I started working for a well-known international travel agency in 2003. The reality, I discovered, was very different from the dream. There was a constant stream of people in and out of the small, three-man shop we had. We'd seldom get to eat our lunch before 3pm.

From spectacularly unspoiled havens of nature, to beautiful old-world fishing villages, we've compiled a mixed bag of magnificent spots! While you won't find them in travel brochures, you will find they house a number of our Spanish private holiday rentals.

Some are better than others. And those that are the best can be described as nothing less than pure "beachporn"; dangerously beautiful and seriously tempting stretches of sand being kissed by ocean waves, captured in photos that are designed to do nothing but seduce us.

The time has come to take back the cobbles, the castles, the cathedrals, the architecture and art, in fact anything that's even had a brush with a pair of Rohan convertible chinos in the past decade is now fair game. Because if there's one thing tourists like even less than trousers that don't turn into shorts, it's winter.

Something very special that happens every year without fail and without any doom nor gloom, just plenty of elegance, colour and tradition. It is the event of the year in Venice's calendar and it explains why you'll find rows and rows of masks in the souvenir shops and how you will find the magic of Venice is still alive.

I dare you to forget about Switzerland and France and join me skiing in Poland this winter. Coming from the UK, you are sure to notice how much cheaper everything is. Prepare to switch off your recession-brain and get in the big spender state of mind.

So go on, do something stupid. Take a chance on that tandem skydive, google that slack lining school, splash out on that ice holing holiday and book in that bobsleigh break. It's all covered, although, interestingly, I couldn't find skinny dipping anywhere. Oh well.

Bruges is undoubtedly a pretty town - ticking all the boxes that non-Europeans envisage all cities in Europe to embody: Cobbled streets; stone houses; canals and waterways; historic churches; and years of history so old that most of it is forgotten.

We love Paris, obviously. But we've worn our heart on our sleeve long enough now. It's time to take the torch and see what some other great French cities are up to.