Surfin' Santa

Christmas Eve; Dublin, grey sky, grey streets, grey mood, crazed shoppers puncturing your ribs with boxes of anything they can get their paws on. Christmas Day; 32 degrees, the smell of BBQ’s wafting from every garden, a decent surf rising on Manly Beach and an ice-cold stubby waiting for you in the cooler box.

Really, it’s a no-brainer. Considering that we probably won’t be getting anything that resembles a summer (again) this year, why not give yourself one in December when everyone else is at home arguing with the family and vainly looking for the quality in the Quality Street.

An Australia Summer is best experienced when we, in the freezing Northern Hemisphere, are cold and miserable – and all the better for it. For this period, flights should be booked well in advance in order to get a good deal – expect to pay between 600-800euro. Check out Etihad Airlines a relatively new airline on the market who are offering that rarity among travel; cheap flights and comfort!