The Right Week Independent travel guides Get the Field Note

Collection 01

Easy Escapes

Winter sun, island holidays and short city breaks, with advice on when to go and where to stay.

October edition
8 finished guides
Practical travel guides

New · 14 October 2026

Madeira in November: is it a good time to go?

Mild afternoons in Funchal, a walk when the weather allows and time to explore the old town.

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New · 14 October 2026

Malta in November: is it worth a short break?

Valletta, a day in Mdina and museums for a rainy afternoon: a three- or four-night November break.

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Painted fishing boats on turquoise water at Pedra Lume on Sal, Cape Verde, below an arid headland under strong sun

The January comparison

Where is actually warm in January?

Compare daytime warmth, rainfall and sea temperatures before choosing a January holiday.

Best forChoosing on evidence
Not forChoosing on air temperature alone
Dark lava cliffs meeting turquoise Atlantic water on Lanzarote, with red volcanic cones inland under a bright sky

The January file

Which Canary island works in January?

Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote or Fuerteventura? Compare the weather and choose the right part of the island.

Best forA winter beach break
Not forPicking by island name
A Canary Islands coastal town in autumn sunshine, volcanic rock and blue Atlantic below whitewashed houses

The autumn file

October half-term: where is actually warm?

South Tenerife, Madeira, the Algarve and Antalya compared for a late-October family break.

Best forA week that has to work
Not forChasing the headline number
A white Stockholm archipelago passenger boat with passengers on deck, flags flying, wooded islands behind

The summer file

The Stockholm archipelago by public ferry

A capital that runs scheduled boats to hundreds of islands, with fares from about a fiver. The catch is a summer timetable that stops on a published Sunday.

Best forCity base, islands by day
Not forLate nights on the quay
A dark volcanic headland sheltering a turquoise bay at El Cotillo on Fuerteventura, with bare winter hills behind

The winter file

Winter sun: Canaries or Cape Verde?

The Canaries have a shorter journey and plenty of choice. Cape Verde is worth comparing for warmer weather in midwinter.

Best forA January beach holiday
Not forDeciding on the day
Funchal spreading down a green hillside towards the Atlantic under broken February cloud

The first trip file

Madeira in February: is it actually a sun escape?

Funchal is mild enough for lunch outside and the island is green. It is not reliably hot, and the mountains make their own weather. Here is the version of the trip that still works.

Best forWalking + city break
Not forGuaranteed beach heat