Every day we receive some extraordinary comments from people who have been on one of our holidays.
We now have over 1100 reviews on our site, all of them containing highlights, advice and some wonderful anecdotes of things fellow travellers like you have experienced.
It’s impossible to show them all, but we have decided to share some of the best tips with you. You can use these tips and advice to help you prepare for your next family holiday, mountain exploration, bear watching trip or relaxing escape – or just for an enjoyable read.
Helping local communities Of course our holidays are all about minimising environmental impact and providing benefits to local people. But what things can you do as a traveller to help? Here’s what our travellers suggested:
“I would advise other travellers to bring along as little for themselves and more for the locals and to stay as long as they can” says Philip White. Libby Evans says:
“Take the time to interact with the locals, they are so kind and friendly.”
Emma Brown gives the following tips on what you can bring with you to help the local people:
"Please don't give sweets to the local children - I have even heard about some tourists throwing sweets and pens out of the back of their vehicle! The Gambian children we met were charming, but distributing sweets in this manner is degrading and turns them into a spectacle. Instead, please take whatever you can carry that may be of use to the local school and give direct to the school. They always need paper, pencils, books, balls etc. We neglected to take anything and very much regretted this, so we will be sending the school a parcel instead."
Enjoying local produce We have a wide range of holidays, including
cooking holidays and
wine tasting holidays and we always encourage our travellers to enjoy the local produce, just as Stacey Flor did
“Be prepared to eat....a lot. The excursions are very interesting, do a bit of pre-reading on the Etruscans before you go. Do not miss the tasting of the fresh mozzarella in Viterbo.”
Drink as much of the local red wine as possible - it is great, doesn't give you a hangover and benefits the local wine producer 5 minutes round the corner- Dave Partridge.
Challenging holidays
If you’re planning something a little more adventurous and challenging, its always worth listening to the advice of others who have climbed that mountain, braved that heat and survived the mosquitoes before. David Pritchett suggests that you should
"Get all the necessary equipment well in advance and test it all out. Get out and do some practice walks beforehand. Be ruthless when packing to minimise pack weight; you will be glad when you are halfway up a mountain!"
Even in winter you need to protect yourself from the sun as Dawn Harrison recommends
“Remember sun cream! Probably best to take lots of thin layers of clothing, and check up about suitable footwear in advance (although the guides and our host both had footwear we were able to borrow).”
Suzanne Wafer has lots of advice from her holiday in Canada
“Take layering clothing as it can be cold in the viewing platforms but warm other times. Take insect repellent and USE IT! I don't normally get bitten but this time I did. Take NO food or drink: it is all provided and is superb and plentiful. They also provide toiletries, so no need to take those either! And finally, be prepared to be amazed!”
Make sure you cram as much in as possible whilst you are there, you can sleep when you get home. Libby Evans.
And who says that challenging holidays are only for teenagers? Rose Daily who recently explored Iceland said
"I really am glad that I went on this trip and I hope more older people can be encouraged to take this type of holiday. Mentally it took a good few years off. At 62 it's encouraging to know that I am capable of keeping up with the people in their 20/30s. I climbed the highest on the ice climbing except for one chap who had done it before."
Family holidays
Children are always looking for new friends and language often isn’t a barrier as Joy Emmanuel discovered
“My younger daughter, aged 8, wanted to make a friend so the Lodge arranged for her to meet the younger sister of one of their staff. The 2 girls played together for most of the day and then we walked back to her compound to meet her family.”
We always travel with a stock of rice cakes. For plane journeys these are an invaluable way of keeping our daughter entertained and help with the pressure changes of take offs and landings. Olly Wheatcroft.
Wildlife holidays
We have a wide range of holidays for you if you are interested in wildlife. Whether you have your heart set on
watching gorillas, have a slight obsession with
tigers or are interested in seeing a few birds and mammals on your travels, we have some incredible holidays for you. Wildlife enthusiasts are always keen on photographing the rare or unusual wildlife that they come across in different parts of the world.
From her trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos, Linda Johnstone recommends that travellers should
“take lots of film or memory cards as you will always take more photos than you think. Take a little notebook to write down your spottings – I am not a twitcher but you cannot help becoming interested and noting the birds and animals down is infectious as it allows you to learn even more.”
A small book of the local flora and fauna is also handy for working out what you’re looking at. If you're planning a safari holiday for some big five wildlife viewing then Clare Hewitt says
"Be prepared - it's a different world and if you want total relaxation and comfort, safaris aren't for you. However if you can put up with insect bites and a sore bottom then you will see some truly awesome sights."
Walking holidays
Trekking can be quite exhausting at times and Carol Smith, who trekked the Inca trail last summer, says
“It's worth spending some time getting in shape before you go.” She also recommends that you
“pack your clothes in waterproof bags. Despite the porters efforts to keep everything dry, when it rained on the last day many of our clothes got wet in the duffle bags.”
So you've taken the advice and got your extra rolls of film and multiple memory cards for your camera, your mosquito repellent, your layers of clothing for changeable weather, your guide books and you're pretty much packed and ready to go. What else do you need? Libby Evans has one more way of saving your precious memories. Her highlights was “
being woken at 5.30am in my tent, in the middle of a rainforest, to the most deafening dawn chorus - birds, langurs, crickets. I remember lying on my back just laughing in wonder at the experience. I recorded it on my mobile phone so I shall never forget it!”
