Flying these days is really bad. Seats are smaller, storage is smaller, flight attendants and gate agents are meaner, and it's hard to get an empty seat next to you.

Find out what the school season is and the vacation times for the place you are going, and then avoid those times, ... You know when all the locals go home, that's when you'll have the beach all to yourself.

You can basically get an Italian-style holiday in Croatia at about one-fifth the price.