ESCORTED TOURS WINTER DESTINATIONS
inter holidays used to be pretty straightforward – choose sun or ski, pack swimwear or salopettes, and bon voyage. But what about the escapes that don’t involve skimming down the slopes or sipping cocktails on a sunlounger?
W As the British climate cools
down, the raft of adventurous options heats up: from sleigh rides in colder climes to flocking south for the southern hemisphere’s summer, winter holds no end of possibilities for active escapes. Whether it’s a counterpoint to a lazy summer beach break, or a chance to introduce the whole family to a more adventurous style of travel, these active tours will have no trouble keeping you and your clients going through the winter months.
1
NORTHERN LIGHTS IN ICELAND Where better to start than with one of the most
iconic winter sights, the northern lights? They are at their most visible from October to March, which means they come with the added bonus of exciting winter activities. “Iceland is an incredible place
to visit year-round, but winter is truly magical,” says Ruth Hilton, sales and business development director at Trafalgar. “It’s also the best time of year to see the northern lights, frozen waterfalls, and access the island’s ice caves, plus, the warm geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon are there to keep visitors cosy!” Book it: Trafalgar’s six-day
tour, Northern Lights of Iceland including the Blue Lagoon, starts at £1,826 including breakfast, three dinners, driver and guide. Flights are extra.
trafalgar.com/uk
2
CRUISING THE NILE No less iconic than the northern lights, a voyage along the Nile offers one
ancient wonder after another, but try it in the height of summer and it’ll be heat, not history, that overpowers all else. Riviera Travel has a new tour
starting in February that swaps the usual Luxor-Aswan cruise for a journey starting in Cairo and ending in Aswan, on the Mövenpick Darakum. Head of agency sales Joseph
Grimley says: “You don’t want to be held back by the heat, making this the ideal winter break to combine relaxation and exploration – especially when you get the opportunity to disembark at rarely visited sites cruising from Cairo to Aswan.” Book it: Riviera Travel’s Wonders of the Nile, led by an Egyptologist, starts at £2,469 for 15 days, including flights from Heathrow.
rivieratravel.co.uk
3
EXPLORING THE EMPIRE IN INDIA This month marks 70 years since India gained
independence from the British Empire, sparking a season of documentaries looking at the history of the Raj. If your clients’ interest has been piqued to
explore India up-close, Saga has developed a 19-night tour, starting with monuments built by the British in Kolkata, followed by a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal and tour of the Lutyens-designed quarter of Delhi. Next, it’s the Himalayan Toy Train up to Shimla to see the summer residence of the viceroys, before finishing in Mumbai. Book it: Saga’s Echoes of the Empire has 14 departures, plus two solo departures starting in October, from £2,899 including flights from Heathrow, chauffeur pick-up, most meals and travel insurance.
travel.saga.co.uk
4
WINTER IN THE ROCKIES Nowhere does winter like Canada, but even within
this impossibly beautiful country, the Rockies are at their most majestic when covered by a few feet of snow. Warn clients they’ll have to wear more layers than they ever thought possible, but the below-zero temperatures will be the last thing on their minds when they see what Collette’s Winter Wonderland tour has in store. This trip goes to town on wintry activities: snowshoeing in Jasper, traversing the Icefields Parkway, riding a horse-drawn sleigh and roasting marshmallows by the fire, to name but a few. Add waking up to the view from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and Fairmont Banff Springs, and an authentic First Nations dinner, and it’s easy to
see why Collette already has 2018-19 departures on sale. Book it: Canada’s Winter Wonderland starts at £1,279 for seven days, not including flights, with luxury accommodation, breakfast and a tour guide.
gocollette.com
5
THAILAND FLING “For those looking to escape the British winter – and the dishes
– this Christmas Day, southeast Asia is a great choice for a family adventure,” says Brian Young, managing director at G Adventures. “It’s a great time to travel and this trip will really bring the family together with cooking classes, boat trips and beach breaks.” Unlike the long summer
holidays, time is tight at Christmas, so the benefits of a family tour are clear: packing in plenty of activities, keeping the Christmas magic alive with the company of other kids, and letting parents take a break too. This family tour from
G Adventures offers a well-rounded introduction to Thailand, visiting the bridge over the River Kwai and meeting a hill tribe community, taking an overnight train to Chiang Mai for a cooking class, and finishing on the beaches of Koh Chang. Book it: G Adventures’ Thailand Family Adventure costs £899 per adult and £839 per child land-only from Bangkok, departing December 18 and 29. Minimum age six.
gadventures.co.uk
31 August 2017
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