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B Tailor-made TravelCatalan experience, FranceEnjoy the seaside resort of Collioure and the Pyrenean town of Saillagouse during this trip, which links the two with a journey on the Little Yellow Train. From £663pp. Call French Travel Service Holidays on
0844 848 8843 or visit www.f-t-s.co.uk
B Fab vanS!The Glampervan Hire Company, Faversham, Kent
Kitted out to very high standards, some of these campervans are dog friendly too (extra charge applies). From £475 per week, day hire and short breaks are available too. Call 0800 035 3454 or visit
www.theglampervanhirecompany.com
Journeys to remember
exclusively for Yours readers: quote code YoUrS0414 for
ten per cent off any booking made before april 30, 2014.
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How to...
baG aHOLIdaY baRGaIN
B GlampinG in YorKSHireCamp Katur, near ripon, north YorksLovers of the outdoors should head to this 250-acre estate to try an en-suite safari tent! From £18 per night, dogs £5. Call 01845 567788 or visit www.campkatur.com.
Yours readers can quote Yr5014 for 20 per cent off a
two-night midweek stay in 2014. plus, celebrate your
50th or 60th birthday during your visit and receive a
Champagne hamper gift.
B devon wonderSarundell arms, liftonThe fisherman’s and church
cottages boast the best of self-catering, with the arundell arms Hotel and Restaurant on the doorstep. From £305 and £395 per week.
Call 01647 434063 or visit
www.helpfulholidays.com
eXTra For YoU
Self-catering stays you’ll love
6 luxury breaks for less
Silver Travel advisor’s Free brochure, Great british winter days out, is tailored to travellers over 50, and produced in partnership with age UK. Call 01753 740169, visit www.silvertraveladvisor.com, or request a copy via email: service@silvertraveladvisor.com
Great British Winter Days Out
eHiC essentialsB an eHiC (european Health insurance Card) gives access to state medical care throughout most of europe and is free. apply online at www.nhs.uk/ehic or call 0300 330 1350.
B The eHiC is not an alternative to travel insurance and will not cover private medical healthcare costs. it’s important to have a valid travel insurance policy as well as an eHiC.
The top 10 che apest destinationsbUdapeST for city breaks
Spain & porTUGal
for eurozone bargains
Slovenia, Serbia,
poland, bUlGaria
& andorra for skiing
Sri lanKa & eGYpT
for amazing value
B GrandparenTS Go For Free! Sani beach Hotel, Greece Travel between april 21 and May 20, 2014 for a half-board, two bedroom suite at approx £213. Under 12s also stay for free, so that’s just 255 euros per night for a family of six. Call 0800 949 6809 or visit www.saniresort.gr
B Five STar HoSTelplas Curig, Snowdonia, walesa brilliant way to enjoy Snowdonian comfort for less. From £22 per night for dorm room accommodation. Call 01690 720225 or visit
www.snowdoniahostel.co.uk
Tips, advice and ideas for
the year ahead
Yours recommends...a survey by which? Travel magazine members ranked Helpful Holidays top – a well-earned accolade! For the which? Free Travel Smart legal guide call 0808 250 1420 before Jan 31, 2014 and quote lS54.
Compiled by alex Frisby and Sarah Jagger
DETAILS CORRECT AT TIME OF WRITING
Try the new
high-speed train
from paris to barcelona.
under 6½ hours – so from
london you’ll
save almost
3½ hours!
B winTer warmTH For leSS
Three weeks or more in the sun? Sounds like a plan! with a long stay
package from Choice, a half-board stay in one of 14 fabulous, four-star maltese hotels
costs from just £11.60pp per night – so enjoy the main resorts at a quieter time and for
longer. bliss! prices include flights and long stay packages are available nov-april.
Call Choice Holidays Free
on 0800 811 9025 or visit
www.choiceholidays
direct.co.uk
For great
value trips to the
italian riviera and
Tuscany, turn to
page 92
Take a train that
promises spectacular
european views – see
page 98 for riviera Travel’s
lake Como, St moritz &
bernina express trip
B ‘SUGar & SpiCe’ SeaSonal Spa daYmacdonald portal Hotel and Spa, Cheshireafter mulled wine and mince pies, indulge in a 30-minute spa treatment before a three-course dinner! available until Mar 31 from just £95pp. Call 0844 879 9082 or visit
www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk
eXTra For YoU
| did YoU Know |
£390m of foreign currency
is lying around unused in british homes – an average of £40 per household
| bUdGeT beaTerS |
11% of holidaymakers never tip abroad. However in
the USa and Canada the expected tip is 20 per cent. Check your destination’s tipping etiquette to avoid a travelling faux pas!
3 beST ForeiGn CUrrenCY providerS:B asda (0845 900 0955)
£3.95 for home delivery
for orders up to £500, or
collect from an asda store
with a travel bureau
B Tesco (0845 366 0103)
£3.95 for home delivery
on orders up to £500
B iCe (0330 123 1432)
£4.75 for home
delivery for orders up
to £700
TOP TiP: avoid changing
money at airports as
exchange rates are poor.
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B ForaGinG breaKSTudor Farmhouse Hotel, Forest of deanForage for your own lunch! Various days in april, £50pp. Overnight package includes lunch and dinner for £365 per couple. Call 01594 833046 or visit
www.tudorfarmhousehotel.co.uk
B SCoTTiSH lowlandS Food Trailmunch your way through a journey compiled by Tasting Scotland and Farm Stays.
Four nights’ accommodation works out at under £200pp.download a free
brochure from
www.farmstay.
co.uk/
scotland/
scotland-
food-and-
drink.dot or
call 02476
696909.
5fabulous foodie trips
B Food Finder TrailSvarious, Yorkshirediscover how the best Yorkshire food is grown, bred or created, then try it! Various dates, Mar-Oct, from £120 for the Get the abbey Habit trail: learn about cider and brandy before dining at The Star Inn, Harome, on June 17. Call 01904 448439 or visit www.
yorkshire foodfinder.
org/trails.
php. Taste le
Tour is a two-
day cycling
break on the
first stage of
2014’s Tour de
France – £475,
may 19-20
| did YoU Know | indonesia is the cheapest long-haul destination. Ten tourist staples including sun cream, coffee and dinner for two come to just £43.91.
5 fun-filled holidays B HF HolidaYS bonanzawith so many great HF holidays to plump for, we’ve whittled it down to three:
1bavarian walking: (right) – two walking options each day in the foothills of the
European alps. From £995pp for seven to 14 nights, selected dates in May, June and Sept.
2astronomy trip: morning talks and discussions,
followed by viewings of the night sky. £469pp for four nights, selected dates in March and Oct.
3Yoga & pilates: a three-night break with yoga
sessions in the morning and Pilates technique classes in the afternoon. £339pp, selected dates in March and July. For further information call
0845 470 7558 or visit
www.hfholidays.co.uk
B maKe a diFFerenCeworking holidays, national
Trust locations (right)Participants are often well into their 60s and 70s! 2014 prices range from £80pp for a two-night wildflower management break, to £195pp for a week of cider making. Call 0844 800
3099 or visit
www.national
trust.org.uk /holidays
1 The Senior Railcard
(www.senior-railcard.co.uk, 0845 748 4950) is for travellers aged 60 or over. It costs £30 for a year, and saves one-third on most rail fares in Great britain.
2 National Express
(www.national express.com, 08717 818178) offers a Senior Coachcard for people aged 60 or over. It costs £10 and offers a third off your travel throughout the year.
3 For coach fares
and breaks in Europe, try www.euro lines.co.uk
4Compare prices of
airlines using a site like www.sky scanner.net
4 waYS TO... Get there for lessHaw-he-haw!
Taste le Tour has a French feel
5 must-visit city gems 1 rome The borghese Gallery – italian paintings,
plus a beautiful and tranquil garden2 bUdapeST beST For bUdGeT auguszt
Confectionary, in its 19th century setting by
Ferenciek square 3 praGUe The castle,
including Golden lane with its miniature houses
4 ColoGne Great Saint martin Church is
impressively restored, and St Gereon’s basilica is
beautiful inside 5 FlorenCe See paGe 92
discover 11th century tradition on via della Scalla, by
the Santa maria novella church – at one of the oldest
pharmacies in the world.
6 waYS TO... Cut mobile phone costs1 ask your network provider
for a bundle to use abroad2 buy a local Sim card
and top it up while there3 Switch off data roaming4 don’t open email
attachments5 Use wi-Fi hotspots
to go online6 Text rather
than call
B birdwaTCHinG For beGinnerS
wells, SomersetHelpful instruction, a dawn
chorus walk and the chance to spot bitterns are the
feathery highlights of this three-day May trip to the scenic Somerset Levels.
From £295pp including board and guidance.
Call 01962 733051 or visit
www.naturetrek.co.uk
why not try...
isle of wight Food Trail (www.wightlink.co.uk), Guernsey Tasty
walks (www.visitguernsey.
com/tastywalks), Herefordshire
Cider Trail www.ciderroute.co.uk
YOURS EVERY FORTNIGHT
B SHorT and SweeT
eUropean breaKCava and Tapas in valencia, Spain
enjoy wine tasting and tapas on this weekend trip, run by ex-pat patrick. From £495pp including excursions, accommodation and some meals,
various dates. Call The Spanish Thyme Traveller on
(0034) 96 225 41 48 or visit
www.thespanishthyme
traveller.com
1 Swap your home and pay only for airfares, petrol money and £115 annual subscription to Home link (01962 886882, www.homelink.org.uk) which offers swaps in 80 countries2 CouchSurfing.com connects
global travellers needing a sofa to sleep on. There are safety tips and a vouching system but no guarantees!3 rent apartments, villas and cottages
direct from owners using villarenters.com or www.homeaway.co.uk
3 waYS TO... Save on accommodation
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LaM
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B all inClUSive lUXUrY CrUiSeriver Saone and Canal du Centre, Francea top quality barge, excellent chefs and private wine tasting await you on the French waterways… Save up to £500pp on april 19, May 3 and august 23, 2014 departures, from £1,699pp. Call 01347 811810 or visit
www.planetrail.co.uk
5 waYS TO... Cost-cutting cruisesThe average cruise costs £1,388 and the Caribbean and the Canary islands are top winter destinations.
1 Cruise lines sometimes add single cabins to their ships at no supplement
but they get snapped up, so hurry!
2 Cruise lines offer added-value in January and February – so it’s worth
confirming your summer holiday now
3 book river cruises early as they have fewer rooms, so sell out quickly
4 adding a drinks package is usually good value for money
5 Pre-booking excursions means
you save on unexpected costs for travelling
to places of interest.
THe 3 beST CrediT CardS For SpendinG abroadThese three don’t charge
an extra loading fee on
purchases made abroad,
others charge 2.75 per
cent to 2.99 per cent per
transaction:
B Halifax Clarity Credit
Card, 0845 728 3848
B metro bank Credit Card,
0345 080 8500 (fee-free
in europe only from march)
B post office Credit Card,
0800 169 2000
TiP: allow three weeks to
receive a new card.
B wYe valleY CanoeinG Tipi adventure, HerefordshireEnjoy canoeing, cycling or pony trekking before bunking down in a tipi! From £180 per night, with a ‘stay one night get the second free’* discount in 2014. activity charges apply.Call 07415 202979, visit
www.tipiadventure.co.uk
*Cheapest night free.
B anniverSarY CrUiSe battlefields of First and Second world war Cruise, Ypres, belgium
a commemorative cruise to Ypres, the airbourne Museum and the National Liberation Museum from £749pp. Shearings will make a
donation to The Soldiers’ Charity for every battlefields cruise booked. Call 0844 209
7143 or visit
www.shearings.
com
B banK HolidaY breaKTake a mini-cruise around northern europe to see the beauty of belgium, fabulous France
and the elegant Netherlands.
May 2-6, from £319pp. Call 0808 115
1762 or visit
www.jetline
cruise.com
nigel leacock, founder of single traveller review website Single
planet, shares his top bargain tips:B Try private, en-suite rooms at designer hostels B Negotiate!
with 15.7 million single people in the UK, the market is growing.
B Sign up to mailing lists of your favourite hotels, to receive new
offers first.For help with searching
for your ideal destination, visit
www.singleplanet.co.uk
advice for solo travellers
Yours recommends...booking for one? Try Solos (0844
815 0005, www.solosholidays.
co.uk) or HF Holidays (0845
470 8558, www.hfholidays.co.uk) for a welcoming
break.
6 adventures on the water
See our
island from an
entirely different
perspective, on a
british isles discovery
Cruise (turn to
page 100).
discover the
rhone, the rhine, the
danube and much more
with riviera Travel.
Call 01283 742300 or
visit www.riviera
travel.co.uk
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