Where are people going for their holidays in 2008? Eastern Europe is one trend. This is partly because the euro is strong against the pound, so non-euro countries such as Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey or Egypt are often better value for money than the usual Mediterranean destinations. Although the travelling time is longer, you’ll find that your pound goes a lot further when you get there.
Does the weak dollar mean we are looking back towards America? Very much so, and not just to Florida, where over a million Brits go every year. It’s also worth visiting other places where the currency is locked to the dollar – pretty much anywhere in Latin America, from Mexico south to Argentina and Chile. If there’s one country that is off the map at the moment but should really be on, it’s Argentina. A beautiful, diverse, fascinating and friendly country with lots of amazing things to see and do and very low prices.
Is there a change in what we are actually doing on holiday? Some people are still happy to lie on the beach all day, but increasingly people want something extra. That might mean they’re going to a resort destination where there is a city nearby – maybe to the Costa Brava and making a day-trip to Barcelona, or to southern Croatia and the beautiful city of Dubrovnik.
Or they may actually be looking at different styles of holiday, so you have companies such as Neilson and Mark Warner offering the holiday club experience. That’s where you turn up at a resort and all the activities and sports are included in the price.
What about adventure travel? There’s no limit to adventure holidays now. You can explore fantastic new destinations such as Ethiopia, go hiking in parts of south-east Asia, or fly-fishing in the far east of Russia.
The opposite of that is spa holidays – an opportunity to make sure you are getting the relaxation you deserve. And for years we’ve seen double-digit growth in cruise holidays. A lot of people see a cruise as the ideal stress-free holiday solution.
I have to mention Virgin Galactic… This is going to be the opportunity to go into low earth orbit, experience a bit of weightlessness and see the world as you have never seen it before. And it’s starting soon from a spaceport near you – as long as you live in the Swedish Arctic! A bit of a price tag at £100,000 but just think of what you can tell the people down the pub.
Alsion Rice, Travel Writer
Some of the content of the magazine refers to flights or prices from the UK. At Travel Counsellors Ireland we can source flights from Ireland and provide full quotes in Euros. Please call me for latest availability and prices.
