If you take the time to travel half way around the world to visit New Zealand, the best way to spend your time there is to rent an apartment and see the country. Auckland makes a brilliant base; located in the north of the country, it is built on 48 extinct volcanoes, with two harbours and a perfect cosmopolitan blend of Polynesian, European and Asian cultures.

Auckland offers all the excitement and modern facilities of a major city with the wonder and surprise of its stunning, rugged, tropical rainforest minutes outside the city boundaries. Although the lava ceased flowing millennia ago you can still stand on top of the still visible calderas of Mount Eden, Albert Park and the Auckland Domain.
 
Auckland itself is known as the “City of Sails” and the harbours of Waitemata and Manukau are full of opportunities to take cruises or sail around the coastline, go diving in the clear blue waters or go on a trip dolphin and whale spotting. The old British fort at North Head, on Manukau harbour, makes for a great family day out climbing over the defences and gun batteries. The site is now a nature reserve and one of Auckland’s favourite places for a spot of lunch.

Recent years have seen a growth of apartment rental in Auckland. Fans of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy now flock to the islands to walk the sets and countryside made famous by the film and there are a number of epic landscapes within easy reach of the city that were used in the movie.

Anyone planning a trip ‘Down Under’ should try to include Fremantle in their itinerary. This coastal town is just a half hour away from the bright lights of Perth and has a wonderfully laid back charm and bohemian personality. An old port town at the mouth of the Swan River, its history is linked to trade and commerce, as you’ll find out in the Maritime Museum.

Fremantle’s Fishing Boat Harbour is a great place to see the daily catch being brought in, take in the sights and sounds of the fish market, and then eat in one of its numerous restaurants and bars. Another beautiful old area is the George Street precinct, historically intact and now home to an art gallery and artists’ studios. The impressive prison building, built by convicts in the 1850s but thankfully no longer in use, has guided tours.

With its trendy cafes and clubs, award winning seafood restaurants, art exhibitions, markets and beaches, Fremantle is a great place to rent an apartment or house for a while. Being a historic port, Fremantle has a multicultural influence with Indonesian, Korean, Thai and Italian restaurants. It is also famous for having several micro-breweries and some very good bars to go with them.

From Fremantle it’s a short train, car or ferry journey up the river to Perth, or you can take a boat trip out to Rottnest Island with its idyllic sandy beaches, cycle tracks and secret tunnels. The Margaret River wine region is also nearby.

Now that the Iron Curtain has lifted, Russia is beginning to lure tourists, and some fantastic deals are to be had.  Start with a visit to Moscow, Russia’s capital, and see some of the rich history, culture and tradition that is just begging to be discovered.  Rent a holiday apartment or villa and begin to feel like one of the locals, rather than a tourist.

Moscow is a city of over 14 million people, with a history dating back to at least the 12th century.  Near the Moskva River, from which it gets its name, this metropolitan city has art and architecture around every corner.  It also has a fantastic public transportation system, and getting around should cause little problem, especially if you have a guidebook.

Moscow is laid out in a similar fashion to Paris, with 10 administrative okrugs (area, region) ringing the old part of the city, rather than arrondissements.  Of course, seeing Red Square is a must, along with Lenin’s Tomb and the Kremlin.  The Triumphal Arch on Kutuzov Avenue will remind you of the Arch de Triomph in Paris, and the Moskva River at night is very reminiscent of the Thames in certain parts. 

If you visit Moscow in season, try to get tickets to the Bolshoi.  The building will take your breath away, both inside and out, as will the performances, which need no translation to appreciate their beauty.

The Moscow State Historical Museum is located in a large, intricate, neo-Russian building near Red Square.  Thousands of items are on display at any time, though the museum numbers its holdings in the millions. 

Plan to return to Moscow after your first visit, because you’re guaranteed to find more sights and events that you can see in one trip.

London is one of the most visited locations in the UK and offers a wide variety of interesting attractions and events. The city offers plenty of culture and history, which can be explored in many of its museums and art galleries. The Natural History Museum and Museum of London are worth a visit for those interested in exploring the history of the city. Also worth a visit is the National Portrait Gallery, which is one of the city’s most popular art galleries.

One of London’s most popular attractions is the London Eye, which receives over three million visitors every year. The attraction consists of a giant wheel that is made up of capsules, where visitors can stand or be seated during a tour of the city. The attraction offers stunning views of the city at night when it is lit up and visitors can enjoy a light snack in the Zen Cafe, which is located near to the London Eye gift shop.

London is known for its public transport systems, the most popular being the London Underground, also known as the Tube. The London Underground offers easy routes to popular locations within the city. There are a number of tickets and travel-cards available, which allow visitors to use the Tube to reach a variety of destinations throughout the day. The city also has a tram system and is known for other methods of transport, including black cabs and buses. Bus tours are available and allow visitors to explore the city.

London is the perfect destination for those who love culture, film and literature. The city has featured in many stories including works by Charles Dickens and is a popular filming location. London’s involvement in film and literature can be explored in many of the city’s museums, including the Charles Dickens Museum, which celebrates the life and work of the popular author.

Villa rentals on the outskirts of Cape Town are situated in the sumptuous South African landscape and offer memorable locations.  These self-service villas are elegant and stylish homes, set in gorgeous surroundings with swimming pools, easy access to the town centre and tourist locations and plenty of sunny weather in this southern hemisphere equivalent of a Mediterranean climate.

Cape Town has spectacular views of its iconic Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles Peaks. The modern multicultural city centre has a wealth of sites to visit; the V & A waterfront is a dynamic and energetic place full of trendy bars, tasty restaurants and interesting curio and craft shops.

In the centre of the bay is Robben Island made famous for holding Nelson Mandela during his many years in prison. Nearby there is also the diverse natural landscape of Cape Hope with its nature reserve, seal pups and vast collection of bird life and plants, while the Camps Bay area has some of the country’s most popular beaches and surf.

Visitors can take informative tours inland to the Dutch styled town of Stellenbosch, the second town founded in South Africa and the centre of the country’s wine making industry. You can also travel eastwards along the wonderful green landscape of the Garden Route, which starts not far away in Mossel Bay. This is an area of beauty and tranquillity in the shadow of the Outeniqua Mountains and the shores of the Indian Ocean.

For lovers of history, the prospect of setting foot in the ancient birthplace of democracy will draw you to Athens like a bee to pollen. But the Greek capital has much else to justify its hard-won recent stature as a premiere holiday destination for all. Yes, of course, all the treasures of the ancient world are there for all to see and marvel at – the Acropolis with its stunning Parthenon temple peering loftily at the buzzing metropolis below will make even the most history blind speechless with wonder. But it’s the pedestrian promenade at the heart of the city which will leave everyone enthralled. The banning of cars a few years back has turned this once rumbling and congested area into a spellbinding fusion of the ancient and the modern. Effectively, it’s a vast archaeological park, but those ancient monuments are no longer icons of a long departed civilisation – once again, they’ve become the centre of Athenian cultural and social life in what is undoubtedly Europe’s longest and most architecturally astounding promenade.

Athens is, of course, the oldest city in Europe and the fabulous architectural remnants on display will remind you constantly of this fact. But it’s also one of the most modern: an ancient city in flux and transition, boldly embracing the cutting-edge and the new whilst refusing to compromise any of its cultural treasures in the process. The lifestyle of contemporary Athenians may be relaxed and easy-going but they clearly enjoy a voguish and dynamic street life, with night clubs to take your breath away and keep you dancing till the wee hours. There are also innumerable stylish restaurants and little eateries to keep hunger at bay. Don’t miss it.

The city of Venice is one of the world’s most romantic cities. However, underneath the romance is a city built on sheer nerve and artistry. An engineering marvel, the buildings of Venice are supported by pine and slender oak posts that are driven deep into the mud banks for stability, creating a solid foundation.

Venice was founded more than 1,500 years ago on 117 different islands, which are joined by meandering links of over 150 canals, 400 bridges and many ancient pavements.

The city houses some of the world’s greatest masterpieces, and is still one of Italy’s centres of industrious artisans and craftsmen. Four-star meals are cooked on a single burner, musicians lug enormous instruments to baroque concerts and master shoemakers pound out a staccato rhythm as they fashion shoes into the shapes of swans. There is nothing like the chic bohemian style of Venice, with its wines, Venetian-red paintings and baroque music.

Venice is not a city of genteel decay, but one preciously being restored by wealthy benefactors and enhanced by contemporary architecture and back-alley galleries.

Completing the picture are the gondoliers piloting their boats through the bustling city; ferrying couples in love through the towering edifices of Venice’s alleys and canals.

A modern city with fabulous food, friendly natives, and marble churches, Venice is more accessible than ever before and is very affordable. After an evening spent rubbing elbows with the locals in the authentic pubs and restaurants, you may never want to return home again.

Cheap flights to Venice are available from most international airports.

For the holiday seeker or the businessman on flights to Tehran, there are two visa categories that would be considered useful under Iranian laws. A tourist visa is extended for a ten day period, while business visas are valid for three weeks.

In the past, it was highly recommended that tourist visas were obtained before boarding a flight to Tehran because of the time restrictions. However, the process is now streamlined and the visas can now be obtained in about an hour. To get a tourist visa, you will need the application form, a special authorization number from the Foreign Ministry in Tehran and four passport-sized photographs. Nonetheless, it is still not recommended applying for the visa at such short notice, and it is much better to get the visa at the Iranian Consulate at home at least three months ahead of your scheduled visit. Women should be reminded that they must be photographed wearing a head scarf (or the Hijab) before submitting their paperwork.

For travellers, the same rules apply, except there is an additional requirement of business letter introducing yourself and stating your business in Iran. Business visas can be extended twice without any issues for a period of two weeks. Extensions are handled by provincial police departments, who are generally quite amiable to the extensions.

As in other Arab countries, Iran does not allow individuals with Israeli passports into the country. Travel from cities from border countries is also banned to Israeli nationals. Arabs nationals are not required to have visas, and people from countries other than Israel and the United States are allowed to move freely around the country.

Flights to Cairo are constantly coming down in price and you can pick up some real bargains these days. The whole of the Middle East is opening up to adventurous travellers and those looking for something a bit different in a holiday. Flights to Amman, flights to Beirut and flights to Damascus are now as regular and accessible as flights to Aberdeen and flights to London.

Cairo is in many ways the archetypal Middle Eastern city, with its mosques, minarets, bazaars and ancient, often crumbling walls and buildings casting a spell over the visitor the moment they are first set eyes on it.

Cairo is nicknamed ‘The Mother of All Cities’ and is a vast, sprawling metropolis where you can easily find yourself being swept along by the crowd to exotic parts of the city you didn’t even know existed, in an Arabian Nights adventure. This is in fact one of the best ways of exploring it if you’re feeling adventurous.

Just outside the city stand the great Pyramids of Giza, wonders of the world not to be missed by any visitor and as likely as not the reason for going there in the first place.

Cairo is an ancient and modern city at the same time, with bazaars and crowded markets sitting easily alongside smart international hotels and restaurants, and you can take breakfast at the Hilton or share strong, sweet coffee with traders in the Khan al-Khalili bazaar as you choose.

The cuisine is traditional Middle Eastern with an emphasis on delicious lamb dishes and other Turkish recipes from the long Ottoman occupation.  

Glasgow city centre is laid out in a grid system of roads and streets, which is rather like the way some American cities are planned. The central hub of the city is George Square where you will find Queen Street Station and a number of hotels including the popular Millennium.

The buildings around the Square were mostly built in the 1800’s but the only one left in its original state is the Millennium. Glasgow City Chambers, the ornate building used by Glasgow City Council is also situated in the square.

Argyle Street, Sauchie Hall and Buchanan Street that covers the area to the south and the west of St. George’s is where the shopping precincts are located.

This city centre area is also where you will find The Theatre Royal, King’s Theatre, Glasgow Film Centre and the Gallery of modern Art, as well as numerous other theatres and arts venues. In nearby Renfrew Street you will find the world’s tallest cinema, Cineworld. It has 18 screens.

Glasgow city centre is also where The University of Strathclyde, Glasgow School of Art and several other educational establishments can be found.

It’s a busy, thriving cosmopolitan area of the city with a lot to see and do, but be warned, there is an awful lot of walking to do. If you are hoping to walk around and see some of the sights in the city centre you will need some comfortable shoes because everything is so spread out.