Best holiday destinations 2015

With the pound strong against the dollar, the US is predicted to be a big seller this summer, with most Brits aiming for three main areas: Florida, New England and California and the South West. The latter, in particular, offers the classic American road trip: think big cars, empty (mostly) freeways, immense landscapes, roadside diners and lots of great music on the radio. An ideal trip, starting in Las Vegas and flying home from Los Angeles, could include Utah's Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco and the scenically glorious Pacific coast.

Image: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in

Topping the polls in the Daily Telegraph's reader survey as the best country in the world, interest in New Zealand will be further boosted by the screening of the latest Hobbit movie. Apart from stunning landscapes, New Zealand offers amazing food and wine, luxurious lodges, thermal hot springs and Maori culture. Although it looks small on the world map next to Australia, you need to give it at least two weeks to see the best of both North and South Island.

Image: Abel Tasman National Park.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in

Most Brits head west, to Vancouver and the Rockies, but there's a growing interest in the Atlantic coast. Accessible from the UK in less than six hours, it boasts some of the most dramatic seascapes on the planet, excellent seafood, both French and Scottish heritage, whale watching and friendly locals. With two weeks to spare you should fly into Halifax, rent a car and explore the three neighbouring provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (PEI for short). With another week you could go to Newfoundland where The Shipping News was shot.

Image: Blockhouse Point Lighthouse, Rocky Point, Prince Edward Island.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in

Demand for this tropical teardrop of an island is booming, which is hardly surprising given the range of attractions, from beach resorts and tea plantations to ancient sites and wildlife safaris. After years of civil war, the east is now back on the travellers compass, with interest further stimulated by British Airways new flights via the Maldives (especially interesting for those looking for a twin centre, culture then beach, holiday).

Image: Polonnaruwa Vatadage.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in

This tiny island, one of the Caribbean string of Grenadines, is never going to rival the likes of Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, Jamaica or Dom Rep in terms of visitor numbers but you'll certainly be hearing a lot more about it. Whether sipping a rum punch in its bars, eating rotis on the waterfront or doing very little on its three beautiful beaches, Bequia offers a real feel for indigenous island life which you rarely get on the popular islands.

Image: Port Elizabeth.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in

The World Cup was a winner, and not just in terms of who scored the most goals. The TV coverage, including Michael Palin's programme, reminded us just how much Brazil likes to party. To get the most of this king-size, diverse country you need to see different parts, including Rio of course, the Iguazu Falls, Manaus and the deep, green Amazonian heart and exotic Bahia, the distinctly African region with several of Brazil's world class beaches.

Image: Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in

With its new Avianca flight from London to Bogota and new found political stability, Colombia is no longer off the radar for visitors. Highlights include the gold museum in Bogota, the beautifully preserved colonial city of Cartagena on the Caribbean coast, the town of Villa de Leyva, home to a 17th century Dominican convent, the romantic, hidden-away UNESCO heritage town of Santa Cruz de Mompox and its surrounding wetlands, and the Tayrona National Park, plus the gorgeous beaches on the Roques islands.

Image: Tayrona National Park.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in

The prospects of the USA, sooner rather than later, allowing both its citizens and investors to experience Cuba, coupled with a growing streak of home-grown private enterprise, are enticing a lot of people to visit Cuba before it 'gets spoilt'. Aside from Caribbean beaches, Cuba offers a heady mix of music, colonial architecture, classic American cars, rum and cigars, interesting food, a blossoming art scene, mountains and plains carpeted with sugar cane, and of course those outgoing, sociable and hospitable Cubans.

Image: Havana.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in

Although Dubai is the prime Middle Eastern destination (either as a stopover or as a destination offering more or less guaranteed winter sun), Oman has a much more fascinating range of attractions and activities plus a far more authentic sense of place. Beyond Muscat, the capital with its sandy beaches, you should visit the could-be-Biblical goat market at Nizwa, the second deepest canyon in the world after Arizona's, the medieval mountain oasis of Misfah (known as the 'Heaven on Earth' because of its cool summer temperatures that nurture an abundance of fruit) and the desert of Wahiba Sands, a Lawrence of Arabia world of immense, golden dunes that crest at over 100 meters and stretch for more than 100 miles.

Image: The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in

Tipped as the number one, must-see destination by Lonely Planet and celebrating its Golden Jubilee year in 2015, Singapore makes a perfect 48-hour stopover en route to    Australia or New Zealand. It's also the ideal gateway for anyone planning to explore other parts of south east Asia. Connections from the efficient Changi airport are excellent while the city itself is just a short drive away. Spend you stopover eating superbly, shopping in both glamorous stores or street markets, seeing a temple or two, visiting the new Heritage Gardens and going on a Night Safari.

Image: Marina Bay.

Like this? You'll love...
Best beaches: for walking
Last minute half term holidays
Top holiday destinations with markets to haggle in