You are struggling to find sites to make all necessary arrangements for flights, hotels and tours and you are lost in information when you realize that there are hundreds of airlines, hotel and tourist guides to look into. You have no idea where to look first as well as which are the ones that can give you the best deal.

What about making things a little easier for your research? The effort you make is essential but why to search for yourself when others can do it for you at no cost? Online travel world has been developed significantly by building price comparison sites and travel search engines to make your life easier.

Especially for Dubai, there are targeted price comparison sites such as Dubaitravelmarket.com where you can find everything related to flights, accommodation, tours/attractions and other various stuff connected to the city.

The site undertakes the role to find you the best deal simply by searching into a variety of airlines, hotels and other travel companies.

Just put your requirements into their system and they will do the rest!

I woke up unusually early and took her to Kew Botanical Gardens in Richmond, London. It isn’t difficult to get there, either by underground or overground rail. However, you want to get there early in the morning because the place is massive. There is a extremely large area for you to wander around so you need the better part of a day to take full advantage of the Botanical Gardens. We saw so much that day, that I have to pick out the best moments for you.

The rainforest greenhouse was exquisite. Walking in, the change in temperature and moisture is so great that your glasses steam up in seconds. Nonetheless, they quickly adjust and after getting through that initial fog you will see trees of shocking shapes and sizes. A crystallising image for me was seeing my mother stand under the leaf of some rainforest tree. Said leaf was about three times my mother’s height, and she’s a tall lady. You are also given the opportunity to go up to the second level of the greenhouse and look down onto the the upper branches of the trees. Pepper trees, cacao trees, all huge and beautiful.

Another great greenhouse is the the cactus area. Walking into that construct you feel like all the moisture is drawn out of your lungs in seconds. The air is hot and dry, reminding me of Tunisia, closer to the desert rather than the beaches. Hundreds of cactus species that we are only used to seeing as tiny malnourished pot plants grow wild and to very large sizes. To be quite honest that was more a treat for myself, seeing as I used to collect cacti as a child (I had 70 different species).

Finally, apart from all the amazing trees and animals (there are geese, peacocks, ducks, squirrels and a whole host of other animals roaming the Gardens), there are the buildings. The rainforest Greenhouses look like a Victorian futuristic moon base, and are lined by statues representing various houses of England. Then there are fountains and lakes, strewn around the grounds until recently were a wide selection of Moore sculptures.

But the best bit as far as building and structures are concerned was a royal holiday home that looks like a fairy tale cottage. It is at the bottom of a little trail, surrounded by tall trees and all boarded up. There is no way to go in or look in, which just adds to the mystery. It truly looks like where a wicked witch might live, and there is an eerie feeling if you get too near.

I have to say that walking around Kew Gardens is so great that I have already visited twice and will surely do so again in the future. However, I am lucky and live close by. If you are visiting, I recommend you book somewhere nearby, as walking for hours and hours will take it out of you and you will need to rest. Take your camera, pack a picnic and fill up your canteens and you are off into the civilised wilderness.

The British Museum has been stuck in my mind ever since my parents took me to it as a child, on my first visit to England. The magnificent artefacts made my imagination go wild even though I eventually got tired of walking around. Nonetheless, as an adult, with a bit more understanding I like to think, the British Museum is a wonderful treat.

Currently there are several free exhibitions on at the British Museum: Fascination With Nature explores the importance of birds and flowers in Chinese art, Reflecting On Modern Japan has three photobooks on show, all dealing with themes from everyday Japanese life in the post war and modern era, the American Scene houses prints of great American artists such as George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois and Jackson Pollock. Icons of Revolution is a collection of Maoist badges from the cultural revolution in China in the 60s and 70s and finally the Chinese theme is concluded with a partnership between the British Museum and the Botanical Gardens at Kew, which has placed elements traditional Chinese gardens in the forecourt of the Museum.

Apart from the exhibitions that are on, the British Museum houses thousands of objects in collections from around the world and from thousands of years ago. Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, as well as objects from Asia are all on display. You can also see historical artefacts from the UK itself. Overall it is an unbeatable visit as far as value for money is concerned.

There are hotels and hostels near the British museum which will cut down on the cost of those pesky travel cards. If you stick to the city centre you can probably get away with getting a day bus pass that will only set you back £3,50.

The most beautiful escape, without really leaving Paris, is to take a stroll up to Monmartre. I say stroll, but what used to be a village until 100 years ago, is now one of the main tourist attractions and sits atop a hill 130 meters above Paris. Normally, that is not a very long distance, but the walk up is very steep so you might prefer to take the cable car to the top of the hill.

The hill is crowned with the Sacred Heart Catholic Basilica and draws hundreds of tourists every day, however the area has kept its charm with its treelined steps leading down into countless of little alleys (featured in films such as Amelie and La Vie En Rose). The entire neighbourhood with its old houses and lovely gardens is perched on this steep hillside and looks like a mountain village you would expect to find in rural Greece, although the architecture is unmistakebly French.

When we got to the foot of the hill with my ex, all the noise of Paris seemed to disappear. A short ride on the cable car and we were at the top outside the Cathedral. We made a small donation at the entrance and wandered around inside this magnificent church, taking in the designs and the way the lights shone in through the windows. Everything was hushed, all the tourists spoke as quietly as possible, and even the flashes of the cameras seemed like an affront.

Once outside the flashes restarted and everyone was taking pictures of everyone. Down the steps from the cathedral you can use the coin operated binocculars to look at anything in the whole of Paris. All the sites are available from the top of this hill, although you might want to bring a lot of coins if intend to have a good look. Unfortunately, I had spent mine on the donation box. You can even have your picture drawn, as artists ply their trade at the top of the hill like many famous painters in the area before them. Well, I’m not sure they sketched tourists, but Monmartre was at the heart of a Bohemian community of painters in the 19th and 20th century, the ranks of which included Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso.

We decided to walk down the steps, which was much quicker and easier than I thought it would be, and then strolled between the lamp posts and trees, down the steep narrow alleyways and enjoyed a coffee and some lunch at one of the cafes, where a random customer started playing their piano. You can’t arrange romance like that…

You are better off booking a hotel or hostel somewhere near to Monmartre, as staying on the hill itself may offer you a lovely view, but if you intend to do some site seeing it can be exhausting to walk back up at the end of the day. It is a must see location and offers you a view of a Paris as it was.

So lets sit down and try to make sense of this. The Pride Parade lasts from August 1 to August 3, during which time thousands of people take to the streets during the day for an amazing party that travels through the city. To this you have to add of course the Canal Parade, which is part of the Pride, but is held on boats in the city’s canals. The Canal Parade is on August 2.

After a long day of dancing through the city one might think you’d be off to bed. However, there is a number of clubs where the party will just be getting started as the parade is winding down for the evening. The night of August 2 is also when the famous White Party will be taking place, so named because the dress code requires everyone to wear white. Then, on the evening of the third day, whoever still has the energy to go on can attend the closing party. There is a full schedule of events at the Pride’s website.

You can find cheap flights and hotels at British Airways, Expedia, hostelbookers and Hotels.com. Find a place to stay and then you just party on the streets for the weekend.

After being blown away by the size of Victoria station itself and the architecture surrounding it, I climbed to the top of the bus sat down and looked out the window. For the next 30 minutes I was astounded by what I saw. Driving towards the West End, we first had to pass from Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Temple Church (you might be familiar with it from The Da Vinci Code), all incredible landmarks with a rich history, and all beautifully lit in the cold night. It was true culture shock to be consecutively confronted with these beautiful pieces of architecture.

After that came Trafalgar Square, with its lions and the National Portrait Gallery and thankfully the bus stopped at the traffic lights and gave me a chance to enjoy the view. We then proceeded down the strand, where London’s more cosmopolitan side came out, as the bus drove by theatres with glowing signs of whatever musical was on back in 2004, which soon gave way to the bars and restaurants. We past by bridges, and it took all my peripheral vision to know when to look left and when to look right.

After the dazzling lights of the Strand and the West End, came the City, which was introduced with St. Paul’s cathedral, also lit for people to see from miles away. Monuments and statues were spread throughout a part of London that looks completely abandoned at night and combines older architecture with modern steel and glass buildings. The contrast gets clearer the closer you get to Liverpool Street, as buildings on one side of the road tend to have low relief decorations and Victorian windows and pillars, while the other side is more reminiscent of New York, building faces that are sheer vertical black glass, and behind it all towers the Gherkin, looking like some sort of invaluable crystal egg.

This bus journey was the best introduction I could have hoped for in London, and I have taken the ride quite a few times when picking up friends from or taking friends to Victoria station. If you are visiting London on a tight budget you might want to take the number 11 bus at night and book at a hostel. If you get a bus pass or travel card you can hop on and off as many times as you like and explore these beautiful locations.

There are beautiful sites to take in around the centre of Paris, but walking is a bit too slow and driving is a bit too fast (and infuriating in traffic). Hopping on a bike in a foreign city automatically makes me think I’m on holiday. It’s fast and safe, as long as you pay attention to what you are doing, but you might want to bring your own helmet as the Velibs do not come with protective gear.

Another interesting side effect of this new Velib culture is the flirting that goes on between cyclists and at the bicycle ramps. As if the French were not charming enough, now they can assist helpless tourists use the Velib systems and might offer to ride along side you down the Seine and point out interesting buildings, statues and perhaps a petit bar or bistro for a glass of wine, non?

In any case, this scheme has proved so successful that other cities in Europe, the US and Asia are all sending officials to check and see if they can apply it to their streets. Booking a hostel or hotel room in central Paris is important though, otherwise you’ll have to take the metro or the bus and that kind of defeats the object.

For 1 euro a day it must be the cheapest way to get around. I’m bringing the Tom-Tom from the car to avoid asking for directions.

I found three things to be exciting about Iceland. The club and bar scene, the nature and the museums and sites. To begin with, Iceland may be a northern country but as soon as you arrive in the city you can feel something of the attitude Mediterranean cultures have. Perhaps it has to do with living on what is essentially a volcano that causes the inhabitants to be so relaxed, and this is reflected in their nightlife. There are dozens of bars and clubs along the main strip of Reykjavik, which are open all week, but stay open till 7am on the weekends. There, you will find queues of extremely well dressed and well groomed customers ranging from early 20s to late 40s. There is an incredible atmosphere in all of the bars and clubs and when the weekend arrives the whole city goes into party mode. After the drinks you might want to stop at one of the many takeaway sandwich shops on the strip.

Then there is nature. Although the city does not have much to offer in the way of trees or bushes, in the winter you do get frozen lakes and crisp white snow. Regardless of that, you can still take advantage of the countryside, and go hiking in the highland lava fields, take a look at the geysers springing violently out of the ground, and maybe even visit one of the glaciers in the summertime, which have views of untold beauty.

Finally, if you are not in the mood to walk through shiny black rocks, perhaps you might want to take in the impressive Contemporary Art Museum, visit impressive cathedrals and statues or take a dip in the Blue Lagoon, and they do mean it when they say blue.

Getting to Iceland is easy from London and the flight is short. Every single person I met spoke fluent English and every single shop accepted credit or debit cards. That includes the cabs.

It is about the US that I would like to talk about today, specifically about a ticket that is very similar to the InterRail service that allows you to travel through different regions or the whole of Europe (and some of North Africa) under one ticket.

After having taken in the sites and monuments of Europe’s many countries, it seems equally appealing to take the opportunity to travel throughout the US and admire the natural and man built wonders that country has to offer. Just take a moment to think of the vast variety of terrain and vegetation that your train journey will take you through… Forests, deserts, frozen lakes, waterfalls, all just a few minutes from where you step off the train.

All the locations that have been immortalised on film over the 20th century and that have been engraved in our minds… Painted desert mountains, dense forests with trees that have been growing there for hundreds of years, oceans and capitals, the National Rail Pass will allow you to travel through all these places and stop to take in the sites. If however you have more specific areas of the US in mind you can also purchase one of their regional tickets for 15 days or 1 month. The Northeast Rail Pass will take you all the way from Virginia through Boston, Washington DC, the Hamptons, all the way to Niagara Falls. The West Rail Pass goes through cowboy country, but starts off in Chicago, then through to New Orleans and all the way to the Pacific Coast. Finally the East Rail Pass allows you to enjoy Florida, St. Louis, Texas and numerous other states.

If there is any way to enjoy travelling around the US and getting the most out of it, this is it! And for the penny pinchers out there (like me) book during off peak season to get a hefty reduction on your ticket costs. I’ll soon be firing up my social networking skills and contacting all my mates in the states to see if they have a sofa available.

Over the last few weeks there was a panic in the travel industry that people would stop going on holiday due to the drop in the value of the pound and the increase if flight costs due to soaring oil prices. That is why everyone was relieved when they found that there was only a 1% drop in holiday bookings in the UK. If it’s expensive to go to Europe, the people thought, we’ll just go somewhere else.

And Morocco is one of the best places to visit. The Sud Bahia Hotel is well positioned on a side street just off the centre of Agadir. The beach is a 500 metres away and Agadir’s beach consists of 6 miles of sand and sea. Around the hotel, one can take advantage of the golfing facilities, go camel riding or participate in watersports, while being so close to the centre allows you to take a walk to the shops in the square or an the smaller side streets or at the local souk, for bargaining with the local traders for carpets, brasswares and leather. I know just lying on a beach is enough for a good holiday, but seriously, snake charmers, acrobats and fortune tellers! Snake charmers! You can still speak French if you like…

If Marrakech is more your cup of tea try out Le Tafilalet Hotel just on the edge of a palm tree forrest, about 2 miles from the rail station and the city.I has been built in the Kasbah style of architecture with palm trees and a swimming-pool. In the resort itself one can wander for days as there are plenty of palaces, museums, mosques, markets and alleyways. Around the hotel one can go horse riding, play tennis, golf or ride camels. At night go to the main square for dancers, snake charmers, acrobats, musicians and fortune tellers.