BA’s gentle recline
BRITISH Airways is to fit non-reclining seats on short-haul planes like those used by budget airlines. The 35 Airbus A320neoand A321neo planes, which will join the airline’s Heathrow-based fleet during this year, will instead have a fixed “gentle recline” position. Airlines including easyJet and Ryanair already feature seats than cannot be moved. See the Northern Lights while the nights are long. But avoid hugely expensive and isolated igloos and ice hotels by heading instead to the appealing Norwegian coastal city of Tromso, where there’s more than just star-gazing to do. A four-day break, including an Aurora Safari, costs from £570, best-served.co.uk.
If you must have heat, then Sri Lanka will be at its best this month – the island is like a continent in miniature, with tea-estate hills in the centre and lovely beaches around the coast. An all-inclusive week in a Beruwela resort, plus flights, costs from £1,185, firstchoice.co.uk. Spring will be starting to appear around the Mediterranean. This is a brilliant time for Mallorca, particularly because of all the peachy almond and orange blossom. Explore peaceful inland villages by bicycle for four nights, half board, from £698, flights extra. See inntravel. co.uk. Meanwhile Egypt’s Red Sea is really beginning to hot up – excellent snorkelling, proper warmth and great deals, including seven nights all-inclusive in Hurghada from £545. See redseaholidays.co.uk. The white villages and dramatic wildflowercovered hills of Andalucia, southern Spain, are great for walking before the summer comes. Expect to see eagles and griffon vultures as you wend your way to Ronda. A self-guided, fivenight trip, walking up to five hours a day, with accommodation and some meals, but not flights, is £625. See onfootholidays.co.uk.
If you’d rather not walk but you like the idea of spring flowers, April is the best time to visit the Dutch tulip fields, which paint the landscape in lurid stripes. A four-day, coach-based trip, staying B&B, costs from £269. See newmarketholidays.co.uk. This is a good month for active exploration, particularly to Mediterranean destinations or even Portugal, where prices are keen and it’ll be warm enough for the hotel pool.
Join a group tour that combines Lisbon, Oporto and the port-producing Douro river valley. Eight days, including flights and some meals, from £899, rivieratravel.co.uk.
If you’d rather not fly but like the group tour idea, head over to Germany’s Harz Mountains to see fairytale villages and follow the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Seven days, coach-based, including most meals, from £549, leger.co.uk. This is a brilliant month for Sweden, when everything is fresh and green, and where applecheeked blondes are out swimming in the lakes. Cross the country with a classic old steamship on the Göta Canal, taking six days to sail in fine style st from Gothenburg to Stockholm. All meals, but bu not flights, from £1,190 – gotacanal.se.
If you’d like to be a bit more ambitious and re really taste the magnificence of Scandinavian co coastal scenery, then cruise all the way up the N Norwegian coast and witness the midnight sun on the year’s longest day. Six days, full board, fl flights extra, from £565. See hurtigruten.co.uk. School’s c out and of course that’s when we see prices pr rising accordingly – especially with the pound po so weak against the euro. So the time has ha come to think about ut noneurozone eu beach destinations de such as Bulgaria, whose Black Sea e resorts like Sunny Ba Bay are well suited for fa families. A July week co costs from £374, flight an and hotel. See ba balkanholidays.co.uk.