Travel Experiences Guaranteed To Change You FOREVER 

Sometimes holiday experiences become life-changing events. 

But if you feel like you're missing out on them, here are some suggestions from the Mail's globe-trotting travel writers - game-changing experiences that will make your next holiday less stressful, more memorable and more mouthwatering.

Scroll down for the lowdown on the world's best trains, jaw-dropping airport transfer services and the best crisps in Ireland...

JAPAN'S BULLET TRAINS

Japan isn't the only country with high-speed trains, but its bullet train services are like no other.
Not only are they jaw-droppingly fast - the H5/E5 and E6 series hit 199mph - but they're run with military precision timing-wise. You can set your watch by their arrivals and departures. And the white-gloved conductors lean out of a window and salute as the train leaves the station. Amazing.

AIRPORT LOUNGES

Once you've experienced lounge life, with its free food and drink and other perks such as showers, high-speed internet and quiet nooks for meetings - it is hard going back to the brow-furrowing throng of the main airport.

A good way to gain access to them all is with . The annual 'prestige' membership - which costs £339 ($430) - allows unlimited visits to airport lounges all over the world.

HELICOPTER AIRPORT TRANSFERS

Want a 'taxi ride' that's super-fast and comes with a gargantuan dollop of wow factor?

Upgrade to a helicopter transfer. We've trialled the Blade helicopter service in both New York and Los Angeles and were bowled over both times.
The New York transfer from JFK to a downtown waterfront landing pad takes no more than 10 minutes. This journey could take up to two hours by taxi if the traffic is horrific. In LA we flew just 300ft above the freeway from LAX to a car park helipad, where Blade had erected a chic pop-up bar.

And the cost? To charter the helicopter up to around $1,800 (£1,400) each way, but on a pay-per-seat basis it's around $185/£145 each way. Not cheap, but feeling like a Hollywood star? Priceless.

CHAUFFEURED LIMO TRANSFERS

Helicopter not available?

Try the next best thing - a chauffeured limo service, such as

AIRPORT HOTELS

The holiday should start from the moment you leave your house - but that's hard when it's dark, you've only managed a couple of hours sleep, the taxi driver is chatty and you're not sure if the roads will be clear. That's why staying at an airport hotel the night before or after a flight makes sense. It gives you time to relax into holiday mode, check you don't need to pick up any forgotten items at the airport shops and stroll at a decent hour to the departure gates. If after your return flight you've got a long journey home - why not stay overnight at a hotel and hang on to that holiday feeling? Enjoy a decent night's sleep and set off again the next day after a hearty breakfast.

FIVE-STAR SKI HOTELS

Once you've experienced - with staff taking your ski/snowboard to the slope for you, and bringing it back in again - it's tough to downgrade. 

EUROSTAR TRAINS

Use Eurostar just once to reach Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam from London and you'll probably ditch flying to these cities for good.

End to end, the Eurostar can match the plane for speed and if you upgrade to standard premium or business premiere, you'll get a decent meal, too. What's more, when you arrive, you step from the train straight into the action.

FLYING BUSINESS CLASS

Flying for the first time is a total revelation.

There's getting served fizz on arrival, digging through a high-end amenity kit, receiving a printed menu ahead of your meal, having a tablecloth laid out before you, using proper cutlery and glassware, eating restaurant-standard food - the list goes on.

It feels wonderfully alien to stretch out in a fully lie-flat bed at 38,000ft if you're only used to feeling relative discomfort for the majority of a flight.

There's none of the backache, the cramped leg room and the butting elbows that you're accustomed to in economy.

The only drawback? It raises the bar too high - returning to budget seats at the back of the plane after a stint in business is landing back to reality with a thud.

LIVE COMEDY IN NEW YORK

If you're a fan of live comedy, then the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan is a must-visit - with other comedy clubs around the world paling in comparison.

It's a revered comedy institution on MacDougal Street, a Greenwich Village strip that's famous for its many comedy clubs.

America's most famous comedians have performed there, often taking to the stage unexpectedly to test out new material - we've seen filmmaker and comedian Judd Apatow and the comic Amy Schumer step up for impromptu sets.

Even if you can't get a ticket for the shows (they're in hot demand), if you simply stand outside you're in with a good chance of seeing popular comics walk past on their way to perform and hang out in other venues around the street.

CUNARD CRUISES