UK Ferry Tickets

Welcome news for any ladies who have put on a few pounds over the cold winter months and are worried about bearing flesh on the beach – big women are back!

Skinny models are no longer in vogue and instead it’s curvy celebrities who are grabbing the headlines. Forget twiglet-eating stick insects like Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) and think women who enjoy a good meal, like Nigella Lawson and Kelly Brook. Big, 1970s style hair is also in. So dig out the curlers and get yourself a ‘Farrah Fawcett-Majors’!

As for blokes – we’ve always got away with being fat and having dodgy haircuts, so nothing’s going to change there!

Meanwhile, UK breaks are also very much back in fashion, with the National Portrait Gallery in London, Edinburgh Castle and York Minster among the top attractions for culture vultures.

In London, plans have been unveiled to build an artificial beach along the south bank of the Thames, in the shadow of the London Eye. Sun worshippers will use the beach during the day and in the evening it would become a venue for open-air cinema screenings and barbecues. Sounds crazy? It works in Paris, where a temporary beach or ‘Paris plage’ is built each year.

With planning permission and a bit of luck, it will be open from July to September. I expect it to be a huge hit with both tourists and locals – if we get a good summer. But I wouldn’t fancy a dip in the Thames to cool off if it gets too hot.

Elsewhere, Egypt is proving a particularly popular wintersun destination (see Doug’s email below). The combination of guaranteed sunshine and five-star hotels, often at cheaper prices than you can find in the Canary Islands, has proved a winner for both couples and families.

On April 7 an explosion near a bazaar frequented by tourists in central Cairo caused four deaths and 19 injuries. However, this act of terrorism has so far failed to dampen holidaymakers’ enthusiasm for the country and bookings are as strong as ever. Most people visit the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh and many don’t venture to Cairo.

Finally, middle-aged and older people are enjoying more adventurous holidays and no longer wish to sit around on the beach, according to research. Apparently 65 per cent of those over 50 would rather go on safari than stay at home sewing.

Role models for the older age groups are Sir Mick Jagger, 61, for his eternal youth; Sir Richard Branson, 54, for his unquenchable thirst for new challenges and Joanna Lumley, 58, for her glamour and polished performance.

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

Friday, May 18th, 2012