Music, Dance, Theatre

At some stage during our teenage years, we've all declared our undying love for a particular artist or band - it doesn't matter whether it's Cliff Richard or Coldplay - and sworn that we would follow them to the ends of the earth...

Well, even tho' you're now meant to be all grown up, have you thought how much fun it would be to do just that. Travel in the name of music, that is. Use a hobby or an interest as an excuse for a holiday.

The internet is a wonderful thing - it doesn't take long to find out what's on and where (although if you're a real groupie, you'll already be on a mailing list or receiving fanzines). It often transpires that it is actually easier and cheaper to get tickets for concerts in other countries than in the UK.

Or perhaps you just want to go somewhere famous for its concert halls and theatres and immerse yourself for a day or two.

Well, travelling to and within Europe is definitely easiest (and comfiest) by train. Just hop on a (Waterloo-soon-to-be-Kings-Cross bound) train from your nearest station, and then let Eurostar whizz you to the continent. Whether you choose to hop off at Paris for a touch of Folies Bergéres, or proceed to Vienna for an injection of Strauss, Berlin for a night with Wagner, or Milan for a pas de deux, it is entirely up to you: or maybe you really are keeping a clandestine date with Britney or Take That.

Rock music really is Big in Japan, and many big names end up gigging over there. But Japan is famous for its indigenous dance and theatrical genres, and there are many cultural tours (by train, of course) which allow you to explore these.

If you happen to like Jazz, Bluegrass or Country and Western music, the chances are that at some stage you are going to end up heading west to the States and the spiritual home of these genres - Nashville, Tennessee, New Orleans. America has a lot of pretty famous musical and theatrical sites, of course, and an Amtrak rail pass can help you get around. Graceland, Times Square, Broadway, the Hollywood Bowl - these too are all the stuff of legends and have got to be seen.

There's a lot to see Down Under too - we mean, there's more to Australian music than Kylie and Jason. Clearly the Sydney Opera House is one of the country's most important icons (and a potential '7th new wonder' of the world), but Australia also has a vibrant world music scene.