101 Short Breaks relaunches with new editor

March 1, 2012 - PRLog -- The travel inspiration website, 101 Short Breaks, has relaunched with a new editor, Annabelle Thorpe, plus many new ideas on how to sneak away for the weekend.

Annabelle has worked at The Times and The Express and writes for numerous publications including The Guardian, The Telegraph and Marie Claire. She is the author of books including 52 Great British Weekends and Britain’s Best Beach Escapes.

Her suggestions for a short break of up to four nights include:

Hire a retro VW camper in the West Country
Take the train to Venice with an overnight stop in the Alps
Stay in a log cabin in the Forest of Dean
Rent your own lighthouse on the North Devon Coast

Annabelle believes it is possible to enjoy a great holiday even by taking only a couple of days off work – and working within a tight budget.

"Time is our most precious commodity these days and short breaks are a great way to step off the treadmill for a day or two,” she says.

“Whether you fancy glamping in Cornwall, cooking in Tuscany or lazing by a pool in Palma, there's never been a bigger choice of ways to spend a weekend, and in the current economic climate, more and more companies are finding innovative ways to offer budget stays.”

Visitors explore the 101 recommendations by hovering over a grid of images. They can filter the options by budget, destination or experience (for example, “I want to be romantic”, “I want to be amazed” or “I want to hit the beach”).

All budgets are covered, from renting a room from a local from £26 per night to blowing the budget on a private jet trip to France.

Many of the holiday ideas are in the UK, which Annabelle says offers many hidden treasures. Her ideas include luxury camping in the grounds of a country estate, wine-tasting weekends in Gloucestershire and seafood trails in Scotland.

http://www.101holidays.co.uk/short-breaks/


Annabelle's top tips for making the most of short breaks:

Take the train - faster rail links from St Pancras, and throughout northern Europe, mean that cities including Amsterdam and Lyon are newly accessible by train. It's also a great way to discover lesser-known cities. Lieges and Antwerp in Belgium, Dinard and Tours in France and Rotterdam in Holland are all on fast routes and perfect for a weekend break.
Explore new options. If the budget won't stretch to a hotel, try a house swap or a home stay, or rent a room in a local's home. All are great ways to get a real feel for a city.
Keep it simple.  Our countryside is so diverse that a couple of hours' drive can take you from the city to the coast or from rural bliss to urban pleasures. Try discovering a new city such as Lincoln or Exeter, or explore quiet corners of our countryside such as Shropshire and Suffolk.
Plan Ahead.  Work out what you want to see and do. There's nothing more disappointing than finding out all the museums are closed because it's a Bank Holiday weekend.
Relax. It may be a short break, but it's still a holiday.  See the sights but also make time to sit back and just watch the world go by.

You can follow Annabelle on Twitter @annabellet.

Annabelle is available to media for interviews or expert comment on the subject of short breaks and it happy to provide written tailored suggestions for print and online publications in exchange for links to the site.

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For further press information please contact Fiona Reece or Claire Southern at Fiona Reece PR – fiona@fionareece.com/claire@fionareece.com
or call 01242 211 192 or 07702 684 682

Note to editors:

Annabelle Thorpe is an experienced travel writer who specialises in short breaks. She is author of the new 52 Great British Weekends (published February 2012) and Britain's Best Beach Escapes as well as writing regularly for The Times, Guardian, Telegraph, Express Newspapers, Daily Mail, Marie Claire, MSN Travel and BA Highlife.