A recent TravelSupermarket poll has found that although more Britons do plan to take a holiday during 2012, when compared to last year, but they will be looking to trim their budget to do so.

The survey, which questioned 5,000 adults, found that 96 per cent will be taking at least one holiday over the course of the year, an increase of 5 per cent on 2011.

People are looking to popular European destinations to give them more for the money they spend on the break.

Bob Atkinson of TravelSupermarket said:

“2012 will be the year of the value-for-money holiday where Brits will be forced to seek out great deals and be savvy when it comes to getting what they want, within budget.

Ryanair has revealed it is to take on additional staff during 2012, while taking its fleet up to 305 aircraft. By having 35 more planes to work with is a positive move for the Irish company’s international customers as the service provision will increase.

The budget airline is also expecting to carry four million extra passengers this year, when compared to 2010.

The new employees will be based throughout its European operations, with the number of staff now standing at more than 8,000.

For those planning on flying with the no-frills airline during 2012, it is good to know that this value flight operator is still going strong.

It is almost unheard of for a person to say they have never received at least one present at Christmas they didn’t really like. While the sentiment will usually be there, buying gifts for others is not always such an easy task.

When going to the shops to return gifts you don’t really like, you need to think carefully about whether you want to risk a situation where the giver ends up finding out.

Research by Harris Interactive for US firm CouponCabin has revealed that one in five Americans get caught out by those who sent the present in the first place. In most cases this is because the item is not displayed in their home, or where clothing is involved, never seen to be worn by the recipient.

Following an opening beset by problems, the musical ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ has now created history by making nearly $3million at the box office across just nine performances.

Two years ago the expensive $75million musical was given a big “thumbs down” by the critics, while the production was also delayed. That is not to mention the unfortunate injuries to actors performing in the show.

The festive period has really proved to be bountiful, beating ‘Wicked’ to the top spot with regards to the show with the largest gross takings within the space of a week.

The Broadway musical starring Reeve Carney may be taken on the road in the future, due to the success in New York.

Boxing Day sales are always going to be popular with those who like to be thrifty and get more for their Christmas money, but the scenes at Manchester’s Trafford Centre and the Arndale Centre were quite chaotic to say the least.

Some people had queued up overnight to be first in line for the bargains, and the video on the Manchester Evening News website shows how thousands of people rushed to get into stores like Next, Selfridges and Topshop once the shops finally opened up.

If you are looking to get good value, it may now be safe to venture out again. While you may not be able to get the heavily-discounted products that were first available when the sales started, at least you can have your sanity intact instead!

With Christmas now over it is time to look ahead and embrace the New Year. If you have been eating a lot of food like most people have over the festive period, then it might be advisable to get involved in a spot of exercise. In addition to fitness pursuits, you can start to plan your next holiday too.

If you have always wanted to go skiing but could never afford it or fancied travelling Europe, it might be worth saving up at the start of next year to finally step out and realise that dream.

Even if you cannot think of any New Year’s resolutions straight away, you can surely come up with a few ideas on new things to try out and get involved in during 2012.

It was not long ago that the odds on a white Christmas were slashed amidst dropping temperatures and snow across parts of the UK, but now it seems that those taking a punt are set to be disappointed. Those having to travel during this period should be a little happier though.

The recent cold snap seems to have vanished as mild weather is now prevalent across most of the country. In fact, temperatures for Christmas Day and Boxing Day have been predicted as reaching 12C in some areas.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson admitted:

“We’re seeing milder air being introduced across Britain and Ireland. It looks to stay fairly mild through to Boxing Day, although there will be a brief colder spell on Friday and perhaps Christmas Eve (Saturday). Not as cold as the weekend just gone though.”

This would mean that the temperature for this time of year is several degrees more than the average. However, the rain, wind and cloud will mean it doesn’t feel that much warmer.

Have you decided what your plans are for this year? More and more people seem to be going away at this time to escape the bad weather and the chaos of shopping around the festive season. There are always those who are going to stay at home and enjoy some quality family time, while for others they have to do the travelling if they want to visit relatives and exchange presents.

For those staying in this country, it seems like it will be a much milder Christmas than the past few years. While it’s always nice to have some snow (on days where you have nowhere to get to in any case), I’m sure it won’t be missed too much if we don’t see any.

If you are going abroad to sunnier climes, then be sure to make the most of it!

It is certainly surprising when the fourth largest carrier in the world goes into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, but for all those who fear the worst, it is not all over for the airline’s many worldwide passengers.

The flights shouldn’t really be affected for now, although staff of AA may not be quite so enthusiastic, as they mull over their futures with the airline.

And this situation is nothing new as many of the players in the airline industry including the likes of United, Delta and Continental have gone through the same process since September 11 and have come through.

With the company paying around $600 million per year more than its competitors, it is likely the restructure will mean that the AA brand is set to continue, albeit with a few more unhappy customers and employees.

No, I’m not - and to be honest I don’t really know much about this prestigious event. All I’ve learned was gained by listening to the popular version of the traditional ballad as sung by Simon and Garfunkel.

That is not to say that you shouldn’t go. It is completely up to you. I don’t want to influence your decision either way. I’m just saying that I’ve not been thus far in my life and - to be completely honest - have no plans to attend the fair in the future (either in the short or long term).

If you are ‘into’ parsley, sage, rosemary or thyme for that matter, this might be something that floats your boat.