It’s warm in Madeira and the Canaries right now. And right now you could cruise there and back on a FRED. OLSEN LINES Winter Cruise (depar¬tures from London every Thurs¬day up to May 5). If you book quickly you may qualify for a reduced fare. The fully-stabil¬ised, one-class Blenheim and Black Watch are equipped with relaxing lounges and bars, plenty of deck space, shops and more. The cabins are very comfortable and the Norwegian food is superb. No wonder many passengers are to be found taking their third, even their fourth Fred. Olsen Lines winter cruise.

Madeira in Portugal

Holland’s bulbfields in the spring are spectacular. And cruising along the canals aboard a BOTEL is the way to see them. This ‘floating hotel’ (it always ties up overnight) sails from Amsterdam via Arnhem, Dordrecht, Gouda, Haarlem and Zaandam. Visits to Rotterdam, Aalsmeer and Volendam are included and there are optional excursions to the Hague and Scheveningen. The service is friendly, the meals varied and the single or double cabins cosy (many with private bath). 8 days with 1st class return rail/sea travel from London, from £181 ,

Get to know Norway and have a winter-break ‘tonic’ on a FRED. OLSEN-BERGEN LINE mini-cruise. Sailing from Newcastle you call at Kristiansand, Stavanger and Bergen (time to explore ashore at each) and see many fjords and islands. On board your floating hotel you’ll enjoy excellent food (including the famous Nor¬wegian Cold Table !), dancing and duty-free drinks. And a helpful hostess is always on hand. Monday departures from £39, Thursday depar¬tures from £49, excluding meals. Longer Nor wegian winter-breaks available, too.

How far will your holiday money go this summer ? You can stretch your budget further on CTC CRUISES because everything you buy on board is in sterling? Departing from Tilbury or Southampton, you can cruise to the Northern Capitals; the Atlantic islands; or the Mediter¬ranean and the Black Sea with special inclusive excursions to Moscow or Leningrad. (Each cruise includes 5 or 6 ports of call.) The one-class ships offer all kinds of amenities. There’s no tipping and medical attention is free. Fares
from around f200 for 14 nights.

Your children will have the time of their young lives on a PG L ADVENTURE HOLIDAY. For 1 or 2 weeks helped and encouraged by friendly, expert instructors and supervisors, they’ll combine sailing on Lake Liangorse, pony trekking in the Black Mountains and canoeing on the River Wye with many other activities such as archery, Caving, mountain walking and orienteering. Or they can choose a similar holiday in the South of France. The children are grouped by age — 7-9′s, 9-12′s and 12-17′s — so they all holiday happily at their own pace.

Action Holidays by PENNWORLD are for get-up-and-go people — even if it’s just for two weeks. No two groups are ever the same. You might find yourself travelling by special Minibus, a Desertbus, coach or even local transport, combined with camping and occasional stays in inexpensive accommodation. So options can be kept open and daily itineraries left flexible enabling a group to stay longer in one place if they wish. Two weeks could take you to Greece, the Middle East or Turkey.