Posts in ‘Family, Kids & Senior Travelers’

The credit crunch will not stop over a third of Britons taking a summer holiday abroad this year, new research has found.

An ICM poll carried out for the BBC discovered that despite rising living costs and fuel prices, more than one-third are still set to leave the country for a break.

However, there were various factors determining who was planning to go where, the survey said.

Of 1,007 respondents, those from Scotland were least likely to forgo sun and sea due to money worries. The most travel-happy age group was the 18 to 24-year-old bracket.

But residents in the Midlands were most likely to stay at home, it was found.

According to travel operators” association Abta, Spain was the most popular hotspot for Brits heading abroad, although the biggest areas of growth were seen outside the eurozone.

And recent research from Tesco Personal Finance, Britons are not setting themselves any spending limits while on holiday.

Nearly 63 per cent of those asked in a survey said they did not restrict themselves to a certain daily budget.

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.

The credit crunch will not stop over a third of Britons taking a summer holiday abroad this year, new research has found.

An ICM poll carried out for the BBC discovered that despite rising living costs and fuel prices, more than one-third are still set to leave the country for a break.

However, there were various factors determining who was planning to go where, the survey said.

Of 1,007 respondents, those from Scotland were least likely to forgo sun and sea due to money worries. The most travel-happy age group was the 18 to 24-year-old bracket.

But residents in the Midlands were most likely to stay at home, it was found.

According to travel operators” association Abta, Spain was the most popular hotspot for Brits heading abroad, although the biggest areas of growth were seen outside the eurozone.

And recent research from Tesco Personal Finance, Britons are not setting themselves any spending limits while on holiday.

Nearly 63 per cent of those asked in a survey said they did not restrict themselves to a certain daily budget.

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.

As households keep an eye on their spending in the wake of the current economic uncertainty and schools finish for the summer, more families than ever are expected to take a trip to the Great British seaside.

That is according to research from financial group LV=, which suggested that Britain’’s beach-side resorts will enjoy record amounts of visitors over the summer months.

A survey of holidaymakers indicated that 58 per cent are planning to take a holiday in the UK this year, with various seaside resorts among most attractive destinations.

Mark Smith, director of tourism for Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "With more and more families choosing to holiday in the UK, Bournemouth’’s Blue Flag beaches and miles of golden sand make it a top UK summer destination."

Meanwhile, a survey by the Co-operative Bank has revealed that people travelling abroad tend to begin their holiday spending at the airport, parting with £18 each on average before stepping onto the plane.

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark

As households keep an eye on their spending in the wake of the current economic uncertainty and schools finish for the summer, more families than ever are expected to take a trip to the Great British seaside.

That is according to research from financial group LV=, which suggested that Britain’’s beach-side resorts will enjoy record amounts of visitors over the summer months.

A survey of holidaymakers indicated that 58 per cent are planning to take a holiday in the UK this year, with various seaside resorts among most attractive destinations.

Mark Smith, director of tourism for Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "With more and more families choosing to holiday in the UK, Bournemouth’’s Blue Flag beaches and miles of golden sand make it a top UK summer destination."

Meanwhile, a survey by the Co-operative Bank has revealed that people travelling abroad tend to begin their holiday spending at the airport, parting with £18 each on average before stepping onto the plane.

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark

It’s FAMILY TIME!

We’ve gotten some fantastic Perfect Holiday contest entries so far—do keep ‘em coming!

And, after further perusing your travel whims and fantasies, I’ve discovered that many of you dream not simply about secluded, romantic getaways as discussed in a previous blog: you want to get your entire families on board. What a task…

I know it seems difficult to fathom actually leading your family on an Arctic fishing trip…or guiding them through a bustling north African market. So many things to worry about: the cost, transportation logistics, and accommodation… your daughter’s current vegetarian phase…your son’s incredibly fair skin…your mother’s bouts with vertigo…

But have you ever actually tried to translate one of your visions of paradise into a real-life family holiday? Why not give it a try? Just cast all of the logistical details aside for a moment, and focus on the actual on-the-ground experiences that you desire: you can do this by first compiling a concrete, feasible list of tours and activities.

To assist you in this process, I have pasted some descriptive and imaginative Perfect Holiday contest entries below, responding with some suggestions.

1. Debbie’s Arctic Adventure:

“I’d take the family to Iceland for the most exhilarating holiday ever. We’d go whale watching in Husavik where humpbacks, minke, orcas, sperm whales white-nosed dolphins and harbour porpoises leap in the waters of the North Atlantic. We could go snowmobiling on the Solheimajokull glacier. We’d visit spouting geysers, bubbling mud baths and bizarre rock formations and bubbling lava flows in the Golden Circle. I want to tee off at 3am in the Arctic Open where amateurs and professional golfers compete through the night under a spectacular orange night sky. My kids could swim in the sea at the geothermally heated beach at Nautholsvik Bay, and I could ease my bad back in the pure, mineral-rich geothermal waters of the blue lagoon, a bright blue pool in the middle of a lava field which is world renowned for it’s healing properties. On September 20th is the Summer Solstice, the apex of a month of 24 hour daylight when the country celebrates the magic of the midnight sun. (Of course they also experience an equivalent month of darkness so everyone makes the most of the spectacle and parties through the night.)”

Debbie, thanks so much for that insightful description of Iceland! There are plenty of structured, guided tours of these places that you could sign up for to keep your family happy and busy—most of them from Reykjavik. I suggest checking out the following:

1. The Golden Circle Tour

2. Excursion to Snæfellsjökull National Park (Snæfellsjökull Glacier).

3. Blue Lagoon Experience, Reykjavik.

Good luck, Debbie!

2. Karen’s Paradise:

“My perfect holiday is landing in a place where the views and the heat take your breath away from the moment you arrive. I stay in a place where the walls are white, the floors terracotta and the flowers, red. I throw cases on the bed, take out all I need and head out to the pool. I smooth sunscreen on my son and watch, smiling, while he plays and explores and squeals excitedly over the lizards he finds. I lie with my eyes closed behind my sunglasses, sipping a chilled cocktail while the sun makes my skin tingle. My little boy calls from the pool, so I get up, walk to the edge, take a breath and dive into ice cold, ice blue water that in that second makes me feel more exhilarated than I have ever felt before. Later, we visit hot, exotic, noisy markets and walk round, holding hands, buying fabulous things we’ve never seen before. We visit a restaurant and eat delicious, local seafood with velvety wines from a table that faces the ocean as the sun sets. Beautiful people in traditional dress play music and dance while night draws in on the first day of our holiday…”

Well, Karen, this could be a number of places! A few destinations come to mind…have you ever considered visiting the Strait of Gibraltar? You could stay on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain to get your dose of sun, sand and relaxation… and take an excursion to Tangier, Morocco for the ultimate, colourful and cultural experience.

Some organised tours that your son might enjoy:

Kayaking Excursion in Nerja (Costa del Sol, Spain)

5-Day Morocco Sightseeing Tour from Costa Del Sol (from Spain to Morocco)

Strait of Gibraltar and Tangier Sightseeing Tour (Daytrip from Spain to Morocco)

Thanks again, Debbie and Karen!

May your holiday wishes come true!

Happy planning!

Ferry journeys are increasingly becoming part of a holiday rather than being seen simply as a mode of transportation, the chairman of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) has said.

Derek Moore said that “travellers, particularly families, see it as part of the holiday as opposed to just a method of transport getting them to their destination”.

This was mainly due to the fact that children enjoy ferry rides.

“A ferry ride is often enjoyed by children as an adventure,” Mr Moore explained.

Last April, Shipping Times revealed an Easter holiday boom for ferry travel from Dover Ferry Port.

Figures showed that more than 235,000 passengers passed through the Port of Dover over the four days of the Easter holiday weekend in 2007.

Meanwhile, figures from the Dover Harbour Board at this time showed this was seven per cent more than the holiday weekend in 2006.

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark

Britons face a risk of contracting measles in Europe this summer, with the outbreak strongest in northern Italy.

While most adult travellers are not at risk, some 15 per cent of British children have not been immunised against the disease because of unproven fears over the side effects of the combined vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), the Times reported.

NHS Direct has advised holidaymakers who are going overseas this summer to be “prepared” before they go on holiday.

Jacqui Jedrzejewski, NHS Direct National Mental Health Children’s Services and Caldicott Lead, said: “If you are taking a holiday abroad it is important that you plan ahead and visit your GP surgery or health centre and ask about immunisations that you may need to have prior to leaving.”

Similarly, EU advice for those travelling to Lombardy, Piedmont, the Veneto and Tuscany this summer is “to ensure that their immunisations are up-to-date before leaving home”.

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.

With the majority of schools breaking up today (July 18th), this weekend is expected to see more than two million Britons heading overseas, the Association for British Travel Agents (Abta) has said.

Despite the strength of the euro, Spain is expected to remain popular, along with France, Malta and the Caribbean.

However the biggest growth of all has been recorded in bookings for Egypt which has seen a 28 per cent year-on-year increase in reservations.

Turkey and the US have also been strong at 20 per cent and 8 per cent respectively.

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: "With a changing economic climate, many existing trends have become more pronounced. Spain for example, is still the top destination this year, but as a mature destination, and with the strong euro, greater growth is being experienced in the mid- to long-haul destinations outside of the eurozone."

He added: "Conversely, there is no surprise that with the weak dollar, the US is doing well and forward bookings for the US look strong."

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.

From August 6th to 8th, visitors to New Zealand looking for historic entertainment can find just that.

To commemorate the centenary of the North Island Main Trunk, there will be a re-enactment of the Parliamentary Special.

Organised by rail operator ONTRACK, the train re-enacts the first passenger rail service between Wellington and Auckland when 44 parliamentarians travelled to see the visiting American navy’s ”Great White Fleet” in Auckland in August 1908.

The train will stop for events in Ohakune, Horopito, Makatote, National Park, Raurimu and overnight in Taumarunui before continuing on up to Auckland.

ONTRACK chief executive William Peet said the opening of the North Island Main Trunk was an important moment in New Zealand’’s economic and social history.

“The line vastly improved the movement of people and goods around the country. It is also the reason a number of settlements were established where they are in the North Island,” he said.

“We are planning centenary celebrations with Toll NZ, local communities, and rail heritage groups to recognise the importance of the North Island Main Trunk.”

Seniors – Historic Tours – From the Roman Empire to the second world war, these tours bring world history to life.

Holidaymakers should be prepared with a first aid kit before they go on vacation, NHS Direct has advised.

Jacqui Jedrzejewski, NHS Direct National Mental Health Children’s Services and Caldicott Lead, said that being prepared was a better "than trying to find a pharmacy open especially if you are going abroad and don’t speak the language of the country you are visiting".

She said that it was "essential" for travellers to take out personal health insurance before going on holiday, and if they have an existing medical condition, they should make a written note of it and carry medication for it.

She added that travellers should take enough supplies of their daily medications to last the duration of your holiday and always keep them in their original packaging.

Ms Jedrzejewski also advised: "If you are taking a holiday abroad it is important that you plan ahead and visit your GP surgery or health centre and ask about immunisations that you may need to have prior to leaving."

Family - Theme Parks – Treat the family to a day at one of the Disney resorts or to a splashing day out at a Spanish waterpark.