From the Daily Mail recently:

It’s the excuse we all needed to indulge in that well-earned break - scientists say holidays can help us live longer.

A new study has linked travel with increased happiness and better health suggesting trips could even be prescribed in the future as a way to beat depression.

The Australian research identified how travel can affect three different elements of happiness, meaning the joy of a holiday extends well beyond those days spent lazing on the beach and could help prolong our lives.

Dr Sebastian Filep, an expert in travel and wellbeing at Victoria University, found that motivations for travel, experiences at the destination and the post-holiday reflection all contributed to the pleasure of a jaunt abroad.

The first caused positive emotions in the traveller, the second gave them a sense of purpose and the third a sense of involvement - all key ingredients of happiness.

The in-depth analysis was undertaken with 60 different travellers and a further 200 backpackers for a chapter in a forthcoming book, Tourists, Tourism and the Good Life.

The results conclude that travelling really does make people happier, which improves our health and helps us live longer.

The full process from booking and organising the break to remembering the trip and looking at holiday snaps helps people feel better about their lives.

‘I see an opportunity for a greater connection between tourism and health where holidays become a more important factor in leading a healthy lifestyle,’ said Dr Filep.

‘We know from studies in the US that experiencing positive emotions reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease, or that optimists live longer than pessimists.

‘So happiness is good for overall physical and mental health and holidays are a good vehicle for experiencing happiness.’

Dr Filep even went as far as to say that: ‘Holidays may possibly lead to people living longer, as holidays make people happy.’

Although he is not advocating prescribing trips over anti-depressants, he did think they could play a part in the treatment of depression.

‘I see holidays as part of the overall treatment for making people happy because we now have research evidence that demonstrates a clear link between holidays and happiness,’ he said.

‘Happiness is the opposite of depression. If thinking about a holiday, going on a holiday and remembering a holiday plays a role in making people happy, than I certainly think prescribing holidays or travel could help beat depression.’

For more details about Lanzarote holidays visit yourlanzarote.net - included is a Lanzarote map

Menorca Blog

With the banking crises and subsequent recession in Europe and the U.S. over its worst (hopefully) this year had all the signs of being a good one for the Menorca holidays industry.

Tourist arrivals to the island has been down in the last couple of years, in common with most Mediterranean islands, as a direct result of the bank failures and subsequent recession that hit consumer spending on things like overseas holidays hard.

But a turnaround was definitely on the cards with good early bookings, and a sense of optimism was in the air among the hotel owners and flight operators.

But then came along Eyjafjallajokull - or as it’s become better known in Europe and the wider world, the Iceland volcano - which after erupting continuously for over a month caused an ash cloud that grounded planes, left holidaymakers stranded, and caused a lot of people to reconsider their Menorca holidays for this year.

The direct consequence has been that instead of booking a few months ahead many tourists have held off and are booking their Menorca holidays much closer to their intended arrival dates - leaving some tour operators and villa holiday companies with excess accommodation and reducing prices.

And airlines lost out big time as those based in the EU had to pay for accommodation for those passengers they couldn’t fly home, even though insurers often got away with paying out. The airlines industry feel that as the governments stopped them flying, they should now pay their bills without some will run at a loss this year.

It’s not just Menorca that has been affected by the volcano among the Mediterranean islands where tourism forms an important part of the local economy, and is reliant on flights to bring the tourists in to their hotels and for their villa holidays for a week or two.

Malta for example saw a sharp decline in visitors in April and May, and local media have reported that the national flag carrier Air Malta could have lost over 3 million Euros in April alone as their planes were effectively grounded and flights to their important UK market halted altogether for some time.

Unlike Malta, Menorca doesn’t have an airline to speak of that it can call her own, but Mahon Airport is well served with both low cost airlines and tour operators from both the UK and Germany have regular flights to Menorca at various times of the day, with scheduled flights available out of the holidays season.

But there is some good news around, despite the awful start to the year. While there were plenty of Menorca villa holidays available for June and July to be booked when looking for availability in early May, a month later a lot of them had gone by early June, showing that potential visitors were gaining confidence as the volcano quietened down.

And the price cuts that were showing are now back to something like their normal level. But for those thinking of taking a villa holiday in September when the weather is still normally good, there are some available for under UK 700 - it’s quiter then with the schools back and if Menorca villa holidays are something to be considered it could be worth investigating further and booking ahead to get a good deal.

More details about Menorca, including a forecast and today’s Menorca weather are at yourmenorca.net and for independent comments visit social media like jumptags

Playa de Muro Majorca

Often family holidays can centre around the beach, and finding a good one near to your hotel or villa is an important part of having a good time - and getting it wrong can mean the whole trip is a bad experience.

So where are the good beaches in destinations ideal for a family holiday?

For Majorca, the most popular European vacation island, the answer is Playa de Muro, according to a recent leading quality British newspaper’s travel section.

Playa de Muro is located in the north of the island when looking at a map of Majorca, and the closest holiday resort is Alcudia, popular with both German and British tourists.

The travel section reports that the goldensands are ‘never ending’ and that the beach has earned Blue Flag status, with a number of good hotels located along the beach, offering a good choice for those wanting to be near a beach and searching the internet for Majorca hotels.
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They advise that you can wade out quite a long way in the clear water before getting out of your depth, so this is a great option if you have small children. You can hire a pedalo, try all sorts of watersports or take a boat trip.

It’s often a bit breezy, so good for kiting too. If you need a bit of peace and quiet while enjoying the great weather in Majorca.  Paths lead to the Albufera nature reserve, which is the largest wetland area on the island.

There is no shortage of bars and restaurants according to the report, whether you want paella, patatas bravas or pizza. If you walk along far enough, there are quieter parts of the beach with picnic areas in the shade of the trees by the dunes.

And for those about to go on their holidays in Majorca they even give some advice about how to find Playa de Muro:

From Alcudia, drive along the bay, past the S’Albufera Nature Park. There are lots of free places to park. You can also get there by bus.

Internet versions of national newspapers are a rich source of good information for tourists to read about destinations - The Daily Telegraph in the UK being one example of quality journalism. In Europe and North America travel journalists write about diverse but related travel topics, and subscribing to them is money well spent, but many are still freely available. Social media also has independent reviews, such as Yahoo Buzz.

More information about the islands and photographs of Playa de Muro are available at yourmajorca.net

As we approach the end of January, traditionally the month when most British people book their holidays, quite how many have done so for this year compared to last won’t be known for a while yet.

But with the economy in both the US and Europe in recession, holiday destinations are bracing themselves for a dismal summer, as many tourists decide to have a holiday in their own country - or skip holidays altogether for 2009.

Areas that traditionally see a high percentage of their visitors come from the UK could be particularly hard hit, as the British pound has sunk to a new low level against the Euro, and isn’t doing too well against the US dollar either.

Some early suggestions are that Cyprus might lose up to 20 per cent of her British tourists this year, and there are plenty of other holiday islands in Europe which will be watching Britain’s currency closely in the coming months, hoping that it will rise and holiday bookings to those areas with the Euro pick up.

But the Spanish holiday island of Majorca isn’t taking things lying down, and 2009 could see holidays in Majorca be more popular than any other area of Spain again, despite her British visitors getting far less of the local currency than on previous visits to the island.

Majorca has an astonishing hundred years and more tourism experience, and has survived in that time two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, fascist dictatorship as well as town planners to emerge as a holiday island capable of catering for both the cheap getaway to the sun, but also the luxury holidays market in villages like Deia, and has responded well to for the increasing concern from many tourists for the environment.

                                                Majorca

Part of that change for the environment has been responding to what British and German visitors want, as well as cutting down on waste. Majorca has for example opened up quite a few miles of cycle tracks, and local businesses have responded with cycle hire shops dotted around the island.

Wonderful Cap Formentor in Majorca is just one delight awaiting holidaymakers for Majorca this year.

The challenge for Majorca this year is not how best to respond to global warming, or to offset holidaymakers co2 emissions from their flights to Majorca, but simply to get the tourists to visit at all. Majorca’s position as Europe’s number one holiday destination is under threat from Turkey, and further afield Egypt will be taking holidaymakers away too - neither Turkey or Egypt use the Euro for their currency, while Majorca does. The British pound has fallen dramatically against the Euro making holidays in Majorca more expensive for British tourists, while Egypt and Turkey with their own currencies work out better value for Brits abroad.

But Majorca has seen competitors before who have taken away market share from the holidays island, only to see her popularity return. Florida for example became very much in vogue for a while, but the weather in Majorca seemed to pull tourists back after a few years.

But while the Majorca weather can be relied on, what can beat the volatility of the currency markets to attract holidaymakers for 2009? The answer it seems is the return of the package holiday. Many in the travel industry had predicted the end of package holidays - where a holiday includes flights, hotel, breakfast and an evening meal (half board) or lunch too (half board) - due to the ability to book different components of a holiday online, but for British holidaymakers booking a package holiday with companies like Thomas Cook cuts the amount of spending money they need in Majorca dramatically - and makes a holiday in Majorca for 2009 possible after all.

Playa de Muro in Majorca, one of several beautiful beaches awaiting holidaymakers this summer.

Alcudia Majorca www.yourmajorca.net

Local authorities in some of the world’s top holiday locations are beginning to take matters of environmental protection into their own hands.

Both local government and nonprofit organizations are banding together in the fight against pollution. Efforts to sustain tourism to favorite destinations without harmful effects to the local environment, as well as culture and social interactions, are the main focus for the most recent campaigns.

Majorca Promotes Environmental Protection and Tourism

In order to maintain sustainable tourism in the Balearic Islands, Majorca is promoting a campaign that promotes environmental protection. Environment friendly tourism in heavily travelled areas is important for the overall atmosphere of tourist areas.

Island tourist locations tend to take more abuse from tourism than most other areas. The new campaign, developed by Palma’s Tourism Institute, IMTUR, is called “Palma, Responsible Tourism.” The World Tourism Organization also supports the initiative. The primary goal is to encourage tourists to be more environmentally responsible in Palma.

A few of the programme’s objectives are:

* Educate tourists and residents on water consumption.

* Promote Palma and holidays in Majorca as a prime tourism destination that places emphasis on protecting the environment and the Mediterranean.

* Encourage environmentally safe tourism once tourists arrive.

* Decrease carbon levels and air pollution from vehicles.

* Increase energy awareness and introduce energy conservation practices.

This was not a comprehensive list, only examples of what tourists can expect from the “Palma, Responsible Tourism” campaign. The programme includes incentives, activities, competitions and a cycling event available to all interested tourists. Palma Town Hall will donate 1 euro to the campaign for every tourist that takes part in activities related to the campaign .

Other Environment Friendly Vacation Locations

Palma’s campaign may be new to the Balearic Islands, but the general idea is not new to other tourist destinations around the world. Whether it is referred to as “environment friendly tourism” or “ecotourism,” the end result is the same. The general idea is to introduce tourists to recycling and other activities that will help sustain tourism in their favorite destinations. In protecting their favourite holiday areas, tourists also help to protect neighbouring rivers, streams, wildlife and communities from potential harm caused by pollution.

Similar campaigns already exist in the Caribbean. One development firm was quoted as saying sustainability is “finding the right balance between the need for development and the need for environmental protection.” Overdevelopment of a destination can lead to a drastic downfall of the quality of vacations available to tourists. Locally owned shops and fisheries on the Caribbean Islands have joined the efforts to help combat the negative effects of mass tourism.

Resorts and hotels on Malta promote environment friendly tourism by setting a high standard for their guests and employees. Water and energy conservation are very high on the list, as are reuse and recycling. Employees and guests are urged to turn off lights in rooms that aren’t being used and to ensure water has been used conservatively and turned off when not in use. Recycling bins are placed in hotel rooms, and guests are encouraged to use only environment friendly, recyclable containers.

Environment Friendly Hotels and Resorts

Each passing year sees more hotels and resorts join the fight against pollution. Environmental agencies have begun offering initiatives and awards to hotels and resorts that go the extra mile to protect the environment. The very environment they seek to protect is the one that draws more tourists to their location year after year.

With the ski holidays season just around the corner, it’s worth noting that several U.S. ski resorts have earned awards from environmental protection agencies recognizing the work they put into protecting the environment and local forests. Their efforts include using environment friendly cleaning products and recyclable take-out boxes, cups and flatware, as well as encouraging reuse of linens and towels and composting kitchen scraps with wood chips for use in landscaping.