THESE are dark days for former travel show presenters, writes Craig Doyle. The holiday season is about to burst into life and in days of old, as anchor of the BBC's Holiday show, I would be in the prime of my travels. Now I am left with only my memories. I no longer get calls from producers asking me if I mind going to Bora Bora instead of Cuba because Shanka Guha wants to go to Havana again.
I swapped the sun and sand for the mud and cold of football and rugby pitches. To be fair, it's only in the midst of an Irish winter that I pine for my life of old. I still love to travel, only these days I have to pay for it so I choose more wisely. Here is my travel wish list for the year ahead.
Adventure
Botswana
Thanks to wonderful wildlife and a conservative tourist policy this is a real gem. The government have made it expensive for tourists to keep numbers down and preserve its natural beauty. It works, and you really get to experience the wilds and dangers of the country. Horse riding through the Okavango Delta alongside herds of impala alongside giraffe and zebra is an unbelievable pleasure, something you simply won't experience on jeep safaris elsewhere in Africa overrun with tourists.
The Makgadikgadi salt pans are like nothing I had seen before, so vast that you have a 360 degree horizon. Jacks Camp is a Hemingway-esque oasis in the middle of it all. Wonderful.
www.africanhorseback.com
Picos
Northern Spain is largely ignored by most Irish holidaymakers and what a mistake. It is far more beautiful than the crass overdeveloped resorts of the Costas. As it's the Atlantic coast the water is a little chilly, but the beaches tend to be unspoilt and the villages free from the Paddies Irish-bar brigade. The highlight for me is the Picos d'Europa, a severe mountain range in the isolated region of Asturias in Green Spain. You can take a cable car high into the massif, then walk through valleys, roam old pack-horse trails and cross Roman bridges. If you are feeling very brave you can canoe down the Deva or even abseil down through the gorge. There are some brilliant small local B&Bs and hotels.
www.pura-aventura.com
Alaska
It seems more people are being lured to the freezing wilderness, so after climbing Everest, this is the ultimate below-zero adventure. Mush your own dog sled team on a tour across the Alaska wilderness, witness the Northern Lights, incredible wilderness scenery, fabulous wildlife including moose, caribou and eagles.
www.alaskatours.com
Morocco
This is one of the most exciting destinations and relatively close to home. Marrakech is beautiful, bizarre, bananas; it's all there and all based around the Djema el-Fna, where you'll find one-armed boxers, snake charmers and food stalls serving everything from chicken tajinnes to sheep brains. But the real adventure begins in the Atlas Mountain, where you can hike through the amazing scenery and camp out in Bedouin tents.
www.visitmorocco.com
Family getaways
Lanzarote
The tag of "Lanza-grotty" is well and truly gone. I feel this Island, the most easterly of the Canary Islands, has been unfairly treated in the past. Thanks to its most celebrated son, César Manrique, there is very little high-rise development and outside of Puerto del Carmen you'll find some very good hotels. My favourite is the Princess Yaiza on the Costa Blanca. It's a purpose built family resort, but is still stylish enough for the grown-ups. As well as being numerous pools, it is beside a protected Sandy bay and an old fishing village. Family holidays are never easy, but trust me; this place helps with some of the pain!
www.princessyaiza.com
Kelly's
There can't be many people in Ireland who don't know about this family-run hotel on Rosslare Strand. There are some who feel Kelly's hotel has grown too big and is too much of a Dubliners' hang-out. I disagree. It has had to grow with time, and its popularity has spread across the country and the UK. There is a good reason for that: it is simply the best family hotel in Ireland. Food-fight in one room while those without little terrors fine-dine next door. This place simply works!
www.kellys.ie
Mount Tremblant, Canada
North America may seem a bit of a hike for a family skiing holiday, but if the kids are very young, it's worth the hassle. The Laurentian mountain resort is a purpose-built affair with no expense spared. The kiddies nursery slope has a "travelator" and is right beside the main hotel, so there's no fear of them freezing, and it's easy to bring them in for a snooze when the inevitable strop arrives. The entire village and hotel is ski-in, ski-out, and there is none of the rudeness you find on the European slopes at peak times. The Fairmont hotel was my favourite and it's all just two hours from Montreal airport.
www.Fairmont.com
Scilly Isles
Once described as 2,000 drunks clinging to a rock, the Scilly Isles may not be the first place that comes to mind when planning a family holiday, but it should be on the list. Just 28 miles off the southwest coast of Britain, it's said to always be two degrees warmer than the mainland. It's an archipelago of five inhabited Islands, the largest being St Mary's. As it sits bang in the path of the Gulf Stream, it has a subtropical climate with beautiful beaches and a laid-back island feel. There is not a huge amount to do when the sun goes down, but when it's shining you and the kids will love it.
www.simplyscilly.co.uk
Journeys
Mexico/ Central America
The Pan-American Highway is a mostly complete system of roads that begins in Alaska and ends in Argentina. The section of the Highway from the US-Mexican border through Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and into Panama is on pretty good roads suitable for the adventurous, and ends at the Darién Gap - the largely impassable rainforest in Panama.
The Amazon
A trip down the Amazon would have struck fear into most holidaymakers a few years ago, but we have become more adventurous and tourism has become more sophisticated. You can now take a smaller cruise ship or riverboat to get closer to the natural environment of the Amazon, one of the world's longest rivers. The water is high in May, making for great bird and primate watching, as well as side-trips into tributaries. Visit Indian tribal villages as the cruise heads farther into the jungle.
Newfoundland
When I arrived in St John's, the capital of Newfoundland, I was met by a guide who, in a thick Dublin accent said, "Howya, hope you have a wicked time". I obviously asked which part of the city he came from, but he had never been overseas. The connection with Ireland is so deep that accents as well as names are inherited. This feels like a journey back in time as well a physical one through some stunning landscapes. Spot whales and icebergs, go skiing and hiking or just potter around this strangely familiar land.
www.newfoundlandlabrador.com
Swimming in Greece
I got an interesting response from my wife when I suggested this as a romantic holiday. Needless to say it is unrepeatable, but I am desperate to experience it. Perhaps it is better described as a fantastic journey. The Cyclades have some of the most beautiful beaches and water in the Mediterranean great for swimming, which is what this holiday is all about.
The most you will swim in a day is 5km, and you are likely to see seals, turtles and dolphins on your way to wherever you want. You have a guide and your bags are brought ahead, but other than that you have utter freedom. The tricky thing is getting someone to go with you.
www.Swimtrek.com
Culture & festivals
Burning Man
Billed as a week long art festival, this free-for-all- bacchanal and celebration of human diversity has reached mythic proportions in America. Festivities include impromptu performance art, music, wild costumes and lots of weird and wonderful activities that take place in this "instant city" created in the Nevada Desert.
www.burningman.com
Valencia
The Fallas Festival is in honour of St Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. But there is little in the form of woodwork during this three week festival in south-eastern Spain. It would make more sense if he was the patron saint of massive firework displays, fiery destruction and general anarchy, because that's basically what happens.
The Fallas are giant sculptures which are judged during the festivities and then burn at the end. There is much drinking and chocolate eating in between. Now that's a festival!
www.comunitatvalenciana.com
Edinburgh Fringe
Two things you must know about Edinburgh. First, it is the most beautiful and atmospheric city in the UK. Second, the Fringe festival isn't half as annoying as it sounds. The cobbled streets of the old town lend themselves perfectly to the world's largest arts festival. The performances every August can be hit-and-miss, but fun is a certainty. My favourite hotel is The Scotsman. The former newspaper building has a great bar and one of the coolest swimming pools I have seen.
www.edfringe.com
Wexford opera festival
I don't love opera but I love Wexford town. But when the Wexford Opera Festival is on, I can't but enjoy it. As a child, my best mate Joe used to drag me along to the festival, as his father was a performer. I can't remember any of the music but I do remember the atmosphere, the people strolling around the old narrow streets in tuxedos and ball gowns.
It is still a magical time in the town, even more so this year as the new opera house will be open.
www.wexfordopera.com
Romance
British Virgin Islands
I fell deeply in love on my first filming trip with the BBC's Holiday programme. She was 40 foot long and had a teak deck and I was all over her.
As with so many holiday romances, I cannot remember her name, but she was a beauty, and it was the best sailing trip I have ever been on. It's easy water to get around if you are not very experienced, as you are always close to land. Stay within the BVI as the US Virgin Islands are a bit naff.
My highlights? Leaping off my boat to swim to the Soggy Dollar Beach bar (named for obvious reasons) and a night in Foxy's Beach Bar on Jost Van Dyke, reputedly the best place in the world to be on New Year's Eve. You can take a peak on his live web cam at www.foxysbar.com to see for yourself.
Sunsail are pretty good at this type of boat hire trip, I have used them a number of times.
www.bviholidays.com
Connemara
Okay, stop laughing. This truly is a romantic part of the world, especially if you stay in my all-time favourite B&B. I did plan on keeping Dolphin Beach a secret, but I accidentally told Ryan Tubridy about it on his radio show and the news of this little gem is out. It's on the Skye road, a few miles from Clifden and is run by the lovely Foyle family. They look after you without being intrusive and have personalised the rooms. The setting, as you might expect in that part of the world, is sublime. Now unlike Tubs, just try to keep it to yourself please!
www.dolphinbeachhouse.com
Madeira
Let's be honest, romance is fine as long as it's convenient, and thanks to the new Aer Lingus route to Funchal, Madeira is now a handy little romantic stop-off. It had a
reputation as being a pensioners' paradise, but with almost all-year-round sunshine, that was always going to change - and it has.
There is a night life these days, and a bombardment of boutique hotels.
My favourite is Choupana Hills Resort & Spa, which looks down on Funchal. It's chic, luxurious and, if I hadn't been there with a hairy film crew, I might even have found it
romantic.
www.choupanahills.com
Monart
For most parents, Romance is the odd night away, when you can find a babysitter. Monart Spa, just outside Enniscorthy, is the perfect place for those 24 hours of, well whatever you fancy. It's extremely laid back with one of the nicest spas I have visited on my travels.
www.monart.ie
Natural wonders
Chile
It's my favourite all-round destination and there is so much to talk about. Here are a few of the highlights.
The Lake District is a beautiful region with 12 great lakes, hot springs, snow-capped mountains and waterfalls. Fast-growing Temulco is a major market town and Parque Nacional Conguillio is one of the most popular parks, with the active Llaima Volcano. Lago Villarrica offers resorts on one of regions most beautiful lakes.
Take to the fjords of Chile on a sailboat and enjoy stunning natural beauty as you cruise to the San Rafael Glacier and hot springs. Or, trek through the awesome scenery of glaciers, alpine valleys and snow-capped mountains for several days, and round off the adventure by kayaking across a lagoon.
www.coxandkings.co.uk
The Falklands
While in Chile, make the short hop down to the Falklands. It is fascinating on many levels. Life in Stanley, the southern most capital in the world, is like rural England in the 1950s. Reminders of the war are everywhere, from old crashed aircraft and helicopters half buried in fields, to Tumbledown Mountain, the scene of the war's bloodiest battle. It all feels very recent, as bits of Argentine army kit still litter the area. Then there is the wildlife which is unbelievable!
www.visitorfalklands.com
Dublin-born Craig Doyle presented the BBC Holiday show for six seasons. In 2004 he joined BBC sports. He starts a new job as ITN sports anchor next month. He lives in Wicklow with his wife and three children
Craig Doyle's book Travel: Where to Go When, published by Dorling Kindersley, is in the bookshops. His new book Americas: Where to Go When is published in October