Looking for an escape route from the annual trips to the in-laws’ summer-house? Or perhaps you just enjoy the week of inevitable dampness and claustrophobic sheltering indoors, perusing well-thumbed copies of Se og Hør or emulating our Ryder Cup heroes on the dilapidated local mini-golf course. Because a short Metro ride to the Bella Center on the days between January 18 and 20 can give you some inspiration for planning the perfect getaway – or failing that, a chance to dream.
The Holiday Fair has areas dedicated to travel, camping, sport, golf, diving and holiday homes. You can sample gastronomic specialities from the four corners of the globe, watch the world come to you in the Film Lounge, try a whole variety of sports and leisure activities, take instruction in diving in one of the specially constructed pools, as well as visiting all the usual stands from the well-established travel agencies. For kids with itchy feet, Legoworld, Pippiworld and the CPH diveshow should provide plenty to keep them busy.
Revisiting Herr Hitler and Pearl Harbour
Cultours is a travel agency with a difference. It will march you off to historical destinations such as Hitler’s underground rocket factory near Harzen where prisoners from the local concentration camp manufactured V1 and V2 rockets. Cultours’ idea of a beach holiday is a jaunt to the D-Day invasion beaches of Normandy or even a more upmarket and exotic excursion to Pearl Harbour. Expert guides are provided, but recently Cultours has decided to harness the technology of the iPad and let its guests in Tokyo and New York wander around alone minus the jabbering guide, but with the security of the all-knowing iPad informing and leading the way.
Whisky galore on the high road
“You’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road” − quite literally, if you are a guest of Liselotte Douglas. Her marriage to a Scotsman and career as a stress coach inspired her to lead groups of Danes from Holy Island to the remote whisky distilleries of the Glens. Her tours not only have a root in the love of trekking in the beautiful Highlands, but also in the philosophies of mindfulness where the rhythm of your walking boots will take over and give you a feeling of being completely in the moment.
Adventures with Pippi
For the nostalgic travellers, a trip to Sweden is on the cards, for who can resist the charms of Pippi Longstocking? A quick trip over the water to Vimmerby transports you and the family to Astrid Lindgren’s world. Familiar characters − including Karlsson på taket (on the roof), Emil, Ronja Røverdatter (the robber’s daughter) and the pigtailed Pippi − entertain the guests in streets and houses taken from Lindgren’s beloved books.
Summer-houses in summery locations
“Let’s buy a summer house,” says your significant other. It’s time to up the stakes with a visit to the Oriental Invest stand. You might have seen them on TV in ‘Hammerslag’, the guess-the-house-price TV show on DR1. Oriental Invest gives you the chance to buy your own sumptuous summer-house close to the palm-lined beaches of Thailand, complete with a five-year rental agreement if you want to rent out the property. This could be one for those with one eye on retirement.
Be the James Bond of the campsite
Want to feel like a dashing James Bond recently equipped by gadget specialist Q? Well, that’s admittedly a bit of an exaggeration, but AB Camping will be demonstrating its range of thief-beating Pacsafe products including: Wire security nets for backpacks, a lockable iPod case that still allows you to listen to music, a well-disguised belt with a secret pocket for notes and coins, and stylish handbags with steel wire sewn into the shoulder strap. All designed to give you peace of mind while on holiday.
A smile on your face in more ways than one
Canal trips are a classic highlight of many a tourist destination, but rarely root canal treatment. Tandrejser combines quality dental treatment at Hungarian prices with a day or two in the bustling city of Budapest. Tandrejser works together with a dental clinic in Budapest to offer all-inclusive package tours that provide interpreters, taxis from the airport and a hotel room in the centre of town. No need to feel down in the mouth with Danish dentist bills − an overnight stay in Hungary will soon put the smile back on your face.
So even if the financial crisis has hit you hard, the Holiday Fair will be a place where, for 90kr, you can allow yourself to dream a little. Perhaps there is an alternative after all in 2013 to the musty cottages of the Danish coast.
Bella Center, Centre Boulevard 5, 2300 Cph S; starts Fri Jan 18, ends Sun Jan 20, open Fri & Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00; tickets: over-12s 90kr, under-12s 45kr, under-fours free adm, two adults, two kids: 200kr; www.ferieibella.dk
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