Today: The North West Great Outdoors Show gets underway in St Helens, Lancashire. Running until Bank Holiday Monday, it showcases ways to enjoy holidays outdoors, from camping and caravanning to cycling and kayaking (greatoutdoorsshow.co.uk). Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic's recently launched partnership with the US budget carrier, JetBlue, now allows connecting flights to destinations across the US with a single booking from the airline's existing bases (0844 874 7747; virgin-atlantic.com).

This week: A new boutique-styled lodging opens in the well-heeled Palermo Hollywood district of Buenos Aires on Sunday. Palermo Place offers luxurious rooms with balconies and a terrace for soaking up the southern sun (palermoplace.com). Further north in San Francisco, California's sailing season gets underway on Sunday with Opening Day on the Bay, a display of yachts, tug boats and classic craft in San Francisco Bay (picya.org).

In the diary: Airport parking company Airparks has launched a new service: the welcome backpack provides cupboard essentials (bread, milk, butter) for £10 when you collect your car on return (airparks.co.uk).