China

China is emerging as one of the hottest destinations on the planet for adventurous travellers. but while the mega cities of Shanghai and Beijing are an obvious draw, there is one city in the geographical centre of the country that is gaining some well-deserved hype: Chengdu. Touted by travel experts as the country's hippest city - think China's version of Berlin or Lisbon - with a relaxed, laid-back vibe intertwining a forward-thinking cosmopolitan throng.

With the winter ski season coming, the craving for that soft white powdery piste is starting to kick in, and you might be thinking, where should I go? With so many options where can you go to get this year's fix  of adrenaline rush and the feeling of that fresh scripts wintery wind in your face as you ski down chosen run: blue, red or black. For this season we want you to set your sights beyond Val d’Isere, because we have a list of some weird and wonderful mountains from which to hurl yourself.

May Day otherwise known as international workers’ day or Labour Day in short, is celebrated around the globe in different styles.   Unlike here in the UK where you have the add skirmishes between police and protester; elsewhere people celebrate or commemorate the occasion differently.  You could take a short break to Paris, Beijing, Havana and Pyongyang, North Korea to be part of the occasion.

Rarely has the cultural collision of East and West been as evident elsewhere in the world as it is in Macau. For nearly half a millennium, this Special Administration Region of China has been a fascination melting pot of Chinese and European influences.  Visitors to modern Macau will find plenty of this still of this mix today, alongside a frequently spectacular sprinkling of contemporary style.