Looking up at the star-lit sky in the middle of a Jordanian desert is just a taste of the spectacular experiences in the Middle Eastern country, says Jessica Pickin.

THAILAND is known as the Land of Smiles and strolling along an idyllic beach in Krabi it's easy to see why.

Nestled 1,000 miles off the coast of East Africa, the Seychelles is an enticing archipelago of 115 tropical islands – many uninhabited, some private island resorts – scattered across the Indian Ocean, writes NANCY BROWN.

From the launch of flights to Vancouver and Bologna to new ships plying the Caribbean, NICOLA ISEARD selects some holiday highlights for the year ahead

DUNCAN CRAIG heads south with his father, a veteran of the conflict that put these islands on the map 30 years ago, to discover a tranquil, thriving archipelago teeming with wildlife

Windsurfing is a lot harder than it looks but it helps if your instructor is a muscled Adonis, discovers author KATHY LETTE on an idyllic break in the Indian Ocean

INCREDIBLE last minute holidays.

SKIPPING down the quaint cobbled street, we’re as excited as kids at Christmas.

NICK BOULDS discovers why Barbados is such a celebrity magnet...

SURFING on Waikiki beach, swaying palm trees and hula girls are just some of the things that make Hawaii a fantasy destination.