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Archive for the ‘Family holidays’ Category

France is a nation famed for its ski resorts.  Some of the most well-known of these are Val D’Isère, Tignes, Chamonix, and Méribel as well as Les Trois Vallées (The Three Valleys), which as its name suggests, is one of the world’s biggest ski areas.  Many lesser-known resorts are also popular with visitors; France boasts literally hundreds of different skiing areas.

Les Deux Alpes

This resort is located in the Grande Galaxie Ski Area, which means that tourists here have access to more than 250 separate ski runs; more than 200 km of these runs are located inside Les Deux Alpes itself.  Tourists can purchase a combination lift ticket that grants them access to other resorts in the area including La Grave, Serre Chevalier, Brançon, and Puy Saint Vincent.

Because the resort area at Les Deux Alpes is above the snow line, tourists will find themselves surrounded by a winter wonderland.  This is ideal for those who like to immerse themselves in the sport; at this resort, visitors can usually snowboard or ski back to their lodgings when they have finished their runs for the day. 

Les Deux Alpes has 55 ski lifts that can carry more than 60,000 skiers every hour, which means that lines are usually short and tourists can devote most of their skiing hours to the sport rather than logistics. 

Most ski areas in France also welcome Nordic skiers who have travelled cross-country on skis to reach lakes, forests, and other natural wonders.

Considered as an affordable hidden gem just waiting to be discovered, the small country of Slovenia has for some time been gaining a reputation as a beautiful must see European travel destination.

Travellers arriving by air fly in to Ljubljana, the fairy tale capital of Slovenia, filled with Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture.  The River Ljubljanica winds peacefully through the town, straddled by stone bridges and banked by restaurants and riverside bars.  Most of the pinturesque Old Town is pedestrianised and ideal for exploring on foot.

UK flights from Gatwick and Stansted fly into the airport where an affordable shuttle bus can take you into the city.  Modern and varied accommodation is available in the city, where there are even hotels literally fit for a Queen.  Such luminaries as Queen Elizabeth II and Bill Clinton have been accommodated at The Grand Hotel Union.  There are also elegant boutique hotels catering for the alternative party crowds, or if you fancy something different and unique you can even rent rooms in a converted prison.

About an hour to the north lies Slovenia’s most famous landmark.  Lake Bled is a magical stretch of water nestling in the Julian Alps.  A boat can take you into the centre of the mirrored lake where the tiny Church of the Assumption perches on an island.  Here you can ring the sixteenth century ‘bell of wishes’ housed in the chapel.

Slovenia really is a wonderful secret just waiting to be discovered.

Try Thomson cruises, for a family friendly cruise holiday, without the hassle. Thomson cruises cover destinations all around the globe which means you can find the perfect holiday for you and your family. The have five ships which cover not only family cruises but also adults only, all with mouth-watering cuisine and top class entertainment, not to mention Thomson’s selection of shore excursions.

Thomson Celebration

Picture courtesy of ozgurmulazimoglu

Their ships circumnavigate the globe so you can visit a wide range of destinations such as the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and the Baltic, the Red Sea, Canary Islands and Morocco and the Caribbean. On a cruise holiday with Thomson you can visit some amazing ports of call such as: Livorno from where you can enjoy Florence and Pisa, sampling a piece of Italy. Montego Bay offers you the chance to explore the rich culture and history of Jamaica and Willemstad allows you to discover Curacao in the Dutch Antilles. On a Red sea cruise you can stop off in Alanya to explore the beauty of Antalya and the Turkish Turquoise coast, in Agaba you can search out ancient histories in Jordan.

Thomson cruises also offer cruise and stay holidays to, so your holiday doesn’t have to come to an end just because you leave the boat, you can spend a week cruising before spending a week on land at a luxury hotel. Many people opt for cruise and stay holidays especially when they are visiting destinations such as the Caribbean so you can wind down before you go home and travel all that distance by air.

Everyone likes to go on holiday, although the type of holidays people like to take vary, you’ve got; beach holidays, action holidays, cruise holidays, city holidays and historical holidays and probably quite a few more different types of holidays! One thing most holiday-makers have in common though is at the moment getting the best value for money from their holidays, in a time where it is beginning to be quite expensive to take a break away.

I quite like championing cruise holiday to travellers who may not have considered that as a holiday option before, a lot of people don’t. Although cruises have started to become quite popular over the last couple of year and not just with older travellers, the younger generations and families are now looking to cruises for their holidays. This is because there is so much scope when taking a cruise holiday and they cover pretty much all bases when it comes to the type of holiday that you’re looking for. 

You can enjoy beach holidays with plenty of stops at exotic locations that offer white sandy beaches and turquoise waters, like the Caribbean, Florida or Mexico. If city breaks are more your thing and you want to explore Europe, then there are plenty of coastal cities which Mediterranean cruises stop off at which are steeped in history and culture. You can also look at going further afield and explore the Far East as well as Australia and New Zealand for a once in a lifetime holiday.

Even exotic destinations don’t have to break the bank, there are a lot of options available online that can help you get a great cruise deal, so you’re not having to spend a fortune. Many liners have great standard room, which may not be as big as their suites but they can fit the bill, especially if you want to get out and enjoy your ports of call or whatever the liner offers on board.

At the moment many families spending is being squeezed, not leaving a lot to even take a holiday with, especially when you factoring the poor exchanges and rise in fuel increasing costs across the board. So it’s no surprise that families are now turning to all-inclusive holidays to keep their spending low for that all important breaks away.

The great thing about package holidays is that they offer food and drink as well as your flights, transfers and accommodation all in price and you shouldn’t find any additional extras to pay whilst you’re away. In four years bookings have increased by 50%, only a couple of years ago people became travel savvy and book aspects separately for their hols to get a bargain, but price increases across the board have made this a more expensive option, especially for families.

According to of seven million bookings over the past four years by The Co-operative Travel a third of package holidays are now all-inclusive, which shows the popularity of this type of holiday as families face increasing financial pressures but are reluctant to give up their annual breaks.

Once over all-inclusive was considered a luxury holiday, but for a lot of places prices have dropped. Don’t get me wrong though there are still a lot of places to go which offer accommodation at the higher end and these are still quite pricy. But at the moment families can get all-in breaks working out as little as £372 a person for a week in Majorca, however compare that to a typical non inclusive holiday and people can spend that amount alone whilst away, not including the air fare and hotel costs.

Co-operative director of retail distributions, Trevor Davis, said: “The growth in all-inclusive holidays is remarkable and shows no sign of slowing. By next summer, just under half of all package holidays are likely to be all-inclusive if the current trend continues. With holiday budgets still tight, it’s clear that more and more people prefer a fixed cost option, meaning that they can relax during their break without counting the pennies.”

It is important though to thoroughly investigate all-inclusive offer before booking, to make sure you are aware of what’s included and what’s not, so you don’t get any surprises once out there. According to a survey by the Post Office Travel Money, four out of five holidaymakers on all-inclusive holidays had to pay for items they thought would be part of their package. Things like buffet dining and basic drinks, made with non-branded alcohol will most often be included in packages however a lot of places will then charge extra for dining in a la carte restaurants or drinking premium drinks and some even charge for soft drinks.

Sarah Munro, Post Office head of Travel Money, said: “Although it is perfectly possible to stick to all inclusive deals, our research found that in practice only one in five holidaymakers actually spent nothing extra on their trip. Our research made it clear that holidaymakers expected food and drinks to be included but in many cases packages only covered basics like buffet food and local drinks. Two-thirds of the hotels surveyed excluded a la carte meals and well over half did not include cocktails, bottles of wine and branded alcoholic drinks.”

It can be quite hard to choose the right cruise holiday for your family, especially if you have a couple of kids all different ages. Some cruise ships are designed for families with younger children in mind; however these may not offer much entertainment for older kids or teenagers, who can be quite hard to please. Add to the mix different destinations available and itineraries you could be heading to world war three. So be for you start looking for cruise deals this summer make sure you do your homework on what the ships offer for you and your family.

Many of the new cruise ships have been designed with families in mind, rather than the older ships which tend just to be adapted for the purpose, so on newer ships you’re more likely to find entertainment to suit all ages, even for us adults. The top ships such as Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas packs plenty in from babies and young children right through teenagers and young adults to the old timers. It’s not just entertainment on newer ships which has been designed with families in mind, but also the accommodation. Family rooms are the new rooms on board many new ships and they offer plenty of space, as well as privacy for when you need it.

Destinations are important too, really young children probably won’t get much out of long factual excursion’s, but probably would if you docked somewhere that has a beach, a break from the boat can be needed for both parents and children. Teenagers on the other hand can be very hard to please many people have found Caribbean cruise holidays for those traveling with ‘young adults’. The Caribbean is a great exotic destination and while in port you will find many activities for your teens and the whole family to enjoy, such as water sports or horseback riding, not to mention catching rays on the golden beaches.

UK travel giant, Thomas Cook have seen a slump in their profits and share prices after families have shunned their usual foreign holiday this year. The summer is normally boom time for holiday companies with many families looking to get away, however this year and even the past couple of years the number of people taking foreign holidays, or any holiday at all has dropped.

Whether it’s all inclusive holidays, self-catering holidays, cruise holidays or even camping holidays, they have all taken a hit. This is mainly due to the high fuel prices bumping up costs and family incomes been squeezed that people are no longer able to afford to go away.

Other reasons for slow take up of holidays is also that people are waiting to the last minute to see if they can get a good deal, last year most of the major travel companies famously dropped their prices for last minute summer holidays so I would expect many families are hoping the same will happen again this year.  If not many families will look to stay at home with the family rather than go away.

If you still want to take that foreign holiday with the family then there are a couple of things you can do to make sure you get the most for your money, it is quite hard at the moment to get anything for the pound however if you look at staying all inclusive then you won’t have to exchange as much money. Sometimes you can find last minute rooms for all inclusive, especially if it’s a cancelation, if you book as a package holiday then your flight is also included and it’s not normally too expensive.

Other good holidays for your money also include; cruise holidays, on board the pound is good for food and drink, you only need a bit of spending money like some euros for the port stops, everything else is catered for on board. Like package holidays, you can find great cruise deals online with numerous operators offering different breaks, plus you get the freedom to visit many different fairly cheaply.

The main thing to remember when booking a last minute holiday is that you do research first, package deals offered by tour operators are covered and if you’re not sure what you have booked make sure the company you use is ABTA registered.

The summer holidays are just around the corner, but don’t worry if you haven’t got anything booked yet, there are still some great cruise deals available for this summer so you still can get your break away. Cruise holidays are no longer seen for the upper classes or the retired in fact they have become cool and affordable for many families.

If you looking for a week long summer holiday for the family the a cruise around the Mediterranean will be just up your street, you get to experience the great summer weather of the Med, which is what always attracts families during the summer months. You also get the same service as you would staying on dry land, with immaculate rooms, great dining options and of course pools to lounge around. Not only that you can also experience great tasters of the Med stopping off in many different ports. There are a great number of family orientated cruise line which offer trips to the Med; Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Princess Cruises Island Cruises and many, many more.

If the Med isn’t for you and you fancy experiencing something a bit different to what you have done in the past and are looking to explore new places then you could look at taking a Baltic cruise, the Baltic isn’t what many people think of for a summer holiday however, you do get exceptionally good weather in this region and a Baltic cruise is a great way to see the development of modern Europe. On a Baltic cruise holiday you get the same experiences as a Mediterranean holiday, just different ports to explore and a move away from the Med culture that is tailored to British travellers. The Baltic is a great destination for those eager to explore and learn and there are a number of cruise line who offer trips to this destination; Thomson Cruises, Cunard, P&O, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean to name but a few.

Many families are finding that money is tight at the moment and a lot are having to forego summer holidays, however if you have a little bit of spare cash and are looking for some cheap holiday ideas then we have a couple for you.

There are quite a lot of last minute holidays around at the moment and you may find prices could drop further as travel agents lower their prices to entice people if take up is poor for holidays abroad. If you don’t want to book through a travel agent, you can find good deals for hotels and flights separately on the internet for foreign holidays however you must be careful and make sure you book through a reputable company the is ABTA covered.

If flying isn’t your cup of tea then you should have a look at what cruise deals are available, just like other holidays, the cost of cruises will also drop if there is not much take up, plus many cruise lines offer great deals for families and have very cheap accommodation available, even on some of the bigger name ships. Like many foreign holidays if you keep your eye out you should be able to find some cheap cruises, especially online and remember you won’t have to worry about the expensive airport tax either.

Finally if you can’t stretch your budget for foreign holidays you should have a look at places right here in the UK, camping and self catering can be very cheap especially if there is a large number of you to share the costs. Plus if you choose somewhere that has a good selection of free places to visit then you can go away for even cheaper.

There are a wide range of cheap cruises available for Easter that the whole family can enjoy, so if you’re struggling to find something to do or somewhere suitable to go way then have a look online for some deals. There is one thing that can be hard for parents and that is keeping your children occupied on holiday, a cruise holiday can take that hassle away from you, no matter where you sail to. 

Once cruise holidays were considered for older people and those who had retired, but now that has all changed, many cruise lines also offer cruises that are tailor made for families and can cater to their needs. After all what is better than a holiday where you don’t have to worry about travelling, childcare, finding places to eat and all the stress sorting out activities for the children.

Cruise holidays take care of all that stuff for you and many cruise ships which are tailor towards children such as the Disney cruise line have plenty of on board activities to keep them occupied as well as different kids clubs for babies all the way up to teenagers. You can spend your day in the company of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto, plus many more which is great fun for people of all ages. 

If you like more excitement and plenty of hair raising activities then you should look at booking a cruise onboard Royal Caribbean’s, Oasis of the Seas, which is the world’s largest cruise ship. It also offers a whole host of activities and entertainment for the guests onboard including; two rock climbing walls, two Flowrider surf simulators, miniature golf, basketball court, H20 Zone Water Park, four swimming pools, spa and fitness centre, plus many, many more facilities.