Anyone any major trips/holidays planned in for this year? Do you book it all yourself (flights/accommodation etc) or use a travel agent? Any tips or sites recommended other than the usual Skyscanner, Trip Advisor etc?

I'm looking at doing a couple of weeks in the USA later this year, maybe using TrekAmerica - anyone have any experience of using them or going on any of their organised holidays?

Managed to syncronise the wifes shifts and my days off (which are now too numerous to count) on two occasions last year, that is we were off work for two successive days in October, so we went to The Lake District, which was nice.

Having not renewed our passports last September and having no intention of doing so despite having two invitations to spend time abroad in 2015 I suspect that the old shift synchronisation will not play ball again and I'll have lots of lazy days off to myself again.

Lifes been good to me so far.

Lake Garda & Venice in May for a week and a diving destination in October (malta, Red Sea or might try Croatia).

Hopefully stay at home or go to work.

2 nights in Istanbul, then cruise around Greek isles & Turkish coast in June. In October, 2 nights in Dubai then cruise from there to Singapore with stops in India & Malaysia, finish off with 2 nights in Singapore. Hopefully a few long weekends away around the UK when shifts allow.

Up to Pitlochry to see my dad's sister.
Over to our kids in Prague.
Hopefully some time on the Dalmatian coast.

Don't know how I'm gonna do any at present mind b'cos I've got no fooking money!
I will find a way.

According to the right wingers you should be able to do this easily ,especially if on benefits, and not worry about it at all.

Enjoy

I'm going to sign back on again just to guarantee I can afford such ventures.

Considering going away on a lad's holiday, but to be honest we want to go off the beaten track ie, Magaluf, Ibiza, Zante etc, but still find somewhere in Europe that still has a decent nightlife.

Decided against the US thing, and booked myself a couple of weeks in Sri Lanka in November.

Anyone been there before, and have any tips/recommendations about getting around and what to see & do that might not be on the usual review websites?

Italy booked for August. The latest series of Italy Unpacked swung it. Has to be one of the best travel programmes ever to have been aired.

No doubt there will be loads of long weekends with trips to see friends and the glut of weddings that come with being a 30 something. Already got weekends in Hawes, Derbyshire and Southampton in the diary.

I went in, I think it was 2007. We did a week of touring, with a driver driving us, and then a week on the beach. Traffic didn't seem that difficult, apart from being horrendously busy in Colombo and Kandy. It's great scenery so take a good camera and plenty of memory card space. A disappointment for us was the lack of facilities for eating and drinking out, with most of that being confined to hotels. You should certainly visit the inland highland areas, and a tea plantation and old factory, and the the elephant orphanage too.

Really want to go back to South East Asia but can't decide where

Think it will be Vietnam or Cambodia for me next year, in April or May

We have been going to Santa Ponsa on Majorca for October for the last few years, nice, quiet and totally relaxing. This year our eldest is getting married in the middle of October and with rellies coming from across the globe going away has been put on hold. No way am I wandering across for a week or so, I will just get chilled down and miss Oktoberfest and then fighting to get back on the Ryanair 737-900 for home.

So looking at some winter sun in Jan/February2016 for a few weeks ...............