JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions
Travel with a sense of adventure for in-between ages
Q We are looking for travel companies that provide tours for multiple ages. There are some great tours advertised but many are aimed at 18- to 35-year-olds. The other alternatives are tours for those aged 60-plus or “comfort tours”. We fit in the 45- to 55-year-old age group, are fit and healthy, young at heart, enjoy activities, adventures and experiences, and not afraid to rough it. We would appreciate suggestions.
AM, Dublin
There are a number of companies that organise tours that may suit your group. Citiescapes (www.citiescapes.ie) has a good range of city breaks, activity and multi-country itineraries, and would be happy to advise on the most suitable for you. The Travel Department (www.thetraveldepartment.ie) also has a good range of tours that are for more than the comfort crowd. They have a tour to Istanbul and Cappadocia in September, from €869pps, or a trip that explores Egypt and the Nile, from €1,199pps.
Budget Travel’s Primera Tours division (www.primera tours.ie) tends to get a wider age group and it has tours mainly to Spain. In September it has a tour that explores Andalusia and Morocco from €699pps.
Usually, combining an activity with a tour is a good way to find the right crowd. Walking holidays are a great way to rough it a bit and have fun. Companies such as www.uwalk.ie arrange walking and cycling trips to Austria and Spain. Also the Irish Times travel service gets quite a range of age groups on its trips. Watch the paper for details of upcoming tours.
Further afield, if you travel from the UK there is a wider range of tours available. Have a look at activity and adventure holidays from www.karibuni. co.uk and www.explore.co.uk
Q We are a family of four, but with different desires as regards a holiday, and it grows increasingly difficult to try to please everyone. My daughter will turn 18 in August, and wants to bring a friend (or two) with her. She wants somewhere in the sun, with clubs, shopping and a pool during the day, in a place where there are other people of her age.
Her father wants a week of peace. He hates apartment complexes or crowded places, wants scenic and historic, and a somewhat private base where said clubs and noisy parties won’t keep him awake at night. He wants to keep the budget under €2,000, including flights.
My 12-year-old daughter would just like sand and sun, and maybe the possibility of making a friend.
Finally, I just want to find a place that will keep them all happy, in a safe location, where the clubs are not so questionable that I lie awake worrying about my 18-year-old’s safety. Is there any hope you might be able to help with this impossible task? GMS, Dublin
This sounds like a familiar question for many families. It is always difficult to find a holiday that everyone, including yourself, will enjoy. With a €2,000 budget, it is difficult to find stand-alone accommodation and flights, and so you may be restricted to a package holiday.
However, there are some places that might fit the bill. Majorca is a good island for a mixed family holiday, and the resorts of Alcudia and Puerto Pollensa in the north of the island are both lively and fun for the younger ones, though probably not so much fun for dad.
However, there is an opportunity for you and your husband to go exploring a bit. Buses run along the coast, and there are tours to places of interest such as Porto Cristo and the Caves of Drach. The old town of Puerto Pollensa is lovely. The clubs stay open most of the night, so you may have to resign yourself to sleepless nights. Direct Holidays (www.direct holidays.ie) has a week in the Sol Alcudia Centre from €349pps and the Villa Concha in Puerto Pollensa from €493pps. .
On mainland Spain, Benalmadena is a good resort for all the family. Dad may enjoy exploring the old port area, there are clubs for your eldest girl and her friends, and your 12-year-old will find Irish and European friends in the Sunset Beach Club. A week with Budget Travel (www.budgettravel.ie) in August costs from €585pps.
In the Canaries, Topflight (www.topflight.ie) has a great-value deal to the Bitacora Apartments in Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote, on August 15th, from €369pps. Lanzarote is lively, but has lots of interesting places for dad to visit such as Timanfaya, the volcano park, the Jameos del Agua and the Cactus Gardens.
Greece tends to have smaller holiday developments and apartment blocks can feel less-crowded in some resorts. Crete has a lot to offer, with history and culture, and the nightlife is excellent for 18-year-olds. A week will cost about €500pps in August.
If you want to book flights and accommodation separately, then Ryanair and Aer Lingus are having sales on seats for August. You need to log on every day and be prepared to book when you see a good deal.
Go contact
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com