By Simon Willmore

This weekend saw the launch of Traverse, a new travel blogging conference designed for people that don’t have an entire week to spare for TBEX or TBU. Founded by Michael Ball and Paul Dow, along with a team including Dylan Lowe, its aim was to connect bloggers, PRs, tourist boards and travel companies in a two-day event at the Clarendon Centre, Brighton.

The event was slick and yet casual, with a huge amount of information on offer – almost too much, as delegates had to choose one of three talks at any one time. However, this allowed the presentations to be held on just one day, with the rest of the weekend for networking. The atmosphere was relaxed with a couple of great social events and bloggers from all over the world. For an inaugural conference, the weekend was a resounding success.

Here’s my pick of the weekend’s talks (although others that I missed looked great, too).

Creative Travel Photography with Tom Robinson

Tom Robinson, who has had photography published in magazines including Lonely Planet Traveller and CN Traveller, says the most critical part of his job is “capturing the light”, which is easier at the beginning or the end of the day. Morning light tends to be bluer while evening night is more yellow, so bear this in mind when composing the shot in your mind.

Tom splits types of photos into three genres:

Landscape, that reflects in the location of the subject but also needs a focal point in the foreground.

Portrait, which may be a head and shoulders shot or an environmental portrait which explains who the person is. This may not necessarily need to focus on their face. It could be their basket of fish, for example.

Detail, which may be a cup of coffee or something specific to the region

He mentions the importance of symmetry in an image and the need to keep a “consistent tonal range of light” – if necessary, use a white t-shirt as a reflector to improve the lighting.

The well-known Rule of Thirds is well-explained by Tom’s more commonplace phrasing: either shoot “a lot of sky and a bit of land” or “a lot of sky and a bit of land”, choosing whichever is the most dynamic as the majority of the image. The horizon should always be straight and you need to keep the edges of your frame “clean” – that is, either keep a focal point (be it a person or an item) fully inside the image or leave it out.

For lighting effects, Tom recommends Adobe Lightroom and says the Vibrance effect is a great way to improve the interest of an image, which he always “shoots raw” (which creates an uncompressed data file on your camera and needs special software to be viewed).

For an instant improvement to a portrait shot, “put anyone next to a window” says Tom. If it means asking them to move, so be it, but be humble – and ready. By that, Tom offers great advice about approaching people he wants to shoot:

Point your camera to the ground so they know that you haven’t started shooting yet. Be direct and point to the camera to indicate you want to take a picture, but be friendly. Already have the setting at f4 or f4.5 (the lower the number, the less of the complete image is in focus so landscape should have high settings like f11) so you don’t have to play with the camera when they say yes. As you shoot, move your face back and forth from behind the camera so they can see you, and you’ll probably have a maximum of five shots to take before they become awkward – and it’s usually the first one or second image that will be the best.

Tom Robinson is a London based location and portrait photographer

Tips for Digital Storytelling on the Road with Liz Scarff

Liz Scarff from Fieldcraft, a communications consultancy, has worked on projects for international NGOs including Save the Children UK and has helped to raise awareness for an under-reported food crisis in West Africa as well as raising funds raised for vaccine programmes. With a need to always be active online, she offers a couple of handy hints:

* Pack a four-bar power adapter so that, even if your accommodation only has one socket you can charge all your devices.

* Buy a local SIM card to avoid roaming costs – if the signal is especially weak where you are, it may be worth having  a couple of SIM cards on different providers so you can swap networks and see if the reception is stronger.

* Set up SMS updates for Twitter so you can still post even if there is no mobile internet.

Liz also mentions that it’s necessary to bear in mind the time differences between your location and your audience’s. There’s no point posting great content if nobody is awake to read it.

Liz Scarff is the award-winning head of Fieldcraft, a communications consultancy

Kirsten Alana’s Top Tips for Mobile Photography

During one of the ‘Pro Bar’ one-on-one meetings, I asked Kirsten Alana, a photographer, writer and TV host, her top five tips on mobile photography.

* Treat your smartphone as a camera. Now smartphone cameras are no longer ‘point and shoot’ devices, with changeable exposure settings and editing software, “take it seriously and you’ll be amazed what you can achieve.”

* Traditional photography methods should still be observed. The Rule of Thirds and negative space should still be considered; just because your smartphone is not a ‘proper’ camera, proper photography rules still apply.

* Know when to use a smartphone and when to use a DSLR. Kirsten Alana is so passionate about iPhoneography that she actually no longer owns a camera and simply rents one if she thinks she needs it – this includes when she’s on safari and knows that the subject matter will be far away. You need an actual zoom lens rather than just a digital zoom function.

* Much as photographers use lenses, iPhoneographers should use apps to achieve different results. Kitcam is great for editing as you shoot, use VSCO for filters, and Piction for text-over-image editing.

* For photo-blogging, collages are really effective. The Diptic app lets you put up to 10 images together in a collage, then you can sync across your devices with DropBox, ready to post straight away.

Kirsten Alana is a photographer, writer and TV host

Advanced SEO with Adrian Land

Recently, SEO has gained a bad name, says Adrian Land, Head of Inbound Marketing at My Destination. However, it’s an essential part of the marketing process, because, ultimately, a higher ranking in search engines means more visits to your website – and more press trips and so more work for bloggers. He presents his rules of thumb for “Wholesome SEO”:

Firstly, it’s crucial to realise the difference between SEO and CRO (conversion rate optimisation). The aim of SEO is to rank highly in search engines, ie. ‘be on page one of Google’, and the goal of CRO is to then maximise the number of visitors that are converted into customers. (In the sense of a travel blogger, this would most likely be to click on advertising on your site.)

SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) are becoming more and more personalised, depending on your location and previous web use – this is one of the reasons mobile web is becoming so much more important, because it can use your GPS to optimise the search even further. That is, if you were to simply type in ‘pizza’ while in Brighton, you would get a list of Italian restaurants near you.

There are three types of relevance to consider when “trying to understand a searcher’s motives”: brand or navigational, which is related to your company’s name or website; transactional, linked to actions like purchases; and informational, for example “stag do in Magaluf”.

The Panda, Penguin, Venice and EMD (Exact Match Domain) updates have all affected SEO recently. The first two have served to downgrade sites with poor quality content, like those featuring keyword stuffing (adding out-of-context keywords into copy) and unnecessary anchor text (the visible text in a hyperlink). The Venice update has helped to optimise search for location, again thanks to mobile internet, and the EMD edit has taken away the benefit of just having a relevant domain name with no quality content.

Page Rank, and so website quality, is defined by the frequency you appear and ‘depth of crawl’, so web designers should make easily accessible, clean-looking sites that are easy for the Google systems to navigate. Having a strong and relevant ‘snippet’ (the title and short description that features on your Google listing) is paramount and you need to update regularly.

In terms of social media and driving traffic to your site, Facebook doesn’t help significantly with optimisation but it does help to build a community around your brand so you can create positive reviews and link building – ‘organic’ link building, in the sense of customers referencing your company. Twitter and Google+ help to broadcast your presence, but the key sites to remember are StumbleUpon and Reddit, which are, according to Adrian, hugely overlooked.

Finally, always be sure to do your keyword research. This includes interesting examples, like spelling Mallorca ‘incorrectly’ as Majorca for a British market as this spelling is more popular here. Also, for affluent New Yorkers, you may be wise to reference ‘holidays’ instead of ‘vacations’ as for the rest of America as this word is now use more often.

 Adrian Land is Head of Inbound Marketing at My Destination

Pitching to PRs with Ruth Haffenden

Social media is really difficult to place in the marketing / PR world, begins Ruth. Nowadays, content can be defined as ‘paid, owned or earned’, but social media can overlap – think of the difference between a guest post that you create for their website and a tweet that mentions them but is your own content.

To pitch smartly and effectively – don’t use vague phrasing such as ‘I would love to work with you in the future” – create a page on your site and downloadable file that mentions:

* Your brand: what you stand for, how and what you write

* Stats: unique visitors, page views, site subscribers, social media following (for only the channels that are significant)

* Readership: demographic, social profile, income, interest – if you don’t know this, ask your audience

* Verification: endorsements, awards, testimonials, syndications or associations you belong to

Strong examples are Wild Junket, Velvet Escape and Travels of Adam. Think of your Media Pack as your CV and your email to the PR agent as a cover letter, and tailor the pitch to each destination / hotel. Consider who the PR agency wants to represent and their objectives, plus verify that your customer bases overlap. Offer case studies and always follow up: if you have something else about the PR’s client published at a later date, let them know as it will help to strengthen your relationship.

Ruth Haffenden is a social media specialist at Four Communications

Five Minutes with a Lady in London and a Legal Nomad

I spoke briefly with Julie Falconer, better known as A Lady in London, about the best use of each social media channel:

1. Facebook: use this for community building and encouraging people to engage with your brand; learn from friends and tell stories

2. Twitter: post links and pictures to amplify your branding message and drive traffic

3. Google+: interact with communities with similar interests and share content in order to assist your SEO goal

4. Pinterest / Instagram / Flickr: post different images than on your other channels, for example pictures of products to keep visual content varied

5. LinkedIn: work on partnerships, career advancement and practice networking

Ultimately, Julie says each platform deserves its own approach, even if the overall strategy is the same, and reminds us that “social media is a dialogue, not just about pushing information out”.

Jodi Ettenberg from Legal Nomads builds on this by telling us to use social media streams as a way to engage and build relationships, also mentioning Skype as channel. You should be able to show your true personality and export qualities that let people see you as a valuable voice with interesting tastes.

Julie Falconer is a London-based travel writer, consultant and blogger.

For more reports and comments about Traverse, follow the Twitter hashtag #traverse13

 About our writer

Simon Willmore’s travel writing has been published in ABTA Magazine, the National Geographic Traveller blog, and TNT. He has a degree in Civil Engineering and has written a book about his experiences living in Grenoble, and is currently in talks with publishing houses. Follow him on Twitter.

By Amy Donegan

“They are cork trees and a huge source of income for Alentejo,” replied our guide José in answer to my query about the strange-looking specimens.

Amidst carpets of green, yellow and white flowers, the cork trees are a key feature of the Alentejo landscape. Each tree must be harvested by hand-axe once every nine years, and can produce €500 worth of cork.

Post-harvest, the trees acquire a striking two-tone appearance. “We say they are blushing because they’re naked,” smiled José.

Hidden amongst groves of these mature cork trees (they really are everywhere) is Portugal’s answer to Stonehenge. Discovered in 1966, the Almendres Cromlech is one of Alentejo’s archeological mysteries dating back to the 6th millennium BC. The site is one of the largest collections of menhirs in Europe and makes a great, free family outing.

Situated approximately 130km outside Lisbon, Évora is the capital of the Alentejo Province. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, the city is characterised by labyrinths of cobbled alleyways, a historic centre and a well-preserved Roman Temple.

A sight not to be missed, Évora’s unique Capela dos Ossos (or Chapel of Bones) lies next-door to the Church of St. Francis. Decorated with more than 5,000 human remains, the chapel was originally built by a Franciscan monk who wanted to depict the transitory nature of life. At the entrance, visitors are greeted by a chilling inscription that heeds the warning “We, the bones that are here, await yours”. For a piece of 16th Century history with a spooky twist, enter if you dare.

Originally a 15th-Century Monastery, the Convento do Espinheiro lies a 10-minute drive away from Évora. Guests are offered a host of activities inspired by the region, including wine-tasting with old military bayonets and spa treatments overlooking the Alentejo landscape. You can also try bread-making, using the same techniques that belonged to the monks who inhabited the monastery between 1458 and 1834. If you prefer basking in the Portuguese sunshine, you can always take a quick dip in the pool or visit the nearby beach. Prices for a double room start at around £130 per night with a breakfast buffet included.

A recently-crowned UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fortified city of Elvas has guarded the Portuguese/Spanish border for centuries. Throughout its history, the fortifications’ unique design has helped Portugal survive a number of sieges, most notably from the Spanish in 1658 and 1711.

Take in the spectacular views from the top of the fortifications, stand where the Duke of Wellington once fought or pay a visit to the 17th-Century aqueduct that used to provide clean water to the city’s inhabitants. Here, it is clear that history is an important part of the Alentejo culture; anywhere you go you will be (in José’s words) “immersed in the middle of it”.

A visit to Alentejo would be incomplete without some gastronomic delights. Set amidst a backdrop of Mediterranean hills, the 7,000-acre Herdade da Amendoeira (Almond Farm) offers its guests an abundance of gastronomical goodies made on site, including liquor, honey and cheese. My taste buds were tickled by the bubble and squeak-esque ‘migas’ and the ‘nuvens escondidas’, or ‘hidden clouds’ – a dessert consisting of cinnamon, caramel, egg whites, sugar and a little pinch of lemon designed to melt in the mouth. It certainly did just that.
Blushing trees, rich gastronomy and a preservation of the past; this quiet corner of Portugal has it all. You won’t find the hustle and bustle of the Algarve here, but instead, an intimate insight into real Portuguese life.

* Amy Donegan was a guest of Turismo de Portugal. She travelled to Portugal with TAP Portugal, which flies from Heathrow and Gatwick to Lisbon with return fares from £115 including taxes. Find out more about the Alentejo region.

Our editors recommend Sunvil Holidays, which offers a range of trips to the region.

By Mark Hodson, Editor of 101 Holidays

“Good shot! You took its right wing right off.”

Gillian, my wife, turned and grinned as Malcolm Davison – corpulent and ruddy-faced beneath his tweed cap – cracked open the shotgun and reloaded.

No animals were harmed in the making of this article. We were shooting clays at Stapleford Park, a grand country house hotel in the rolling Leicestershire countryside near Melton Mowbray. And it turned out, much to my chagrin, that both Mrs Hodson and our 16-year-old son, Callum, are better shots than me.

“You’ve got to aim and fire early before the clay gets too far away from you. Aim a little below it, like you’re shooting its legs off,” Davison told me.

You won’t be surprised to learn that – if you arrive in season – Davison will take you on a live shoot, where you can take aim at partridge, duck and pheasant.

It’s part of a long tradition in these parts. The market town of Melton Mowbray is famed for two things: it is home to the pork pie, and to some of Britain’s most prestigious fox hunts. The Belvoir, the Cottesmore and the Quorn are all based nearby and huntin’, shootin’ and fishin’ runs through the veins of local people.

Two hundred years ago the wealthy elite would travel up from London by carriage to hunt with hounds. Today the train from King’s Cross races to nearby Grantham in just over an hour. However, the feeling of getting out of the city and into the fresh country air is no less exhilarating.

The history of Stapleford Park goes back to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Over the years it changed hands many times, and was bought in 1894 by Lord Gretton, a wealthy brewer with social ambitions who turned it into one of England’s most elegant stately homes.

In 1988, it was bought by Bob Payton, the American entrepreneur who brought Chicago deep pan pizza to Britain, and this year it celebrates its 25th year as a hotel.

Set in 500 acres of grounds landscaped by Capability Brown, the main house is both grand and welcoming, with more of the feel of a country house than of a hotel (that’s a good thing in my books).

There is a grand wooden staircase, a library and drawing room with high ceilings, fresh flower displays and comfortable sofas, a billiards room with a full-size snooker table, trophies on the walls and woodsmoke in the air.

There is also a spa, a 22-metre indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam room, tennis courts and a championship golf course that wraps around the pond and woods to the front of the house. Even if you don’t play golf, you can enjoy a bracing hour-long walk on a marked trail along the course.

The rooms are individually decorated and some are surprisingly quirky: we slept in Amanda, decorated in muted browns and bronzes, while our two children shared Campion Bell, a whimsical trompe d’oeil creation. Other rooms have been kitted out by brands including Crabtree & Evelyn, David Hicks and Pirelli.

At dinner the service was formal and the menu relaxed: lots of locally-sourced crowd-pleasers including shepherd’s pie, beer-battered fish and chips and venison sausage. The food was delicious and prices were sensible, with most mains around £15.

Next morning, after an impressive full English breakfast, we played country squire with the shotgun while our daughter Helena, eight, joined a falconry class. This, she declared, was even more exciting than the swimming pool.

After checking out we left our bags at reception and whiled away an hour or two in the library, basking in the low February sunshine, snacking on biscuits and hot chocolate. One night away from the capital doesn’t look much on paper, but we felt as if we’d “properly” been away.

And failing to hit the target in the shooting? I’ll get over it.

Travel brief

Double or twin rooms at Stapleford Park cost from £140 per room per night on a B&B basis. This is the hotel’s spring breaks offer which runs until 30 April. Other offers include free kids stays over Easter. For bookings and information contact 01572 787 000 or visit www.staplefordpark.com.

Getting there: East Coast Trains operates 64 services each weekday between London King’s Cross and Grantham with some services taking only 65 minutes. Advanced return fares, booked online at www.eastcoast.co.uk start from £20. Or you can upgrade to First Class (from £48) and enjoy free food and drink and unlimited wifi. Times and fares can also be found on 08457 225225 or at any staffed station.

From Grantham station the hotel can arrange a taxi transfer. The drive from London takes about two hours.

By Mark Hodson, Editor of 101 Holidays

The Swiss ski resort of Klosters is famed for its royal connections: Prince Charles has been a regular visitor for most of his life, and he’s often joined on the slopes by Princes William and Harry. But aside from that celebrity tidbit, most British skiers know little about Klosters. In fact, the resort is frequently overlooked in favour of its bigger, better-known neighbour, Davos.

Ignoring Klosters would be a mistake, as I discovered on a trip there last week. A pretty Alpine village in the Graubunden region reached by a scenic two-hour train journey from Zurich, Klosters boasts some of the finest skiing in the Alps, particularly for those in search of off-piste adventure.

The first thing to say about Klosters is that it’s not flash. You won’t find glitzy casinos or designer malls. The look and feel is subdued and understated. It’s old money, not fur coats and jewels. The village is home to some charming family-run hotels, many with excellent restaurants. However, the social scene is discreetly tucked away, with the resort’s most famous guests staying and dining in friends’ chalets.

Although you shouldn’t go to Klosters for celeb spotting, you might rub shoulders with the royals without even realising it. “You probably wouldn’t recognise them under their goggles and hats,” one British expat told me. “They take the lifts with everyone else and the people here who know who they are don’t make a fuss. Charles and the boys were here three times last winter and the press didn’t get a sniff of it.”

I stayed at the Vereina Hotel, which is typically Swiss: cosy, well-run and unassuming. Its best feature is quietly tucked away: a vast spa and wellness centre in the basement where it is quite possible to spend an entire afternoon enjoying the pool, sauna, steam rooms, heated stone beds, exotic showers and relaxation room.

Nightlife is subdued. The Hotel Chesa Grischuna has a popular piano bar, and downstairs in the basement there is a two-lane bowling alley hewn out of the rock, which would make a great venue for a private party. After a superb dinner at the Hotel Alpina, a jazz quartet with a combined age close to 250 years, belted out toe-tapping standards.

If you want to get the heart racing, head upwards. At the heart of the village, beside the train station, is the Gotschna cable car which takes you from the village level of 1,124m to the Gotschnagrat at 2,285m. Over the ridge lies the Parsenn, a wide expanse of mountain which last week was carpeted in thick fresh powder.

Our guide, Jurg, showed us to fields of deep fluffy snow where we didn’t see another track. The mountain was quiet, almost eerie. “It’s always like this between early January and mid February,” explained Jurg. With so much space to ourselves and so few other skiers in sight, it was easy to see why the royals love this place.

The piste skiing is not especially challenging. There are lots of comfortable reds and some picturesque runs through the trees, but this is really a resort for off-piste skiers. The powder was perfect, so soft and deep that when I caught a tip and fell head first, I managed to permanently lose a pole.

A short bus ride from Klosters along the valley takes you to the Madrisa, an entirely separate mountain covered by the same lift pass. Its south-facing slopes are perfect for a sunny day and the wide rolling blues and easy reds make it perfect for families and unadventurous intermediates.

However, it too has some fabulous off-piste. We found deep fresh snow right beside the groomed slopes and, because the gradients were gentle, this proved the perfect flattering powder for wobbly off-piste skiers like myself. Even at 11am it had not been skied out, and with much of the best snow close to the pistes, it would have been perfectly possible to ski powder all day even without a guide.

Jurg, of course, knew some even better spots and took us on a short hike to the Ratschenjoch where we found a wide bowl of pristine powder and eye-popping views down into the valley. Unfortunately, the excitement got too much for me, and I managed to hurl myself head first down the slope, resulting in a small collection of bruises and a pole snapped clean in half.

In spite of its reputation for high-end visitors, Klosters is not unreasonably expensive. At the Schwendi restaurant on the Parsenn I had “pigling ragout” – delicious tender piglet slow-cooked in red wine and fresh herbs and served with champ, carrots and courgettes. As part of a two-course menu, including salad, it was excellent value at CHF 17.50 (£12.00). A beer was CHF 5 (£3.40), an espresso CHF 3.90 (£2.67).

On the Madrisa the best place for lunch is the Zugenhutti, a light and airy modern hut with a spectacular sun terrace where the speciality is raclette: if you’re feeling hungry, the price tag of CHF 22.50 (£15.35) is not bad.

Even Klosters skiers aren’t immune to the effects of the recession and this season, between 16 November and 23 December, the resort offered free ski passes for guests who stayed at hotels in the village. If it repeats the offer next winter and the early snow is good, this will be a deal hard to resist, both for royals and their subjects.

* Humble thanks to the charming staff at Andrist Sport who lent me a pair of skis, and were kind enough not to make a fuss about the missing and broken poles.

By Mark Hodson, Editor of 101 Holidays

Cold outside, isn’t it? Well, a bit. Last week I was skiing in the Swiss resort of Klosters where the mercury dropped as low as minus 20ºC. Believe me, that is seriously chilly (hence the frozen beard).

I love skiing but I feel the cold, especially in my hands. Poor circulation, probably. So this seemed an opportune time to road-test some serious cold-weather gear.

First I tried a pair of Killy Hades gloves, fashioned from soft lambs leather with a thermal lining by Primaloft. Killy is a French brand, named for the World Cup ski racer Jean Claude Killy. This pair retail at £139 which is about £100 more than I’ve ever paid for a pair of gloves.

Another good way to ensure warm hands is to wear a pair of silk glove liners. I got this pair by Nevica, a brand now owned by the high-street discounter Sports Direct. They are a bargain, reduced from £16.99 to £5.99.

To keep the rest of me warm I took a hooded Bergflette Jacket from Bergans that is as stylish as it is cosy. Constructed from Technowool – a mix of wool, polyamide and polyester – it is not just a big thick jumper, but has an elasticated waistband and cuffs, a lined zip, drawstring hood and soft lining, all designed to keep in the warmth.

Bergans itself has an impressive heritage – the company was founded in 1908 by a Norwegian, Ole F Bergan, who was responsible for a string of inventions including the first rucksack with a frame, and the first step-in, step-out ski bindings.

The verdict? Most impressive was the Bergans jacket which I wore over two thermal base layers and beneath a thin outer shell. So in terms of keeping out the cold, it had to do a lot of the heavy lifting. And it came through, keeping me snug (but not sweaty) all day on the slopes. The Bergflette retails for £120 though I found it online for £91.

My hands also stayed warmer than normal. There were a few frosty moments but it seems the combination of the silk liners, the leather and Primaloft kept my fingers from turning yellow. My only reservation with the gloves is that they have a Velcro-style strap across the back of the hands, to which the silk liners kept attaching themselves when I took the gloves on and off. Even after four days skiing, the liners are starting to fray. But that’s a small grumble compared to frostbite.

Overall, a success. And even though I’ve packed my ski boots up in the loft, I’m more reluctant to put away the Bergans jacket. In fact, I’ve taken to wearing it around the house during the current cold snap.

By Mark Hodson

If you take a lot of short-haul flights you’ll know the importance of a good carry-on bag. You’ll also know that the different luggage allowances operated by the various airlines is downright confusing. That’s the problem the new MultiBag Foldaway Wheeled Cabin Holdall tries to solve.

At first sight it looks like a regular wheelie bag, but a unique design means that its dimensions can be adjusted with three startegically-placed zips to create six different sizes between 35 and 56 litres. It can also be folded into a tight space for storage and converted into a backpack.

Its designer Mike Davey claims the bag will be accepted by 99% of commercial airlines, whether you’re flying with Bangkok Airways (maximum dimensions 55 x 35 x 20 cms) or Easyjet (maximum dimensions 55 x 45 x 25 cms). A printed copy of all the different airline allowances is included with each bag.

Weight is a key factor with carry-on luggage. Even if your airline doesn’t have a maximum weight for cabin bags, you don’t want to be lugging around unnecessary extra kilos. And the MultiBag does well by coming in at around 2kg. My regular wheelie carry-on weighs closer to 4kg.

Despite this, the bag seems to be well constructed with handles, wheels and a retractable metal handle that feel robust and look unfussy. The fabric appears to be reasonably water resistant and the zips – often the weakest link with bags of this type – held up fairly well against some vigorous testing. There is a handy zip pocket for tickets, passport, etc.

My only reservation about the bag is that it’s a bit over-engineered. I found the detachable backstraps rather pointless (even if I could envisage a situation when I would want to abandon the wheels and put it on my back, I wouldn’t want to retrieve the straps from the bottom of the bag). The dangling buckles into which the backstraps fit look superfluous and spoil the otherwise clean lines of the bag.

The bag costs £65 including P&P within the UK, and with every order you get a free lightweight foldaway rucksack worth £15. Overall, a neat idea and a good price. Order here.

By Mark Hodson, Editor of 101 Holidays

Ski holidays can be risky: there can be too much snow or not enough snow; people get injured, flights get cancelled. But when everything goes right there is no more exhilarating experience in the world than blasting through a field of knee-deep powder in brilliant sunshine.

Those were the conditions I found last week in Verbier where a metre of fresh snow had landed before my arrival. I woke on my last morning to find another 20cm had fallen overnight and by the time I made it to the slopes, the sun was peeping through, offering perfect conditions both on and off the piste.

This has been an amazing start to the season across the Alps and further evidence that December can be a great time to travel. Sure, it will be cold, but prices are low and the slopes are uncrowded. Geneva Airport was near deserted – even on a Saturday – and passengers on our Easyjet flight had a row to themselves.

I was skiing with Fraser Ewart-White, co-founder of the chalet operator Powder White, along with Daniel Elkan, my co-founder at snowcarbon, and our PR minder, Louise Ferrall, of PCC.

Although we all had some experience skiing off piste, none of us would call ourselves experts (particularly me) so we were joined on our second day by Jon Ahlsen and Tom Waddington, both instructors at New Generation, one of a new breed of British-run Alpine ski schools.

Normally part of the job of the off-piste guide is to find sections of untracked powder. But there was so much fresh snow that we were spoiled for choice and Jon and Tom focussed on teaching the correct technique for skiing the deep stuff. They were smart, full of enthusiasm and great teachers. It was one of the best day’s ski instruction I’ve ever experienced.

Fraser, who worked at Sainsbury and Netflix before entering the ski industry, is doing something quite interesting with the traditional ski holiday, offering a basic chalet price to which clients can add their preferred experiences. You can opt for an Extreme week – with off-piste instruction and guiding, or a Relax week with private yoga classes and massages in your chalet. You don’t need to book your flights with the tour operator, and in fact 98% of clients make their own arrangements, whether by air, rail or self-drive.

This season, Powder White is also offering chalet weekends at sensible prices, which adds a useful new option for time-poor skiers. Another operator, Powder Byrne (similar name, but more emphasis on luxury) offers seriously good ski weekends at five-star hotels in a selection of Alpine resorts, but Powder White appears to be the first offering fully-catered chalets for 3- or 4-night breaks.

We stayed at one of their chalets in Verbier which was comfortable, smartly decorated and in a perfect location close to the main Medran lift. The rooms were on the small side and did not have en-suite bathrooms, but this was more than compensated for by the high quality of the food and the great attitude of the chalet staff. Another luxury was getting an in-chalet ski fitting with the local shop All Mountain Rentals (available at no extra charge). With accommodation prices from £349 for a week (or £299 for three nights) and good discounts in the New Year, this looks an attractive deal.

Verbier is as famous for its nightlife and lively apres-ski scene as it is for its great slopes. So it’s almost obligatory to polish off a day’s skiing with a few drinks at a bar such as the Fer à Cheval (known to seasonnaires as the Furry Shovel).

But one day we bucked tradition and swapped lager for the lotus position as we took a yoga class with John Wolstenholme, a British ski instructor and yoga teacher. John has designed a class aimed specifically at skiers and boarders, to stretch out the thighs, lower back and shoulders. At the end of the hour I felt wonderfully relaxed (and sufficiently energetic to manage a couple of drinks at this season’s hottest bar in the Hotel Farinet).

Finally, Daniel wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t mention that a new weekly rail service to Switzerland now promises to slash the time it takes to get to Verbier by train. Starting this Saturday (22 December), you can hop on a Eurostar in St Pancras at 0657 arriving in Lille at 0926. A quick change of platforms and you board a super-fast TGV arriving in Martigny at 1647. A regional train then gets you into Le Chable at 1713, from where you get a gondola into Verbier.

By Mark Hodson, Editor of 101 Holidays

Instagram, the photo sharing platform, has turned millions of smartphone users into budding photographers with its use of digital filters. But there’s one place on Earth that can’t be improved by adding a filter: the Maldives.

A 10-hour flight lands you in a sumptuous world of turquoise lagoons, crimson sunsets and swaying palm trees. The colours are breathtaking in their brilliance and purity.

Recently I visited the Maldives for the fourth time – the first since I reported for The Sunday Times in the wake of the 2004 tsunami. Back then, the tourist industry was experiencing a serious wobble. Today it is booming with new resorts opening regularly. This year – the 40th since the first tourist arrivals – the government hopes to welcome a million overseas visitors.

Here’s what I found on my four-night stay, with the help of an iPhone 4, Instagram … and no filters.

The excitement begins before you land in the capital, Male. Here are some views from the plane. You can see the shadow of our BA Boeing 777 as we come into land.

On arrival at Male, you will be transferred to your island by speedboat or – if the distance is too great – seaplane. Both are great fun, but the seaplane is a unique experience. The views were sensational.

After a just over an hour we touched down at the Beach House at Iruveli, a newly-opened luxury resort in the most northerly atoll of the Maldives, Haa Alifu. (Note: the aerial photo above left was provided by the resort).

The hotel is spectacular. One morning, we enjoyed a buffet breakfast at the Grand Water Pavilion. I was staying in a beach villa – check out my bathroom complete with plunge pool, outdoor shower and sun loungers.

Much as I loved the resort, I had a lot of fun leaving it. One afternoon we were “stranded” on a nearby deserted island. This was made easier by the fact we were supplied with sun loungers, shades, champagne and snacks.

One day we visited the nearby island of Utheemu, where we toured the wooden palace in which the national hero, Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu, grew up. But far more interesting was simply wandering around this tiny, undeveloped island, meeting the local people.

One of the waiters at the hotel, Rameez, lives on Utheemu and agreed to show us round. His mother and two aunts had prepared for us an afternoon tea of traditional Maldivian spicy snacks. Delicious!

The only real industry on Utheemu is the weaving of thatch for the roofs of resort hotels. The raw thatch is delivered on the beach and local women take it home to work on it. Most young people leave the islands to attend college, or work in hotels or in construction.

Another day we sailed on a dhoni to the island of Mulhadhoo (population 350) where many of the resort workers live. The island chief and his deputy met us on the jetty and gave us a tour.

One of the resort’s chefs, Naxxa, gave us a Maldivian cookery lesson in a makeshift kitchen near the jetty. We learned how to roll chapattis then lunched on a meal of drumstick curry, pumpkin and coconut salad and curried red snapper. It was probably the best meal I’ve eaten all year.

It struck me as rather strange that, despite staying in a drop-dead gorgeous five-star resort, my most treasured memories will be of wandering around the local islands, meeting the local people and being invited into their homes. And the finest meal I ate was not in a gourmet restaurant, but served on a plastic table in the sand. This was a genuinely authentic Maldivian experience, and a great way of breaking down the barriers between tourists and local people. It was, however, very nice to get back to the hotel for a shower and a cocktail.

Find out more about the Beach House at Iruveli.

By Helena Hodson, aged 8

When you go into the SEA LIFE Aquarium, the first thing you have to do is go underground – and it’s right next to the river Thames, so that’s a bit scary!

The next thing you have to do is walk across a glass corridor with sharks swimming under your feet – cool!

Once you are in the main part of the Aquarium there are loads of fish and other things which live in the sea to look at, they are all organised by the ocean which they live. My favourites were the jellyfish and the seahorses.

One of the great things about looking around are the signs with incredible facts about the fish next to each tank.

There is a massive tank without a lid which has loads of rays in it – when I was looking one of the rays swam right out of the water really quickly which made me jump!

The main thing in the Aquarium is the enormous tank which has sharks, turtles, massive fish and stingrays in it. It’s really awesome because as you go around the Aquarium you see it from different angles and the sharks come really close.

Near the end you go into the Antarctic section which has got some ultra cute Gentoo penguins – you can see them swimming underwater, and they all have coloured armbands on so you can tell what their names are.

I really enjoyed my trip to SEA LIFE – it’s a great place to visit. Especially if it’s raining!

* Find details of how to visit the SEA LIFE London Aquarium

By Helena Hodson, aged 8

The London Dungeon has a new character to scare children over the Halloween period – The Trickster. Last week I went to find out just how scary he is, and to experience all the rides.

In the London Dungeon you walk through a series of terrifying experiences where different actors act out frightening events in the history of London like Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd and Bloody Mary.

It is dark, smoky, damp, and a bit smelly. There are some fantastic rides that are very fun and scary.

I went with my best friend, Talia, my dad and Talia’s dad. As soon as we arrived the Trickster jumped out at us. He wore a black cloak and an ugly mask and crept up in your ear whispering, “Trick or treat? I think … trick!”

It was funny but frightening. Talia was petrified. She wanted to go home but her dad persuaded her to stay.

Then, the Trickster led us to a maze of mirrors, where we didn’t know what was real life and what was a mirror. We really felt like we were trapped.

Later we got to the torture chamber, and I was called up. The torturer pretended to pull out my tongue and my eyeballs. I enjoyed it a lot!

After that, we went to a room that looked like a pub. An actress was talking about Jack the Ripper when suddenly the table shook. The lights went out and without warning you saw a black figure jump out for a nanosecond – you knew it was Jack the Ripper. It was really cool.

Next there was a ride called Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom. You are strapped into a seat and lifted up. Then suddenly, when you don’t know what is going to happen, you drop down. It was awesome. It was my favourite ride.

Over all, the London Dungeon is brilliant. I would really recommend it.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Editor’s note: the Trickster is at the London Dungeon until 4 November. Find more details here.

The Seyhan Jan in Bozburun. Photos by Catherine Leech

By Catherine Leech, Director, 101 Holidays

I may not have found the perfect holiday, but I believe I have found MY perfect holiday – a week on a gulet in Turkey.

Many people have asked me (a) what’s a gulet? and (b) would I like it?

First things first, a gulet is a traditional Turkish two-masted sailing vessel. Crafted in wood, they range from around 14 to 35 metres in length with varying proportions of deck space and cabins. Our gulet, Seyhan Jan, was 39.5 metres long with 10 ensuite teak and mahogany cabins, oodles of deck space with comfy loungers and plenty of shade.

Of course, you can take a day trip (readily available from most Turkish tourist towns) but the week-long voyages take a specific route from A to B – ours was called Gulf of Hisaronu, from Selimiye to Marmaris, sailing close to Symi with Rhodes visible on the horizon. We motored almost all the way – there was very little wind so we were only under sail on one occasion.

It helped that the weather was glorious (we were there from 4-11 June). The sea was refreshingly calm and a little cool. If balmy waters are important for you, travel between July and October.

Spending a week on board a boat, with very little shore time, means you are living in a virtual community. Gulets accommodate from 6 to around 24 people (15 years and over, unless you do a private charter), so pick your boat carefully. Of course, you could fill a boat with family and friends but if it’s just the two of you, I reckon there’s safety in numbers – out of 17 people (and 5 crew) on our boat, we parted firm friends with some and rubbed along with everyone. We never felt crowded.

Some couples on our week were on their 4th or 5th gulet holiday – it’s addictive – and they spoke both of previous weeks when everyone gelled and others when there were one or two who didn’t really ‘fit in’. What quickly became clear was that the level of enjoyment was directly linked to expectation – in spite of all the detailed brochure and online information provided by our tour operator (Anatolian Sky), some were expecting to be in a different port or harbour every night, stopping off at places of interest every day.

Check your itinerary and ask questions before you book – some gulet itineraries have more stops than others (but note that the final itinerary is always at the captain’s discretion). The harbours charge mooring fees so that puts the cost up – and I preferred to be in a gloriously deserted bay under the stars, with a cool mosquito-free breeze than in the relatively hot and noisy harbours.

We spent the first night in the delightful fishing harbour of Selimiye, moored up in the fascinating gulet-building port of Bozburun on the 3rd night and bustling Marmaris on the last night – we had a daytime stop on an island with church ruins, a donkey and a tortoise, the opportunity to kayak ashore to some of the yachtie bars and an optional (and excellent) excursion in and around Bozburun – for £3 each. Otherwise, it was life on the big blue, surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery.

Food is an important part of any holiday – 3 staggeringly good, freshly-prepared meals were served on deck each day (included in the price). There wasn’t a duff dish amongst them – tomatoes, cucumber, olives, cheese, bread, home-made jam, local honey and a different egg dish each day for breakfast, a vast spread of vegetarian wonders at lunchtime and either meat or fish served with several side dishes each evening.

Our cook (Nimet, the captain’s wife) is rightly regarded as one of the best in the business so perhaps we struck lucky but we met people from other boats and they, too, regarded the food and ambiance of each meal as a highlight. Frankly, had we paid for that quality and quantity in restaurants, we’d have paid almost as much as the entire holiday.

Soft drinks and bottled water are included. Alcoholic drinks were pricey (more on a par with upmarket hotels than restaurants) – £17 for a bottle of (decent) wine, £4 for a large beer, £5 for imported spirits and £4 for raki and other local spirits. We paid £150 each for a drinks package rather than rack up a bill.

Highlights for us, apart from the food and company, included squeals of delight when the ice-cream boat visited, a sneak preview of Roman Abramovich’s new ‘gulet’ (all 145m of it, under construction in a secure purpose-built giant workshop in Bozburun, for a cool €15million), watching silk being spun from cocoons, the first dip of the morning and gut-busting laughter over a couple of spontaneous quiz nights around the dinner table. It’s worth adding that we came home with pleasingly little laundry – swimwear, a cover-up for meals and shoes, a sundress and shorts for shore time covered it.

The downsides were more individual – my boyfriend wanted more time ashore to visit some of Turkey’s amazing ruins, the cabin was baking when we were in port (the air-conditioning was only on between 6pm and 8pm) and there were a few flashes of irritation over one family’s behaviour – but nothing to spoil what was a pretty perfect week. I would do it again, in a flash – my boyfriend would too, but in September (when the fishing is better) and on an itinerary with the opportunity to visit some of the ancient ruins.

Some companies operate themed/cultural gulet cruises with daily shore visits to places of interest (Peter Sommer Travels for example) whilst others offer more luxurious gulets (Exclusive Escapes has a good choice, mostly for private charter). They are pricier but you get what you pay for.

That said, I think you would struggle to beat Seyhan Jan for value for money – a week full board, with flights and transfers, costs from around £600 to £900 pp depending on your departure airport and date. Anatolian Sky has special offers on some Gatwick departures in July – £519pp. Bargain!

We’ve returned home with great memories – and a top tale for the pub. Our last afternoon was wiled away in Marmaris – 4 of us headed out for cocktails, calamari and a spot of retail therapy in the bazaar. As we sipped our Sex on the Beach, the earth literally moved – we watched the promenade between us and the water undulate like a wave as a 4.1 earthquake left us shaken not stirred.

* Catherine paid for her holiday with Anatolian Sky

By Polly Crossman

Cruising along almost-deserted roads, Olga Miguel warned me that Evora would be a little busier than usual – it’s a Sunday morning and knowing that the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, filled with fountains, museums, ancient palaces and the remains of an 18km Roman aqueduct,  I’d already guessed that tourists would be a given.

Wandering up and down skinny streets, I’m waiting to hit a wall of people that we never find. It turns out that when Olga, tasked with being my Evora Encyclopedia, says ‘busy’, she means just a few more moustachioed hombres reclining on plastic picnic chairs with the Sunday papers, and little ladies with sun-wrinkled faces and big skirts bustling along the cobbles.

It is this quiet Portuguese charm, oozing from every white-washed wall, that characterises the whole of the Alentejo, of which Evora is the biggest town. Though few will have heard of the area, it is one pretty hefty secret, covering a third of the country; it seems that the lucky 6% of the population that call this home haven’t been shouting about it too much.

We’ve just missed the spring flowers – dandelions, daisies, lavender and violet colour in the wide vistas throughout May – and now cork trees, olive groves and vines blossom, taking over the rolling hillsides in June. The pace of life verges on being as slow as the cork industry that dominates its commerce. The Alentejo is the world’s leading producer of the stuff, but given that it takes 25 years until a cork tree can be harvested for the first time, and a minimum further 9 years ’til a second crop, this place is pretty sleepy.

Hand in hand with cork comes a thriving wine industry (250 producers in 22,000 hectares of vineyards), and some serious olive oil production. An untouched Atlantic rocky coastline, lined with pristine fishing villages and secret beaches, borders the area to the west, while moving inland, the Alqueva Lake offers the chance to cruise on a houseboat for a few days, and – so I’m promised – some of the most outstanding stargazing to be had. There are certainly no street lights interrupting anything.

Back in Evora, the Chapel of Bones houses 5,000 skeletons from medieval cemeteries, the cathedral is home to a rare 16^th Century pipe organ – played by a sole person in the city – and Roman baths only discovered in 1984 sit beneath the Town Hall. When Olga tells me ‘this city is a box of mysteries’, I think she’s found the perfect definition.

The food here is fantastic and the wine even more so; free tastings are offered at Rota dos Vinhos, where different wines are selected from 60 vineyards for tasting each week. Food-wise, think herby bread, sheep’s quejo, cured meats, black pork and ox-tail stew. Olga warns me over lunch at Dom Joaquim that the food is so good, I’ll go home twice the size – just as I reach for another slice of chorizo.

Getting there

Sunvil Discovery has launched a new charter flight with BMI, departing London Heathrow on a Sunday morning for the brand new Beja airport in the heart of the region, which opens its runway especially for the occasion. The flight departs London at 06:00, returning from Beja at 09:40 the same morning.

Prices for stays in Evora start from £496 pp for 7 nights B&B at the 4* Hotel Evora, inclusive of flights and transfers.