relax

One of the country’s major airport hubs has introduced a new twilight-hour service to give early morning budget travellers more time to relax before taking off.

One of the UK’s major airports has introduced a new check-in service that will ease the burden of early morning flights. The new check-in option will ensure budget travellers are “ready to relax and unwind” before their flight.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the latest England airport to introduce twilight bag drop and check-in services. Many airlines have introduced twilight bag drop to ease stress on travellers and check-in desks, especially during heavy travel periods.

Twilight bag drop services allow passengers to arrive at the airport the night before their scheduled departure and check-in their large bags well before the flight’s check-in window.

According to the Liverpool Airport website: “Twilight check-in is now available at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, making it easy for you to turn up the night before your flight and check-in your hold luggage at your airline’s dedicated check-in desk.

“Then, simply turn up the next day, bypass check-in and head straight to security, ready to relax and unwind in departures before your flight.”

Twilight services were previously only available for passengers flying with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, however a recent announcement confirmed expanded availability.

An “amber alert” announcement from the airport reads: “Passengers travelling with easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair and departing on flights before 08:00 can all now check in their hold luggage up to three hours before their departure, giving more time to relax and make use of the facilities in the Departure Lounge.”

This service is particularly convenient for anyone living or staying close to their departure airport. But again, not every airline offers this service – so it’s best to check with your tour operator first.

The first step of Twilight check-in is to complete online check-in via Jet2’s website, app, or through their travel agent, at least 24 hours before the flight.

Check-in luggage can then be dropped off at the Jet2 desks at Liverpool Airport between 4.30PM and 9PM the evening before scheduled departure. The following morning, passengers can go straight through to security – bypassing check-in entirely.

Passengers driving to the airport to make use of twilight check-in services can park in the airport’s Drop-off 2 car park. Travellers get one hour complimentary parking to check their bags in, but anything over that time (or the use of other car parks) will be subject to standard parking fees.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport also urges passengers to arrive a minimum of two hours before departure to allow enough time to check-in and pass through security.

Slovenia’s raft of adventure activities

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Sue

All aboard in the Netherlands

Our favourite family holiday was to the Netherlands: taking turns playing captain guiding electric hire boats on canals; tilting our ice-cream cones at windmills at Zaanse Schans; cycling to the broad, clean beaches for mocktails in cabanas; Amsterdam for the colourful Pride parade counterpointed by a quiet, calming visit to De Poezenboot (which teen could resist a cat sanctuary on a canal boat?). And staying in Haarlem in an apartment with speedy wifi kept the teens happy while we indulged in morning strolls through medieval cobbled streets to Grote Markt for coffee and people-watching.
Annette

An Italian castle at hostel prices

When I saw the picture of Ostello il Castello di Santa Severa in the Guardian in 2019, I thought it was too good to be true, but it’s genuine. We have been twice with our teens, and sent friends too! A mile-long beach where teenagers can roam and paddleboard, an easy train journey to explore Rome, lunchtime pizza slices with locals cheering on the footie at L’Angolo delle Crepes. Plus the opportunity to sleep in a castle at hostel prices. Fluffy white towels aplenty, but also a gleaming kitchen if you want to cook. Don’t miss the nearby necropolis for an Indiana Jones-style adventure. Fireworks over the castle and a hilarious Italian Beatles cover band were the ciliegina sulla torta!
Margaret

Dracula and bear-spotting in Romania

The best European trip with my teen (so far) has to be Romania. We stayed in Brașov, booked an apartment with a pool and had the best time. There is so much to do and lots of easy public transport. We ate outdoors at little cafes on the street, took a cable car up the mountain, went on a trip to see bears in the forest (up close and personal!), had a tree-top adventure at Adventure Park and visited Dracula’s castle. The town itself is historic and beautiful, and the people are so welcoming. It’s not your typical British tourist destination but it makes for a fabulous adventure.
Kate

When in Rome … take a Vespa tour!

Rome in October half-term. Coliseum and Forum tours gave the right balance of interesting history, fun facts and a bit of gore that most teenagers would be entranced by! Walked a lot without seeming to walk a lot. A two-hour Vespa tour was the highlight. You hang on to the drivers and they negotiate the traffic, show you a different Rome with local knowledge and attitude. To complete the adventure: guaranteed great food, gelato and, for weary parents of an evening, vino cheapo!
Ruth

Austria’s Alpine summer wonderland

Saalbach-Hinterglemm in Austria in the summer meant hiking, ebiking and waterparks. Take advantage of the Joker card for free or reduced-price access to lots of activities. Hire a car to make the most of local resorts with lakeside beach clubs, alpine zoos, glacier visits and summer toboggan runs. Plenty to keep teens entertained.
Hilary

An epic train journey across Europe

Last summer I went with my two children on a trip north through Scandinavia, then back via the Baltic countries. This turned into an epic 5,000-mile train journey, which we each took part in planning. The 10-year-old’s focus was on cycling, swimming, play parks and cat cafes. The 14-year-old took us to the KGB headquarters in Riga, a tour around Berlin, and a visit to the Deyrolle taxidermy shop in Paris. By handing over some planning and responsibility to the kids, I could relax; they were engaged in activities away from their devices and their geography knowledge improved!
Sarah Patel

Cosmopolitan and exotic Antwerp

Antwerp by Eurostar was perfect. Coffee and buns at Pakt every morning, cool galleries like MoMu and Fomu every day, kilo vintage shopping, art nouveau streets, incredible Korean, Vietnamese and Nepalese restaurants, and bikes! Perfect October break.
Georgia

Postcard from the edge of Belleville, Paris

A brief holiday for us this year with our 15-year-old son but it was plenty – five nights in a gorgeous apartment on the edge of Belleville, Paris, not far from Buttes-Chaumont. He’s the age where we can enjoy both Disneyland and then take in the Hockney retrospective at the stunning Fondation Louis Vuitton. Back at base we watched city life unfold from our French windows and then sampled Lebanese, Laos and French meals in the bustling streets around. Nearer to town, the family-run Eats Thyme is a standout.
GingerGigolo

Winning tip: Oompah and cable cars in Bavaria

A two-centre holiday to Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany, is a must with teenagers as there is so much to see and do. In Munich they loved the atmosphere in the beer halls – eating pretzels and listening to the oompah band and watching the Rathaus-Glockenspiel in the square. A visit to the Olympiapark is also recommended. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen there is a toboggan run, which is great fun, and nearby is the beautiful Zugspitze mountain and cable car, with boating on Eibsee lake. Bavaria has plenty to keep teenagers entertained and active, for a very enjoyable holiday.
Richard Watkins

When the Spa at Séc-he opened its doors in Palm Springs in 2023, it welcomed guests to a 73,000-square-foot facility with mineral-rich bathing waters, resort-style pools, salt caves, steam rooms and a slew of indulgent amenities, all without requiring booking a treatment.

Of course, massages, facials and the like are available, but a major draw of visiting Séc-he is simply to spend the day cocooned within its grounds.

The spa isn’t alone in selling day passes to visitors. North of Palm Springs in Desert Hot Springs, many hotels pump mineral waters from the ground into oasis-like enclaves where spa-goers can soak for the day without staying overnight.

And further south in Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert and Indian Wells, some of the splashiest resorts in the valley offer day pass admission to deeply impressive spas. Think aromatherapy showers, menthol-infused dry saunas, zero-gravity lounge chairs and secluded pools all for a fraction of the price of an all-too-short 50-minute treatment.

As a Coachella Valley resident, I’ve spent the day at many spas in the area. Most sell passes on the third-party website ResortPass, while a few are available to purchase directly. They range in price from $54 to $155 (inclusive of ResortPass fees, where applicable) and some include full use of the resort’s pools and amenities for exceptional value.

Just know that day passes are generally limited in quantity to save space for guests booking treatments and to avoid crowding, so if you have a specific date in mind, book far in advance. Some properties also enact time limits, have age requirements and may or may not include parking or food for purchase. And if you’re a local, speak up. Many spas grant discounts to those residing within the valley.

I’ve soaked, steamed, swam and relaxed as hard as humanly possible at every property listed below. If all you have is one day to chill and don’t want to fork over hundreds of dollars for a treatment that never seems long enough, these spas will leave you feeling nearly as blissful as if you had. Just plan to clear your entire day. Two, three, four hours — at all of these properties, I promise you it won’t be enough.