While you are thinking about planning your next trip, we at One Planet Travel are thinking about YOU.

For this reason we have created a new service: One Planet Travel Customised Tours. These tours are put together by One Planet Travel and personalised for every customer.

How does this work? It's very simple, all you have to do is send us an email stating your chosen destination with your departure dates and length of stay, and we will put together a customised package that is right for you. Just sit back, relax and we'll do the rest. We will organise your Customised Tour COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE.

Do not wait a second longer! Send your email to contents@oneplanettravel.com specifying the details of your trip as well as your One Planet Travel registration number (the number that you received on registering). If you are not registered to One Planet Travel, you can do so here, free of charge.

Emails should be received at least two weeks before departure. As soon as we receive your email, our representatives will get back to you by email and begin to piece your programme together, giving you more time to relax and enjoy the holiday of a lifetime.

Spain is gaining quite a reputation for its festivals, with famous traditions such as the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona and the "Burial of the Sardine" in Madrid, where spectactors dress up and run down the street chasing a papier-mache sardine. Now it´s time for the "Tomatina", a pulpy mess of fun and festivities taking place in the quiet town of Buñol, Valencia. This "tomato war" certainly ranks as one of the best in Spain; in fact, the population of Buñol will quadruple during this time, literally painting the town a gooey shade of red.
This unique tradition began in 1945, supposedly resulting from a food fight in a restaurant in which passers-by decided to join. The fight was apparently so enjoyable that it was repeated the following year, and on every year that followed, eventually becoming an annual phenomenon as well as one of the most well-known events in the world. In fact, it eventually gained so much interest that the international media arrive in Buñol every year to provide global coverage. In 2002, the event won the Festival of International Tourist Interest award.
The Tomatina begins at 10am, signalled by the firing of water cannons. A hour of madness then follows, with both sides hammering each other with overripe tomatoes (usually squashed a little before thrown to prevent injury). The mayhem is stopped with the water cannons exactly an hour later, and the annual clean-up begins with the hosing down of the streets and the victims.
The festival is also represents the Buñol Fair and the festivals of the local saints Sant Lluis Bertran and Charca de Déu dels Desemparats (Mother of the God of the Defenceless), which will take place from August 22nd until September 1.

Read more at www.oneplanettravel.com

(Photo by Aaron Corey)

The most visited music and arts festival in Finland will return to Helsinki at the end of August, turning the Finnish capital into an enormous cultural centre. From August 20th to September 5th, every visitor will be able to find a show that satisfies their musical palate with an exciting programme offering concerts, art exhibitions, circus acts and other entertainment throughout the city, all day long.

For two whole weeks Helsinki will be in effervescence, putting the city on the international cultural map. Approximately thirty buildings (theatres, cultural centres, churches, galleries and even restaurants) will host a series of artistic events and shows, attracting a crowd of more than 300,000 every year.

From 1968 until now, the festival has retained a sense of openness and eclecticism that is clearly reflected in the variety in its programme. The festival's classical music concerts are worth noting, as well as the way Helsinki honours artists not only in Finland but all over the world.

This festival has provided a fantastic day out all year, and this year will be no exception.

For more information on Helsinki visit www.oneplanettravel.com

“La Semana Grande/Aste Nagusia” (The Big Week) will take place this week in Bilbao, the capital of the Basque Country. The festival will kick off the traditional way this Friday with the txupinazo, a loud firecracker that is set off before the bulls are released.
In collaboration with the Ayuntamiento de Bilbao (Bilbao Town Hall), it has traditionally been the Comparsas Bilbaínas (Bilbao Groups) who have injected the flavour into the txosna (grand fiesta). Far from being a religious festival, the celebrations are based heavily on heritage, maintaining an air of patriotics, society and culture.
“The Big Week” has been officially celebrated since 1978, yet August has always been a month of circus acts, fairs and bullfighting in the region. The only year in which the festival did not take place was 1983, when a series of floods that devastated the Basque Country forced its cancellation.

The main symbol of the festival is “Marijaia”, a folk legend of the Basque Country; the official song since 1997, with the lyrics of Edorta Jiménez and the musical composition of Kepa Junkera, is “Marijaia dator” (Marijaia is coming). The txupinazo, which is the main event, takes place with the reading of the pregón (speech) and the launching of the txupin (firecracker). Every year a pregonero (the one who reads the pregón) is chosen, usually a local celebrity; the txupinero (a woman belonging to the local groups) will launch the firecracker. This year the chosen ones are Kepa Junkera (pregonero) and Larraitz Cisneros (txupinero).

 The festival offers a range of activities for all the family, from local cookery classes to competitions, from children's theatre to sports. After a day of bullfights, religious ceremonies and concerts, the fun is rounded off with spectacular fireworks displays and parties, with the final show taking place on the 9th day, saying goodbye to “Marijaia”.

Read more about Bilbao at www.oneplanettravel.com