Not many cruise lines can say that HRH The Queen has sailed with them – but Hebridean Island Cruises is not like other lines. With just 50 passengers and 38 crew, Hebridean Princess knocks the socks off the competition for top-of-the-range luxury cruise experiences, all in a relaxed and intimate setting. And then there are the gorgeous islands off the west coast of Scotland that the ship sails to.

The names resonate: Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez – it could only be Morocco. Add the kasbahs and the palaces, the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara’s sand dunes, the flower-filled meadows and the palm oases, the oak forests and the orange orchards, and you have a land as rich and varied as its mosaics. Jules Verne’s sweeping Grand Tour reveals the many faces of this ‘gateway to Africa’.

If you like your wines, you’ll love SmoothRed’s 3-night Bordeaux Wine Experience tour – with two full days touring vineyards and Grand Cru winemakers – in the Medoc and St-Emilion areas. VIP treatment includes being chauffeured around, a superb lunch and first class guides who are impressively knowledgeable about the whole wine-making process.

Sometimes, one or two weeks just isn’t enough…Explore further with a long stay on the palm-backed beaches of India’s Goa. Serenity Holidays – Goa Experience offer a variety of 21 and 28-night holidays and can tailor-make your trip to last as long as you like. You’ll have ample time to soak up the sunshine and explore, perhaps at a spice plantation, turtle centre or UNESCO World Heritage Site.

G Adventures Marine creates trips that feature authentic accommodation, exotic cuisine and local transport to put travellers on first-name terms with the planet’s people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife. They sail to the world’s greatest aquatic destinations – such as the Arctic – aboard small ships and yachts, accessing out-of-the-way places and interacting with the locals in meaningful ways that large cruise lines cannot match.

If you’re thinking of a couples holiday up in the mountains, keep Eurocamp in mind. Their Airotel Pyrénées site in France has a scenic National Park on its doorstep, plus options to upgrade to a chalet-style lodge or spacious Safari-style tent. With the historic town of Luz St Sauveur plus hiking, mountain biking and white water rafting opportunities close by, it’s perfect for active relaxation.