For everyone who dreaming of the snow:

It might be a touch odd, but as we are all here quivering away in subprime temperatures, holiday makers are streaming off to ever colder places, spurred on by the desire to slide down great mountains attached to a couple of planks of wood.

I’m talking, of course, about the famed ski trip. And if you’ve signed yourself up to one of these glorious jaunts and are already getting excitable in the office, then I propose that you watch this little video, which should put you in just the right mood.

Tags: Britain, France, Lifestyle by Peter Moore
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John Hillman laments the continental view of Albion

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Next time you head over to Rotterdam with P&O you might want to find out why on earth they think that the English are responsible for their bad weather.

Apparently a common enough slang for grey miserable rainy days is Engels Weer, English weather, which, when you consider that we get about half the annual rainfall that Holland does, is ever so slightly galling. We may as well start refereeing to our balmy summer evenings as Irish sunsets if we’re going to play by those rules.

Strange how much of a mistaken view of the English still exists on the continent, notably that we all eat bad food which, having lived in Europe myself, is another deeply irritating falsehood that you get fed up with hearing.

Even the tiniest village in the English countryside has a top quality Anglo-Indian restaurant and our supermarkets have more choice in them than any other I’ve been to from Berlin to Hawaii. The trouble is that we picked up a bad reputation about 100 years ago and can’t seem to shake it off.

There are few places in the world where you can experience as much gastronomic eclecticism as you can in England. For a nation that invented the pie, the steamed pudding and real ale to have such a bad culinary reputation represents a serious miscarriage of justice.

Tags: Belgium, Britain, France, Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by John Hillman
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John Hillman looks towards Amsterdam, the perfect setting for a New Year’s Eve Party

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There are few spectacles in life as exhilarating as a stroll through the picturesque streets of Amsterdam on New Year’s Eve.

Not that picturesque is a particularly truthful description of the riot that’ll be going on around you; with an entire city cooking on gas it’s more a case of: if you can stand the heat then get yourself in that kitchen.

As a city famed for its liberal attitudes and tolerance, it’s no surprise that a colossal free street party attracts thousands of revellers from Sydney to Solihull each year. And with the tiny town centre full to the brim with champagne swilling, firework throwing party animals you will be pleased to hear that you won’t find a criminally-overpriced mini cab in sight, or need one for that matter.

If you are happy to throw shapes with the global party people then the central squares of Rembrandtplein, Leidseplein, Dam Square and Nieuwmarkt are packed out with people who have travelled by ship, plane, train and automobile for one purpose only – splendid japes.

The surrounding areas, such as the Jordaan district, are more likely to be full of low key locals trying to avoid the international car-crash in the city centre, but offers up a more laid back local vibe.

Remember that this is a city where New Year’s Eve means lots of fireworks and an attitude to health and safety that mirrors George Bush’s attitude to the correct use of the English language, so be prepared for some hairy moments, but don’t be put off because a New Year’s eve party in Amsterdam is one of life’s little experiences – and it makes the other 364 days of the year seem worthwhile.

Tags: Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by John Hillman
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The English Channel is not just a formidable geographic barrier, but a blanket for centuries of human history. John Hillman wonders just what’s hidden beneath the waves.

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The prospect of deflation is unfortunately all around us, but not it seems in the world of the treasure hunter.

With the price of gold looking set to go through the roof over the coming years, as more and more investors sink their cash into the stuff, the prospect of unearthing a treasure trove of pirates’ booty has never seemed more appealing.

The English Channel is rumoured to be full of old shipwrecks laden with treasure, a fact that is endorsed by the ever present sight of private treasure hunting companies on the P&O route between Dover and Calais.

Some of these companies are so successful that they are actually listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, with one apparently discovering more than $500 million worth of old coins just last year, and just few hundred miles off the west coast of England too.

It is quite amazing to think that as you sail across the channel on your way to have a holiday or do a bit of shopping, that you are actually floating over hundreds and hundreds of old shipwrecks dating from as far back as pre-Roman Britain.

In fact it would be quite a sight to behold if you could drain the Channel for a few days just to take a walk through it all and have a look, it would almost be like some kind of historical maritime-vessel dump, albeit unfortunately dominated by debris from the Battle of Britain.

Indeed one of the best parts of being a professional treasure hunter (apart from the obvious) would surely be getting a real sense of just how much of our surrounding seabed is littered with these shipwrecks from the ancient past.

For historians and archaeologists the tempting prospect of what lies on the seabed of the English Channel must be enough to make them wish they had fins.

Thinking about all of this is enough to make you realise what a shame it is that ‘treasure-hunter’ is not a job that you see posted up on your average employment website; it’s almost certain that the reason we have so many social problems these days is because young men don’t have the opportunity to run away to sea like they used to.

There are currently at least two outstanding shipwrecks being actively salvaged in the English Channel. It requires high levels of skill and bravery to dive in these dark and murky waters and even greater level of expertise to begin salvaging what you can from them.

Before you even begin bringing things up from the deep you have to apply for permission to do so, by getting something called an Admiralty Arrest warrant, so you presumably need a team of lawyers on your team to deal with all of that.

And this is a shame. The idea of lawyers being involved in something as romantic as treasure hunting is really quite depressing; a bit like going on the biggest rollercoaster in the country only to be sat in between Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling.

Tags: France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by John Hillman
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Peter Moore urges us good Britons to get in hunter gatherer mode and race off to Calais.

Booze cruises are one of those glorious inventions. The mere mention of them is enough to get the old blood pumping a little more fiercely through our veins. The reason for this, one would suppose, is really quite straightforward. Humans, as we all are, are primed to hunt and to gather, and prefer being part of a tribe. Can you think of an activity that better satisfies these primeval impulses than the old booze cruise?

If you allow me to be silly for a moment, then I’d suggest that it is quite conceivable to think that William the Conqueror promised his mates in the summer of 1066 that he’d be back by Christmas, and ‘would anyone fancy a few vats of mead?’ Then there is good old Henry V. It’s hard to imagine that he didn’t promise some of the Welsh longbowmen a couple of crates of cheap red wine for their trouble.

The mere mention of a booze cruise is enough to get anyone excited.

Anyhow, enough of my silly pontificating. Suffice to say that if you fancy a seasonal stock up, then Calais is as much a duty free Mecca as exists, and there is no better way to reach the French port than by dashing down to Dover in a van of ample proportions, and driving over a rickety ramp into the belly of a P&O ferry.

Even before you reach the soaring supermarkets of Calais you can indulge yourself in a spot of shopping onboard your vessel. The P&O website announces that you can save up to 30% on beers, wines and spirits; that you can find fragrances and skincare products at a fraction of high street prices, and that even the kids are well provided for, with a host of books, games and travel entertainment accessories on offer.

So, what better times exists than now. Prices are cheap, the festive season looms large and there is a credit crunch that needs escaping. Bon voyage!

Tags: Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Peter Moore
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Each and every medium of transport carries its advantages and disadvantages. Here John Hillman urges you to get on a boat, because quite simply it is the most wonderful form of them all.

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As a frequent business traveller I find most journeys tend to leave me feeling rather like an eight year old child in the back of my mother’s car

The “are we there yet?” gene is a strong and robust one, and no matter how many times we treat ourselves to another coffee, cake, beer or sandwich, the fact is that given the choice most of us would prefer to use the Starship Enterprise ‘beam me up Scotty’ mode of transport, and forgo the whole ‘waiting to arrive’ chore altogether.

But as this is not possible, we must look to the available options and decide which one will help us to arrive in the best frame of mind and in the shortest time possible.

Unfortunately ‘shortest time possible’ and ‘best frame of mind’ are a couple that you’re unlikely to meet celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary on a P&O Cruise.

The simple fact is that if you want to get to the continent in a hurry then most people will opt for the cramped, stressful option, and take to the sky; thus ensuring that they arrive at their destination tired, dehydrated and (usually in my case) suffering from a mild case of IBS, but is this really wise?

With British airports in the news so much and BAA being told to break up its monopoly on its South East’s airports, because this was leading to an inadequate passenger experience, there has surely never been a better time to consider the pleasures of reaching the continent aboard a P&O ferry?

Ask most people this question and they immediately react by stating the time factor, but let’s face it: time is the enemy of productivity. Whenever we structure our lives around a clock we soon end up going through the motions like a burnt out functionless droid, bereft of the essential juices that spark our creative energies and produce our best thinking.

The benefits of reaching the continent by ferry are so vast, so magnificent in their numerousness, that the limp and pathetic argument of saving time quickly starts to look like the defensive ramblings of a disconnected madman.

On board a P&O ferry a person can relax, work, exercise and rest, giving them space to think and time to reflect. Whereas on an aeroplane you are, quite literally, strapped into a chair and controlled, watered and fed like a small baby. On board a ship you can wonder the decks at will, sit in the comfort of the lounge and do bit of work on the laptop, or get some inspiration by gazing at the incredible force of nature that is the English Channel.

You do all of this relaxed in the knowledge that your belongings are exactly where you left them, safely locked in the boot of your car below, not waltzing around a carousel in Mumbai. And let’s not underestimate the fact that you arrive equipped with your own transport, no tricky negotiations with continental taxi drivers for you, just the freedom of the open road.

The truth is that that not all of us can chose how we travel, many of us are put on planes by bosses and sent to remote airports on board bargain bucket airlines with as much say in the matter as a turkey has at Christmas.

Tags: Britain, France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by John Hillman
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Confused by the onward march of the credit crunch, Peter Moore wonders whether solace can be found upon the majestic slopes of The Alps.

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I don’t pretend to speak for the whole population, but I’ve been filled with a mixture of conflicting emotions since the world’s financial markets decided to go pretty much the way of the Titanic.

Just as anyone with a pulse would enjoy the prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo tripping himself up, it has been quite pleasant to watch various economists in the City of London charging around in the kind of blind panic that Corporal Jones of Dad’s Army used to work up; driven to distraction by the horrifying prospect that they may not be able to keep up the repayments on the Lamborghini.

Conversely, there is always the worry that our jobs will disappear into the autumn mist, and all us media types will be sent back to whichever mining village that we emerged from, where we’ll be expected to go back to chip at the coal face until we are approximately eighty.

Still, there is a bright side to every financial calamity. As I write petrol prices are plummeting, the awfully smug George Osborne is looking a little silly and best of all; the price of travel is dropping almost as quickly as Max Mosley’s chinos.

Despite the rather partisan nature of this blog, I can recommend no finer method of escaping the dour mood that has enveloped bankrupt Blighty, than by following Dr. Crippen’s example and scurrying for the nearest port. And if that nearest port happens to be Dover – then a treat is in store for you when you arrive. P&O Ferries are currently offering an outstanding discount that allows up to nine passengers and their accompanying car to travel across The Channel for as little as £27 each way.

Surely this is an offer which is too good miss. With all the bankers crying into their cornflakes, there is going to be acres of additional elbow room available on the majestic slopes of The Alps; and, quite frankly, if ever there is a good time to be herding all of your mates into a van and setting off south on a road trip towards the snow – then it is now.

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To kick off the season of goodwill, here is a list of possible ski destinations for you all to ponder over:

Val d’Isere – Nestled nicely on the border with Italy. One of Europe’s, if not the world’s, most famous destinations. Find out more here.

Les Arcs – A large number of wonderful pistes from another of France’s most famous skiing spots. Find out more here.

La Plagne – One of the world’s oldest and most diverse ski resorts. Find out more here.

Ports Du Soleil – Renowned amongst skiing enthusiasts. Find out more here.

Les Gets – Made popular in the first half of the twentieth century, a good spot for beginners and intermediates. Find out more here.

Morzine – Another favourite in the Haute-Savoie of France; especially popular amongst families. Find out more here.

Avoriaz – A distinctive, and higher ski resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil area. Find out more here.

Tags: France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Peter Moore
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John Hillman discusses the joys of growing old and taking advice from Robert Peston

The two biggest signs of getting old must be noticing that the weathermen look younger than you and thinking that Christmas has suddenly blended into autumn.

No sooner has your creaking body recovered from the hangover sustained at your friends Halloween party before you find yourself wondering around chintzy department stores looking at multi-function toasters.

And what a dodgy Christmas this is looking set to be; credit crunch Britain is in full swing now, and the press are loving it so much that they’ll probably start the holiday season with BBC finance editor Robert Peston running up to cameras and screaming “it’s too late, grab what you can and save yourselves!” whilst pointing a loaded pistol at the side of his head.

Most of us are, by now, quite fed up of being told that the world is about to end; there is only so much paranoid hyperbole the brain can take. So there is only one thing for it: pack up the car and head to Europe for Christmas.

Grab the tree and the kids, don’t worry about the food there’s plenty on the continent, and head to your nearest P&O ferry port. Once on the other side of the channel find yourself a secluded spot and settle in, relaxed in the knowledge that news in a foreign language isn’t really true. Honestly, a bloke from my local told me.

Tags: Britain, France, Lifestyle by John Hillman
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