For fans of skiing, there’s nothing quite like owning your own ski property in your favourite resort, saving you the hassle of having to find and pay for accommodation each time you want to head for the slopes. Whilst some people don’t enjoy having to fly to their ski property homes, especially when lugging equipment with them, there is an alternative – the snow train.

Snow or ski trains help take the hassle out of reaching ski properties (as well as helping people concerned about cutting down their carbon footprints) and are ideal for Brits heading to French and European ski slopes. Accommodation is available on board, so you can travel through the night and not waste valuable skiing time, and there are no extra charges for transporting your skis or boards.

The Eurostar Direct Ski Train, for example, operates from late December to early April. Serving three of the main stations in the French Alps – Moûtiers, Aime la Plagne and Bourg St Maurice – it provides easy access to many of the key resorts in the area. The high-speed service operates in the day, taking 7½ hours, but the night service is ideal for weekend breaks or anyone wanting to make the most of their time, as you leave on the Friday night and arrive first thing on Saturday morning.

Rail Europe’s Snow Train operates from London St Pancras and Ebbsfleet International and travels to four main ski destinations in the French Alps – Les Trois Vallées, Paradiski, Mont Blanc and Espace Killy. If you don’t want to worry about sleeping, it even has its own – fully sound proofed! – disco carriage, so you can party your way to the slopes.

If you’re considering in investing in ski property, then the easy access and relatively low cost of the ski trains are definitely an option to think about.

If you’re looking to start a new life abroad, and are concerned about factors such as quality of life and cost of living, then New Zealand ticks all the right boxes.

A recent survey conducted by Alliance and Leicester International found that the most popular place for expats to live was New Zealand. As well as having mild weather, good working hours and a low crime rate, it also scored top of the poll for having a low cost of life and providing an ideal quality of life.

New Zealand was found to have the lowest average property price (£105,750) and one of the lowest higher-rate tax bands of 39% (compared to 48% in France and 50% in Australia). Plus the price of key essentials, such as food, drink and fuel, were all low.

The second most popular place for cost of living and quality of life was Italy, with Australia ranking third. Long-term European expat favourites such as Spain and Portugal also did well in the poll, with Portugal coming fourth and Spain sixth.

In contrast, the least favourite place for expats was found to be New York, due to its long working hours and relatively high rate of crime.

Head to our international property search to find out more about the property for sale in New Zealand.

If you fancy the idea of owning your own private retreat on a sun-kissed island, then how about exploring the investment potential of the Turks and Caicos islands?

Recently voted the most popular Caribbean destination in the prestigious Conde Nast Traveller magazine Readers’ Choice Awards 2008 (a survey involving over 32,000 respondents), the Turks and Caicos consist of over 50 islands of varying sizes. Located in the Caribbean, about 575 miles off the coast of Miami and just below the Bahamas, the islands are a popular location with travellers and have all the ingredients for ideal island style living. They’re blessed with great temperatures, turquoise blue seas and sandy beaches, to name but a few elements.

The islands can be reached from the UK via an eight-hour direct flight and there are two main international airports at Provo and Grand Turk. Most of the islands in the area can easily be reached via a 10 to 25-minute connecting flight, or alternatively by boat.

The third largest island in the archipelago is North Caico, or the Garden Island as it’s affectionately known. With a population of less than 2,000 people, it’s the perfect island retreat if you want to get away from the stresses and strains of daily life. Property prices on the islands vary depending on what type and size of property you’re seeking. What’s more, there’s an added incentive for buyers – there’s no income tax, inheritance tax, capital gains tax or annual property tax to pay.

The Turks and Caicos islands were previously voted the 10th most popular Caribbean destination in the 2007 version of the annual Conde Nast survey, so have stormed up the charts this year. They were closely followed in second place by the nearby Bahamas, and Jamaica took third place.

The profile of the islands is set to be raised in 2009, as they’ll be playing host to several large events. In February, the Indy Turks and Caicos Grand Prix is heading to the islands and another sporting event, the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship, is also being held in its sunny climes.

If you’re interested in carving out your own little corner of paradise, search for available property in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

If you already own property in south-west Cyprus, or you’re thinking about buying there, then future travel to Paphos International Airport is set to be a more pleasant experience, thanks to a new and improved airport terminal and runway.

Work on a new terminal and runway extension began at Paphos International Airport in 2006 and has been finished on time and within budget. Designed by Pascall and Watson architects and Canadian designer, Stantec, the new terminal will be officially inaugurated on November 8th by President Demetris Christofias and will open to passengers on November 17th.

Paphos International Airport currently has the capacity to handle over 1.7 million passengers a year, but the new terminal is expected to increase this number to up to 2.7 million. The airport runway has been extended to 3,100m, allowing larger aircraft to land. Amongst the many new features included in the design, the terminal has environmentally friendly lighting, 940 new car parking spaces and air conditioning systems.

Both BA and Easyjet operate daily scheduled flights to Paphos, but the longer runway will increase the potential for extra flights and larger aircraft. In order to help improve the journey for people travelling on to the town of Paphos – located 10 miles from the airport – the local government has started work on a four-lane highway. It will be especially welcome during the summer months, when the current roads are prone to congestion.

The third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus is a popular location for second home and holiday home owners, and adopted the Euro at the beginning of the year. Both tourist numbers and property buyers flock to Cyprus, with prices rising over the last six years. As well as the favourable climate, expats cite the community feel, good standard of lifestyle and safeness of the island as factors they love.

As it’s located close to the airport, the coastal town of Paphos is one of the top spots for property buyers in south-west Cyprus, but it also acts as a gateway for exploring the south-west of the island. If you’re interested in buying here, then there are lots of great properties to explore, both by the sea and inland, from top notch luxury developments such as this, to detached villas or an architecturally designed apartment in a quiet village location.

The clocks have gone back, frosty mornings have started and some places have even had snow already. Winter has arrived in the UK, but if you’d prefer to jet away to sunnier climes during the colder months, here’s a round-up of some of the top winter sun property destinations.

Cape Verde
Located 400 miles northwest of the coast of Africa, the Cape Verde archipelago of islands is a key property location that’s attracted a lot of interest in the last few years. An emerging property destination, it boasts a year round tropical climate and beautiful sandy beaches, so is the perfect getaway for winter sun seekers.

Barbados
Areas of the Caribbean, such as Barbados, bask in glorious sunshine all year round, so they’re a great favourite for winter property owners. In fact, a range of celebrities, including David and Victoria Beckham, Hugh Grant and Simon Cowell are amongst the owners of properties here. If you’re also considering renting out your home, then Barbados seems a good location for holiday lets.

The Canary Islands
A long-term favourite with Brits and attracting 10 million visitors a year, the Canary Islands are a popular choice for winter sun seekers, where the average annual temperature is 22°C. The largest of the islands, Tenerife, has a five-year building moratorium in place, so new developments are limited and existing properties are in demand.

Dubai
Home to a growing number of British expats working in the United Arab Emirates, the city of Dubai is blessed with a subtropical climate. There’s currently a lot of interest in property here and rental yields of about 8% plus can be achieved. As an added bonus, Dubai has favourable tax incentives and there’s no VAT or stamp duty on property purchases.

Brazil
The largest country in Latin America, Brazil has a year-round average temperature of 26°C and, together with an array of stunning beaches, it’s an ideal getaway for the winter months. Areas around the north east coast are currently appealing to both property buyers and tourists, and you’ll find plenty of new build and off-plan developments available.