? Thank goodness for these amazing Golf Ball Finding Glasses, then – the blue lenses illuminate anything white, so those pesky balls are easily spotted.
• £7.99 from iwantoneofthose.com
How much?!
Britain's first dog/human bootcamp launches in Devon this November. For just shy of £3K, overweight pooches will be put through their paces for a week with their owners, and help will be on hand from dog nutritionists, massage therapists and groomers.
• nubeginnings.co.uk. From £2,900 for dog and owner, including luxury accommodation, organic food and therapy sessions
