THE smell of freshly cooked sausages wafts through the air, while the sound of a booming Oompah band drowns out the raucous laughter.

I have a very large beer tankard in both hands, which means I can only be in one place – Munich‘s Oktoberfest.

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The festival was first held in Munich in the early 1800s to celebrate the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria.

While it’s grown in size over the years, the Oktoberfest is still very much a celebration – and one I’ve been lucky enough to be part of twice in my life.

This year, I headed to the festival with a large group of friends – both British and German – and on another trip I sat on a table with festival-goers from America and South Africa.

Nationalities can easily mix at the festival simply because everyone is there with the same aim – to have a good, old-fashioned knees up.

From families with small children enjoying the fairground rides to the heaviest of drinkers, Oktoberfest always has an exciting and good-natured atmosphere.

That being said, foreign visitors – like us Brits – could still learn a thing or two from the locals.

Here are 11 tips for visiting Oktoberfest that I’ve learned from the Germans…

1. Make sure to plan well ahead, because flights and accommodation can get very expensive in the German city, especially if you leave it to the last minute.

2. If you’re planning on dressing in the traditional garb, I would recommend buying something in the UK.

I bought my Dirndl from Amazon for £20, knowing I wouldn’t be too upset if it got dosed in beer, which it did.

Prices for cheap polyester Lederhosen and Dirndl can cost upwards of €80 (£66.50), with many places selling them for around €200 (£167).

Just don’t expect to look like a local because many will spend hundreds on their outfits, knowing they will last them a lifetime.

3. Those holidaymakers heading to the festival in a large group should aim to book a table inside one of the tents.

There are 38 tents at Oktoberfest, meaning there’s somewhere for everyone from huge party tents like Hofbrau to child-friendly spots like Augustiner-Festhalle.

When deciding on where to head, it’s worth taking note of the beer that’s being served as each tent generally only serves one type, and if you’re planing on being particularly raucous, you might feel more comfortable in one of the adults-only tents.

Reserving a table is actually pretty tricky, with tents often prioritising locals and festival-goers who’ve been before.

If it’s your first time visiting, I’d recommend reserving a table at Schottenhamel Festhalle because their tables can be booked online.

4. Reservations are made in exchange for food and drink vouchers, which can be used in the tent on the day of your booking.

However, these vouchers will need to be posted to the UK, which can cost an eye-watering €60 (£50) in postage fees, so make sure to factor that into your budget.

5. In Munich cash is still king, so make sure to have enough money to cover your purchases inside the tent.

While cash points are dotted around the festival site, you might not be allowed to re-enter a tent if you decide to leave so be sure to have enough cash.

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6. Make sure to have plenty of extra cash for tips too, because the more you tip the better service you’re likely to have during your stay.

One Maß (a 1-litre tankard) of beer costs around €15 (£12.32), but we paid just under €20 (£16.70) per Maß once tips were included – which may seem like a lot but we were treated very well by our servers.

7. Beer served in the tent (Festbier) has been brewed specially for the festival and are generally stronger than your typical versions.

For instance, a lager was 6%, which gets you drunk considerably quicker when you’re drinking by the litre.

8. Entry to the festival is free and there is plenty to do away from the beer halls, so give yourself plenty of time to visit the attractions and food stalls.

The entire site is very family-friendly, with school trips taking place during the day and families making the most of the fairground rides, face painting and puppet theatre.

One of the rides that shouldn’t be missed is Munich Looping – the world’s largest transportable rollercoaster.

9. Only small handbags and bum bags are allowed into the grounds of the festival.

Each bag is searched by security, who throw away any food or drink for safety reasons.

10. While the tents are inside, check the weather forecast and bring a brolly or a Cagoule – it’s an autumn festival and you wouldn’t want to come away with a cold on top of an atrocious hangover.

11. Despite its name, the Munich festival actually runs for two weeks in September and one week in October.

This year’s festival will run until Sunday October 6, with dates for next year’s festivities already being announced.

Meanwhile, this European city break has 180-year-old beer gardens, cheap football and amazing street food.

And a new high-speed train service is soon set to link Berlin and Paris.

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“WHEN you see the manta ray, you need to jump off the boat and swim really fast behind me,” the guide explained, to my two wide-eyed daughters.

“I am a very quick swimmer, so you’ll just have to keep up,” he added, before turning his attention to the ocean’s horizon.

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I couldn’t work out if he was joking or not.

But while I was inwardly panicking, my daughters weren’t scared in the slightest and before I knew it they were in, paddling around and in awe of the majestic creatures.

This certainly wasn’t the first “pinch me” moment of the week.

We were in the Maldives on a holiday of a lifetime and from the moment we stepped foot on Villa Park Sun Island resort we were mesmerised.

With water bungalows overlooking a crystal clear ocean teeming with fish, and villas plonked on pure white sands, you could see why many honeymooners jet off to these Indian Ocean islands for some romance.

But how would we fare as a family with two youngsters under the age of ten in tow?

Luckily, our beach bungalow had plenty of space with two double beds and a private pool – not that we needed another place to swim with the large resort lagoon pool and the whole of the Indian Ocean at our fingertips.

Although, parents should be warned that the currents can be strong.

Elsewhere on the resort are two beautiful, beachside restaurants dishing up cuisine from all over the world — and they play a very strong curry game.

One day I had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner – just because I could!

The only means of travel around the island, with its banana grove and lush green gardens, is by foot, bike or golf buggy.

And even as one of the biggest resort islands on the South Ari Atoll, with 462 villas, it still only took me 50 minutes to march around the edge one morning — and I wondered how we would keep the kids entertained for a whole week in such a small space.

The good news is, the resort has a kids’ club every other night, and regular entertainment, ranging from crab racing to musical performances, plus a disco most evenings.

But that wasn’t what made Sun Island worth flying all this way for.

What made this spot unique against other kid-friendly resorts was the location itself.

After all, where else in the world can you swim alongside whale sharks, turtles and manta rays with almost guaranteed sightings year round?

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And as well as some fantastic snorkelling with shoals of colourful fish, every day at 6pm the resort has manta ray feeding sessions on the beach, and you can also watch a shiver of friendly whale sharks thrashing over food at the end of the pontoon.

If the parents fancy a bit of downtime, there’s a beautiful spa with a blissful “signature experience”, combining massages, coconut milk foot rubs and breathing exercises to bring a sense of calm to mind and body.

But even with an all-inclusive package, this does come at an additional cost.

Most romantic place in the world

What all-inclusive guests do get though (on top of food and drink), is free snorkel hire for the trip, windsurfing and canoeing, access to sports facilities and one special night-time fishing excursion per stay.

So can you bring your kids on holiday to the most romantic place in the world?

Simply put, yes. But it’s only worth doing so if they can swim.

You can guarantee they’ll be boasting about those manta rays for years to come.

DOWNHAM Market in Norfolk has been dubbed a “Gingerbread Town” – because of the colour of its buildings.

The moniker is because of the colour of the sandstone bricks, created by fusing local white brick and carrstone to make the gingerbread colour.

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Having been a town for over 2,000 years, it officially became a market town in 1046, making it one of the oldest of its kind in Norfolk.

Because of its long history, there are plenty of noteworthy buildings to visit including Downham Market Town Hall, which is one of the main buildings to have the gingerbread ‘slabs’.

Another example of the “Gingerbread brick” can be found on the corner of Priory Road and London Road.

Head to the Discover Downham Heritage Centre to find out about the town’s history as well.

The tiny museum has a number of artefacts and interactive displays to look at as well as workshops including weaving and mosaic making.

Entry into Discover Downham Heritage Centre costs £4 per person.

Downham Market’s black and white clock tower is another key landmark in the town, which opened in 1878.

Meanwhile, The Fen Rivers Way Footpath also runs directly through the Norfolk town, which means day-trippers to Downham Market will be able to get into the countryside without a hitch.

And if you need a drink at the end, the town has a much-loved Wetherspoons which locals have raved about.

The Whalebone is a Grade II Listed building, that dates back to the 18th century.

Its name is a nod to the whaling trade that once flourished in the area, with its walls adorned with other historical memorabilia.

The pub has a 4/5 star rating on Google from more than 1,600 reviews.

One person wrote: “Easily one of, if not, the best beer garden I’ve come across at a Wetherspoon pub and restaurant.”

Another person added: “It’s friendly and I love the way they have incorporated historical elements into the decorating of the Whalebone.”

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There are several other pubs in Downham Market, including The Live and Let Live.

The Norfolk Cheese Co & Delicatessen is a highly-rated restaurant in the area too, with a 5/5 star rating on Google.

For holidaymakers who want to stay overnight, rooms at the Crown Hotel start from £83 per night.

The unassuming hotel was where the “Bread Riots” took place in 1816.

King Charles I was also said to have hidden in an Inn in Downham Market in the 17th century.

The former king disguised as a clergyman in an attempt to evade capture by Parliamentary forces after the battle of Naseby.

Downham Market can be reached on a direct train from London King’s Cross, with services taking 100 minutes.

Another tiny village in the UK has been compared to a retro 1940s film set.

And an abandoned village in England only opens to tourists once a year.

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