Now that spring has finally sprung, it's not surprising that many of us have started to think about where we'd like to holiday this year. The promise of sun, sea and sand in some exotic location far, far away can be a heady concoction, but what we're actually seeing is a rise in Brits holidaying closer to home, city breaks and 'staycations'.

Sometimes I think getting overcharged is part of travel but it doesn't have to be like that. I am currently on a short break in Turkey and I made up some rules about how to get the most out of being in Istanbul without getting fleeced.

I have high hopes for the summer - in terms of both weather and activities. While you're snuggling up with your hot water bottle and sipping your cup of tea, have a think about the following reasons to stay in Britain for this year's holiday.

Easter is celebrated like Christmas in our family. A rigid, clockwork routine year in, year out starting with the family breakfast, invasion of cousins, the Easter egg hunt (by mum - a notorious expert hider) and church.

Unlike any other place I have visited, Kefalonia has stolen my heart hook, line and sinker. But I'm not the only one. Year after year, you see the same faces arriving at the airport heading back to their favourite spot for another few weeks in paradise.

A holiday doesn't need to be two weeks somewhere far flung, with soaring temperatures, in order to recharge our batteries. Even taking a couple of days off work to go for a walk somewhere new, eat in a different restaurant, or even sleep in a different bed can radically change the 'work' mindset.

Arriving at the wrong time of year is an easy mistake to make, particularly on a long-haul holiday. You could land in the middle of a tropical cyclone. You may find you've paid over the odds to travel in the peak season, when the 'off' season would have been just as good.

The whole trip took about four hours from the centre of London to the centre of Aachen - no endless hanging around airports and you can take as much luggage as you can carry.

I listened to the tolling of temple bells while worshippers poured water over tiny Buddhas as an exercise of purification. Entire families were relaxing in the shadows as dusk descended while hundreds of candles were lit.

As we dragged our weary bodies, goggle tan lines, and assorted minor injuries back to Grenoble airport we were tired but happy - a great skiing holiday with a great group of friends.

Learning to ski in your late-30s is potentially a daunting experience. Bones take longer to heal and the fear of resurrecting an old knee injury initi...

Many tourists never leave their hotel and most Sri Lankans are too frightened to speak about what is going on in the country. So visitors are unaware of a very different world outside the resorts where ordinary people continue to have their basic human rights trampled upon, sometimes involving violence and torture.

As winter creeps in, the idyllic archipelago of the British Virgin Islands sounds like the escapism we all crave. Much more than just beautiful, sunny...

My guess is that we're not too far away from hand baggage only flights. As air travel increases but efforts of airlines to bring excess baggage handling costs into a reasonable price bracket remain non-existent, it can only go one way; passengers will stop checking in luggage and there will be no need for the airline to spend money on handling services.

The past decade has seen a rapid rise in the popularity of fitness holidays, boot camps and yoga retreats. Whether it's learning to kite surf in Tarif...