Travel News: Get a taste of Vietnam or sleep in a bubble in Finland

Clare Dight looks at trips to both Asia and the Arctic this summer.

See the northern lights from the warm confines of an aurora bubble. Courtesy of Aurora Zone

No expense spared in Thailand and Myanmar

If money is no object, book a luxury 14-night tour of northern Thailand and Myanmar with the specialist tour operator, Frontiers. Departing on November 4, the Siam hotel on Bangkok's Chao Phraya River is your first port of call before flying north to Chiang Mai to stay at the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle for three nights and the opportunity to join an elephant trek. Next, guests will fly to Heho, Myanmar, to board the Road to Mandalay, an 82-passenger ship built by Orient-Express, for a three-night cruise on the Ayeyarwady River, from Inle Lake. On dry land again at Bagan, see the temple-strewn plains by hot air balloon before spending two nights in Myanmar's capital city, Yangon. The guided, small-group tour costs from US$24,576 (Dh90,265) per person, full-board, including domestic transfers but not international flights. For more information, email [e-mail] or visit www.frontiersej.com.

Book a 'taster' tour of Vietnam with Emirates

Emirates Holidays have a number of offers available over the summer, including a seven-night holiday in Vietnam seeing some well-known sights by chauffeur-driven car, with two nights in the commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City and a further five nights in the Unesco-listed port town of Hoi An. The trip starts in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were dug by the Vietcong during the Vietnam War; then a flight to Da Nang and on to a beach resort at Hoi An. The holiday costs from Dh5,990 per person (Dh3,780 per child) based on two people sharing and includes economy-class return airfares, domestic transfers, accommodation in four or five star hotels with breakfast, a half-day Cu Chi Tunnels excursion, a half-day Hoi An excursion and taxes. Offer is valid until October 31. Book at www.emiratesholidays.com or call 800 5252.

Snuggle up in a bubble under an Arctic sky

Spot the Northern Lights from a warm and comfortable vantage point in the Finnish town of Nellim. From September, you can snuggle up in an "aurora bubble" - a heated pod with a double bed, toilet facilities in the rear and a north-facing window specially designed for spotting the unpredictable natural light show in the Arctic skies over Lake Inari. The experience is part of special tour organised by the Aurora Zone and a number of activities, including dog sledding, make its short breaks memorable. On December 10, and with various dates next year, a four-night break in Nellim, full board, with guides and nightly excursions to hunt the aurora borealis, costs from £1,275 (Dh7,077) - land only. A one-night stay in an "aurora bubble" costs an extra £135 (Dh750) per person, based on two people sharing (www.theaurorazone.com).

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