At the foot of the Arabian Peninsula, just south of the regions travel-hub Dubai, lies one of Arabia’s best kept secrets. The Sultanate of Oman.

Oman, only recently on the travel map, is a coastal delight. Picturesque, pristine beaches cover the 2,000km of coastline. The crisp blue waters are cool and welcoming with a diverse array of sea-life for both the beginner and experienced diver. Old dhows, traditional Arabic yachts, have been converted for day trips along the coast to take in the breathtaking sunsets over the rugged mountains surrounding the capital, Muscat.

Muscat lies just a few hours drive from Dubai’s main airport or a short 45-minute flight. Even closer is the country’s ecologically diverse northern province of Musandam at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, which boasts some of the best diving in the region. The country is a popular escape for Emirati’s from the hustle and bustle of Dubai and perfect for a weekend getaway for holiday-makers spending a few weeks in the UAE.

In 2009 Oman was awarded one of the Lonely Planets prestigious Top 10 must see countries. With a coastline brightly lit with the traditional white huts, stunning beaches and a desert fitting of Lawrence of Arabia, it is not hard to see why.

Just a few hours drive from the coast, travellers can spend a night gazing at the desert stars with the luxury adventure travel company Desert Nights Camp. The company offers FWD adventure tours, camel rides, and traditional Bedouin music.

Camping and trekking trips to the beautiful Jebel Ali mountain are a must. Stop off and visit one of the 500-odd mudbrick towers and forts, explore the immense wadis and rugged moonscape mountain ranges of inner Oman. While the old capital, Nizwa, maintains a wonderful souk and farmers market where you can buy or trade your family goat.

Relatively untouched by the wave of unrest gripping the region, Sultan Qaboos has led the country to top the UN’s 2010 Human Development Index, almost doubling life expectancy since coming to power and making significant headway in literacy and healthcare.

The country’s southern region of Salalah is a popular summer escape for the entire region. The yearly monsoon turns the southern desert green. Flora and fauna explode over the rolling hills of the southern region and temperatures drop to a beautiful 20 to 30 degrees – unique for a region where summer temperatures can rise to 50 degrees Celsius.

Oman is etched in the history of the region, once a powerful seafaring state that stretched from Baluchistan in modern-day Pakistan to Zanzibar in Tanzania. Their long seafaring history has made local Omani’s warm and welcoming. Climb aboard a local fishing boat for a taste of local life, lose yourself in the maze of the wonderful frankincense-scented souk in downtown Muscat or try your hand at gutting a fish at the local fish market.

From luxury to adventure to the history buff, The Sultanate of Oman offers a fantastic and truly unique travel experience for all.

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To avoid problems you have to play by Tiger’s rules. Here are some top tips on how to do that.

1. If you have no luggage to check in, be careful of the Web Check-in rules to avoid extra fees

If you don’t have any baggage to check in you should use the Web Check-in facility when booking, and don’t forget to actually do it before heading to the airport. If you show up to the airport check-in desk without any luggage to check you will be charged $20.

2. Take their check-in and boarding times seriously

Getting to the airport early may not be in your genetic make up but Tiger are not messing with their check-in and boarding times.

They will not accept you for travel if you show up at the check-in counter less than 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time of your flight.

If you are not at the boarding gate at least 30 minutes before departure, you will not be getting on. Your baggage will be offloaded and you’ll get no money back.

3. They are strict on any excess baggage, be careful

If any of your checked baggage weighs over 30kg it will be subject to Tiger’s Excess Checked Baggage fees. They don’t seem keen on wriggle room here like other airlines.

Watch out for your carry-on luggage too. You are allowed two pieces provided that it does not exceed the dimensions of 54cm X 38cm X 23cm and that no individual bag exceeds 7kgs. The combined weight of these two bags cannot exceed 10kgs. This is strictly for each person (kids included); don’t assume you can pool this allowance.

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Turkey

We come from a big country, but for some reason Turkey feels even bigger once you start traveling it. Buses seem to be the default transport for travelers – there is a plethora for good value companies and departures are frequent. But who wants to spend 12 hours on a bus?

The inexpensive air-conditioned train, with a bed in your private sleeper, meals in the restaurant car, whilst gently swaying as Turkish scenery rolls past is the best way to get to the great interior.

Try: Overnight from Istanbul to Göreme for the magical landscapes of Cappadocia.

Kazakhstan

You will have heard of the great rail trips in Russia, like the Trans-Siberian, but what about neighbouring Kazakhstan? Comfortable and safe in your private sleeper, you’ll cross the endless sea of steppe where two humped camels flicker past your window. Observe the frenzied action at impossibly remote villages as the train creates an instant, fleeting marketplace on the platform.

Try: Moscow to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, over five days. Continue from there to China.

Vietnam

Why would you fly between destinations in this long country when air-conditioned, safe and cheap trains get you there in much greater comfort, seeing gorgeous scenery on the way? You’ll pay the same price as the Vietnamese, have a bed to stretch out on may meet some locals.

Try: The stunning coastal section between Hué and Danang over the Hai Van Pass.

South Africa

Long-distance passenger trains are perhaps South Africa’s best-kept travel secret. It’s another big country that can be experienced at ground level in much greater comfort than days on a bus. The trains link major cities and are cheap and safe. Enjoy the restaurant cars and the tourist class of sleepers with two and four berth compartments.

Try: Johannesburg to Cape Town over 2 days.

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On 16 May Qantas starts flying its new route to Dallas. So what does this mean for your US travel?

A direct link to America’s South. Did you watch too much Dallas in the 80’s and can’t wait to check Texas out for yourself? Qantas’s direct link puts you in the heart of warm southern hospitality to discover a glamorous urban metropolis with a thriving nightlife. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas, with immense landscapes to get out and explore.

Better airline connections. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DWF) is much better than Qantas’s previous hub, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), for ongoing connections to other parts of the US. It offers a wider range of connections and more options in terms of frequency.

A more pleasant experience that LAX. If you have been to LAX you’ll agree that finding a way to avoid it worth it. DFW is still a major airport but not as busy and badly designed as LAX. However, Qantas does not have a lounge at DFW so you can weigh that up in your benefit analysis of giving LAX a skip.

A really long flight. Flying from Australia to the US is always going to be an endurance event. This route adds a few more hours in one tin can; you need to consider if you can handle it.

You can’t fly on the A380. If the A380 is your preferred choice for comfort you might have to wait a while before you can experience it on this route – only 747-400s will be flying for now. However, given the engine scares last year this may not bother you.

If Texas is where you want to be this route is perfect for you. For other travel it will come down to weighing up for yourself the time savings possibilities and comfort aspects of Qantas’s Dallas route. Whichever way you look at it, having a new choice is a welcome change.

I mean, yeah it’s cool to be able to connect with any part of the world whenever you wish to, but at the same time it is only ever more reason to justify not traveling and checking it out yourself.

A great way to please both worlds, work and leisure, is via a travel package that offers a snapshot of a certain area.

Travel World are giving us the opportunity to check out Vietnam at a glance, with a 12 day package deal.

The offer will set you back anywhere between $3300 and $3750 depending on where you are plying out of in Australia.

The package includes 10 nights accommodation, all meals paid for, all transport and daily tours and entrance fees paid for, as well as a tour escort and local guide during your stay.

In addition the visa fees will be taken care of for all Aussie passport holders.

The aim of the tour is to give tourists a snapshot of Vietnams major cities, including Saigon, Hoi An, Hue, charming Hanoi and the spectacular Ha Long Bay.

The deal is available now though Flight Centre and is valid for sale until July 15.

Train travel has been a growing trend in recent years and many tourists have actually fallen in love with the idea of setting up in a moving form of transport that allows you to enjoy the spectacular sights form ground level.

One company that offers great train services is Australia’s Great Train Journeys, which specialize in tours around Australia.

One of the most popular routes is from Sydney to Perth, stopping over in Adelaide.
As is the case with ships, trains also get a name and in this instance it is the Indian Pacific that makes the journey possible.

The Indian Pacific takes you from one great ocean to another on one of the world’s longest and greatest train journeys.

Most of your cruising will be across the vast continent of Australia, from the spectacular Blue Mountains to the treeless plains of The Nullarbor desert, where the train travels the world’s longest straight stretch of railway track (478 kilometers).

As a passenger you will get to see unique landscapes unfold and spot a fascinating array of wildlife from the comfort of the lounge or your cabin. 

You will get up close and see the sights of some of our most famous outback communes and see the fascinating landscape that is so often talked about around the world.

The train ride has scheduled stops at Broken Hill, Adelaide and gold-rich town of Kalgoorlie.

For more information head to www.gsr.com.au

The Kimberley tour in particular is one of the greatest, taking guests to some of the most exotic and recognized areas in the world.

From the scary Wolfe Creek, home to one of Australian best horror movies, to the amazing rivers of the Mitchell Falls, the trip takes you everywhere.

The essential Kimberley four wheel drive tour includes a plethora of locations including:  Tanami desert, Sturt Creek, Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater, Old Halls Creek, Walls of China Bungle Bungles, Old Fitzroy Crossing, Windjana Gorge, Geikie Gorge River cruise, Tunnel creek, Broome, Cable Beach, Prison Boab tree Cape Leveque, Beagle Bay, Gibb River road, Bell Gorge, Lennard Gorge, and the magnificent Sir John Gorge.

If four wheel driving is not enough for you, you can grab yourself a canoe and paddle it down the Dimond Gorge, Manning Gorge, King Edward river or even the exreme Mitchell falls.

The Kimberley has many secrets from time exploring to the Gibb River Road and visiting remote waterfalls as well as secret aboriginal art sites.

The trip finishes at Kununurra with the Lake Argyle Cruise.

Dates: 1-24 June 2009

Location: Alice Springs, NT to Kununurra, WA

Vehicle: 4WD

Accommodation: Camping / Camper Trailer

Price per vehicle: $4,200

The beauty that is on offer along the road on any journey is one of the most missed parts of anyone’s holiday.

So many times people will travel overseas and miss the true beauty of their holiday destination, purely because they traveled in the air, or in a ship where they miss out on all the roadside scenery.

Can you imagine traveling the Great Ocean Road via a boat? Or to do it in an aircraft?

The Victorian tourist attraction is a perfect example of why road travel is a brilliant form of touring around a country.

Of course, time constraints will have its pressures, and it is very hard to see so many places in a car that has a top speed of just 90 kms/hr.

While many people complain that they dislike spending too much time in a car and that driving for more than two hours a day is stressful enough, they often forget that when you are out on the open roads there is little traffic, and, if anything, is actually quite peaceful.

In addition, technology has come a long way in the past decade, and with it has come a whole new breed of five star camper vans, all equipped with bathrooms, kitchens and the luxury of hotels.

There are many vans to choose form, including smaller wagons, to complete mini trucks.

The best way to travel on the road is to find a vehicle that accommodates with all your basic needs, and that is affordable.

AirAsia is the new player in the game, and has this year been welcomed into the market with much delight to customers.

The Asian airline offers routes from Australia to its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, then onto Europe and other Asian destinations.

AirAsia has a network of more than 60 destinations and sale fares to popular destinations from Kuala Lumpur can be found for under the ten-dollar mark.

Flights from KL to Penang can be found for only $9, while to Singapore will set you back an even $10.

A flight to China is selling for around $70, while traveling from KL to London will set you back around $250.

But while the prices if AirAsia are more than appealing, the same can not be said for the luxury and travel comfort that come with the airline.

AirAsia operates under the business slogan, you pay for what you want, and it shows.

After finding it hard to find a park, travelers will have to walk that extra distance to reach the departure, or arrival, lounge.

Here, travelers will witness a smaller than normal waiting room, with barely any seating space, forcing people to cram into the tiny room.

But regardless, AirAsia is about satisfying the low budget travelers, and making overseas travel more affordable for everyone.

Visit: http://www.airasia.com

Holiday packages: http://goholiday.airasia.com

Unlike aircraft travel where you are guaranteed to feel uncomfortable for the long 20 plus hour flight, a cruise ensures up to five star treatment, with some of the best facilities and personal catering.

And for those who find meeting new people a challenge, fear not, boat cruises have an abundance of people, like-minded, all within a 500-meter radius of each other.

If your personal space is what you like, than you can just enjoy the pleasures on sun baking on the top level of a luxury cruise ship, overlooking some of the oceans natural beauty.

Cruises always do their best to ensure every service and amenity is met to make you feel special.

Along with stunning ocean view balcony suites, a glittering array of entertainment, unique spa and fitness centre, sumptuous cuisine choices, professionally staffed Kids Clubs and 24-hour service, the friendly staff onboard will always be waiting to make your cruise an experience like no other.

Cruises operate in most parts on the world, and in Australia there is a plethora of locations to choose from including the tropical northern regions like the Whitsunday’s, or the capital cities such as Melbourne and Sydney.

Boat cruises can vary from prices and be as cheap as $500 dollars for a few days in an average boat, or more than a thousand for a week in a five star ship.