It’s amazing how little we tend to know about the countries we live in, especially when it comes to tourism. We are so keen to go abroad nowadays that we often turn down the opportunity to get to know what is on our own doorsteps.

If you are in the position to have two holidays in a year, it makes sense for one of them to be at home. Pick somewhere that comes highly recommended where you can relax, enjoy the food and drink, enjoy the outdoors and experience a particular flavour of the region.

People are often surprised by how good a time they can have when the holiday at home.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with deciding to go on a beach holiday in the summer when that is what you really fancy. Sometimes the idea of going to a festival abroad, travelling around different cities, enjoying various adventurous pursuits or voyages of discovery and so on and so forth just seems too much like hard work when all you want is to relax.

In this event, you should indulge your instincts and go for a holiday that genuinely allows you to unwind. Prioritise the things that matter to you in terms of relaxation. These might include good food and drink, a quiet place by the sea, a good climate, great views and few other holidaymakers among other things.

There is definitely something to be said for visiting a city more than once. It is often the case that you will go on a city break and then tick that destination off your list of places to go when you get home. However, city breaks are not just about seeing the sights. They are also about experiencing the flavour of the city.

This is something that you can only do in part on your first visit. After all, the flavour of the city could be entirely different in a different season when other exciting things are going on and the mood of the city changes.

It can be hard to choose between a trip abroad and a music festival when you can only really afford to do one of them in the summer. However, it is a good idea to combine the two by going to a music festival abroad.

This is a fantastic way of making sure that you get plenty of sun, sea and sand, at the same time as getting your fix in terms of live music. Until you can afford to have it all your own way, it makes sense to try and pack as much into one trip as you can.

It is really nice to be able to get to know a city particularly well. If you live in the UK then there are certain cities around Europe that are very easy to get to. Places like Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam and other famous cities are easily reached via inexpensive airlines.

What this actually means is that you can go back time and time again. It might seem odd that you should visit one city over and over again when you have not seen some of the other cities around the world, but it is difficult to get a full appreciation for what a city has to offer unless you get all the touristy things out of the way first.

Then you can focus on really soaking up the vibe of the place and getting to grips with its less obvious charms.