2 . Brilliant Spring Breaks

The bees are buzzing and flowers are blooming. Take a look at these destinations and grab a relaxing getaway while making the most of the UK countryside.

Trefeddian Hotel

At the Trefeddian Hotel you can expect a warm welcome whether you are booking a family holiday, or romantic escape. Our beautifully located coastal hotel in Mid-Wales has something for everyone to enjoy: all-around sea views, miles of golden sandy beaches and a heated indoor pool.

St Moritz Hotel & Garden Villas

Escape to our Miami inspired luxury hotel or coastal villas on the north Cornish coast. With our Shorecrest restaurant serving seasonal dishes with ingredients sourced from Cornwall’s markets; Cowshed spa; indoor and outdoor pools; a bunch of local attractions and surrounded by the sea, St Moritz Hotel is the place for relaxation and adventure.

Greenwood Grange

Welcome to a collection of 17 luxury, stone built, self-catering holiday cottages in Dorset. There’s so much to offer, whether it’s relaxing in your own private cottage (some have hot baths), swimming in the indoor pool, or playing the volleyball on the seashore, we’ve got it all—you can even pick your own fruit or vegetables from our kitchen garden. Contact us for more information.

Skye Shepherd Huts

Looking for a holiday offering peace and quiet? Choose Skye Shepherd Huts, with amazing wildlife, donkeys and hens for company. Set in a lovely traditional village by the sea, ideal for walkers, boating nearby and eagle-spotting. Pet friendly. Comfortable with beautiful views, but electricity and hot water are not ready for use.

3 . South America has a long and interesting coastline. When it comes to beaches, there are some excellent options to be found across the continent.

This beach is an amazing stretch of sand with peaceful waters. The clear waters are perfect for swimming but it is difficult to access. It can only be reached by boat or by climbing down the rocky hillsides on each end, so it isn’t particularly good for younger children or people who are physically challenged.

Just a short distance from the waterfront town of Mancora, this lovely beach is often quiet and peaceful, offering some nice shallow water to swim in for little ones. A little further out, the waves pick up, making for fine surfing and windsurfing surroundings, while the charming village offers nice accommodation.

The cold water here means it isn’t an ideal swimming location, but there are good spots for surfing and windsurfing. Various water activities make it a great beach. Visit early, especially in the busy tourist seasons, not only to avoid crowds, but also to gain admittance — visitors will be turned away once the park reaches peak capacity.

Located near the city center, this beach is very popular among surfers thanks to its great waves. It isn’t too rough to swim for experienced swimmers, although a slightly rocky seafloor means you should be careful. With large crowds of people, the best time to visit is sunset-arrive early to get a good viewing spot.

5 . Thanks to its super walkable historic center and handy square of famous museums, Amsterdam is practically made for two-day trips.

Day 1

Morning

Start your day off in the Centrum with breakfast in the charming courtyard cafe De Koffieschenkerij, situated within the De OudeChurch, Amsterdam’s oldest building. After that, wander the surrounding streets and take in Amsterdam’s oldest buildings, and streets, like Nieuwendijk, a busy pedestrian shopping street. From here, continue south to Dam Square to see the massive Royal Palace.

Afternoon

Cross over to the Flower Market, which has been selling tulips since the mid-1800s. Then you’ll want to make your way to the Anne Frank House, where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II. This is one of the city’s most visited sights, so you have to pre-book a timed ticket online.

Day 2

Morning

Kick off your day at Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands. Get there right at 9 a.m. when it opens to head off the crowds. Head directly to admire the famed 17th-century Golden Age paintings from the likes of Vermeer and Rembrandt.

Afternoon

Grab lunch at one of the food trucks on Museumplein. If you want to rest your feet a little longer, hit up The Burger Room, a Wizard of Oz-themed restaurant around the corner. Refueled and ready for more, cross the street to the Van Gogh Museum, which holds the largest collection of the famed artist’s works. Tickets will sell out fast, so be sure to book your timed entry.

After you’ve been thoroughly blown away by Post-Impressionism, take the tram to Sampurna, a long-running Dutch restaurant,trying their signature dishes — “Erwtensoep” and “Pannenkoeken”.

6 . With enough money, it’s possible to do something unbelievable in Dubai and now you can add another to the list — walking on the moon. Recently, Canadian architectural company Moon World Resorts announced plans to construct a $5 billion resort (度假村) that looks like the moon in Dubai.

The project, named Moon Dubai, is meant to help visitors experience space tourism, which allows guests to find out what it is like to walk on the moon. The resort will be very luxurious and contemporary, with a lot of components inside that one would already know — for example, a wellness area, residential properties, restaurants, a convention center, and a spa, each with a lunar twist (月球扭). It will also include a training platform for space agencies and astronauts.

Space tourism currently comes with a big price tag, and it’s a barrier to entry for most travelers. However, the moon resort experience will be significantly cheaper. A walk on the lunar surface of the moon resort is much more affordable at $500.

“Moon Dubai will significantly impact every aspect of the UAE’s economy, including tourism, transportation, commercial and residential real estate, infrastructure, financial services, aviation and space, energy, agriculture, technology and of course education,” says Michael R. Henderson, co-founder of Moon World Resorts. “It will be the largest and most successful modern-day tourism project in the MENA region, doubling annual tourism visitations to Dubai based on its global appeal, brand awareness and unique multiple integrated offerings.”

Whether the project will eventually take off is currently unknown. If the design can be successful, it will require a 12-month pre-development planning program and a 48-month building process. But the company’s plan is viable (可行的). Moreover, Henderson estimated that the moon resort could open in 2027.

7 . Discover polar adventure and exploration on your doorstep. From penguins to paintings, Inuit art to explorers’ diaries and sleeping bags – come find out about exploration, science and survival at the extreme ends of Earth.

Collection Highlights

- Fossil ferns (化石蕨类) from about 140 million years ago.

- Snow goggles (护目镜) used by Ernest Shackleton on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-16 (Endurance) - given to him by Harald Nilsen.

- An unopened tin of pemmican (干肉饼) taken from the hut (小屋) of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09 (Nimrod).

- A folding camera, created by A.E. Staley & Co. and used by Robert

Falcon Scott at the South Pole, 1912, on the British Antarctic                                                

Expedition 1910-13 (Terra Nova).

Free Entry

Contact Us

Website: www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum Call: 01223 336540

Email: museum@spri.cam.ac.uk

Family Visits

Visiting with a baby carriage

Baby carriages are welcome, but cannot be left unattended. Please contact the museum before your visit with any questions.

Activities

Audio guides are available at the information desk, with one tour aimed at adults and one at younger visitors. A small charge applies.

Gallery routes: Discover the polar regions with a pack-a-polar suitcase route, an explorer route and other activities for children.

Research Inquiries and Image Approval

Researchers wishing to learn about the museum’s collections should email museum@spri.cam.ac.uk to make an appointment.

To request approval to use images of the museum’s collection, please contact the Picture Library at the Scott Polar Research Institute.

8 . Want to get started on your journey? Big cities or small towns? You’ve come to the right place!   

Wuzhen, China

Wuzhen is compared to a living fossil of ancient oriental civilization, unfolding with a good integration of nature, history, culture and oriental life. Over 1,000 years, the town has remained unchanged in its name and life style. Stone railings and arch bridges, imposing dwellings and spacious courtyards and even river banks are well-preserved, presenting an ecological scene of a water town in Jiangnan.

Cape Town, South Africa

The Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, Hout Bay, and The Wine Route are some of the fantastic hot-spots in and around Cape Town. This South African city, named the Mother City, is a place of activities of arts, culture, and tourism. If you’ve ever wanted to experience paradise at an affordable cost, this is it. You will be wining and dining among multi-millionaires and movie stars. For those who have been there, there is simply no place better than Cape Town.

Tel Aviv, Isral

This Middle-Eastern city is home to the world’s most incredible innovations, start-ups, artists, and attractions. It has a night life second to none, with bars, clubs, and coffee shops buzzing into the early hours. When you’re in search of theater, song and dance, film and fanfare—Tel Aviv has it all. With sun-baked beaches and fantastic sunsets, this city rocks 24/7.

10 . In some parts of China, mainly in Anhui Province and Zhejiang Province, spread groups of grey-tiled and white-walled houses, forming one of the most typical scenes captured in traditional Chinese landscape paintings. It is Hui-style architecture, one of the major Chinese architectural styles of ancient times.

Hui-style architecture developed into a significant building school in the Song Dynasty. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, gardens and houses constructed with Hui styles developed very quickly along with the success of Hui commerce (商业). Hui-style architecture soon stepped out from Huizhou and was introduced to big towns.

Hui-style architecture is characterized by the arrangement of villages together with nature, and a simple and beautiful exterior (外观).

Hui-style houses are usually ones with skylights (天井). With a square skylight surrounded by houses from four sides or from left, right and backside, these houses can reduce the beat of sunshine and enjoy ventilation (通风). All the houses gathers water from the skylight which means fortune will not run off outside.

In ancient times, the colors used for buildings were very strict Bright colors could only be used in palaces, temples and for government officials. So people in Huizhou chose the black and white colors to paint their houses.

Generally speaking, the exterior appearance of Hui-style buildings differs little while their interior can vary a lot based on the wishes of the owners. Home decoration is characterized by three types of Hui carving: stone carving, wood carving and brick carving.

To take a look at the Hui-style architecture, Xidi Village in Yixian County, Anhui Province, is the best place to go. It is a site of typical Hui houses, and one of the “Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui” that have been collectively listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.