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Texas never fails to deliver the iconic Wild West, but it has so much more to offer adventure travellers too. Here’s more…

Howdy! Dream of cowboys and the Wild West? Texas has more than 70 working and guest ranches that offer an authentic cowboy experience, complete with cattle to lasso, chuckwagons and cowpokes, and found all the way from the wildflower-strewn Texas hill country to the wide open spaces of West Texas.

But don’t be misled: ranching isn’t the only thing this magnificent state has to offer. There’s also over 600 miles of coastline and breathtaking national parks for spectacular hiking, plus surfing, fishing and some of the best stargazing in the whole of the USA. And it’s a top destination for food- and culture-lovers too. Check out our amazing sweepstakes, where one lucky winner and a guest can win an awesome holiday there, or read on for five reasons why you’ll want to go anyway.

When it comes to going on holiday, most holidaymakers finish their planning once they find their passport. However, research has revealed that we need to become savvier when it comes to thinking about our holiday health. We forfeit travel insurance for magazines at the airport and often don’t consider any health issues that could arise while we're away.

Inching towards 5,800m, my left calf tightens as the crampon digs into snow. The southern ridge ahead curves towards the Stok Kangri peak. Looking over my right shoulder, the powder-clad flank of the mountain surges below into a vortex of snow with sparse patches of rock. About 20 steps ahead, Jigmet stops in his tracks. “We’re almost there,” he shouts, pre-empting me from a second thought of rest, and points to the northeast at the rising hops of undulating snow. A thoroughbred Ladakhi, Jigmet often guides expeditions from Leh (the capital of Ladakh) into the surrounding Himalayan range.

Indoor climbing has recently enjoyed huge growth in the UK but the outdoor climbing scene is harder to find, requires new skills and rain always threatens to stop play. I headed to France to find a new climate and a new approach to outdoor climbing…

‘C’est super,’ calls Alé, our tanned, beaming instructor from what seems like a league beneath me. Looking down at him, a grinning bronze dot far below, I wonder what on earth I'm doing here. I manage to make my forearms stop complaining when I find some better holds and look around – a little reminder of why I left the comfort of the local wall and made the trip to the Ardèche, France.