January

Not exactly a month that showcases Britain at its finest, but few people decide to hit the road. Understandable, as it could just be delaying the inevitable return to work, but consider some of the places that are at their absolute best in January. There’s the Caribbean, Australia (turtle hatchling season on Ningaloo Reef) and New Zealand, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Latin America… The list goes on.

And speaking of Latin America, Cartagena and Hay-on-Wye might not be a pair of places you’d necessarily expect to hear mentioned in the same sentence, but the hugely popular literary festival from the genteel English town has been successfully transplanted to the chic cobble streets of Colombia’s Cartagena this month.

Closer to home, Christmas is freezing and Easter is packed, so the sensible skier packs his or her bags and heads for the slopes in January. You’re far more likely to find good value accommodation and you can be sure there won’t be any behelmeted six year-old cannonballs descending at warp speed to knock you over.