This is a very common complaint from my clients (and friends) as we seem to find ourselves, yet again, spending our precious free time in places we don't want to be in, with people we don't want to be with.

For most of us, getting family holidays right is all about making compromises. You won't please everyone all the time, but you can ensure that all ages have at least something going for them. Here are ten things that should definitely go into the equation.

By 2020 Amsterdam aims to be the world's first smart, sustainable city. And from waste management to green energy, bio-fuel to organic gardening and brewing, vintage clothing to intelligent, ethical recycling, the city and its people seem to be on track to realise their ambition.

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.

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.

There are many spas on Koh Samui Island, but none that are as sophisticated and unique as Kamalaya. This is one seriously good spa holiday, guest teachers and practitioners fly in from all over the world and the therapists are world class.

The turquoise sea glistens under the afternoon sun as I stand knee-deep taking in my surroundings. A shoal of Blennioidei shoot past my feet, before a flash to my right indicates a lone flying member of the group has glided out of the water and is now diving back in.

In the tense final moments of 'Travel One-Upmanship' it's handy to have some opposites up your sleeve. So when it's gone beyond the country, it's veering towards a championship point but it's still all left to play for in the details, just steer the topic towards something that completely contradicts what your rival did.

Arrival is always important and Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, makes it so easy. You catch a train from the airport right into the city centre, then an extraordinary network of trams and buses gets you all over the city.

There are all kinds of hotels in Mendocino, one of the most beautiful towns on the California coast, but there is no hotel like the Stanford Inn by the Sea. This laid-back, boutique eco-resort shows that being green and worthy doesn't preclude being fun and indulgent, too.

I am going away to Mayrhofen in the Ziller Valley in Austria next week with a group of around 10 friends. I lived and ski guided there for a winter (and then summer) season. If this were a French resort, would I not be allowed to show my friends around? Would I have to shell out for a guide to show me around an area I already know and want to show my friends?

Holiday envy. If we're honest I'm sure we can all admit to experiencing this at least once in our lives. Here are five picture postcard holiday destinations that will make you the envy of your friends

Sick of caravan holidays and cheap all-inclusive deals to European resorts? Do something different with your travels in 2013 and consider one of these more unusual suggestions for this year's holiday.

As far as natural advantages go it's fair to say Lanzarote lucked out. The fourth largest and most eastern of Spain's Canary Islands, Lanzarote's also the oldest and flattest. So the wind, rain and humidity that affect its neighbours leave Lanzarote relatively unscathed.

I absolutely love to travel, it's a real passion of mine and so, like a huge number of Brits, as soon as the new year hits, my mind turns to planning my holidays. Here are a few tips that I've learnt over the years to help everyone who is looking to book a family holiday for 2013...

It's a long time since my first and only visit to China - about 20 years ago actually. I'd just finished my first year of study at the University of Melbourne and I decided to go to China to visit my cousin Katrina who was studying languages at the University in Xiamen.

With each sunny - but snow-laden - morning we greet, we know that Spring will soon be rolling round. If you're lucky enough to have that long weekend to yourself, why not treat your friends or family to an Easter break?

Those looking for a little extravagance and pampering this 14 February may want to check out these pictures of some of the finest and most exclusive luxury hotels.

If you're about to suffer through another Hallmark-created holiday with someone you cannot stand anymore, don't do the right thing and call it a day, or try to make more of an effort, just take yourself on holiday, and cheat!

Neither tall enough or blond enough enough to ever live in Copenhagen, it remains one of my favorite cities in the world. Easy to get to, I will jump at any excuse to get on a plane for a dose of the Danish - after all, these are the people that invented Joe & The Juice, absolute genius.

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.