Let us return to Spain's 2010 tourism promo-video again, since it reveals much about the ways in which Spain wishes to present its rebranded image as well as ways in which the world would perceive itself. While previously, Spain's branding efforts highlight how "Spain is different", the new marketing endeavours strive to underscore needs and desires of individuals who are attracted to the Spanish way of life.

It seems that this could be about to change; an exemplary programme of UK wildlife conservation holidays, designed by Wild Days to support the work of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB, the National Trust and the RSPB, proves that there is a sustainable model for successful ecotourism in the UK.

In new research results from software company Esri, it has been scientifically proven that Edinburgh trumps every other UK city in greenspace measurement with the city sitting at 49%, making up almost half of the city.

This southern coast of Crete is far more rugged than the north. In some places the mountains come so close to the Libyan Sea that there's no room for a road inbetween, and a few villages are only accessible by boat or footpath, or by one road in and out.

In August 2015, I came across a link to a JustGiving page on my Facebook newsfeed - an old school friend was trying to raise money for the family of a friend who had passed away while travelling in Australia...

Meeting people for business or family this last Christmas told me that many people are not just fed up, but also quite concerned about travelling. I can understand how they feel, if you measure what has happened in many destinations; you could be forgiven for having second thoughts about booking that getaway.

'We're looking for the house with a big cactus outside,' our guide Isi tells us. We're driving through the little tow...

We have various hypotheses about the possible benefits of these trips - in time we'll try to research and prove them but in the meantime it's my personal belief that travel can have a transformative effect, that it can foster a greater understanding of other cultures and to open our eyes to the possibilities in the world.

Delve into the city of Zurich and you'll find a city where old meets new and where historic districts meet up-and-coming neighbourhoods. This is not a destination solely for business, but a mecca for the culturally attuned and lovers of creativity.

Aside from the staples (every Cuban citizen receives a regular supply of rice, sugar, coffee, meat, eggs and bread), food supplies are often limited and can run out without warning. Partly due to this, many meals are based around meat or fish with rice and beans as filler.

The kids were super excited about the trip, they didn't complain, they loved the packing and they were fine saying goodbye to toys, family and friends. But, behaviour did take an understandable nosedive. They went from being pretty helpful and calm to being far trickier than normal.

Upon landing, I was met with acres and acres of sprawling desolate land. It was cragged, fractured - but solid in it's base. It looked to the naked eye like it had won a long, hard fought duel with nature's unpredictability.

2017 has been dubbed the year of sustainable tourism and development by the UN's World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). No longer a quirky aside or limited to the odd off-grid eco-lodge, going green when going abroad is where it's at.

Over the last four years, we have crossed the globe seven times as a family. I know a lot of travellers who will scoff at that, but personally, I'm very impressed with us.

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Cultural holidays. For some, the phrase raises the image of trailing around an ancient city in 30 degree plus heat, sweating profusely and desperate for a glass of water. For others, it's hours spent idling over a single Goya and eating ice cream on sun-baked pavements.