Planning a quick Christmas getaway this year? Escape the high street and get in the festive spirit with our pick of the five best European Christmas markets:

Prague Christmas Market – Prague, Czech Republic
Rows of traditional wooden huts selling Czech handicrafts and food fill Old Town and Wenceslas Square each year. Why not try some ‘svarene vino’ (hot wine) or ‘vánoční cukroví’ (Christmas cookies) while you shop? Click here for more information Prague Experience

Charlottenburg Christmas Market – Berlin, Germany
Enjoy live music from traditional Berlin barrel-organ players and carols from professional choirs as you browse the art, crafts and gastronomy on offer at the market at Charlottenburg castle, one of the newest and most famous Christmas markets in the capital. Visit Berlin

Fira de Santa Llucía Market – Barcelona, Spain
Musical parades, a nativity scene contest, and 30 miles of twinkling Christmas lights are to be found at Fira de Santa Llucía in the heart of buzzing Barcelona. The market dates from 1786 and now boasts over 300 stalls selling Catalan gifts and decorations. Fira de Santa Llucia

Bolzano Christmas Market – South Tyrol, Italy
Head down to Piazza Walther in Bolzano, where the market’s tantalizing aromas and flickering candles create a truly enchanting festive atmosphere. Experience South Tyrol

Stockholm Christmas Markets – Stockholm, Sweden
Fancy something a little different? Stockholm’s Christmas markets are spread out across the city’s islands – take a boat from the markets in Gamla Stan to the enchanting market at Skansen open-air museum and try your hand at traditional crafts. Visit Sweden’s Christmas Markets.

Satisfy your appetite: From fresh food cooked before your eyes in the streets of Bridgetown, to culinary masterpieces created in the island’s world famous restaurants, Barbados is a foodie’s paradise. When you’ve satisfied your appetite, pull up a chair in a Bridgetown rum shop and order a glass of Mount Gay, known the world over as the rum that invented rum.

Join the party: Crop Over festival began in the 1780s as a celebration of a successful harvest, and today the festival remains, as thousands gather to eat, drink, dance and dress up during the annual summer festival. Barbados’ festival calendar continues with the Food & Wine and Rum Festival each November, boasting demonstrations from world renowned chefs and some of the best Bajan food around.

Step back in time: Barbados has a rich and varied history, mirrored by its historic architecture and fascinating traditions – for a slice of old Barbados, head to St. Nicholas Abbey or Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, recently inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Catch the rays… or the waves: Surf and kayak on the waters of the south coast, or relax on the white sandy shores on the north of the island – Barbados offers the perfect paradise setting for every type of beach-goer.

Escape to the island: Turn off your phone, grab some punch, and clock in to Bajan time for the ultimate relaxing break.

Top 10 reasons to go skiing?

1. Get a break from your everyday life. The gorgeous frozen sight of snow covered mountain peeks calms and soothes our bodies and souls and releases us from our permanent atmosphere of stress.

2. Snow sports (skiing, snowboarding, etc.) can be enjoyed by the whole family and are suitable for all ages! Unlike other sports, winter sports allow you to spend time with your children and share the same fun and good times!

3. Most people look better in a ski suit than a swim suit. You can hide you fat rolls in a pair of very fashionable ski trousers, whereas it’s hard to hide anything in a designer bikini.

4. Skiing takes you to new heights. Newly introduced high-speed and heated chairlifts not only offers an amazing bird’s eye view of the breathtaking mountain landscapes but also takes you to the highest summits in no time at all – and no hiking!

5. Skiing is a tremendous calorie burner! Its great physical activity, consuming up to 700 calories an hour – that really beats an early morning run on the busy roads or muddy forest tracks.

6. Skiing is a lifetime sport. Graham Bell, Alberto Tomba, Luke Alphand, Klaus Obermeyer, Penny Pitou, Stein Erickson – all great ski athletes that have been doing what they love best for over six decades!

7. Skiing is a great sport to meet people, particularly the opposite sex. Name another activity that allows you to shout “Single” in the line and potentially find a match.

8. Skiing has no speed limits, only endless possibilities for travel and exploration from lazy downhill tracks though a frozen pine forest to challenging black runs and untouched fields of white pristine powder.

9. A return to childhood: skiing holidays are a break from a hectic schedule. In the mountains you can forget the responsibilities and stress of the job by simply launching yourself downhill on a sledge with friends or having a snowball fight with your kids…

10. And last but not least… You can’t après ski until you have skied…

Good flights come to those who wait – but if you find yourself clicking your heels between connecting flights or have arrived extra early, here are our top tips for killing airport hours before you board:

• If you’re lucky enough to have touched down in a centrally located airport with a good public transport system, and have a few hours between flights, pop to a tourist information booth and plan a quick trip for the next couple of hours. Top tip: if you’re likely to get swept away in your whistle stop tour, work out how long it will take you to get back to the airport and set an alarm on your phone to alert you when it’s time to head back for your next flight.
• Pack a phrase book in your hand luggage and perfect your language skills before you arrive at your final destination.
• You’ll be sat on a plane for the next few hours, so why not take advantage of the chance to get some exercise before you board? Taking a walk around the airport will leave you refreshed and re-energised.
• Download your favourite books as audiobooks onto a mobile device, iPod/ iPad, before you go away, and simply press play when your jet-lagged eyes are too tired to read.
• Catch up on some zzz’s and take a nap. Airport air conditioning is often cool, so pack a neck pillow and an extra jacket to keep you warm while you snooze.
• Relax with a spa treatment. Many international airports offer spa facilities, either in designated lounges, or at convenient pop up kiosks. Book in for a massage, a manicure, or a pedicure and arrive in your final destination feeling pampered!
• Get married! Yes that’s right, you can tie the knot at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Choose from the contemporary Ready for Take-Off package, the vintage –inspired Fly Away to Yesterday ceremony, the Say Yes and Go package for quick nuptials before you board, or the Ticket to Paradise option, in which newlyweds can choose to hire an entire plane!