Hot igloos, Valentine's at 'Downton Abbey', and Julia Bradbury: Travel agenda

Where to go and what to know

The French resort of La Plagne's latest offering is a 'hot igloo'

1. Cold outside

The French resort of La Plagne's latest offering is a "hot igloo". But there's no danger of the ice melting in this white geodesic dome, complete with wood burner and Mont Blanc views. From €199 per night, half board.

blacksheep-igloo.com

2. Iceland offer

Transatlantic air fares for the summer are soaring, so travelling via Iceland may be the answer. In late July/early August, a direct London-Vancouver service is £1,200-plus return – while Icelandair is charging only £825 for a flight via Reykjavik, where free stopovers are available.

icelandair.co.uk

3. Walk this way

Former Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury has been appointed Ramblers Worldwide Holidays' first "roving ambassador". Julia will be presenting a new series on ITV, The Wonder of Britain, starting on Tuesday 6 January, which sees her exploring the best of the UK via boat, sea-plane, zip-wire and on foot.

ramblersholidays.co.uk

4. Asian flavours

Backyard Travel, which specialises in unusual tours of Asia, has announced a one-off culinary writing and photography tour in Cambodia. Departing on 22 May, the eight-day Eat, Learn, Love Cambodia Tour costs £1,998pp and offers an immersive experience of Cambodia's culture, cuisine, arts and history, for a group of up to 12 people.

backyardtravel.com

5. Wheel stop

The London Eye will close this Monday (5 January), for its annual two-week maintenance period. The Eye and the London Eye River Cruise to Tower Bridge will reopen to the public on 17 and 24 January respectively.

londoneye.com

6. Abbey stay

Fans of Downton Abbey should form an orderly queue at the gates of Highclere Castle, filming location for the TV series. The Berkshire estate is opening the 1793 London Lodge to overnight guests on Valentine's weekend and certain nights during the Easter public opening of the castle.

highclerecastle.co.uk

7. Rome north

"Roman Empire, Power and People" is the name of a British Museum touring exhibition. It combines more than 160 objects from the museum's collection of Roman material – such as sculptures from Tiberius and Hadrian's villas. It opens at the McManus Galleries in Dundee on 24 January, and in May transfers to Hadrian's Wall.

britishmuseum.org

8. Back to the 80s

The Riff Hotel has opened in Chelsea, New York City. The hotel's decor has been inspired by 1980s Manhattan – but don't bring bouffant hair, shoulder pads or very large mobile phones, this is a contemporary take on the era: more Madonna, less Michael Douglas. Opening doubles start at $149, room only.

riffhotels.com