| There is no doubting the health benefits that an | | | | beaches, from Daytona Beach in the north of the |
| extended period of time in the sun has. Now, that | | | | state, to the world-famous Miami Beach in the south. |
| doesn't have to mean lying on a beach all day reading | | | | But what keeps visitors coming back in their droves is |
| and getting sun-burnt, which would probably be many | | | | the abundance of other activities on offer. For |
| people's idea of a holiday from hell. | | | | nature-lovers, the Everglades National Park in |
| No, in an age which has seen many more people | | | | south-western Florida is a safe-haven for many |
| affording exotic adventure holidays, it can be easy to | | | | different species that are considered 'endangered', |
| forget that sometimes all a body needs is a week or | | | | such as the West-Indian Manatee, the American |
| two of fun in the sunshine to recover from the trials | | | | Crocodile and the Florida Panther. |
| and tribulations of everyday working life. | | | | Moreover, perhaps the most distinguishing feature of |
| Indeed, Florida has been the classic holiday destination | | | | the Sunshine State is the Florida Keys, which are an |
| for years for this very reason. Now, a cynical person | | | | archipelago of around 1700 islands stretching from |
| may say that having a nickname such as 'the Sunshine | | | | close to the tip of Miami to less than 100 miles from |
| State' is just a clever marketing ploy, designed to get | | | | the coast of Cuba. Needless to say, the marine-life in |
| gullible tourists to visit and spend their hard-earned | | | | this area is outstanding, and a great way of touring the |
| money. But the truth is, for the most part, Florida has a | | | | Florida Keys is by organising a boat trip, where special |
| year-round subtropical climate that is tempered by its | | | | packages can be arranged for activities such as |
| proximity to water on each side. | | | | snorkelling and fishing. |
| So in effect, Florida never really gets extremely hot or | | | | Of course, there is no shortage of flights to Florida, and |
| extremely cold, making it a great winter or summer | | | | the four main airports in Orlando, Miami, Tampa and |
| retreat. People who live in countries such as the UK, | | | | Fort Lauderdale are all well connected to the |
| which is notorious for its unpredictable weather, will | | | | international community. With a flight time of around 9 |
| often descend upon Florida's sandy shores looking to | | | | hours direct from the UK, the year-round good |
| reap all the benefits a sunshine holiday can offer - the | | | | weather and wealth of activities on offer will ensure |
| key ones being relaxation and improved mental | | | | people will continue to visit the self-proclaimed sunshine |
| wellbeing. | | | | state for years to come. |
| Of course, the major benefit Florida has over the usual | | | | Disclaimer: |
| sunshine resorts in places such as Spain and Portugal, | | | | The information contained within this article is the |
| is, well, it isn't a resort. Florida is a massive peninsula | | | | opinion of the author and is intended purely for |
| state, surrounded by water on three sides and has | | | | information and interest purposes only. It should not be |
| somewhere in the region of 1200 miles of coastline, | | | | used to make any decisions or take any actions. Any |
| which has helped create some of the world's best | | | | links are included for information purposes only. |