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The British owners of holiday homes based in other countries in Europe will have a chance to get tax rebates, the same incentive being given to those who have vacation homes in their home country - United Kingdom. This benefit will last until April 5 next year.

Income from holiday homes will have tax rebates thus owners can write off any losses coming from their other income in other properties. With the global financial crisis going on, this piece of good news is a breath of fresh air.

Due to the temporary agreement set in this benefit, everyone is encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity as soon as possible.

The major criterion in order to avail of the tax rebate opportunity is that holiday homes must be offered for commercial use. It should be a holiday accommodation for at least five months within the one year period. This criterion is usually difficult to meet considering the hard times.

As for those who have holiday homes outside U.K, they are responsible in settling the tax set by the country. For those who still need clarifications, they are encourage to write or visit the nearest tax office for details.

The second annual Ultratravel 100 Awards was staged successfully with Australia bagging the “Best Holiday Destination” award for the second year running.

This is based on votes made by people based in United Kingdom stating that Australia is definitely one of their top choice holiday destinations. The results overwhelmingly favored the Land Down under.

The voters were made to choose their preferred holiday destinations based on their experience of luxury and other factors such as the quality of services in the cruises, resorts and spas.

There were also awards given to top hotels, travel companies and airlines as well.

The readers of the Ultratravel Magazine were given the chance to make the vote. The journal, part of the widely read The Daily Telegraph, is published quarterly.

The travel magazine has been highly recommended by industry experts for consumers to serve as reference for ideal travel destinations. The magazine usually has a circulation of more than half a million.

The financial crisis did not become an obstacle to most British readers to go on a vacation. According to a survey, they still prefer going to a vacation at least once a year and spend as much money as they did a year ago.

Just when you thought that it would be less expensive to spend quality time with your loved ones in your home turf, a new report surfaced that it would be better for British families to spend their holidays abroad rather than in UK due to more expensive rates in family resorts.

In a recent research conducted by Post Office Travel Services, countries such as Hungary, Iceland and Poland offer more affordable rates on its resorts. This could be attributed to the fact that the currencies from these countries are still not euro. The agency revealed that family resorts in UK offer up to 65 percent higher during peak season.

In the aforementioned countries, the travel money goes a long way for tourists. Other attractive destinations include Jamaica and Turkey.

The findings seemingly contradicted with the earlier surveys conducted by other sites that it is inexpensive to spend the holidays in Britain.

However, based on the report, the high prices were limited to rates in family resorts. There are still a lot of tourist destinations in UK that families could still go to without checking in at resorts. In the long run, British families could save on other expenses such as airfare.

A survey conducted among British vacationers revealed that Norfolk Broads, the country’s largest protect wetland, became one of the top choices whenever they spend their UK holidays.

According to reports, the wetland entered the top ten in UK holiday destinations. The national park ranked ninth. The survey was conducted by Travelodge and it covered 3,300 residents in United Kingdom. About a third of the respondents stated in their answers that they will be planning trips within the UK later this year.

Topping the list of preferred UK holidays are Lake District and Cornwall. Surprisingly, tourist areas such as Cotswolds did not make it to the elite ten. The reason behind the increased interest in Norfolk region is the presence of boating and nature-related activities that the family will surely love. The additional factor is that the trip is relatively short rather than going on a trip outside the country.

Broads Tourism Forum Chairman Ian Russell said that the national park status of the wetlands only increased the attractiveness of the place for tourists all over.

British families need not spend so much on the holidays considering the tough times ahead. In fact, there’s even no need to go abroad to spend some quality time with the loved ones. There are a lot of tourist spots in Britain that can be visited. Families will certainly enjoy several fun activities offered by these venues without spending so much.

Here are some holiday ideas and destinations shared by several tour websites:

• Cropton Cabins in North Yorkshire: Families get to go around the magnificent North York Moors National Park and enjoy nature at its finest. Other fun activities include horseback riding, archery and dusk watching. A three-night stay costs £280 above.

• Lunsford Farm in East Sussex: A great camping destination. The farm provides canvas tents with wooden floors and stoves. Prices start at £365 above.

• Chessingon World of Adventures in Surrey: The theme park alone will make the children’s day special. Prices start at £169.

• Adventure at Cairngorms, Scotland: Have fun rafting and canoeing in this breathtaking destination. The good thing is, it’s not that expensive with prices ranging between £239 and £299.

Have fun in your next family adventure!

Media reports revealed that cruise holidays are becoming a hit among the British tourists. This can be evidenced by the increasing number of cruise lines offering holiday packages. This mode of vacation is becoming a hit because it is the better alternative to flight delays and baggage losses in airports.

One of the most popular cruise lines is the Royal Caribbean International which announced just earlier this week that its Independence of the Seas cruise ship will now accommodate more trips next year with reasonable pricing for vacationers.

The ship has a capacity of 4,300 passengers and provides an exciting 18-day cruise of the Mediterranean. Families can easily avail of the cruise holiday for as long as £1,691 per person.

Another cruise line P&O is offering almost a month-long Caribbean cruise for a reasonable price. The fact that the seats for this year alone have been sold out only means that a lot of people are now jumping on the cruise holiday bandwagon.

Despite the fluctuating currency of the pound, the prices of the cruises are still manageably affordable for families. The financial crisis did not diminish the interest of families to go on vacation according to a recently conducted survey.

Caravan holidays are becoming a huge hit among New Zealanders since it is significantly cheaper than having to go through hotel accommodations whenever travelers go to a certain tourist destination.

Caravan parks are now noticeably more packed than usual as families spend their leisure time having a picnic or enjoying the wonders of nature.

Park officials said that aside from the cost-cutting benefits of spending caravan holidays, there’s a social community being built which is not present in a hotel. They added that in the park, people get to meet new friends and interact through park activities rather than in a hotel where barriers are created by walls. Bookings are now increasing.

However, there’s a down side on this newfound trend. The rates are now starting to go up although it is still cheaper than hotel rates.

According to reports, non-dependent children will now have to pay separately. These children are those with stable jobs. The rates usually start an extra $15 per night.

Park officials reasoned that they need to do this in order to avoid enterprising individuals to act as if they’re family in order to save up on costs.

Travel company Trivago claimed that financial crisis has led to an influx of great deals on European holidays, a ray of light for people who want to spend quality time with their families via a great vacation.

These great deals have surfaced due to the weaker British currency as compared to last year. As of now, a pound is equivalent to $1.5 as compared to last year where it was $2 to one pound.

Trivago spokesperson Sian Williams said that not many people realize that there are a lot of budget-friendly deals on European holidays. She added that in order to come up with the best deal possible, one must spend time comparing prices of flights and hotel rates online.

Another great tip of travelers, Williams said that the rates are usually higher during school holidays so if you want lesser rates, considering going on a vacation where there’s lesser demand or off peak. She added that European cities such as Barcelona and Madrid in Spain have good deals that you might want to consider when you go on a vacation. These deals are offered in light with the recent survey that more people are still saving up for a vacation despite the economic crisis.

The New South Wales (NSW) state government has reportedly sent an order to parents not to allow their children to attend school for a week if they’ve spent holidays in other countries that were identified to have widespread swine flu incidents. The order takes place as soon as they return to Australia. This precautionary measure has to be made in order to avoid the spread of virus in case the children had contracted it until such time that a vaccine has been made.

This development will certainly make the parents ponder on future holiday plans. The ban will reportedly last until August this year, the time where a vaccine is estimated to become available to the public.

The countries identified to have several cases of swine flu are Mexico, Canada, Panama, Japan, United States, Spain, Britain and other European countries.

Kerry Chant, the Chief Health Officer of the State, said that the implementation of the restriction will be spearheaded by the Department of Education.

The seven-day or one week period is deemed enough to determine if the child has contracted the illness during the holidays.

A spokesperson for the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) revealed that Caribbean holidays remain as the top destination among vacations. Despite the financial crisis and the seemingly high prices of this particular vacation, more and more individuals still picked the Caribbean as the best place to be.

PSA spokesman Penny Guy said that decision making among vacationers depend on the destination itself.

A published articled titled Cruise report 2009 revealed that more than seventy percent of the UK holiday goes will spend just as much as they did last year. About 78 percent of the people in the 45 to 55 demographic are in fact willing to spend more if given the chance.

It has been specified that one of the key attractions of going on a Caribbean holiday extravaganza is the world-class entertainment that the patrons get in the cruise ships.

Guy said that there’s a big change in lifestyle among Britons wherein age is no longer a major factor when it comes to choosing what adventure to take. In fact, she said that the older generation are all set to try a new adventure in a place outside the country.