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Oct 15, 2024 · There are lots of reasons to choose a coach holiday – not least because there are now many options available allowing you to find the right paced tour, with the right level of included activities and free time to suit you.
- Coach Holidays - Everything You Need to Know
Coach holidays are holidays where the main part of the...
- Coach Holidays - Everything You Need to Know
Mar 31, 2023 · Coach holidays are a great way to travel, explore new destinations, and enjoy all the benefits of a holiday without the stress of organizing transportation and accommodation. From group tours to independent journeys, coach holidays offer many benefits that make them a popular choice for travelers.
- Versatile Options. No matter your preferred type of vacation – a calming seaside retreat, a rendezvous with raw nature, or the thrilling pulse of a city tour – coach holidays offer an extensive range of choices to cater to every traveller's whim.
- Dive Deep into Coastal Beauty. Britain's coastline boasts some of the most enchanting seaside towns and beaches. From the vibrant atmospheres of Bournemouth, Eastbourne, and Torquay to the serene beauty of the Isle of Wight, coach holidays provide a unique opportunity to experience these treasures without the hassle of planning and driving.
- Explore Britain’s Natural Wonders. If mesmerising landscapes and scenic beauty are what you seek, destinations such as the Lake District, Loch Lomond, and the awe-inspiring Cotswolds await.
- Step Back in Time. Britain is a land of history and stories. With coach holidays, delve into the mediaeval charm of York, experience the therapeutic allure of Bath, or walk through the historical lanes of Chester, all while being regaled with tales and facts by expert guides.
- Coach Holidays – Everything You Need to Know
- Types of Coach Holidays
- Advantages of Coach Holidays
- Tour Manager and Local Guides
- Perceived Disadvantages of Coach Holidays
- Itinerary Research
Coach Holidays
In the past coaches used to be the cheapest way to reach Europe so many coach holidays started from the UK, travelled to Europe by coach and then travelled around Europe by coach too. Now many coach holidays fly out to their destination and then use a coach for exploring while on holiday, and fly back again at the end of the holiday. Coach holidays are often called touring holidays or escorted holidays too. They all mean the same thing really. A coach holiday will always have a driver (obvs!)...
History of Coach Holidays
Thomas Cook was the organiser of the first ever package holiday with a package deal on a trip on a train in 1841. It took a while longer for coach holidays to become a big thing. In the 1960s and 1970s coaches started heading across the Channel to Europe so that people could enjoy the warmer climates of Spain. Travelling non-stop on a coach from the UK wasn’t for the faint-hearted, especially given the lack of air conditioning on coaches then. However, the attraction of a foreign holiday was...
Coach Holidays Over the Years
Coach holidays have come a very long way from where they started. In my own 36 career so much has changed. 36 years ago there were no cheap flights to Europe so taking a coach was still the main way to get to Europe. That meant a very long journey for passengers doing pick ups in the UK before heading to the port of Dover and taking the ferry. Then the feeder drivers would take the coach somewhere in France or Belgium where we would meet the tour drivers. From there it was just another 22 hou...
Escorted Holidays
An escorted holiday is a coach holiday where there is a Tour Manager with the tour. Sometimes they are called Program Directors, and Tour Leaders but they all do a similar job. They are there to ensure that the tour runs smoothly and everything happens as it should. They need to ensure that the holiday that people experience matches what the holiday company promised to deliver in the holiday contract. The Tour Manager is responsible for making sure all the hotels provide what they should for...
Coach Based Holidays
There are still some companies that offer holidays that only use coach travel. These are ideal if you want to see some of Europe when you travel through or if you don’t like flying. The journeys can be long though, particularly if the holiday company is doing plenty of pick-ups in the UK before heading across the Channel. My advice would be to join the coach as close to Dover as you possibly can. This makes the journey through Europe much more manageable. Some holiday companies take an overni...
Solo Coach Holidays
There have always been solo travellers on coach holidays. Generally, the number was quite small as there were only a few single rooms reserved for each coach holiday group. Given the growth in solo travellers there are now coach holidays where all the travellers are solo travellers. Many holiday companies are offering set dates where all the travellers are solo travellers and where there is no single supplement payable. There are also more spaces for solo travellers on all departures now. Som...
Convenience
Coach holidays are convenient, generally offering a great holiday package. This may include pick-up points around the UK, or it may include flights to the departure airport. Some holiday companies offer included transfers to the destination airport with a driver picking you up from home. This is very convenient as it means you don’t need to worry about any flight delays or issues when you return home, you simply enjoy being driven home.
Comfort
Coaches generally are pretty comfortable to travel on. Most holiday companies will have a minimum specification for coaches to be used on their trips or tours. This might specify air conditioning, an onboard toilet, and coaches that are less than 5 years old for example. Some coach holiday companies offer luxury coach holidays with fewer seats, an onboard lounge, TVs and entertainment systems. Nice!
Inclusive Packages
A coach holiday is a great way to explore somewhere. Often coach holidays will include quite a lot of visits and trips. Some of these might be optional tours, that you need to pay extra for. This means that you can pack quite a lot into a coach holiday and often see more than you could manage on your own – all with the added benefit of someone else doing all the organising. Coach holidays will often include a number of meals in the holiday as well as a fairly good standard of hotels. (This ca...
If your coach holiday includes a Tour Manager then you will have someone with you for the whole of the holiday who is there to help in any way they can. Their role is to run the tour as per the itinerary and the contract provided by the holiday company. They are also there to ensure that guests are happy and have a great experience. They will be ab...
Fixed Itinerary
A coach holiday, by its very nature, is going to involve an itinerary. This is one of the reasons people book coach holidays because they can see exactly what they are getting. Having an itinerary that is planned and organised means you know what you are going to see and do. This means you can plan your free time accordingly. When I took my first coach holiday I really liked being able to explore new places without the hassle of having to organise getting there, what to do when I got there et...
Limited Independence
Some people may feel that coach holidays offer limited independence but this is changing companies’ adapt to more experienced and independent travellers. There is generally more free time included on coach holidays for exploring on your own. As with anything it pays to research and check the details if this is important to you and remember you don’t have to do everything on the holiday just because it is included. Most holiday companies will give some sort of rating as to how active their hol...
Travelling with a Group
A coach holiday is by its very nature a group of people travelling together. That means there will be times when you have to wait to check into a hotel for example, for your luggage, in a line at breakfast or even getting off the coach. However, there are many more advantages than disadvantages to travelling with a group. Travelling with a group means you get to meet some interesting people and potentially make new friends. I have taken over 8,000 people on coach holidays all over the world a...
As with any major purchase, booking a holiday requires a bit of research. One of the first things to check is the itinerary. Make sure you understand fully what the coach holiday includes and what it doesn’t. Check the hotel details online, check the timings for the journeys and check the reviews of previous guests. If you have any queries get in t...
Jun 3, 2016 · Coach travel gives you the perfect opportunity to explore corners of the UK and Europe that you may not otherwise be able to access, driving into the heart of cities and towns so you can experience each destination on a personal level.
Jan 22, 2016 · An Introduction. The modern coach holiday now incorporates a wide range of trips and excursions, from continental breaks which take in the sights of Italy, France, Austria and more, to shorter UK breaks.
Mar 17, 2021 · Coach travel offers a fantastic range of benefits, many of which outweigh the fuss of other modes of public transport or the cost of running a car. Let’s take a look at each of them in detail below. 1. Fuss-free travel.
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