Beach Breaks - The Quick Tan Top Up When most British holidaymakers think of a weekend break abroad, they tend to think of a city break. Indeed, city breaks have rapidly become one of the most popular short holiday choices for the British public. Cities such as Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona are busy throughout the year with Brits enjoying a little break from their everyday lives. To many the thought of going on a beach holiday for a short break would break with tradition, however growing numbers of savvy travellers are discovering the joys of being in work one minute and then basking on a sun kissed beach a couple of hours later... Traditionally, the British are very predictable when it comes to holidaymaking. Every year literally thousands of people take there usual two weeks off to find some sunshine in Spain, Greece or Florida. Beach holidays are seen as the main annual break where people can switch off for a fortnight, sit in the sun and unwind. Long weekend's and shorter breaks throughout the year usually involve visiting a hotel in the UK or a perhaps a city break abroad. However, forward thinking companies such as http://www.superbreak.com have started to challenge these traditions and open up UK consumers to the idea of beach breaks that can be enjoyed over a shorter period of time. Perhaps one of the main reasons why such breaks are becoming more accessible are the discount airlines such as http://www.aerlingus.com or http://www.easyjet.com offering cheap return flights to popular sunshine resorts such as Ibiza, Gran Canaria and Cyprus. Combining these discount flights with the abundance of hotel and accommodation deals that are on offer means that beach breaks are becoming increasingly competitive. Popular Destinations: Until the escalation of the problems in the Middle East, Dubai was seeing year on year increases in volumes of tourists. Since 2003 numbers have dropped slightly but in reality Dubai is an extremely safe destination - with a host of beautiful beach resorts available to the avid sun seeker. The consistent climate means that sunshine is guaranteed all year round - with only five days of rainfall expected in the average year. However, beware - in the summer months the heat can be unbearable and temperatures can sore to the high forties! Slightly closer to home the Canary Islands have always been a popular destination for the British public. Set off the coast of West Africa the archipelago enjoys a warm sunshine all year round, duty free prices and are home to some of the best beaches in the world. Gran Canaria is the perfect getaway for a beach break. Almost 60 of the 236 kilometres of the islands coastline consist of beaches - many of which are famed for their white sands, transparent water and cleanliness - a paradise only a short flight away from the UK. Similarly to Gran Canaria, with its mild climate and wondrous scenery, Majorca has long been a favourite with the British holiday makers. The largest of the Beleric Islands, Majorca offers everything that the Brits look for in a traditional beach holiday - sun, beaches and nightlife. As a general rule the beach resorts on the south of the island - such as Magaluf - are more lively and suited to the younger crowd. However, island has something to offer everyone and the relatively short flight mean it is an ideal venue for a short beach break. Overall, taking 2-3 days to top up your tan is becoming easier to do for the UK traveller and the appeal of being on a beach in an exotic location a matter of hours after leaving your work is strong. All you need to do is pick your destination, get your hotel and make the last crucial decision...factor 8 or 9? About the Author: Edinburgh based travel writer. http://www.travel-tips.co.uk

Most people, who go on a family beach vacation, take plenty of photographs. Once you're home and you view or print them out; are you ecstatic, bored, or disappointed? Be honest, now! Does this sound familiar… You arrive at your destination, check the place out, and quickly change to go to the beach. Happily, you've remembered to take your sun block, nose plugs, and bathing suit. Maybe you remembered your camera, maybe you didn't. Going on a family beach vacation brings up contradicting desires. On the one hand, you want everyone to have a wonderful, fun, relaxing, memorable vacation. On the other hand, most people don't want to do what's required to preserve the memories. We will show you how to have the best of both worlds. By providing photography tips, you can capture outstanding beach vacation pictures, enjoy taking the photos, and ensure that when you look at the photos at home, you won't be thinking: "Was this OUR vacation!?!" Can’t-Miss Beach Vacation Photo Tips 1) Packing the Right Equipment When you pack for your dream beach vacation, remember these essential items: Camera, batteries, memory cards, camera case, battery chargers, external flash (if available), tripod, and portable digital storage device. If you have an abundance of memory, you can leave the storage device at home. 2) Consider These Purchases I know… you’re already spending more than you want to on the vacation. So the last thing you want is some stranger suggesting you spend more on photo accessories. But, read on and find out what these low cost accessories will do for you before you skip to Tip #3. Consider purchasing a circular polarizer filter for your lens. STRONGLY consider it! It will be one of the least expensive accessories you can buy, and you will LOVE the results. What are the results? A bluer sky, the ability to see objects under water, and creating colors that will “pop” off the page. 3) Insurance Do you have insurance on your possessions? Did your camera cost more than $25.00? Then do yourself a big favor and buy a UV filter to place over your lens for protection. If your lens becomes damaged, your camera is ruined. You can probably get a good UV filter for under $20.00. 4) The Magical Landscape Shot If there are colorful bluffs, harbors, or other landscape picture opportunities on your beach vacation, you want to capture them, of course. Not only that, but wouldn't it also be impressive to add some family member(s) to the shot and have the people AND the background in focus? Set your F-stop for a high number (at least F-11, or at the "infinity" or "landscape" setting of your camera). Position the people in the foreground, the landscape in the background. Focus on your human subject(s), while being at least 15 feet away (25 is even better, if you have a telephoto). Adjust the circular polarizer filter to obtain the desired shade of blue in the sky. Skip this step if you didn’t purchase a filter. Don’t worry, though. If you don’t like the vividness of the sky after the print is developed, you can always take out a magic marker and color the sky. (You didn’t hear that from me.) Finally, gently squeeze the shutter and… voila! A perfect “postcard” photograph. 5) Silhouettes Silhouette beach vacation pictures (or, non-beach vacation pictures for that matter) produce one of the most artistic and/or emotional-looking photographs possible. Most people never take silhouette photographs, and yet, they are just as easy as photographs taken during the day light. The best time to take silhouette photos is from approximately 1 hour before sunset, to 1⁄2 hour after sunset. Use evaluative or matrix metering (which is probably your default metering mode anyway), and focus on the HUMAN SUBJECTS, with plenty of the cloud-filled sky in the background. Then compose the shot, as desired. Did I mention that sunset shots without clouds are fairly disappointing? Sort of like winning the lottery and losing the ticket. The silhouette effect results from the camera thinking the overall scene is brighter than it is, and therefore under-exposes the dark areas (human subjects). To see sample photos and additional tips, check out http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/beach-vacation.html Article courtesy of http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com , where you can see numerous sample pictures & photography tips on many subjects and events. Copyright 2005 Robert Bezman. All rights reserved. About the Author: Robert Bezman is a professional photographer and owner of Custom Photographic Expressions. Robert has created http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com to help the digital photography users create better photographs. Robert has a blog at http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com/family-photography-news.html