When it comes to packing clothes for a holiday some of us go crazy and load our entire wardrobes into a tiny suitcase, others opt for the clothes that are literally on their back, while the seasoned traveller mathematically works out what it is they need to absolute perfection.
When it comes to women taking a well-earned break, packing can be hard work. It might be a gender stereotype, but we're fairly confident that for most part, clothes matter more to women than they do to men.
What is it with us Brits and our inability to holiday the right way? We were browsing the net the other day and came across a story about how a significant number of people away on holiday find themselves "missing" office gossip, work itself and colleagues.
Say what?! Now, we suppose, depending on the affability of one's colleagues, we can appreciate that some of our fellow work buddies might have promoted themselves from mere associates to full-blown friends. As such, given that we work with them all day and socialise with them in the evening, the inclination to very modestly hanker after their company is a possibility – even while on a break – that we can concede.
Aberdeen, popularly known as the Granite City or Silver City, has been named as one of the world's top "unsung" destinations in a poll.
Lonely Planet, one of the largest travel book – print and online – publishers on earth, ranked the underrated city as number five in its top list of places that are not given the appreciation and respect that they deserve.
It's amazing that it has built up a reputation as a kind of Marmite city – you either love it or you don't – given that it caters for all sorts of people. For the cosmopolitans, Aberdeen's city life is second to none, while those who are more outdoorsy, the fact that it sits on a coast says it all about the diversity on offer.
The first ever English Tourism Week launches next month in what is certain to be ten days of razzle-dazzle fun. Yes we realise we said ten days and that a week is made up of seven, but this is down to the organisers. They've decided to call it a week. Maybe they can't count. Maybe they were too busy planning a seven-day event but found that there was so much to celebrate that it wasn't enough. And maybe by that point they had already written it up as English Tourism Week and sent the promotional bumph off to the printers. Maybe English Tourism Ten Day Event doesn't have the same ring to it. Maybe we're over-analysing this a tad bit.
A few years ago, people didn't quite understand that the UK was a holiday destination. Blame the recession: silly recession, crazy recession, party pooper recession.
However, according to British Destinations, the "understanding" that this country is a great place in which to enjoy a vacation has grown "immeasurably" since then.
It's a brilliant achievement given the economic situation. Both domestic and international holidaymakers now appreciate the merits of taking a break in the UK, which has been made possible through good marketing, deals and engagement.
People who are looking to go to France for a holiday after July 1st and take their car with them – Eurotunnel or the ferry – have been urged by a charity to carry a breathalyser with them.
That's because it is going to be compulsory for all drivers in the country to have one with them in their cars, regardless of whether they live and work in the country, are passing through or are on vacation. They can pick up one-off breathalyser kits for around £2.
The Cotswold Wildlife Park has a new resident; Darwin the tortoise, who has travelled all the way from the Seychelles.
The Aldabra giant tortoise, who will join three other tortoises at the park, has come to the UK as part of a Conservation link-up between the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens and the Cotswold Wildlife Park.
And it is likely that the park will be his home for the foreseeable future, as giant tortoises have a lifespan of between 100 and 150 years, with the oldest in history living to the ripe old age of 152.
Darwin is just a young whippersnapper at 25 years of age.
We get it, we really do. You're in a boardroom. It's Friday afternoon. It has been a long week. You're tired, uninspired. In walks a couple of chaps, sharp suits, confident swagger, a PowerPoint presentation that makes TED keynote speeches look like child's play. You say: "Brilliant, do it, here is a load of money."
And then, months, years down the line, when things aren't quite working as you hoped they would, you look at this moment and wonder how it was that such a ludicrous idea was ever allowed to see the light of day. Your only saving grace is the old adage of being able to learn from your mistakes.
Bristol is to host the UK's first ever festival of sustainable development this June, further boosting its already esteemed reputation as a green city.
Dubbed Big Green Week, the festival is a sweeping celebration of all things to do with being green – recycling, reducing waste, cutting down on the amount of energy we use and growing our own produce to name but a few.
"Bristol's Big Green Week is a celebration of green ideas and action which aims to challenge and motivate people to engage with the sustainability issues we face," said Peter Madden, chief executive of Forum for the Future, and one of the individuals who helped develop the festival.
Imagine being there, the day that Willy Wonka invented chocolate…it must have been beautiful… Hang on; we've just been informed that Willy Wonka didn't in fact discover chocolate. He's not even real. Oh dear, that's a heartbreaker.
Anyhoo, we have since been notably informed that the Aztecs invented chocolate. Not just one Aztec, but all of them. Now that's collectivism at its best. Oh no, even that's disputed. Some say aliens invented it. We admire the punt, but we diminish it all the same. Christopher Columbus gets a mention. He didn't make it, he was too busy getting lost, but he did bring some cocoa beans from America to Europe. So, there you have it, Europe invented chocolate. Europe did everything, the end.