Even though I may end up paying more than the cost of my ticket on baggage, taxes and airport check-in and end up landing in an airport two hours from the place I thought I was going- I find that I simply cannot resist the offer of a dream trip to a second rate tourist destination for €35. All is fair in the world of travel...right? The reality is that budget airlines have become a permanent fixture in our credit crunch society. The downside is that gone are the days when travelling was an easy and relaxing venture, the upside is it gives couples a chance to break from the hustle and bustle of Ireland, with little expense...but a lot of hassle.

Egypt is more popular in history books and films than as a tourist hotspot, although over the past decade, it has taken off as a popular holiday destination, Darragh Gibson shows you why.

Karen Birney takes a trip to the most secret Santa of them all.

‘New York?’ ‘Maybe.’ ‘Chicago?’ ‘That could be nice.’ ‘Santa Barbara?’ ‘I’m sorry, where?’ This is an exact conversation between my friend Claire and I when we began throwing out ideas for last year’s summer vacation. I’m not going to get into why we chose Santa Barbara because frankly I’m not really sure, but the point is that we arrived in the most secret of the Californian Santas with suitcases full of flip-flops, purses full of atm cards and two whole months to fill with sun, sea, sand, and shopping.

Already the most popular tourist destination in Central Europe, the capital of the landlocked Czech Republic is fast becoming the capital of lip-locked bohemian romance.