B Tailor-made TravelCatalan experience, FranceEnjoy the seaside resort of Collioure and the Pyrenean town of Saillagouse during this trip, which links the two with a journey on the Little Yellow Train. From £663pp. Call French Travel Service Holidays on

0844 848 8843 or visit www.f-t-s.co.uk

B Fab vanS!The Glampervan Hire Company, Faversham, Kent

Kitted out to very high standards, some of these campervans are dog friendly too (extra charge applies). From £475 per week, day hire and short breaks are available too. Call 0800 035 3454 or visit

www.theglampervanhirecompany.com

Journeys to remember

exclusively for Yours readers: quote code YoUrS0414 for

ten per cent off any booking made before april 30, 2014.

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How to...

baG aHOLIdaY baRGaIN

B GlampinG in YorKSHireCamp Katur, near ripon, north YorksLovers of the outdoors should head to this 250-acre estate to try an en-suite safari tent! From £18 per night, dogs £5. Call 01845 567788 or visit www.campkatur.com.

Yours readers can quote Yr5014 for 20 per cent off a

two-night midweek stay in 2014. plus, celebrate your

50th or 60th birthday during your visit and receive a

Champagne hamper gift.

B devon wonderSarundell arms, liftonThe fisherman’s and church

cottages boast the best of self-catering, with the arundell arms Hotel and Restaurant on the doorstep. From £305 and £395 per week.

Call 01647 434063 or visit

www.helpfulholidays.com

eXTra For YoU

Self-catering stays you’ll love

6 luxury breaks for less

Silver Travel advisor’s Free brochure, Great british winter days out, is tailored to travellers over 50, and produced in partnership with age UK. Call 01753 740169, visit www.silvertraveladvisor.com, or request a copy via email: service@silvertraveladvisor.com

Great British Winter Days Out

eHiC essentialsB an eHiC (european Health insurance Card) gives access to state medical care throughout most of europe and is free. apply online at www.nhs.uk/ehic or call 0300 330 1350.

B The eHiC is not an alternative to travel insurance and will not cover private medical healthcare costs. it’s important to have a valid travel insurance policy as well as an eHiC.

The top 10 che apest destinationsbUdapeST for city breaks

Spain & porTUGal

for eurozone bargains

Slovenia, Serbia,

poland, bUlGaria

& andorra for skiing

Sri lanKa & eGYpT

for amazing value

B GrandparenTS Go For Free! Sani beach Hotel, Greece Travel between april 21 and May 20, 2014 for a half-board, two bedroom suite at approx £213. Under 12s also stay for free, so that’s just 255 euros per night for a family of six. Call 0800 949 6809 or visit www.saniresort.gr

B Five STar HoSTelplas Curig, Snowdonia, walesa brilliant way to enjoy Snowdonian comfort for less. From £22 per night for dorm room accommodation. Call 01690 720225 or visit

www.snowdoniahostel.co.uk

Tips, advice and ideas for

the year ahead

Yours recommends...a survey by which? Travel magazine members ranked Helpful Holidays top – a well-earned accolade! For the which? Free Travel Smart legal guide call 0808 250 1420 before Jan 31, 2014 and quote lS54.

Compiled by alex Frisby and Sarah Jagger

DETAILS CORRECT AT TIME OF WRITING

Try the new

high-speed train

from paris to barcelona.

under 6½ hours – so from

london you’ll

save almost

3½ hours!

B winTer warmTH For leSS

Three weeks or more in the sun? Sounds like a plan! with a long stay

package from Choice, a half-board stay in one of 14 fabulous, four-star maltese hotels

costs from just £11.60pp per night – so enjoy the main resorts at a quieter time and for

longer. bliss! prices include flights and long stay packages are available nov-april.

Call Choice Holidays Free

on 0800 811 9025 or visit

www.choiceholidays

direct.co.uk

For great

value trips to the

italian riviera and

Tuscany, turn to

page 92

Take a train that

promises spectacular

european views – see

page 98 for riviera Travel’s

lake Como, St moritz &

bernina express trip

B ‘SUGar & SpiCe’ SeaSonal Spa daYmacdonald portal Hotel and Spa, Cheshireafter mulled wine and mince pies, indulge in a 30-minute spa treatment before a three-course dinner! available until Mar 31 from just £95pp. Call 0844 879 9082 or visit

www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk

eXTra For YoU

| did YoU Know |

£390m of foreign currency

is lying around unused in british homes – an average of £40 per household

| bUdGeT beaTerS |

11% of holidaymakers never tip abroad. However in

the USa and Canada the expected tip is 20 per cent. Check your destination’s tipping etiquette to avoid a travelling faux pas!

3 beST ForeiGn CUrrenCY providerS:B asda (0845 900 0955)

£3.95 for home delivery

for orders up to £500, or

collect from an asda store

with a travel bureau

B Tesco (0845 366 0103)

£3.95 for home delivery

on orders up to £500

B iCe (0330 123 1432)

£4.75 for home

delivery for orders up

to £700

TOP TiP: avoid changing

money at airports as

exchange rates are poor.

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B ForaGinG breaKSTudor Farmhouse Hotel, Forest of deanForage for your own lunch! Various days in april, £50pp. Overnight package includes lunch and dinner for £365 per couple. Call 01594 833046 or visit

www.tudorfarmhousehotel.co.uk

B SCoTTiSH lowlandS Food Trailmunch your way through a journey compiled by Tasting Scotland and Farm Stays.

Four nights’ accommodation works out at under £200pp.download a free

brochure from

www.farmstay.

co.uk/

scotland/

scotland-

food-and-

drink.dot or

call 02476

696909.

5fabulous foodie trips

B Food Finder TrailSvarious, Yorkshirediscover how the best Yorkshire food is grown, bred or created, then try it! Various dates, Mar-Oct, from £120 for the Get the abbey Habit trail: learn about cider and brandy before dining at The Star Inn, Harome, on June 17. Call 01904 448439 or visit www.

yorkshire foodfinder.

org/trails.

php. Taste le

Tour is a two-

day cycling

break on the

first stage of

2014’s Tour de

France – £475,

may 19-20

| did YoU Know | indonesia is the cheapest long-haul destination. Ten tourist staples including sun cream, coffee and dinner for two come to just £43.91.

5 fun-filled holidays B HF HolidaYS bonanzawith so many great HF holidays to plump for, we’ve whittled it down to three:

1bavarian walking: (right) – two walking options each day in the foothills of the

European alps. From £995pp for seven to 14 nights, selected dates in May, June and Sept.

2astronomy trip: morning talks and discussions,

followed by viewings of the night sky. £469pp for four nights, selected dates in March and Oct.

3Yoga & pilates: a three-night break with yoga

sessions in the morning and Pilates technique classes in the afternoon. £339pp, selected dates in March and July. For further information call

0845 470 7558 or visit

www.hfholidays.co.uk

B maKe a diFFerenCeworking holidays, national

Trust locations (right)Participants are often well into their 60s and 70s! 2014 prices range from £80pp for a two-night wildflower management break, to £195pp for a week of cider making. Call 0844 800

3099 or visit

www.national

trust.org.uk /holidays

1 The Senior Railcard

(www.senior-railcard.co.uk, 0845 748 4950) is for travellers aged 60 or over. It costs £30 for a year, and saves one-third on most rail fares in Great britain.

2 National Express

(www.national express.com, 08717 818178) offers a Senior Coachcard for people aged 60 or over. It costs £10 and offers a third off your travel throughout the year.

3 For coach fares

and breaks in Europe, try www.euro lines.co.uk

4Compare prices of

airlines using a site like www.sky scanner.net

4 waYS TO... Get there for lessHaw-he-haw!

Taste le Tour has a French feel

5 must-visit city gems 1 rome The borghese Gallery – italian paintings,

plus a beautiful and tranquil garden2 bUdapeST beST For bUdGeT auguszt

Confectionary, in its 19th century setting by

Ferenciek square 3 praGUe The castle,

including Golden lane with its miniature houses

4 ColoGne Great Saint martin Church is

impressively restored, and St Gereon’s basilica is

beautiful inside 5 FlorenCe See paGe 92

discover 11th century tradition on via della Scalla, by

the Santa maria novella church – at one of the oldest

pharmacies in the world.

6 waYS TO... Cut mobile phone costs1 ask your network provider

for a bundle to use abroad2 buy a local Sim card

and top it up while there3 Switch off data roaming4 don’t open email

attachments5 Use wi-Fi hotspots

to go online6 Text rather

than call

B birdwaTCHinG For beGinnerS

wells, SomersetHelpful instruction, a dawn

chorus walk and the chance to spot bitterns are the

feathery highlights of this three-day May trip to the scenic Somerset Levels.

From £295pp including board and guidance.

Call 01962 733051 or visit

www.naturetrek.co.uk

why not try...

isle of wight Food Trail (www.wightlink.co.uk), Guernsey Tasty

walks (www.visitguernsey.

com/tastywalks), Herefordshire

Cider Trail www.ciderroute.co.uk

YOURS EVERY FORTNIGHT

B SHorT and SweeT

eUropean breaKCava and Tapas in valencia, Spain

enjoy wine tasting and tapas on this weekend trip, run by ex-pat patrick. From £495pp including excursions, accommodation and some meals,

various dates. Call The Spanish Thyme Traveller on

(0034) 96 225 41 48 or visit

www.thespanishthyme

traveller.com

1 Swap your home and pay only for airfares, petrol money and £115 annual subscription to Home link (01962 886882, www.homelink.org.uk) which offers swaps in 80 countries2 CouchSurfing.com connects

global travellers needing a sofa to sleep on. There are safety tips and a vouching system but no guarantees!3 rent apartments, villas and cottages

direct from owners using villarenters.com or www.homeaway.co.uk

3 waYS TO... Save on accommodation

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B all inClUSive lUXUrY CrUiSeriver Saone and Canal du Centre, Francea top quality barge, excellent chefs and private wine tasting await you on the French waterways… Save up to £500pp on april 19, May 3 and august 23, 2014 departures, from £1,699pp. Call 01347 811810 or visit

www.planetrail.co.uk

5 waYS TO... Cost-cutting cruisesThe average cruise costs £1,388 and the Caribbean and the Canary islands are top winter destinations.

1 Cruise lines sometimes add single cabins to their ships at no supplement

but they get snapped up, so hurry!

2 Cruise lines offer added-value in January and February – so it’s worth

confirming your summer holiday now

3 book river cruises early as they have fewer rooms, so sell out quickly

4 adding a drinks package is usually good value for money

5 Pre-booking excursions means

you save on unexpected costs for travelling

to places of interest.

THe 3 beST CrediT CardS For SpendinG abroadThese three don’t charge

an extra loading fee on

purchases made abroad,

others charge 2.75 per

cent to 2.99 per cent per

transaction:

B Halifax Clarity Credit

Card, 0845 728 3848

B metro bank Credit Card,

0345 080 8500 (fee-free

in europe only from march)

B post office Credit Card,

0800 169 2000

TiP: allow three weeks to

receive a new card.

B wYe valleY CanoeinG Tipi adventure, HerefordshireEnjoy canoeing, cycling or pony trekking before bunking down in a tipi! From £180 per night, with a ‘stay one night get the second free’* discount in 2014. activity charges apply.Call 07415 202979, visit

www.tipiadventure.co.uk

*Cheapest night free.

B anniverSarY CrUiSe battlefields of First and Second world war Cruise, Ypres, belgium

a commemorative cruise to Ypres, the airbourne Museum and the National Liberation Museum from £749pp. Shearings will make a

donation to The Soldiers’ Charity for every battlefields cruise booked. Call 0844 209

7143 or visit

www.shearings.

com

B banK HolidaY breaKTake a mini-cruise around northern europe to see the beauty of belgium, fabulous France

and the elegant Netherlands.

May 2-6, from £319pp. Call 0808 115

1762 or visit

www.jetline

cruise.com

nigel leacock, founder of single traveller review website Single

planet, shares his top bargain tips:B Try private, en-suite rooms at designer hostels B Negotiate!

with 15.7 million single people in the UK, the market is growing.

B Sign up to mailing lists of your favourite hotels, to receive new

offers first.For help with searching

for your ideal destination, visit

www.singleplanet.co.uk

advice for solo travellers

Yours recommends...booking for one? Try Solos (0844

815 0005, www.solosholidays.

co.uk) or HF Holidays (0845

470 8558, www.hfholidays.co.uk) for a welcoming

break.

6 adventures on the water

See our

island from an

entirely different

perspective, on a

british isles discovery

Cruise (turn to

page 100).

discover the

rhone, the rhine, the

danube and much more

with riviera Travel.

Call 01283 742300 or

visit www.riviera

travel.co.uk