Special interest holiday brochure selection

Help Lorne Blyth celebrate her 10th anniversary offering cookery holidays in Italy! Her ‘Flavours’ brand has expanded rapidly from humble beginnings and now offers over 60 holidays to Italy which will have foodies crying for more. Makes us hungry just looking at the sumptuous photos…

• Stay in gorgeous villas and learn Italian cooking from expert Italian chefs
  
• All holidays include cookery lessons, as well as time for sightseeing and exploring the local area
  
• Wine tastings and tutorials are included on most tours

The Jubilee Sailing Trust offers a winter holiday with a difference..indeed, a big difference, as it’s not every day you get to sail a tall ship!

As well as playing a very active role in life onboard the ship, you’ll also get to see some fascinating places too, as you sail around the UK or the Canaries this winter.

• The Jubilee Sailing Trust is a registered charity, offering voyages of discovery to physically disabled and able bodied people from the age of 16
  
• All voyages are subsidised by the charity
  
• The first 28 berths are at reduced prices, offering great value for early booking
  
• Permanent staff onboard inc deck officers, medical purser, engineers and cooks

Travelsphere’s 2008 Christmas and New Year brochure offers their largest collection ever of festive breaks – more and more of us are ditching all that cooking (and subsequent washing up!) in favour of yuletide cheer on holiday.

Travelsphere offers a variety of styles and destinations from cruises and coach tours, to trips to lakes and mountains and even faraway places.

• All holidays include the services of a professional tour manager and/or local guide
  
• Comprehensive and well-planned itineraries with many included and optional excursions
  
• Free local pick ups on all coach holidays

For 21 years Arbaster and Clarke has been organising special holidays all over the world to experience the region from a rather unique perspective – their wines and food. Today, the company remains a small, independent and family run travel company, passionate about wines and eager to provide excellent holidays.

• Cellars visited offer a mix of rising stars, famous names and some unknowns
  
• Don’t worry if you’re not a wine buff. What counts is an interest, after that the wine tour leaders and experts you meet will broaden your knowledge
  
• A variety of tours are offered, some intensely wine-based, others offering more time for sightseeing and relaxing

Travelsphere has put together a brochure of glittering Christmas market special trips throughout Europe. Taking place in Nov and Dec, these famed markets are not be missed and offer a great way to see a city and do some serious shopping too!

• The brochure also offers Christmas shopping trips to Paris and Bruges by coach or Eurostar
  
• A variety of trips are offered by coach and ferry, air or Eurostar from two to six days long
  
• Many trips include sight seeing tours and the services of a Travelsphere Tour Manager

• Hidden gem wineries and restaurants offer an authentic taste of Chile.
  
• Breathtaking scenery at close quarters, well off the ‘beaten track’.
  
• Walk through ancient forests, raft in the shadow of active volcanoes and ride horses to hot springs.

Pura Aventura only offer holidays to places that they know and love, working directly with their own network of local guides, small hotels and other businesses to create an exceptional experience for you and to benefit the places you visit.

When it was established in 1979, Skyros was Europe’s first ever alternative holiday centre and today it is the world leader.

These holidays offer a holistic approach, aimed at inspiring and motivating you through courses, workshops and activities, with hundreds of options to choose from.

• Courses and workshops range from yoga and pilates, to watersports, writing workshops, ceramics and painting
  
• Ex Liverpool footballer Mark Lawrenson joins the expert team as football coach for kids in July
  
• Friends, children or partners who don’t participate in the courses can still come along at reduced rates

Explore has put together 15 different tours all focussing on the total solar eclipse in Asia on 22 July 2009. It’s going to be a remarkable event and a worthy way of celebrating their 10th anniversary year of organising astronomy and eclipse tours.

• Many tours are accompanied by expert astronomers
  
• The 2009 eclipse will offer up to 6mins of total solar eclipse darkness
  
• Explore has researched the most prominent locations in Asia to see the eclipse
  
• All tours are in small groups of up to 20, that attract the novice to the expert sky watcher
  
• All tours combine other sihgtseeing too, so it makes for a great combined holiday

Exodus voyages to these wilderness lands are not like your average cruise. They’ve chartered ice-rated research vessels so you will be getting up close and personal with the incredible beauty and wildlife in these glacial regions.

• Shore excursions and on-board presentations are included, with many other activities such as hiking, snowshoeing, camping and sea kayaking optional
  
• Well-equipped vessels include free access to sun decks, sauna, plunge pool and gym
  
• Look out for special charters featuring well-known experts in their field such as Chris Packham and Planet Earth film editor Andrew Chastney