In the last blog post, I was explaining how it can get extremely hot in Manhattan, New York during the summer months – this may be obvious but it is one thing to anticipate it and another to actually experience it, especially when you are surrounded by high rise buildings and sweaty underground subway systems with (sometimes faltering) air conditioning systems on the trains.

I have also visited New York during October through to January and have to admit, if you thought the summer was difficult to acclimatise to, then the winter is equally extreme. The winter in New York has been glamorised and romanticised in many films. I must say, it is incredible to visit the ice rink in the Rockefeller center and to get caught up in the festivities and really captures the spirit of Christmas, however it is very, very cold.

If you decide to visit the city during these months I would recommend taking extra layers of clothing and a hat – the wind can be bitterly cold and can snap at your ears. There are many shops of course to buy these items if you so wish. It is great to do your Christmas shopping at this time and it would be good for a romantic break.

To summarise, New York is a great all-year round place to visit – as long as you don’t mind the weather extremities – there is of course lots to do, see and things to buy. I would recommend Menu Pages (www.menupages.com) to find the best restaurants to eat at.

After a while, you get used to the fast pace New Yorker way of life. There is no place like it on earth.

I have been to New York on a number of occasions now, as it is my favourite city to visit in the world. It does have its quirks and is not to everyone’s tastes but if you go with the flow in the fast paced way of life over there then you’ll fit in just fine. I have been there during all months of the year at some point, but I’ll start with early summer for those thinking of taking a holiday to New York.

A couple of years ago I lived in Manhattan while undertaking a film course at the New York Film Academy. I lived near Union Square in the East Village and was there between the months of May and July. It can get extremely hot during this time and it is hard to stay cool amongst all the buildings generating heat. If you can get away to one of the surrounding boroughs such as Brooklyn, possibly to a park or open space occasionally during this time then it will provide a welcome relief. Still, New York during the summer is great, with lots of deals on food and drink in the many restaurants and bars.

If you live in Manhattan during the summer, air conditioning is a must! If you are staying in one of the many hotels then you’ll be just fine, but if renting then you must check that this is included in the price.

It is great though to sit outside having a meal in the sun, but be careful – when it rains: it rains. The downpours during the summer can soak you through in a matter of minutes.

Next, I will look at New York during the winter.

When Germany hosted the 2006 Wold Cup my brother and I decided to try and get tickets for a game; any game we could get tickets for, but one including England was preferable. In the end after endless searching through the online ticketing system we managed to pick up a random match – Ukraine vs Saudi Arabia in Hamburg. We decided to base our trip upon this game and so planned a stay in a city we both knew very little about.

Hamburg was very impressive. As Germany’s second largest city (after Berlin) with approx. 1.8 million people there is plenty to do and see. Yet we always found it easy to get around. We stayed near the quarter St Pauli, and found cheap accommodation, as it is by Europe’s largest red light district and home of strip clubs, brothels, bars and nightclubs. We spent a few nights out on the Reeperbahn and in the Fan Fest (designated area provided for football fans) having a few drinks with fans from around the world. We made so many friends and the Germans were very hospitable and friendly.

The port of Hamburg was certainly worth visiting and there are many cafes and restaurants there. We learnt a lot in our stay there about the history of the city and bombings during Second World War which meant large parts of the city had to be rebuilt. It is certainly worth visiting and the Germans lived up to their reputation for organisation and efficiency – we had never been to such a welcoming place.

More and more Brits are now living and working in Dubai, as well as taking a holiday in the emirate. One of my old school friends told me at the end of last year that he was moving to Dubai with his new job. He was the second person I had known to make the decision to increase his career prospects with a move to the emirate.

As an expat living in Dubai he will need to be aware of the cultural differences between the West and Islam and get used to living according to the Islamic (lunar) calendar.

The holiday dates are different to the UK and people may need to watch the news or read the morning paper to know if the next day is a normal working day or a holiday.

Dubai is host to two major tourist orientated events during the year. First is the Dubai shopping festival (through January-February), which has led to Dubai being the ultimate global shopping destination. The party offers residents living in Dubai and visiting tourists the opportunity to get involved in a feast of purchases, free promos and giveaways.

The Dubai Summer Surprises festival is similar but held later in the year. Lasting for 10 weeks the festival has a weekly theme and runs from the 23rd of June until the 31st of August. It’s a great time to visit Dubai.

Dubai is trying hard to promote its appeal to the wider world. It is certainly attracting British workers who have become disillusioned with life in the UK.

I wrote an article earlier this week about New Zealand workers failing to take their full holiday allocation and getting less time off work than workers in other countries according to the Expedia Vacation Deprivation survey. As I stated at the time I was surprised that this wasn’t also found to be the case with British workers.

However, I have just read an article in the Daily Mail regarding research done by Expedia.co.uk that suggests that British workers are also failing to take their full holiday allocation and take less holiday time off than the French. The research shows that, on average, Britons have 26 days holiday per year and fail to take two of those days. French workers also neglect to take these two days holiday but are entitled to 38 days holiday a year.

The research revealed that despite 60 per cent of British workers taking their full holiday entitlement, 22 per cent have admitted they have cancelled their holidays because of work commitments.

A further 23 per cent said they would stay in contact with the office while on holiday and eight per cent plan to claim money back on any unused holidays that were not taken.

Commenting on the findings, Jonathan Cudworth, head of product marketing at Expedia.co.uk, said:
“Now more than ever it is important to take time out – even if it is just for a few days – to recharge the batteries, re-evaluate priorities and spend time with family and friends.”

When compared with New Zealanders who have on average 21 days holiday a year and only take up 18 of those, Britons still take up around 24 days; over a week more than those living down under.

The four semi-finalists of the European Cup are now gearing up for a chance to play in the European Champion Clubs’ Cup final to be held on 27th May 2009 in Rome.

The semi-finals are once again English-dominated with Manchester United playing Arsenal and Chelsea facing Barcelona meaning that the final will once again grace an English team (for the fourth time in a row).

As an avid Manchester United fan, I tried in vain to get to Moscow for last year’s final. Getting the match tickets was not a problem, but after exhausting ideas involving trains, planes and automobiles my brother and I finally admitted defeat and watched it in a bar in Manchester city centre instead.

The Stadio Olimpico in Rome will host its fourth final and the 72,689-capacity stadium has been one of Europe’s most impressive sporting venues for over 70 years. If United do manage to get to this years final, I will again be frantically looking for flights to Rome (or anywhere near), although the more simplified travel (compared to Russia last year) means that tickets will be at a premium.

Seeing as my brother and his wife are currently living in New Zealand, I do look out for news relating to what’s going on over there. I was surprised to find out that the UK is not too hard done by when it comes to workers and holiday allowances.

Apparently, New Zealanders are among the western world’s most holiday-deprived workers, according to the annual global Expedia Vacation Deprivation survey.

The survey, which was conducted in 11 countries, found that forty-five percent of New Zealanders leave some of their annual holidays untaken, second only to Japan.

The survey found that New Zealanders received an average of 21 annual leave days from their employer in the past year, but took only 18 days. Workers in Australia and Canada were given 19 days, while Japanese workers were given 15 days and workers in the US only 13 days.

Expedia, the company behind the survey, said the global financial crisis was a major cause of workers taking fewer annual leave days, with 35 percent of New Zealand workers changing their holiday plans due to economic worries.

I read an article today in the Daily Telegraph that stated that MPs have awarded themselves a 12-week summer holiday. The total break is 82 days long and will last until October. This is declared as “more than twice as long as the average Briton’s entire annual holiday allowance.” I don’t know about you, but I’d say it’s more like three times as long (and that’s only when you include bank holidays)!

Obviously the Government is not introducing enough legislation to keep them occupied in their roles. Most people could only dream about taking that much time off and would have to take it as unpaid leave or take a sabbatical, which is again unpaid.

The lengthy summer recess has been said to have been caused by the Conservatives holding their annual conference later than usual.

As the weather seems to have improved of late, many people are now looking ahead to find some inspirational things to do over the May Bank Holiday weekend in a few weeks time. Having just got over Easter it is good to look forward to another public holiday.

I for one though am trying to save money at the moment and after several weekends away on a stag do and at a wedding I am just content to stay at home and get some rest!

However, with a few days booked off in June and July I’m hoping that we’ll have a warm summer for once – although I’m not holding my breath judging by the past few years!

As I said in a previous blog post, I have tickets for one of Michael Jackson’s upcoming O2 shows so obviously I’m interested in any news concerning Mr Jackson’s wellbeing in the run up to the event.
Rather concerning is an article on the Daily Mail website which questions whether Michael will be up to the task of completing these shows.

Apparently, rehearsals for the farewell concerts have already begun in an empty aircraft hangar in Los Angeles which is fitted out to look like the stage of the O2 Arena. Michael’s dancers are practicing their moves, the musicians are also hard at work and Michael himself has shown up.

Concert organisers are hoping that with the cancellation of the auction of Jackson memorabilia which was supposed to take place next week, Michael can now concentrate fully on getting himself in shape for the gruelling schedule ahead.

This report suggests that Jackson has decided on his set list and the show’s themes with elephants on stage and a jungle with monkeys and parrots. He also wants to fly in like Peter Pan, apparently.

Privately, there have been concerns that Jackson will not be up to either the dancing or the singing and AEG Live are keen to make sure he is in the best frame of mind for the shows. I for one hope that this is the case and Michael Jackson can overcome his problems to make one of the biggest comebacks ever.