Best for: Winter sun under £300. Time from UK: 4 hours.
If you're looking for where's hot in February, the Canary Islands is the ideal place to get away from the English winter: it has an average year-round temperature of 22C, is sunny nearly every day, is affordable, beautiful and close! We love Fuerteventura for its stunning beaches (try Corralejo in the north, or Jandia in the south), brilliant watersports, great restaurants and buzzy nightlife (check out Caleta de Fuste for the liveliest resort).

Book into the Apartamentos Maxorata Beach in Corralejo from 58 euros per day. It's 500m from the beach and the perfect spot for exploring the island and taking a ferry across to Lanzarote.

Best for: Sightseeing. Time from UK: 13 hours.
The magnificent temples of Angkor have attracted visitors from all over the world for thousands of years. Built from the 9th to 14th centuries - when the Khmer regime was at its most creative - these sites are architectural wonders. Angkor Wat is the largest and most well-preserved monument, and the colonial-style Siem Reap is the nearest town... 

Stay in the capital, Phnom Penh, which has vibrant nightlife, beautiful pagodas, and the humbling Cheong Ek. Elsewhere, there's beautiful jungle, stunning beaches (try Sihanoukville) and national parks to soak up. Check out the range of holidays on offer from Kuoni, where you can choose from an array of package holidays or organise your own tailor-made trip.

Best for: Thrill-seekers. Time from UK: 24 hours.
February is the last summer month in New Zealand, and also one of the hottest, with average temperatures around 25-30C. Queenstown is New Zealand's well-known adrenalin junkie capital, where you can do practically every heart-stopping activity you can think of, including: white water rafting, bungee jumping, jet boating and tandem sky-diving...

For something a bit different, try hiking the 33.5-mile Milford Track in the Fiordland National Park (book a guided tour with Ultimate Hikes New Zealand); go kayaking at Abel Tasmin National Park; or soak up the stunning scenery at the North Island's famous Ninety Mile Beach.

Best for: Skiing. Time from UK: One hour to Geneva Airport, then a 90-minute transfer to Chamonix, making it a great long weekend getaway.

Chamonix is one of the top Alpine skiing destinations, and the Vallee Blanche is reportedly one of the top off-piste ski routes in the world (novice skiers avoid!).

The town is charming and traditional, nestled at the bottom of the stunning Mont Blanc, and it boasts some of the best Savoyard cuisine in the Alps (think fondue, smoked pork, and wild berries and mushrooms). For lunch with a view, try the La Bergerie mountain restaurant, overlooking the Mont Blanc massif. And don't leave without taking a ride on the railway to the terrace at the Montenvers Hotel, for a view of the Mer de Glace glacier. Visit Crystal.

Best for: Pure relaxation. Time from UK: 10 hours and 20 minutes to the main airport in Male.
If you're wondering where to go in February for an island escpape, you can have a true Robinson Crusoe moment on the white powder beaches of the Maldives. February is the driest month of the year and is smack-bang in the middle of summer (December to April), with temperatures ranging from the mid-to-high 20s.

When you're not reading a good book on the beach (cocktail in hand, of course), you can go island hopping, take a snorkel safari, go scuba diving, on a sunset cruise, visit a local fishing village, or take a picnic on a deserted island. Visit lowcostholidays.com for some good bargains, or Abercrombie & Kent for pure luxury.

Best for: A city break with a difference. Time from UK: 11 hours
February sees Cape Town in its quieter months, but still in the height of summer - so it's hot (average 27C) and crowd-free! Head to the beautiful V&A waterfront for mooching and shopping, and to get the boat over to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison. Take a cable car up to the top of Table Mountain, then, after dark, check out Long Street for great clubs and bars. For something a bit swish, check out the popular beach suburb of Camp's Bay - full of shi shi cocktail bars with a view. And don't leave without visiting one of the beautiful vineyards, like Stellenbosch, for a spot of wine-tasting.

The wonderfully friendly team at Bushbaby Travel offers brilliant deals to an array of top hotels. They'll organise everything for you, including great bespoke combination itineraries including safari breaks around Cape Town and the Eastern Cape, tours of the Winelands, Garden Route breaks and more. Visit bushbaby.travel.

Best for: Wilderness and adventure. Time from UK: 24 hours and 35 minutes to Hobart, via Melbourne Airport.

Tasmania is a rough diamond of pure, rugged landscapes, white water rapids, pink granite boulders and sweeping curves of white sand beach. Perfect for the foodie, adrenaline junkie and culture vulture.

Tasmania is one of Black Tomato's top destinations for getting back to nature. Accommodation includes the bio-sustainable Piermont Retreat with spa suites that open up onto the sand dunes of Oyster Bay. In the highlands, there's the Cradle Mountain Lodge, overlooking wonderful glacial rivers.

Best for: Something VERY different! Time from UK: 20 hours.
The Ice Festival on Lake Huvsgul kicks off in February and there's good snow cover in the Altai mountains, which means that hunting with trained golden eagles on horseback is in full swing. You'll take training sessions with nomadic Kazakhs (and the eagle, of course) against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains and breathtaking glaciers. Then, on horses, or on foot (up to you), you'll trek deep into the Altai Mountains to begin the hunt, watching the eagles soar to monumental heights before swooping down to catch prey, like rabbit and fox.

For a journey of real adventure a fascinating insight into the Tsaatan people's way of life, check out the holidays offered by Discover Mongolia.