Travel Counsellors offers holiday packages to the best loved cities in the world. What are you in the mood for? Is it a cruise along the Thames, followed by a hit play or musical in London’s West End, completed by cocktails at the Ritz? Perhaps you’d like to see Madame Butterfly in Paris’ famous opera house, before going to a jazz club in the Latin Quarter? If you have the urge to shop for bargains and luxurious designer goods, book a holiday to Hong Kong, a vibrant city that blends new and old traditions. If you need to energize yourself, head to Bangkok, a bustling city that has a spiritual core, not to mention world-class resorts, spas, markets and dining.

 

Consider a destination that has style and sophistication. If you’d like to surround yourself in luxury, Dubai is the place to be. Its hotels are legendary for design, service and pure opulence. And shopping malls are designed both for sightseeing tourists and serious shoppers alike. Meanwhile, Sydney has a sophistication that is accessible to all budgets, whether you’re dancing the night away at a popular club harbour side, or exploring the markets for locally designed fashions.

 

When you’re craving something more exotic and different, head to travel spots that are emerging as top city destinations. Rio de Janeiro has a unique kind of liveliness that you can feel on the streets, and at the beach. Locals and visitors mingle together as they tap their toes and move their bodies to Latin beats, and leisurely sip cups of espresso at a busy café, while you people watch and soak up the atmosphere. Beijing too is now on the world’s tourism radar. As home to the 2008 summer Olympics, it has boosted the quality and quantity of its offerings for visitors, making it a city that is ripe for discovery.

 

One study showed that the risk of heart disease goes down by as much as 30 per cent for those who take annual holidays. Researchers feel that a reduction in stress during holidays is responsible for the positive health benefits.