I was offered a free trip to Finland to learn how to be happy. I was taught to connect with nature and be grateful for what I have.

If your sights are set on a trip to Europe, be travel ready with these helpful tips from ALG Vacations.

Few things beat the sense of freedom of the open road. Whether it’s an epic motorcycle ride along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way or a leisurely pootle around the Italian lakes by car, a road trip is a brilliant way to explore a country at your own pace, enjoying varied scenery and discovering less-known spots en route. We’d love to hear about your favourite journeys in Europe – where did you go and what made it so special? The best tip will win a holiday voucher.

There’s always a moment in the journey from Dublin to London – which I make every month or two, taking the land-and-sea route via Holyhead instead of flying – when I stop what I’m doing – reading or writing or chatting to the person next to me – and think: you don’t get to enjoy this from 40,000ft.

The sequence M77, M74, M73, M80, A9, M90, A90 may not sound freighted with emotional weight, but those roads are, for me, associated with the sadness of separation and the pleasure of reunion. It’s the route I drive between our home in Glasgow and Dundee, where our eldest boy now lives, having left for university.

For English-speakers, Romanian is easier to learn than German. And you’ll be speaking Swahili sooner than Polish.

There are more than 500 national parks in Europe covering an astounding variety of terrain, from the wild taiga of northern Finland to the coastal dunes and wetlands of the Doñana national park in southern Spain. These protected landscapes offer pristine scenery and endless opportunities for activity and adventure. We’d love to hear about your favourite national park discoveries on the continent, whether it’s a hiking trail through a remote mountain range, a perfect spot for wild camping or an unforgettable wildlife encounter.

LiveWell by Zurich and BODDY partner to provide seamless access to digital & physical wellbeing experiences on the go.

3,300 departures per week, 160 destinations around the globe.

When construction at the Hotel Maria is completed in June, 159 chandeliers will hang from the ceilings of its 79 rooms, 38 suites and public areas. Its bar will serve 31 types of Champagne. And the renovations on its four buildings — two of which opened in December — will have included the restoration of 42 kilometers (26 miles) of original moldings.

Visitors to Dublin, one of Europe’s most expensive cities, can be in for some sticker shock. Yet the Irish capital offers up a surprising selection of free attractions that reveal its innate personality.

There’s a party atmosphere round the lighthouse on Chanonry Point near Inverness, the UK’s best place to see dolphins from land. It’s an hour after low tide and there are pipers, picnics and kids running barefoot over long, evening sands. Already in late spring, the sun barely seems to set in the Highlands. The kelp-strewn pebbles are glowing as I walk from the bus stop near Fortrose cathedral (bus 26/26A from Inverness) along one side of the promontory. The dolphins don’t show up. But, somehow, it’s fine – the first of many reasons to return. It’s still light as I walk back along the beach for a 9pm bus, past wild lupins and views of Fort George and pink clouds over the Moray Firth. I’m in Inverness at the start of a week exploring Scotland’s wild north coast by train and bus.

Narrowing down the best things to do in Iceland isn't a simple task. Whether you've come for adventure or leisure (or both), this Nordic island has enough to fuel a lifetime of vacations—one of the many reasons I've visited the Land of Fire and Ice a dozen times over the last decade.