Hi FoxtrotGolf,
Not quite sure how the charter airline market is across the pond, but here in North America a pilot can make quite a nice living as a charter/executive pilot. Depending upon the company and equipment, you can get in the door with a basic CPL or will require a couple thousand hours if they're flying jets. Each company will have specific minimums based on their clients and contracts.
Destinations vary. You can spend an entire month doing nothing but short trips to the same place and then a couple months going all over the world. Pairings are often only a day or two long, but can end up being a week or more. Sometimes it is just like flying for the airlines (without parking at a terminal) while other days its like flying in the bush.
Money is often slightly better to start out with than an airline gig, although the airlines tend to end up better in the last 10 to 15 years of an average career. In saying that, proper money management can still have you enjoying a great retirement at the end of the run.
You won't fly as much as you would at an airline (I average about 400 to 500 a year) but hours in a logbook only perk your ego. After about 3,500 hours they're just numbers that start to show how much time you've spent away from family.
Good luck!