With the credit crunch putting a strain on holidaymakers' purse strings and travellers increasingly concerned about the environment, European destinations will prove to be the real winners over the next 18 months.

Such is the opinion of Graham McKenzie, managing director of online resource TravelMole, who said that Britons may now start to look for carefully at long-haul destinations such as the Far East.

Holidaymakers and business travellers planning to jet off to the United States have been warned that they will soon have to apply for permission to enter its borders 72 hours in advance of flying.

According to the online resource TravelMole, airlines will now be required to comply with the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, which will become mandatory on January 12th 2009.

Ski resorts across Europe and in the US are set to open their doors early to winter sports fans this year.

According to online resource TravelMole, the move has followed heavy snowfalls across Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland and Scandinavia, as well as parts of North America.

With the rise in availability of high-adrenaline adventure sports, such as skiing and snowboarding, it is important that holidaymakers ensure they check the small print of their insurance, one sector commentator has claimed.

Asia Manzoor, spokesperson for esure travel insurance, said this was because any winter sports vacation came with a certain element of risk.

Britons planning to hit the slopes for a spot of skiing or snowboarding this winter have been advised to keep in mind that they will have to pay extra baggage fees for their equipment.

J Parry, writing on the online pages of Snowbrainer, said travellers should always check how much it would cost to stash their skis and snowboard before they jet off and that they should also ensure there will be space on the carrier for them.