Maxine Clarke

Start your holiday with a happy and healthy smile rather than an exhausted grimace. Our holidays should be some of the most enjoyable times in our lives but they can become the most stressful, like moving house or changing jobs.

Lack of preparation, tiredness, delays, long queues at the airport, unexpected security restrictions and anxiety all contribute to this stress, particularly at the start of our holiday.

When the first passengers arrive at Heathrow's shiny new Terminal 5 on Thursday 27 March 2008 from Hong Kong, those transferring onto a domestic flight will have their photograph taken and fingerprints scanned.

In these troubled times security is naturally a priority in a new international airport terminal. But what security systems are in place at T5? And could they be a threat to our civil liberties?

BAA, the owners of Heathrow, and British Airways, who will have exclusive use of T5, insist that biometric screening is a government requirement and a necessity in the new terminal because domestic and international passengers are brought together in one departure lounge.

I doubt many of us will be springing out of bed on the morning of Sunday 30 March 2008, when we've lost a precious hour's sleep. On the positive side, it does signal the beginning of British Summer Time and longer, lighter evenings.

We've been religiously putting our clocks backwards and forwards to varying degrees in England since 1916.

City breaks have never been more popular, especially as the credit crunch takes a chunk out of consumer pockets. With many Brits choosing to swap their long summer holiday for a couple of well-planned short breaks, here are our tips for a top city break in Europe this year.

One of eastern Europe's rising stars, Krakow in Poland is at the heart of the country's artistic and cultural life.

The F1 Grand Prix circus roars into Monaco on 25th May for one of the biggest sports events of the year.

Monaco may be the second smallest country in the world - only Vatican City home to the Pope is smaller - but it plays host to one of the greatest sporting spectacles on earth - the Monaco Grand Prix.

Not only is the Grand Prix a must see sporting event, it's also an essential part of the social calendar, just like the Epsom Derby, Henley Regatta and Wimbledon.

It will come as no surprise to most parents that the two most stressful things when travelling with a young family are keeping the children content and packing all their stuff, according to new research.

Holiday company Tots to Travel surveyed 350 parents of whom 36.5% ranked 'keeping children happy and well behaved on the journey to a holiday destination' as the most stressful part of a holiday with children under five.

Forget knitting and false teeth, the new generation of grandparents are out and about and living it up.

A few years ago, retired American tourists started displaying bumper stickers that declared, "We're spending the kids' inheritance". And what started as a joke has become a reality.

With better health, longer life expectancy, more plans for an active retirement as well as higher living costs than generations before them, retirees in the noughties are increasingly cashing in on their investments early and spending.

Enjoying some beautiful balmy summer weather at last, many Brits will be planning a trip to the beach. But before you get your flip flops on, it's worth doing a bit of research so that you choose the right seaside experience for you.

The British coast isn't just about ice cream and amusement arcades, we've got stunning natural scenery to rival the best the rest of the world can offer.

Thousands of UK consumers are victims of web fraud every year after booking bogus flights or holidays online.

Earlier this year a gang of internet fraudsters was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud after swindling 6 million pounds from innocent holiday makers. The gang had taken-over five legitimate holiday firms in London during a three year period.

Taking your family on a ski holiday this season needn't be expensive and stressful. With travel insiders predicting low availability and high prices during the February 2009 half term, the October school holiday is looking more and more attractive.

According to leading online European snow report provider, skiinfo, nearly 20 European ski resorts will be open in time for the October half term.