Greece
Drinking ouzo, smashing plates, swimming in a warm sea at midnight, eating a late supper on a vine-drenched terrace, relaxing under olive trees, visiting the Minoan palaces or the ruins of the Acropolis, or even visiting the gods on Mount Olympus are all possible ways to spend your time in Greece.
Arguably the birthplace of the civilised world, Greek history spans four millennia. Greece gave the world literature, drama and philosophy, not to mention the Olympic Games. As well as the Ancient Greeks, the country contains the history of many other great powers, including the Romans, Arabs and the Byzantine Empire.
But the country is not just a museum of great civilisations. Travellers book flights to mainland Greece to visit some often overlooked wonders of spectacular natural beauty alongside historical sites. Lakes, mountains and volcanoes can all be explored.
More than 100 of the famed Greek islands are inhabited and hopping from one to another is the perfect beach holiday. Partying, quiet contemplation and everything in between is catered for somewhere on one of the islands. Most Greece flights arrive via Athens, but many of the islands have their own airports and plenty of ferries operate between them.
Spain
Spain needs no introduction. It's the country of the green North and the sunny costas, the flamenco and tapas, the solemn church processions and the joyous fiestas, the bucket-and-spade holiday and the cultural city break, the siesta and late-night partying.
Britain's love affair with the country is going strong; almost every week an airline introduces more cheap flights to Spain and its holiday islands (Canary Islands – Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura – and Balearic Islands – Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza).
The Costa del Sol is the family-holiday favourite taking in the resort towns of Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Mijas and Marbella. The Costa Brava in northeastern Spain is fantastic for family hols too while the big, sandy beaches of the Costa de la Luz, running from the Straits of Gibraltar to Portugal, are becoming more popular.
Madrid is the capital, an elegant city with three world-class treasure-packed galleries within a few minutes' walk of each other. Barcelona is cool with wonderfully preserved medieval streets and those world-famous Gaudi buildings.
Malaga is the gateway to the Costa del Sol, and Seville, further west, is a vibrant city that comes to life in springtime with the Semana Santa and Feria de Abril.
Lanzarote
The small volcanic island of Lanzarote has a much more laid-back feel to it than its sister Canary islands Tenerife and Gran Canaria. But don't dismiss it as a sleepy beach town, this popular destination draws travellers from all over the world to book flights to the Canaries year-round.
Nature is the biggest attraction on this 38-mile wide island, but travellers on Lanzarote flights also find the back-to-basics attitude of the island to be compelling. Lanzarote has a desert-like climate and Unesco declared the entire island a biosphere reserve in 1993. Main tourist attractions include the harbour packed with fishing boats, the stunning clean beaches and the coastal promenade.
