Lone travellers always seem to get a poor deal when it comes to holidays - package holidays are based on sharing and it can be difficult for lone travellers to find someone to travel with. Help is at hand from New Horizons, a new travel club for singles. Set up in conjunction with travel firm, the Travel Broker, New Horizons has planned a number of trips for the rest of the year and will be adding others as demand grows. The first brochure has a selection of holidays to Spain, Italy, Thailand, as well as Galway and a Christmas package in Ireland. The brochure is available from Miriam Stafford - phone (01) 2782114 or write to 11 Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3.
More good news for single travellers. The Union Castle Line is offering up to 50 per cent fare reductions in all selected cabin grades for its Millennium Centenary Cruise. The M.V. Victoria will sail from Southampton and spend four days over the new year in Cape Town, where passengers can enjoy the celebrations. The voyage is divided into sectors of 18 nights, 44 nights and 66 nights. The round trip circles the whole continent of Africa. Details from 0044-1703226232 or www.union-castle-line.com
If you ever wondered where seals go on their holidays, you can find out by tracking one called Bran. Just after Christmas, some fishermen found Bran in a bad way and took him to the Irish Seal Sanctuary. He recovered and was released into the wild a few weeks ago. Bran is now wearing a Stena Line sponsored satellite tag which allows you to track his movements - see his progress on www.jhtc.demon.co.uk/branpages.htm
When the holidays are over and you start thinking about autumn weekends, turn your thoughts, and your friends' thoughts, to Sligo. The Sligo Park Hotel is taking bookings for groups of 20 or more for two nights bed, breakfast and one dinner in November, at a rate of £79. The Sligo Park Hotel has extensive leisure facilities, with swimming pool, gym and snooker - and over weekends there will be entertainment.
In a bid to stagger caravan holiday traffic, the French minister for tourism has initiated discounted tolls of 30 per cent, for on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays up to the middle of September.
Dublin's newest emporium of style has quietly opened its doors - but it's hardly a secret in this city. The Morrison Hotel on Ormond Quay has already been discovered by local glitterati and a number of visiting celebs. The minimalist style - lots of black and white - is the work of John Rocha. Definitely a hotel for nightbirds. A special introductory offer of £130 per room is available from now until the end of August. Tel: (01) 8872455.
The Ulsterbus 252 Goldliner Service travels one of the most scenic routes in Northern Ireland. From Belfast to Coleraine, around the Antrim coast, it passes through Carrickfergus, Larne, Glenarm, Carnlough, Cushendall, Cushendun, Ballycastle, the Giant's Causeway, Bushmills, Portrush and Portstewart. You can travel the whole route and back in a day, or hop on and off as you choose. Schedules from 0801232-333000.