2 . Ferries (渡船) have clear advantages over cruises: you don’t keep bumping into the same people, and they are more environmentally sustainable. Plus, a passage on a Greek ferry costs just a tiny part of the price of a cruise voyage.

Some trips are economical: Piraeus to Rhodes takes 15 hours, but costs only £58 one-way. It pays to familiarize yourself with Greece using a good map and then start planning with a ferry booking site such as greekferries.gr, ferryhopper.com or UK-based directferries.com. You will see all the main tour operators (公司) and be offered fast boats which compete with traditional, slow-paced ferries; the former are sometimes sealed like aeroplanes, while the latter allow deck walks and views.

If you want to hop around, please have a look at the followings.

Top Tips

Going deck (economy) — which is even available on overnight trips — is a surefire way to save money.

When to go

The shoulder seasons of spring and autumn are ideal for a holiday in southern Europe. It isn’t the peak time for holidays; it has fewer tourists and lower accommodation prices.

Do it yourself

Wizz Air (wizzair.com) is offering flights from London to Athens in October from £34 return. A Ferryhopper booking for Athens-Paros-Mykonos-Kea-Athens over eight days in October came in at £101.

Perfect package

Med Experience (020 45717689; medexperience.com) is quoting (要价) £790 for a nine-day island-hopping holiday, including shared B&B accommodation, ferry tickets, tour manager and parties. Flights not included.

4 . Traveling to the great national parks in America is a great experience and it is a wonderful opportunity to see some of the great sights in the country.     1     Here are a few tips to help you plan and simplify your next trip to one of the national parks.

No matter which park you plan on visiting you will need to do some advance planning to make your trip easier once you arrive.     2     Those often have higher altitude or their certain access roads are closed due to snow during the winter. Be sure to research any seasonal closures ahead of time, so that you don’t miss out on any part of the park you want to explore.

Travel can be fairly expensive, you can save money by camping, but you still have the cost of campsite fees, as well as, gas and supplies.     3     You can often find discounts on lodging if you travel earlier in the year, rather than during peak season.

    4     If you would like to avoid the crowds and enjoy the beautiful scenery in the national parks in peace, you may want to consider visiting some of the lesser-known, but equally amazing national parks found throughout the country.

The most important part of traveling is to have fun!     5     You will have even more fun if you find ways to make your travel simpler, so you don’t have anything to worry about during your trip.

5 . If your family loves to travel but you worry about the environmental, social and economic effect, it’s time to take a more sustainable approach to your trips.

Wales

Wales packs many sustainable activities for kids. Camp in one of many green campsites around Pembrokeshire, where children can have fun learning about sustainable living. Or find an environmentally friendly campsite at The Greener Camping Club. Don’t forget to factor in a spin on the world’s only people-powered rollercoaster in Snowdonia.

Volcán Tenorio Area

When you think about taking your kids to Costa Rica, you normally focus on viewing its incredible wildlife. But what about giving back to the human residents too? One way to support local communities and understand the Tico culture is by staying on a farm, and there are loads of lovely options around Volcán Tenorio.

Austria

Explore the kid-friendly Austrian capital of Vienna, which offers more organic farmland than any other city and has both “Green Taxis” and plenty of bike-share stations. The city has some fantastic museums for children and the splendid Schloss Schonbrunn where kids can dress up.

San Francisco

San Francisco is perfect for a break that will both delight the kids and satisfy your sustainability principles. The city has banned plastic bags and bottles for years. Plus, most of the fun things to do with kids can be accessed without using a car and many involve green spaces.

Head to the Exploratorium: an incredible hands-on science museum in a solar-powered building.

Pingyao County is located in central Shanxi Province, China. It     1     (consist) of five towns and nine villages, covering an area of 486.5 square miles. This small county was noted for some     2     (impress) architectures in ancient conventional styles.

As the birthplace of the Jin Businessmen during the Ming and Qing     3     (dynasty), it played an important role in the economic development of Shanxi during that period. The first Chinese trading shop was opened there. For     4     next hundred years, the city was home to almost all of the large trading shops in the country.

Its City Wall is rated     5     (high) of the “Three Treasures” of the county together with Zhenguo Temple and Shuanglin Temple. With a total length of six kilometers, the City Wall covered by bricks and stones is about 12 meters tall and 3 to 6 meters wide on top. From a bird’s eye view, the rectangular (长方形的) wall represents a tortoise (龟). A tortoise was     6    (traditional) considered a symbol of longevity, conveying the residents’ hope     7     the Ancient City would be permanently secure.

Pingyao is no longer very prosperous (繁荣的),     8     the grand Pingyao Old City, constructed a thousand years ago, stands the test of time.     9     (wander) along the Ancient Street inside the old town, you can still sense its former grandeur. Since it was listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1997, Pingyao     10    (become) a hot destination of millions of tourists.

8 . Make the most of the pleasant weather and enjoy the best walk of the year with friends and family. Use your 2 for 1 Entry in some of our favorite landscape gardens for a memorable day out.

Painswick Rococo Garden

Find beauty and quietness at the UK's only complete surviving Rococo Garden. Discover fanciful garden flowers, woodland walks, and beautifully framed (镶框) views across the valley. Dogs on short leads are permitted and the shop offers a range of seasonal and local produce.

Book at rococogarden.org.uk.

Open: closed 1-25 March, open 26-31 March, 10 am-4 pm, last entry 2:30 pm.

Nymans Garden

Walk down Spring Walk packed with seasonal flowers and pleasant smells, and enjoy the hedge (树篱) topped with frost. Routes include those with plenty of level paths to follow around the garden. Dogs are welcome every day from 1:30 pm, with a festive treat provided.

Book at nationaltrust.org.uk/ nymans.

Open: daily except 24-25 March, 10 am-4 pm.

Ventnor Botanic Garden

Even in early spring, there are typically over 200 varieties of plants to be seen flowering as you explore the 27 acres. Enjoy access to the coastal path and routes accessible for wheelchairs, and then warm up with coffee milk in the cafe afterwards.

Book at botanic.co.uk.

Open: daily except 25 March, 9 am-4 pm.

Gibside Garden

Enjoy walking paths at this Georgian landscape garden, featuring plenty of wildlife. Follow the winding river and turning valley for fantastic views. up with hot chocolate and delicious biscuits in the second-hand bookshop.

Book at nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside.

Open: daily except 24 and 25 March, 10 am-4 pm.

The Jiangsu countryside stretching between the cities of Suzhou and Shanghai is home to a lot of small beautiful water towns, many of which     1     (locate) along the Grand Canal, an artificial canal connecting Hangzhou to Beijing with the aim of bringing supplies of goods to the imperial capital.

One of these towns is Tongli, which is easily     2     (access) to tourists from the nearby city of Suzhou.     3     (build) in the Song Dynasty, the town offers pleasant views and landscapes of traditional China, characterized by picturesque canals crossed by arch bridges and whitewashed houses that overlook the water.

Walking along the narrow alleys(巷), you can admire     4     interesting number of well-preserved traditional houses, temples and gardens. The atmosphere is     5    (exceptional) peaceful compared to most popular sites that are ruined by mass tourism and commercialization. Yes, Tongli is home to a great many souvenir shops and local products, but what amazed me was     6     well the town is preserved despite being open to tourism: a good balance       7     commercial activities and local life. So in spite of its     8     (popular), Tongli maintains a quiet, laid—back feeling, making it an ideal destination for visitors who seek peace and leisure.

I     9     (take) scores of pictures while touring Tongli, which I hope may inspire travelers to add this pretty water town to their trips. My impression of Tongli is so positive that I’ve been meaning     10     (go) back with my family for their first visit to China.