The early months of the year mark the beginning of our concerns about what do to about taking a holiday. With gale-force winds, ice, snow and days of cloud and rain, the thought of sunkissed beaches in exotic locations has great appeal.

Recent adverts seem dominated by cruise-ship companies. Their images are of very large ships with five-star food outlets and above all deep blue seas with no waves in sight. They all look very tempting. They are clearly very popular holidays. Thus for many a holiday ‘away’ will be their choice. I confess that the idea of a cruise is not on my wish list. Whilst they do look very glamorous they also look very crowded. I am reminded of friends who told me of the time on a cruise where they spent all day in their cabin lying down in terrible weather. They asked themselves if this was worth paying a hundred pounds each for such an experience. Another couple told me of their cruise being stopped in Spain, meaning they had to fly home, as the Bay of Biscay was in its usual rough state.

I am not a fan of big crowded restaurants. The very large ships have thousands of guests who are often piled into small boats to spend a few hours on land. One of the unintended consequences of a cruise seems to be that as you spend lots of time relaxing and eating and drinking your waistline expands. The Roscoff ferry trip is enough of a taste of cruising for me but I appreciate that for many they are a wonderful experience.

My idea of an away holiday has been spending extended time in France. I have taken my young family in two small tents when we could not afford anything better. They were holidays on a shoestring budget but great family times. Subsequently I have ventured there by motorhome and spent time in mobile homes, farmhouse accommodation and caravans. To many this may sound very boring but with so many contrasting regions to explore they have been carefree holidays.

My ideal holiday is one of tranquillity where the travel can be an enjoyable part of the experience. Long waits at airports and fussy border control can be a pain. My longest flight was 13 plus hours to Hong Kong followed by six more hours to Port Moresby. That was for work, not what I would want for my holiday.

Holidays at home can be problematic. One Cornish trip saw my father-in-law abandon his caravan park when the ducks started swimming around his caravan after just four days. Sadly school holiday time sees prices rise, hitting the pockets of young families.

For many, though, the choice of home or away does not feature in their thinking as the costs are far beyond them. Everyone needs a break and not to have a holiday especially for children is something of a tragedy. Let’s hope you get to enjoy one.