If you are having trouble deciding what ski-goodies you really need, then let us enlighten you to three great skiing accessories for the 2012 season.

Bolle Half Pipe Ski Helmet £115.00

With an ultra-thin outer shell the Bolle Half Pip Ski Helmet is a lightweight helmet that won’t weigh you down on the piste. With integrated vents, a front open-close system and a hypoallergenic padded liner, this super-stylish ski helmet controls the airflow so skiers stay cool and sweat is reduced to a minimum.

The K2 Rescue Shovel Plus

Accidents, unfortunately do occur on skiing holidays and it is always advisable to be prepared if an accident does arise on the piste. The K2 Rescue Shovel Plus is not only a sturdy aluminium shovel with a T-handle makeshift rescue sled, but also doubles pairs with K2 Backside or Factory Team skies to create a rescue sled used to pull an injured skier out of the snow.

Not only could the multi-faceted Rescue Shovel Plus help save lives, but it has also been designed to serve as a backhoe and a flat surface to balance a stove on in the snow.

Not bad for a modest $75.

The Wayback $140.00

If you are off on a skiing holiday this year the chances are you may be on the lookout for a new pack. Packs or rucksacks intended for a holiday in the snow need to be rugged, sturdy, waterproof and functional. The Wayback is a ski-friendly pack that features a versatile strap system to carry snowboards, skies and snowshoes with ease.

The Wayback also consists of multiple zippered pockets and compartments so that winter sports enthusiasts can keep all their gear organised. This fleece-lined rucksack has a padded waist belt for optimum comfort.

If you are on the look-out for a great new camera to accompany you on your impending holiday, take a look at one of the best luxury villa rental websites Vintage Travel’s top three cameras for a holiday abroad.

IXUS 220 HS

With an optional waterproof case, the IXUS 220 HS enables you to explore underwater photography on your holiday. With a ‘Smart Auto’ function, the camera detects 32 different scenes including Beach and Sunset enabling users to take quality photos specifically designed for capturing shots on the beach as well as those beautiful sunsets we are likely to witness on holiday. With a stainless steel chassis the 220 HS is likely to withstand some more ‘extreme’ conditions than it is perhaps used to, such as exposure to water, dust and high temperatures, and will be a stylish accessory for your well-deserved holiday in the sun.

Panasonic DMC-FT10

This compact digital camera weighs just 157g and measures just 21.6mm and therefore can fit easily into your beach bag and will not weigh you down. The Panasonic DMC-FT10 is shockproof, waterproof and dustproof and will therefore be able to survive the dust of Spain, endure the penetrating beats of a club in Kavos and will live to see another day after being taken for a ride on a banana boat in Malta. And costing a modest £159.95, the Panasonic DMC-FT10 will not break you pre-holiday budget.

TX-10 Cybershot

This stylish camera is available in five different colours and would be a trendy accessory on your summer holiday. The TX-10 Cybershot takes 16-megapixel photographs and shoots HD videos, thus allowing your precious holiday memories to be captured in high-definition videos – perfect to help you overcome those post-holiday blues. Similar to the DMC-FT10, the TX-10 Cybershot is dustproof, waterproof and shockproof, meaning it should be able to handle all the potential damaging features a summer holiday may throw at it.

That’s the camera sorted, now all you need is somewhere to go. For one of the best luxury villa rental websites, come and have a look at Vintag Travel’s stunning portfolio of properties.

Given this surge in popularity, we feel a blog post dedicated to the five best travel apps available would make an interesting, or if not important, read.

Everytrail

Download Everytrail to your iPhone and you can immediately start plotting walks, cycling, skiing and even kayaking routes anywhere in the world. Users can attach photos and keep and log of the routes they have accomplished and then show them off to friends via Facebook and Twitter – perfect for the adventure traveller.

iPlane Pro

The days of having to leave your drink in the airport bar, wearily walk over to the departure board and squint up at the screen to find still no information about your flight has been displayed, are numbered, thanks to the iPlane Pro app. Install this little beauty and you will receive up-to-date information about the status of your flight, including gate numbers, meaning you can sit back and relax at the airport.

Translator

With 53 different dictionaries and phrasebooks conveniently located on your iPhone, you will never have to take a dictionary abroad with you again, giving you more room and weight on those stingy luggage restrictions. Pronunciation also accompanies the written translations, meaning you will walk off the plane with similar language skills as a local!

Touchnote Postcards

Desperately searching for a shop that sells postcards and then being face with the even more difficult task of finding a post box when you are in the back and beyond so that your loved-ones back home will receive their annual postcard from you is an affliction of the past, if you download the Touchnote Postcards app to your iPhone. Simply take a photograph, attach a note and an address and the Touchnote Postcard team will create a real-life postcard and send it to the address provided.

UrbanSpoon

Download this ultra-innovative app, shake your iPhone, watch the spin like a slot machine, and ‘hey presto’ your iPhone screen is engulfed by a ‘best of’ restaurant guide of the town where you are located – Does technology come much better than this?

If you’re wondering what to buy your travel-bugged loved one for Christmas this year, then look no further, as Tripit.com has launched a new online gift card designed to making life easier whilst travelling.

Tripit Pro Card, a great christmas gift for the traveller

In case you are wondering who tripit.com is, it is a mobile trip management company and mobile travel app, which assists people in planning their trips abroad anywhere in the world.

Travelling, whilst it is one of the most joyous and anticipated events in a person’s annual calendar, can be a stressful experience. From battling through the crowds at the airport, to dealing with delays, from finding your hotel, to locating a good restaurant, visiting unfamiliar locations can be daunting to say the least.

For those who possess a Tripit online gift card, they will be entitled to a year of Tripit Pro’s premium service. This unique service will literally act as a personal assistant to its holders, informing travellers of details of their flight, including cancellations, delays, flight refund tracking and even gate changes. In short the Tripit.com gift card gives holders access to more than $600 worth of VIP services from Regal Gold and Hertz 1 Club Gold – all for a mere $4 a month. Gregg Brockway, the president and co-founder of Tripit reiterates the sense behind owning a tripit.com gift card, commenting:

“Imagine a gift card that puts the weary traveller in your life at ease, keeps them organized, informed and makes future trips relaxing and hassle free. Making our customers travel one hundred percent worry free is our goal at Tripit, and the introduction of our online gift card is an added way of reducing stress during the hectic holiday season. It’s the perfect holiday gift for the person in your life who ‘has it all“.

The prospect of experiencing stress-free travelling most certainly sounds appealing and for any ardent travellers you may know, who thrive in unknown territory, but dread the prospect of getting there, the Tripit Pro gift card, could possibly be the perfect Christmas gift.

For further information on the Tripit Pro card or to purchase one visit: http://www.tripit.com/giftpro

A lovely property on Turkey’s Lycian coast

The maximum saving is applicable during peak season weeks and means a week’s rental – from 19 July to 23 August – is reduced to £1195.  Or, in May, a week’s rental now leads in at just £395 (saving £100).

Prices do not include return UK flights and car hire, but these can be arranged independently or by the company on request.

Situated in the unspoilt village of Islamlar in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, this three bedroom (all with air-con), three bathroom house sleeps six and has its own private pool, in-built barbecue, open and shaded terraces and landscaped gardens.

In addition, the surrounding area boasts some well-known family run fresh trout farms – each with its own restaurant – and it’s just a 15 minute drive to the harbour town of Kalkan.

Traditional Spanish sangria tends to contain all manner of ingredients, in fact ‘whatever fruits happen to be laying round the kitchen’. But we’re looking for perfection right, so making sure the ingredients are of the highest quality is the first thing to do.

Other important considerations:

• Sangria must always be served ice-cold
• Make sure you stir it properly
• Ensure you get the balance of flavours just right

How toy make the perfect Sangria

We’ve discovered three slight variations on the recipe and would love to hear how you get on with them:

Fruity Sangria (makes 16 glasses)

8 cups (64 fl. oz) Rioja
8 cups (64 fl. oz) apple juice
1 small grapefruit, cut into eights
1 medium orange, sliced thin crosswise
1 medium lemon, sliced thin crosswise
1 small pear, diced
1 medium apple, diced

Combine the wine, apple juice, and grapefruit pieces in a large pitcher. Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight. The following day, add the orange and lemon slices to the wine. Refrigerate for a further 3 hours.

Add the pear and apple to the mixture, then allow to stand for a further 1 hour to absorb the flavor fully. Mix well and serve over ice.

Spicy Sangria (makes 8 glasses)

3 3/4 cups ( 30 fl. oz) dry white wine
3 tablespoons brandy
2 small red chillies, seeded and quartered
2 medium tart green apples, diced
2 large yellow plums, peeled, pitted and sliced
2 medium peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1 cup (8 fl. oz) club soda

Not for the faint hearted, this sangria touches parts other drinks simply can’t! If you love spice then you’ll love this. Combine all the ingredients except for the club soda in a large serving pitcher, mixing well. Refrigerate overnight.

Immediately before serving, mix in the club soda for added fizz. Serve over ice.

The Original Sangria (makes 4 glasses)

3 1/4 cups (26 fl. oz) Rioja
1 tablespoon sugar
Juice of 1 large orange
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 large orange, sliced thin crosswise
1 large lemon, sliced thin crosswise
2 medium peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1 cup (8 fl. oz) club soda

Combine all the ingredients except for the club soda in a large punch bowl or serving pitcher, mixing well. Refrigerate overnight. Immediately before serving, mix in the club soda for added fizz. Ladle into cups with ice cubes.

If after reading this article you’ve  got a thirst on for making your own Sangria we suggest you take full advantage of our current offer with Naked Wines where you get £25 off your first order… now you’re really tempted! Go to our own Naked Wines web page.

We’ve been hunting high and low for some of the best travel gadgets currently available on the market and have come up with our top 6. There’s absolutely hundreds out there so as you can imagine it was a challenge to narrow it down at times.

Here’s our winners, enjoy!

GlobalSat GD-101 E-Compass

If you’re anything like me and have a serious co-ordination problem when out walking then you may want to take a closer look at this E-Compass which is a great gadget for hiking, climbing or biking. For  £51.99 you get a water resistant device that can be utilized to take you back to a point on your path that has been set as a destination or a favourite, you can view your co-ordinates, and use this device as a compass (e-compass functionality). You can set up to 5 destination points and can fiddle with the various settings till the cows come home. Loads of fun to be had with this gadget, although the battery lasts up to just 18 hours (but you can easily replace them).

GlobalSat GD-101 E-Compass

Sony Reader Pocket Edition (512MB memory, Silver)

These pocket readers are currently all the rage, just think… 350 books on one device how cool is that! This model is ultra light, 220g and only 5” so will fit perfectly into your pocket.

It retails for around £190 and is a definite must have for any book worm!

Sony Reader Pocket Edition

GlobalSat TR-102 Talkie Tracker

Next up is the GlobalSat TR-102 is a personal remote GPS positioning device  (quite a mouthful) at £149.99. Geared up for the adventurer it will allow you to  transmit an inquiry for coordinate information via SMS or with data sent via GPRS to a back-end call centre. It’s also a mobile phone with restrictions however, no playing Tetris on this little guy.

It even has a separate SOS panic button which will send an “SOS” code in the header of the GPS coordinates via SMS to three independent pre-programmed mobile numbers in the event of an emergency or to the back-end call centre for processing.

GlobalSat TR-102 Talkie Tracker

Laser Virtual Keyboard

Now, if you’ve promised the other half “no work on holiday, I promise” then look away… This is a Bluetooth Laser virtual keyboard that you can take with you literally anywhere. All you need is a flat surface for the laser to project the keyboard and you can tap away (and even get the accompanying tap sounds). This really is James Bond Territory, the keyboard will work with an enabled PDA or Cell Phone. The battery will last you 120 minutes of continuous typing and is compatible with PalmOS 5, PocketPC 2003, Windows Smartphone, Symbian OS, and Windows 2000/XP

Laser Virtual Keyboard

Solar Panelled Backpack Approx

Finally we have the Voltaic Solar Backpack which is one of those ideas you just wish you’d dreamt up… it’s so simple yet so effective. It’s a backpack (no prizes for guessing) but with a great big solar panel on the back which collects energy from the sun and stores it in an internal unit. You can then plug in whatever gizmo or gadget you want and hey presto… it’s a charger!

At £175 it’s no cheap deal, but if you’re always out and about and have a tendency to forget to charge things, this may just save you a few years in stress relief!

Solar Panelled Backpack Approx

But with so much information about travel being published every second on the internet through blogs how do you know a good travel blog from a bad one?

Well to save you the frustration we’ve compiled our list of the top travel blogs suitable for the European traveller (in no particular order).

www.travel-rants.com

Set up in 2005 by Darren Cronian, Travel Rants is an enjoyable, light hearted read around Darren’s experiences with the travel industry. If you have a rant that you wish to share then simply email Darren from his site.

Travel Rants Blog

http://escapeblog.com

OK so I’m cheating by entering this one into the fray and it not being European, but it’s so much fun that I simply couldn’t leave it out! The site is a definitive guide to how to act in certain countries around the world. Did you know for instance that in Japan it’s not the done thing to pass food around, from one chopstick to another (now you do!).

Escape Travel Blog

www.seat61.com

If you’re into travelling by trains around the UK and Europe then this is a must read. Written by Mark Smith, a self confessed ‘train addict’ the site is the essential guide to travelling on trains around the world and is crammed with all you need to know about your journey including top tips and Mark’s experiences first hand.

Seat61 Blog

www.tripadvisor.com

Not strictly a blog, but still an incredibly important social media resource, Trip Advisor is the quintessential destination before booking a holiday. It’s entirely managed by the general public who are invited to upload their images, share their good times and bad and generally help others who are thinking about visiting a particular resort to make an informed decision.

It’s a fantastic resource for planning your holiday in Europe and goes into detail about the best things to see in each area.

Trip Advisor - essential reading before any holiday

www.europealacarte.co.uk/blog

Set up in 2006 by Karen Bryan, Europe A La Carte is a blog that shares the experiences of a number of writers around the best places to visit in Europe. Karen is always on the lookout for good travel writers and is happy to receive your stories for the site, just contact her through the site.

www.greentraveller.co.uk

If you’re green conscious then this is the site for you. It’s dedicated to providing information on how to make your holiday green and features tonnes of amazing trips that can be conveniently reached by train, as well as their favorite green and gorgeous places to stay in the UK and abroad.

You’ll also find loads of tips on how to go green from leading eco travel writers around the World.

Green Traveller Blog

www.spottedbylocals.com

This is the ultimate European city guide blog for travelers who like to experience cities ‘the local way’. On every cityblog, handpicked locals (”Spotters”) write about spots they go to. All the free posts and tips are written by locals to each city so you get it absolutely first hand where the best places to visit are. You can pick up great tips about cultures in each city

Please do email us if you run a travel blog and feel we’ve missed you off by mistake.

Spotted By Locals Cityblogs

Europe A La Carte Blog

A possible reason why so many of us are happy to travel lighter may be the fact that baggage weight restrictions are getting tougher and more expensive, which is ultimately making us have to choose between essentials. Or perhaps we’re starting to let our hair down and losing our vanity on holiday!

Poll results (391 respondents)

If you had to forego one essential item what would it be?

Hairdryer             59%

Make-up             23%

Deodorant          9%

Underwear         5%

Toothbrush        2%

i-Trans Wrist Band Motion Sickness Relief – £69.99

If travel sickness stops you going places, here’s the solution. Worn like a watch, this safe alternative to drugs and pharmaceuticals employs adjustable vibrations to target key acupressure points. The result: enjoyable, nausea-free car, ferry, plane and train journeys.

i-Trans Wrist Band Motion Sickness Relief

Turtle Bag Trolley – £34.95

This is the original sustainable shopping/travel bag! It’s simply a trolley with chunky wheels which allows you to get your luggage across pretty much any terrain. With a choice of two designs, these offer a 30 litre capacity.

The Turtle Trolley

Oregon Scientific ATC5K Action Camera – £179.99

This is the latest in camera technology. It’s a this water-proof (up to 10 feet), shock resistant, hands free video camera that will capture all your extreme sporting feats, complete with viewfinder so you don’t miss a trick. Capture up to 2 hours of footage (4 GB storage) in the toughest environments and now with an incorporated viewfinder.

Oregon Scientific ATC5K Action Camera

230 Cordless Salon Straightener – £59.99

This is as it says a cordless, rechargeable hair straightner that powers up to a top temperature of 230°c in just 30 seconds. The tourmaline ceramic plates stabilise the temperature for instant styling.  No more travel plug conversion issues!

230 Cordless Salon Straightener

Oregon Scientific Weather Watch – £49.99

Great for all manner of adventures, this is the Oregon Scientific Weather Watch which provides a  12-24 hour local weather forecast direct from your watch! This is in fact the World’s first weather watch with an inbuilt barometric pressure gauge. These are displayed on four easy to read icons, sun, rain, cloud and partly cloudy. It also displays the date, has a stop watch function, an alarm, is water proof up to 30 metres and a back light.

Oregon Scientific Weather Watch

Salter Luggage Scale – £19.99

This essential gadget means no more ‘guess the weight’ 5 minutes before check in! Attach your bag to the scales and hang for an accurate weight reading. No more getting ripped off with excess luggage charges (£7.50 per kg on short-haul flights and up to £30 per kg on long-haul flights).

Salter Luggage Scale

6 Language Translator – £14.95

No more asking for “3 toilet brushes” instead of a “club sandwich” with this little gizmo. Convert from English to French, Spanish, Italian, German or Dutch in seconds. It’s a pocket translator programmed with 5000 words and 120 key phrases.

6 Language Translator

Braun PocketGo P-60 – £14.99

This compact PocketGo shaver is especially designed for men looking to stay smooth on the move. Its compact design ensures it is the ideal companion at work, on business trips, holidays or even long weekends away. It fits in every pocket and is ideal for quick touch-ups on the go. Its wide Floating Foil technology provides an extra close and comfortable shave.

BRAUN PocketGo P-60

SteriPEN Journey – £100

An incredible handheld water purifier with LCD screen that uses a UV system to kill all known bugs before drinking. Place the pen in the water and watch the LCD screen tell you once the water is safe to drink [48 seconds for 1/2 litre; 90 seconds for 1 litre]. It’s also incredibly long lasting too, for example if you purified 1 litre 4 times a day you’d get approx 7 years’ use out of it!

SteriPEN Journey

Pocket Cinema V10 – £299.99

Believe it or not, this is a pocket sized projector that can project a 50” screen wherever you go. It has inbuilt speakers and plays movies off a 1GB memory built into the Pocket Cinema – no need to take the cumbersome laptop. It can also be connected to your laptop or games console if you so wish of course using an S-Video adapter.

Pocket Cinema V10