Share a favourite water activity or great place to stay on a river or lake – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakFew things are more relaxing than spending time by the water. Whether it’s kayaking on the Dordogne, navigating Dutch canals on a houseboat, whitewater rafting in Slovenia, swimming in Alpine lakes or escaping to a waterside cabin...

From badly behaved travellers to horrendous carbon emissions, summer holidays aren’t always an unmitigated good. Here is how to travel responsibly and still have a great timeTourism is almost back to pre-pandemic levels – which is good news and bad news. However much holiday destinations rely on them, no one wants badly behaved tourists blocking views,...

We were supposed to be on the Italian Riviera, but an impromptu switch to a glamping break on the Llŷn peninsula proved a more than acceptable substituteEveryone has a good holiday disaster story, don’t they? Even experienced travel journalists.Ours was a twist on the classic passport fiasco, that saw us having to “exchange” a two-week trip to the sunny...

The author of a new guide to dog-friendly days out selects ideal beaches for dog walkers year-round – plus places to stay nearbyDog-friendly year-round but with an on-leads rule between 1 April and 31 August to protect ground-nesting birds, Holkham beach is a brilliant family destination. The walk down to the golden sand is enchanting – along boardwalks...

E-bikes transform a four-day cycling tour of the South Tyrol from an endurance test to an enjoyable jaunt with enough puff left over for bonding chats amid the spectacular sceneryBikini to swimsuit. Factor 15 to 50. Paperback to Kindle. The answers to my holiday prep questions have changed over time, but this year there was one extra decision: pedal...

An art deco hotel, a restaurant with rooms and sea views aplenty … Our selection covers everywhere from the Highlands to the Isle of WightThe Albion hotel, which can lay claim to some of the best sea views on the island, has been welcoming guests to Freshwater Bay since Victorian times. It is about to reopen under new ownership after a multimillion-pound...