For sixth-year students the only thing more pressing than the Leaving Certificate is where to holiday after it. Sandra O'Connellhas some advice for planning ahead
Q Could you write a feature on the traditional post-Leaving Cert holiday? I am in desperate need of a few suitable options. My friends (15 highly opinionated girls) are determined to escape this fair isle, following a harrowing year, at some point in July or August. The most important factor is cost. The majority of students have a budget of less than 500.
GR
Dear GR: you could always get a job. Just kidding. There aren’t any. Still kidding. Seriously, for sixth-year students the only thing more pressing right now than the Leaving Certificate is where to holiday after it.
And I don’t mean to alarm you, but what have you been doing all this time? Drawing up study timetables? Most of your classmates booked their holiday months ago.
“Students start booking their Leaving Cert holidays in September,” confirms Niamh Hayes of Budget Travel. “It means they pay brochure price – on average €469 per person – rather than waiting until closer to the time and getting a better deal, but it means they get the resort they want and gives them time to pay it off.”
The current top destinations for Leaving Cert students are Ayia Napa, in Cyprus, Hersonissos, in Crete, and Ibiza, closely followed by the Greek island of Zakinthos, Majorca and the Costa del Sol, in Spain. “What they tend to want is to go somewhere young and lively, and that’s what we steer them towards,” says Hayes.
Such holidays have become a rite of passage for school leavers, she says. Despite occasional mishaps, such as the south Dublin school leavers who went through Crete like a tornado last year, they are generally great fun.
“Despite parental fears, Leaving Cert holidaymakers tend to be boisterous but well behaved,” says Hayes. “Unfortunately, you do hear of events where things get out of hand, and they tend to end up in the national press over here, which makes parents nervous. But for most it’s just harmless fun.”
For the travel companies involved, the growth of the Leaving Cert holiday has been a significant commercial boon. They bring particular pressures, however.
“There is quite a bit of hand holding involved. For many of these kids it will be their first time travelling without their parents,” says Hayes. “We advise them always to come to the welcome meetings and get to know their reps, so they can liaise with them if there’s anything they need help with. We also get a fair few phone calls from parents wondering what’s going on because someone’s not answering their mobile.”
Paula Coughlan, owner of ForeignAFares, in Cork, says: “Travel agents are delighted with Leaving Certificate holidays, because it’s a market that didn’t exist 10 years ago.”
It’s also a market that tends to book through travel agents rather than independently. “They generally want the comfort of a package that they know is bonded, so they won’t lose their money if something goes wrong,” she says.
Such customers always ask the same two questions. “The first thing they want to know is where everybody else is going. Second is what’s the cheapest place to stay,” says Coughlan.
Her advice is simple. “Don’t always go for the cheapest option. For an extra few quid you’ll get somewhere with air conditioning, or near the beach, and it’s worth it. Even more importantly, choose a well-run property that is well located in relation to the town. You don’t want to have to have a long way to go to get home at night.”
Unfortunately, Leaving Certificate students sometimes suspect that a travel agent is simply looking to make more money by steering them to better-quality accommodation.
“They do their research online, and talk to each other, but can be suspicious of our suggestions,” says Coughlan.
“We’re like their mothers, trying to be cool but at the same time trying to give them good advice. But it’s in our interest to find them a holiday they’ll enjoy, so they’ll come back to us next year.”
Holidays Online has a Leaving Certificate holiday space on Bebo, the social-networking website. It features special offers to some of the most popular student hot spots abroad.
“We had to go on Bebo, because that’s where the kids are these days. It has been a great success, resulting in bookings from across the country,” says James Kenny of Holidays Online (see www.holidaysonline.ie/leavingcert).
The company, which is part of Sunway Travel, also runs in-school promotions with the radio station Spin 1038 at the beginning of each year.
“Typically, we get an initial surge of bookings in September, and the rest come in dribs and drabs throughout the year, as friends look to be added to the group,” he says.
“As a tradition, the Leaving Cert holiday is firmly established. They all go on one.”
Generally, most demand is for two-week holidays, but John Spollen, a director of Cassidy Travel in Dublin, believes one week is a better option for Leaving Cert holidays.
“One of the main issues we see is people running out of money, so don’t make your budget too tight, and it’s easier to plan for one week in that respect than for two,” said Spollen.
“Also, it will be your first time travelling independently with friends, and you don’t really know how that will work out, so again one week is a better bet.”
As the father of a teenager, he believes anyone booking a Leaving Cert holiday should take particular care when choosing a property. “The impulse is to go for the cheapest accommodation possible, but, given their age, they would be much better off spending one week in a popular, well-run complex than two weeks in somewhere off the beaten track or with poor security.”
Shauna Taylor from Dublin, who is now studying business, says: “We went to Ayia Napa, in Cyprus, after our exams last year. It was a brilliant trip. The weather was gorgeous, and it was easy-going and just so much fun. There were 22 of us in all.
“It’s expected now that you go on a post-Leaving Cert holiday, and everybody wants to go where other schools are going. You’re all the same age, all in the same boat and relieved that the exams are over.
“We were expecting our apartment to be a bit grotty, but in fact it was lovely. The resort was lovely, too, and although people – parents in particular – might have some trepidations about it, we didn’t feel unsafe at any stage.
“We did hear of some trouble where some people trashed their apartment, which was a bit stupid, as they then had to spend the rest of the holiday in it.
“But really, as long as you are aware, use your common sense and stay together, there’s nothing to worry about. It was just really nice to all be away together. I loved it.”
And parents, if you’re still unsure, console yourself with the fact that at least the Leaving Cert holiday is all over in a matter of weeks.
“The following year the big trend for first-year college students is to take three months off to holiday in Thailand,” says Niamh Hayes of Budget Travel.
5 favourite spots for Leaving Cert breaks
1 CyprusBirthplace of Aphrodite and commonly known as the Island of Love, the island has obvious appeal for a bunch of pent-up 18-year-olds looking to party. Seven nights with Budget Travel, staying in the family-owned and -run Carina Apartments, 100m from the beach and 10 minutes' walk from the centre of Ayia Napa, costs €547, based on four sharing; departs third week in August. www.budgettravel.ie.
2 CreteWhen parents think Crete they think Rethymnon or Chania, relaxed resorts with loads of old buildings to pooter around. Their kids think Hersonissos, a lively resort with a waterfront lined with music bars that never close. A week's stay at the centrally located three-star Hotel Ilios costs €642 with Budget Travel, staying on a bed and breakfast basis, so at least there's one meal you're sure of.
3 Ibiza Despite– or more likely because of – all those Ibiza Uncovered TV shows, the Balearic island has retained its popularity as party central. Panorama Holidays has a week in July, staying at Jet Apartments, on the sandy expanse of Playa den Bossa – which has an Irish bar and 24-hour nightclub – for €569 per person, again based on four sharing. www.panoramaholidays.ie.
4 ZakinthosThe island – also known as Zante – is small but the nightlife in its most popular resort, Laganas, only massive, particularly when exam students arrive. Falcon Holidays has a two-week stay at the Pythari Studios in August from €576, based on two sharing. www.falconholidays.ie.
5 MajorcaAlthough beloved of UK royals, the largest of the Balearic islands also manages to attract shoals of student revellers each year. Not that you'd find many Windsors staying in Santa Ponsa. A week at the buzzing resort in late August, staying at the Plazamar Apartments, starts at €489 with Sunworld.
www.sunworld.ie.
Not convinced? Try these instead
There's no law that says you must celebrate the end of the Leaving Cert on the Med. One of the most rewarding alternatives is InterRailing. A 10-day pass, for use over 22 days, costs €239 and gives you rail access to 40,000 stations in 30 countries, everywhere from the Norwegian fjords to Istanbul. See www.interrailnet.com.
Another alternative is Florida, which is currently great value and growing fast in popularity. Prices start at about €379 per person in off season. See www.americanholidays.ie.
Equally, a long weekend in New York or Boston, particularly if it's a girlie celebration, offers unbeatable value. See www.touramerica. ie for deals.
ForeignAFares is promoting Bulgaria to Leaving Cert students this year. Two weeks in July at the Azure Sky apartments, 400m from Sunny Beach, costs €650 per person sharing.
Not the cheapest option to get to, but the cost of living is very low when you get there, and you get all the trappings of a four-star property. See www.foreignafares.ie (search for Leaving Cert).
Go Safely
You know something is official when the Government devotes part of one of its websites to deal with it. So it is with the Department of Foreign Affair's page on post-Leaving Certificate holidays. "Every year, thousands of students travel abroad to celebrate their exam results, and to date, incidents involving theft, injury, illness and death are increasing," it says. Not exactly reassuring, but the tips make sense.
First, make sure you take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance. If travelling within the EU, bring your European Health Insurance Card, too, which replaces the E111.
Photocopy your passport and keep the copy in a secure place. (Bring alternative photo ID, too, such as a driving licence, and also keep a copy of that.)
Take a mixture of cash, credit cards and traveller's cheques, but don't keep them all in one place.
Be careful with alcohol and avoid drugs, penalties for offences relating to which can be higher abroad than at home.
Finally, keep in touch, if only so the department doesn't have to field so many calls from parents anxious about children gone Awol.
For all of the Department of Foreign Affairs' guidance, see the travel-advice section of
www.dfa.ie.