Editors letter

Hello and Welcome
to the January issue of EM.

A very happy New Year to you all and I hope it brings all that you wish for.

In the last couple of issues of EM, Tony Clayton-Lea has looked at short breaks and maybe we should all treat ourselves in 2008. I'm a great believer in planning the next little break just after returning from the last one! You just get that travel bug again and wonder why you don't do it more often.

A short break doesn't necessarily have to involve planes, boats or trains. It could be a lovely hotel renowned for good food and scenery. A little town not too far away or a favourite location by the sea, lake or a mountain.

Certainly the headaches involved in flying now, particularly short haul, can be a major turn off. That combined with the grief, not to mention the cost, of parking at our airports. As a regular flyer to the UK, I can never get my head around the different restrictions at the different airports. At one security check you may be allowed only one bag, at another you may be allowed a handbag plus a luggage bag and another won't even question if you have two luggage bags and a handbag as long as they are not obviously totally overweight. At one security check, I have even had my handbag weighed. Don't even mention flying out to one airport and flying back from another.

So why not forget about the headaches and choose a nice little spot in Ireland for those regular stress free breaks? Reserve the holidays that require a bit more effort for when you're more fit and ready to take on the initial grief. That said, a short break in a totally different environment is great for the soul and brings you back refreshed - particularly if it involves a blue sky. Watch out for some interesting travel destinations in EM in the coming months.