I bet you didn’t know you could enjoy a beautiful beach and volunteer on a dinosaur dig on the same vacation.

Between January and March every year, about 60 volunteers from all over the world work with a team from Victoria’s Monash University at the Dinosaur Dreaming site at Flat Rocks, just outside Inverloch Australia. The dig has taken place every year since 1994 and work is done most days from January to March, depending on the tide and the weather. Visitors are welcome, but if you want to volunteer, you need to do some training first and you can find out more at http://www.sci.monash.edu.au/msc/dinodream/volunteer.html

Inverloch is on the south coast of Gippsland on Anderson’s Inlet. It’s about a 90 minute drive from Melbourne and on the way to Wilson’s Promontory. Accommodation ranges from caravan parks and camping sites to motels and rental homes. We stayed in a holiday home that backs onto a reserve and is only a short walk away from the water’s edge and the town centre, for shopping and cafes. We woke to the sound of birdsong every morning and were soothed to sleep by the distant sound of the surf every night.

Anderson’s Inlet is tidal and vast mudflats are exposed at low tide. We walked through mangroves and enjoyed the antics of scuttling crabs and birds digging for a meal.

The mouth of the inlet is narrow and crossing the bar can be dangerous for even the most experienced boat masters. The coast is battered by southerly winds off Bass Strait and the coastline offers dunes, rocky promontories and miles of deserted white sandy beaches, perfect for kite surfing. There is a beautiful coastal drive west of Inverloch to Cape Patterson through Bunurong Marine Park. We opted for the slower alternative and walked along the beach, taking time to peer into rockpools along the way and work up a healthy appetite for some locally caught fish and chips from Snappers in Inverloch.

I was going to write about Myrtle Beach as a winter break destination and I got pipped at the post, so to speak. Someone else has already had the same idea. This month, Myrtle Beach will be hosting not one but two presidential debates. It seems that quite a few people will be having a winter break in Myrtle Beach this year.

Every year more than 14 million visitors vacation at Myrtle Beach. And this hospitality infrastructure was a key factor in the decisions to hold the presidential debates on The Grand Strand. I mean, if you can accommodate, feed, transport and entertain 14 million holidaymakers, then a couple of presidential debates with their entourages aren’t going to be a problem, are they?

The climate is pleasant, even in January. Today’s forecast is for a partly cloudy day with temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees. The sea is a cool 53 degrees, so you’ll need your wetsuit if you’re planning a surf.

Accommodation is plentiful and heavily discounted - you can pay only a third of the peak season price if you visit outside the main winter holidays. Discounts are offered in restaurants and cafes too, and all the entertainment and shopping venues stay open all year round.

And then there’s the golf. You may have to wear a sweater and take your umbrella, but a round of golf is a round of golf any time and with over 100 courses to choose from along The Grand Strand, you’re bound to find one to suit your level of play. Many of the courses offer accommodation and lesson packages and if the golf is what you’re going for, then this is the best way to save.

I wonder if the presidential candidates will have time for a round of golf when they’re at Myrtle Beach?

The Great Ocean Road has long been a popular tourist drive for visitors to Victoria, Australia. It follows the south coast past spectacular ocean scenery, including the famous Twelve Apostles rock formation.

Well now you can enjoy the scenery at close quarters by taking the Great Ocean Walk. The walk itself is 91 kms and passes through National Parks overlooking the Marine National Park and Sanctuary.

You can join the Great Ocean Walk at a number of places, if you want to do a day walk or a short walk. There is accommodation along the way (both on and off the track) ranging from campsites where you carry everything in on your back to luxurious lodges and a variety of cafes and restaurants.

Finding your way through the choice of accommodation available is not exactly straightforward. I have found http://www.greatoceanwalk.com.au to be a good starting point. It has links to maps, accommodation and a whole range of guided tours, as well as some spectacular photographs. Even if you aren’t a walker, it’s worth having a look at the pictures of ocean beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see, with not a person in sight.

The walking options are many and varied. You can walk from one end to the other (91 kms) or do sections. You can join a fully supported and catered tour, where all you do is walk and carry a daypack with your wet weather gear, sun screen, packed lunch and a water bottle. If you fancy a couple of nights camping but don’t want to carry the gear, there’s even a company that will rent you all your camping gear and deliver it to the campsite for you. How enterprising!

We’re only in the planning stage of this particular beach vacation, but I’ll keep you posted. Don’t forget to check in at http://beachvacationportal.com

The Cook Islands are a tiny archipelago in the South Pacific, visited mostly by tourists from nearby Australia and New Zealand.

Some seasoned travellers from Europe and North America make the trek and its well worth it, because it’s an idyllic vacation location filled with friendly people and breathtaking scenery.

US travellers need to take a 15+ hour flight from Los Angeles, usually with transfers in Tahiti, and then Rarotonga, the main island and location of the Cook Islands’ capital Avarua.

History buffs will know that the Cook Islands were originally made famous as one of the last places William Bligh, captain of the H.M.S. Bounty, visited before his infamous mutiny in 1789.

Aitutaki is a the perfect haven for honeymoon couples and travellers wanting to get away from it all. It is remote island that situated in a beautiful lagoon that is surrounded by group of smaller islands called “motus.” The lagoon is a wonderful place to swim - you can lie in the water or walk across a good part of the lagoon.

There are a selection of accomodation and resorts, such as:

• Aitutaki Beach Villas
• Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa, which has access to the lagoon.
• Aretai Beach Villas
• Inano Beach Bungalows
• Paparei Bungalows
• Rino’s Beach Bungalows

Go to the Cook Islands official site for full hotel and resort information http://www.cook-islands.com/

The weather is pleasant and mild most of the time, as you can see from the table below, averaging about 75 degrees. The water is warm year round.

Discover more about international beach vacations