Monarch Blog

It’s hard leaving 2012 behind, in all its Olympic glory and Jubilee glitter. It was a giddy ride, but its ending could easily double down on our inevitable January blues. As ever, we’ll be cold, cash-strapped and crying out for just a little something to lift us out of our seasonal slump. But perhaps the best tonic is to [...]

The countdown. The pop of champagne corks. The boom of fireworks. Each New Year’s Eve, these sounds echo right around the world. Yet you’ll still find a local twist to celebrations everywhere. If you’re travelling, New Year’s Eve is a great time to discover how the locals like to party. Even if you’re celebrating closer to home, you can still [...]

We love Christmas with all the trimmings in the UK – and many millions of people around the world feel the same. It’s just that the trimmings – and the traditions that make Christmas special – can vary radically from place to place. The Christmas tree is one tradition that has travelled well (it all began in 16th-century Germany, [...]

When asked for my advice for future wannabe ski racers I always say perseverance – skiing is a roller-coaster of emotions – be prepared to take the highs with the lows. This is my mantra at the moment. I have never been more attached to the bottom of an emotional yo-yo string as the last few months. There have [...]

According to professional skier, Chemmy Alcott, you can see them from a mile off. The man who got overly excited about the “bend ze knees” lesson, or the woman who thinks that extra wiggle to her turns best shows off her behind in her too tight trousers. But which one of these skiing clichés best describes you? You’ll spot [...]

So it’s finally December and it’s snowing in Europe, which means you ski fantatics will be counting down the days until you will be ripping turns on the white stuff. If you haven’t realised by now, sorry to burst your blissful ‘eat all you can eat, it’s Christmas’ bubble but you need to get in some sort of shape. [...]

  What are Mr and Mrs Claus thinking? What are they doing? Why aren’t they building toys or preparing reindeer or managing their elves? What are they wearing? All questions that you could answer in your witty caption for this photo! The caption that makes us laugh the loudest and longest, wins a free scheduled return flight for two. [...]

The winter blues can bring you low… but a good laugh can be really uplifting. That’s what inspired us to create our very own soap opera, following the trials and tribulations of a maverick holiday-prescribing doctor in a not-so-normal doctor’s surgery. The three part webisode series features the fictional character Dr Gideon Day, played by renowned (and rather handsome) [...]

I’ve been thinking lately – why is it that skiers and snowboarders have such a strong rivalry, and sometimes even a mild antipathy towards each other, considering we have so much in common? I have to start by saying, once again, this blog is likely to be highly biased since for 28 years I have been in favour of [...]

November. Even the word chills me to the bone. The month itself is cold, wet and dark. And I’m always saving my pennies for Christmas. Where’s the fun in that? But this year I’m determined not to wallow at the beginning of winter. So, I’ve formulated this five-step plan to beat the blues: 1. Do something new For me, [...]