La Norma sits with a view of the Vanoise National Park of France; it’s near the Italian border and is a great place for ski holidays. It has eight green runs, six blue, 11 red runs, and two black. It is also good for snowboarders, and has mostly downhill pistes. Some of the pistes are above the 2500 metre level, so snow is very consistent, and the area has snow cannons to keep snow on the other slopes; 19 ski lifts service the area.

Six airports service the region. The Geneva and Chambery airports are quite close – within two hours of the area. Eight hotels are close to the slopes, and some of them have spas, saunas, and exercise rooms. Several restaurants and nightclubs are nearby, and you can sample local, French and Italian foods.

The resort of Le Planolet has 16 ski lifts, and 24 different ski slopes encompassing 35 kilometres; there are also 50 kilometres available for cross country skiing. The slopes are in the Northern Alps, along the French-Italian border. The area has 35 km of lifts to serve the area and 70 km of the runs are cross country. The ski lifts go from 900 metres to 1,800 metres, and there are six green runs, five blue, nine red, and four black. You can also snowboard in the area.

Several fine restaurants allow visitors to sample the local cuisine. You can obtain hotel accommodation right on the slopes, and there are 11 other hotels located across the resort.

The area sits almost midway between Grenoble and Chambery airports (little more than an hour away), and the Lyon airport is about two hours away.

I read in the paper yesterday that naked cruising (the cruise ship kind, not the other kind….) was the big prediction for summer 2010 according to those in the UK travel industry. Apparently, the tourist industry is going to actively target naturists, and cruise companies will play an important role in attracting new and naked customers.

I’m not a naturist myself and, to be honest, the thought of strolling around with my and my wife’s bits on show is frankly terrifying. Suddenly a cruise holiday becomes less of a relaxing break and more of the stuff of nightmares . Never mind being naked yourself, fancy having to look at naked people all day long and night – naked people of all shapes and sizes and ages. I’m sure this is just PR (and pretty good it is to as it made all the papers yesterday) but I know the wife is looking at cruise deals for August so I’ll be asking her to make sure to check the small print very carefully in case she books us on one of those nudey cruises by mistake!!

Lift passes form an important part of the cost of your skiing holiday and without them you will not be doing much, if any skiing at all. For those who have not yet experienced the fun and thrills of a skiing holiday the all important lift pass allows you to access cable cars, chairs and tows to get you up the hill so that you can ski down again!

There is not usually just one style of lift pass, some are local to the areas where you may be staying whilst others allow you to cross into other valleys and to ski in those areas as well. Your skiing ability will determine the kind of lift pass that you would buy when you arrive at your skiing holiday destination. If you are an intermediate to good skier in the Courcheval area for example, you would certainly opt for the three valleys ski pass which allows you to ski the Meribel and Val Thorens ski areas as well as the Courcheval slopes.

If it’s your first time on a skiing holiday then you would only require a lift pass for the immediate areas, there would be little point in you buying a ski pass for a wider region which your ability would probably prevent you from getting to. For the beginner another important point to remember is that ski passes can be purchased on a daily basis so if you want to explore the town or go on a trip organised by your ski holiday specialist, you are not wasting the use of the ski pass.

The best place for both the new skier and for the more experienced is your ski holiday specialist, because this is where you will not only get the best advice about all of your holiday arrangements, but they often can get special rates for certain types of ski pass. So contact your ski holiday specialist for that wonderful holiday that awaits you in winter wonderland.

Cruise ships often seem full up with loved-up couples celebrating their honeymoon, anniversary, or just enjoying a well earned-holiday away from work and the kids. It can be a bit awkward for someone without a romantic partner to relax and enjoy their much anticipated cruise, what with all the kissing, hand holding and romance all around them. In fact, it could be easy to feel lonely on a cruise ship when you’re on your own. However, if you’re not in a relationship but love the idea of going on an ocean cruise, then consider taking a ‘singles’ cruise. These cruises are specifically aimed at groups of unmarried, divorced or widowed people looking to make friends or find a love or a close friendship. There are more and more cruises aimed at single people every year, meaning your options for cruise destinations and ports of call are nearly endless. Going on a singles cruise is just like any themed cruise single although most people over the age of 21 will usually have the best time as most singles cruises are limited to adults of drinking age and older. After all, it wouldn’t be much of a singles cruise if you couldn’t sit at the bar and mingle with the other passengers!

On a cruise deals package for singles, the on and off board activities are usually geared towards those that will most appear to single people and will give the most opportunities to meet new people. You’ll get to participate in single cruise activities without worrying about if someone is married or involved in a relationship as meeting and greeting potential romantic interests is easier and takes place in a much more laid back environment.

A really innovative feature of many of these singles cruises is the pre-cruise activities themselves. About 8 weeks before your cruise, it is now common for a cruise ship company to invite those who have booked to an online message board where you can “meet up” with other cruise attendees beforehand. This is really excellent “ice breaker” for those who want to make contact with other singles on a specific cruise. Also, you’ll often be given the opportunity to arrive at the city where you’ll be departing a few days early (normally with a decent hotel discount) to meet up with other cruise ship patrons – a great chance to have dinner, a few cocktails and light the spark for some early romance!

The typical age range for singles cruises is between 30 and 50, however, there will usually be a variety of ages present on any cruise, and if you’re concerned about the age group on the cruise of your choice, simply ask the cruise organizer, and he or she can fill you in or direct you to a better option for your age range. Also, if you’re interested in same sex relationships, there are gay and lesbian cruises offered, again just contact the cruise organizer for more information and to find the option that’s best for you.

Who knows, you just might just come back with the partner of your dreams as well as a great tan and some unforgettable memories!

There is no definitive answer to that question it largely depends upon the child, but as the many  people who have been on skiing holidays will tell you, they marvel at the sight of toddlers of 3 or 4 years old negotiating turns and confidently travelling down the hill seemingly without effort. As a rule of thumb, if they want to start in a proper group, between 4 and 5 years seems to be the right age. If they are younger, it is better if they do a private session or semi-private, with two or three in a class. Ski school instructors find it is difficult to cope with more than three 3-year-olds at a time.

Experienced ski school instructors will tell you that possibly the best the best preparation for skiing is tobogganing. This adds the fun element to their skiing holiday and the combination of speed, terror and lack of control is good practice.  A note of caution, as we all know toboggans can be quick and you should always pick your slope with this in mind; you don’t want any spills that might put the child off what is a wonderful skiing holiday.

An important point is the equipment that you buy or hire for the children, remember never be fobbed of with inferior stuff like plastic imitations, they need proper skis for their size and boots which should be of the rear entry variety to make life easier for them, poles are not necessary, just watch a group of youngsters going down and the amazing balance they have. Some essential equipment however are good sunglasses or goggles, the sun can be bright reflecting off the snow and a crash helmet is a must.

Do not try to teach your child to ski if you are not a qualified instructor, most parents are survival skiers, getting down the piste in spite of their technique, not because of it. Children learn largely through imitation, and they need someone technically perfect to copy. One final word, the age at which children start makes very little difference to how well they ski as adults. Whether or not they enjoyed their first experience of a skiing holiday is far more important!

Child Skiing