I am (very proudly) from Cuba, and if I had to say just one thing that my country does best it would have to be festivals. Whether cultural, artistic, musical or religious, they are always colourful, lively, and – above all – fun! If you want to experience a Cuban fiesta for yourself, luckily you will have many chances, as the Cuban festival calendar is so packed that whenever you visit there is bound to be something going on. Here are all my favourites together with this year's festival dates.
Annerys Hockley, Travel Consultant, Tailor-made Holidays

Havana International Cigar festival – 27 February-2 March...

Earlier this week we pooled our favourite Latin American music into an Essential Listening list, so to continue our musical theme we thought we'd bring you a quick blast of Latin rhythm to spice up a Friday afternoon. ¡Que disfrutes!

Let's start with an oldie but goodie...

We've teamed up with Stanfords, the UK's largest retailer of maps, guides, travel literature and accessories under one roof, to offer you three unique events this February and March at the flagship store in Covent Garden (12-14 Long Acre, WC2E 9LP). 

Get expert advice and tips on travel to Central and South America and join us for two fascinating talks on three of South America’s last frontiers: Venezuela and the Guianas; and Antarctica.

The events will start at 6.30pm and finish at 7pm, with wine and nibbles until 7.30pm over informal chat...

Well, it’s here again. My favourite day of the year – Valentine's day... and whilst most people are snuffling into their pillows or taking advantage of the uber-expensive Valentine's special at their local restaurant, I’m celebrating my birthday! Now, the best part about this is I always look like the most popular person in the neighbourhood due to the number of cards I receive, my single friends are never without something to do on the dreaded day and generally everyone else in the world is also in a great mood as they’re all receiving flowers, chocolates or other gifts as well. Also, my husband loves it as he really only ends up having to celebrate my birthday and will eternally get away with ignoring the Valentine's bit.

Having been lucky enough to celebrate many a 14th of February abroad in my lifetime, one of my favourite birthdays was spent in Brazil on the island of Morro de São Paulo in Bahia. Sun, stunning beaches, fresh fruit, seafood – it doesn’t come much...

As Rio Carnival approaches, Marketing Manager Jenny Powles reveals how easily the fantasy of taking part in the world's largest and most exuberant celebration can turn into a travel nightmare when attempting to wing it rather than booking in advance. Having learned the hard way that Carnival is one thing that really does require proper planning, she looks back on a rather stressful couple of days...

A long time ago (well at least in a time before I worked for the experts at Journey Latin America), I made a rather disastrous decision to fulfil my lifelong ambition to visit Rio Carnival – disastrous because I was going to be away for five weeks and had decided not to book any accommodation for my trip before leaving the UK.

My reasoning was that having spent many years travelling the world by the seat of my pants and arriving in various destinations without any idea of where I was going to stay...