With The London Spectacular coach holiday you can experience London whilst staying at an excellent hotel, the luxurious Britannnia International Hotel overlooking the water at Canary Wharf. With a heated indoor swimming pool and dinner, bed and breakfast included, our passengers are well looked after during their stay. Fill your time as you please, and enjoy whatever sights and experiences you like whilst in the capital.

At the opposite end of the UK is Edinburgh, another of our best destinations. The Edinburgh and The Royal Yacht Britannia is another luxury coach trip. Three days in Edinburgh allows for two nights dinner, bed and breakfast at the Jarvis hotel in Livingston, also featuring an indoor pool. Also to try is their steam room, sauna and leisure suite.

With the widespread shopping opportunities and plenty to do and see, Edinburgh rivals London with its range of activities! A big difference is the expanse of green space, from country footpaths to golf courses. Edinburgh has an advantage over London with its beautiful location. Take a walk up any hill and see how the city fits into the landscape.

Included in the Edinburgh and The Royal Yacht Britannia coach holiday is a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia, a remarkable day out, with its royal deck tea room and rich history. This Yacht is permanently docked now and provides an attraction for locals and visitors alike. There will be plenty of time for doing your own thing in Edinburgh, and lots of interesting sights like the castle, camera obscura or distillery. Various visitors’ centres, shops and mills make Edinburgh a lovely place to explore. Try the local cafes and restaurants, either for traditional Scottish fare or your favourite meal.
Wherever you visit in the UK, plan your trip well beforehand. It is always worthwhile looking for attractions and events near your accommodation, and keeping something in mind for a rainy day! Think about your interests, and those of any travelling companion, to make sure that you will stay interested throughout your holiday. Travelling by coach will allow you to book and look forward to a trip without worrying about transport arrangements, fuel or hotel rooms.

Take a look through our scenic and touring holidays and see what takes your fancy! There really is something for everyone, with many different countries, areas and events visited. You can be assured that your tour guide will be knowledgeable and able to advise all passengers of the best sights along the way.

Plenty of coach tours take you abroad, and The Three Countries Explorer is one of the easiest ways of seeing The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in one week.
Enjoy trips to Monschau, Maastricht and the three countries viewpoint, then take a cruise downriver to Liege. Our hotel in this case is the Best Western Walram Hotel in Valkenburg, where passengers are treated to a continental breakfast as well as dinner for three nights. This tour has some of the best scenery available, and is a great opportunity to see a great variety of countryside, with many different areas travelled. The outward and homeward journeys provide another experience, with overnight stays aboard P&O’s North Sea Ferries, again with dinner and breakfast.

This all sounds like a mythical story for city dwellers, a bus shelter with a wicker settee, a computer, microwave and a carpet – can you imagine this anywhere else, it would be nice to say yes but it is doubtful.  Even Queen Elizabeth although unable to visit the bus shelter personally, sent a few of the Crown Jewels to be displayed in the secluded shelter for the enjoyment of the community and visitors.  The bus shelter has also been raided by the US Military (by mistake) but it confirms the interest this community initiative has invoked.  At coach-trips we cannot wait to see what is planned in this exciting year of a Royal Wedding.

Brisbane has been the worst hit area so far and the events continue to haunt their efforts to rebuild their lives.

Everyone is now familiar with the inspirational story of Jordan Rice, the 13 year old boy scared of water, swept away with his mother by strong currents after he begged rescuers to save his younger brother first. There are currently 30 people confirmed dead and many more still missing. The first burials took place in January as the survivors struggled to come to terms with what has happened. One minute people were sat watching television, within half an hour they were knocking holes through their roofs to escape the torrent of water.

Many people’s homes have been irreparably damaged by the flooding or in some cases, washed away completely. At the time of writing, approximately 14,972 homes and businesses are completely swamped and 18,025 partially flooded. Many Australian insurers have been hesitant to pay out, pointing the finger at consumers for not having the necessary cover. The Insurance council of Australia’s general manager of risk Karl Sullivan says, ‘unfortunately a lot of people don’t make the effort to understand what the risks are that they’re facing’. Not only must the weary people contend with somehow paying for the damage, the amount of debris and rotting vegetation left behind has been described as staggering.

In the small town of Swan Hill (210 miles northwest of Melbourne), volunteers prepare sandbags as a defence against the incoming flood tide. It is expected to move across the Victoria state through the swollen rivers, which are close enough to each other for a mass of water to hit the town; it has been described as an inland sea the size of Paris.

All they can do is learn from the disasters over the last few days. They prepare mental and physical barricades as best they can. We wish them all the best from the team here at coach trips.

The North Yorkshire Moors, with their carpet of purple heather and beautiful valleys and hills, offer horse riding, nature and plant spotting, great walks, and also the famous North Yorkshire Railway, an ideal way to see the countryside in comfort and warmth. Many holiday cottages in Yorkshire are on the outskirts of towns, and this can offer the link to both local shops and rolling countryside that is ideal in a holiday home.

The City of York, one of the oldest cities in the country, is a fascinating destination and well worth visiting time and again. The thirteenth century walls are open to the public, and give an insight into the lives of the Romans, Vikings and Normans who would have one day guarded the city. Now a bustling city centre packed with attractions, bars and shops, it is always a pleasure to visit and still a trading bonanza! York Minister Cathedral and the Jorvic Viking Centre are fantastic attractions and both make great days out. Take a guided walk around the city and tread the medieval streets and The Shambles area for the full experience. The World of James Herriot at Thirsk is dedicated to the famous vet and is set in the pretty Yorkshire Dales. James Herriot was a world renowned vet who was famous for his novels and the BBC drama ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. There are interactive exhibits and interesting displays. You can find out more at: http://www.worldofjamesherriot.org/

Ripon cathedral is a big draw for tourists, as it is one of the oldest places of continuous Christian worship in Britain. Pilgrims have travelled to the cathedral for 1300 years, and the cathedral is open every day from 8.30am to 6.00pm. All visitors are welcome and come to enjoy the architecture and tranquility, as well as the ancient crypt or music. More information is available at http://www.riponcathedral.org.uk

Harlow Carr Garden in Harrogate is an RHS site that is a major tourist attraction for the area. The stunning gardens are designed to fit into the landscape and use native plants, stone and shapes to blend into the surrounding countryside. A lovely day out in summer when the flowers are at their best but also throughout the year when the changing seasons show different aspects of the garden.  Visitors should check their website at: http://www.rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr

Scarborough is also a lovely position for a holiday cottage with its sandy beach seaside feeling and the convenience of local shops and businesses. Nestled on the coast it offers a great location for inland or coastal activities. The crumbling cliff top castle makes a nice walk and there are lots of activities and events on all year round.

• Individual seats that are comfortable and can recline
• Spacious seating with enough leg room
• Individual seat belts (for your safety)
• Air conditioning
• On-board toilet facilities
• The availability of seat reservation
• Competent and knowledgeable drivers

If you are considering a coach holiday make sure that you check the safety and comfort aspects of your trip provider.  A comfortable coach will add to the enjoyment of your holiday, it is considered most important in terms of ensuring this – only travel to your destination with coach holiday companies that can guarantee the highest standards.

A great idea for a group holiday is a coach tour.  Coach companies can arrange everything for you – all you will need to do is select you destination.  Coach holiday companies have tours in their brochure that can be selected but some will provide you the opportunity to arrange a ‘tailor made’ package. There is usually a minimum number of people that will be required in order to arrange a specific package – around 30 group members is the norm but other than that – coach holiday companies can arrange everything for you, taking away all the hassle.

What is fantastic about a coach holiday for your group is that excursions can be arranged, hotels and meal arrangements and if you are a sporting group free time to play your favourite sport.  Recently a friend who plays flat green bowling arranged a coach holiday for the members, they visited various destinations in the UK and arranged games with other teams and the whole experience was a complete success.

Remember too that not only do coach tour operators take the hassle out of arranging a group coach holiday some offer fantastic discounts.  Let them do all the work – and just sit back and enjoy.

There is of course a huge range of options from which to choose from, not only the destination, but the mode of transport too.  More often than not it might be easier to drive to a location, however if careful planning is implemented then the need to take the car is not so pressing.

The pitfalls of taking the car include the cost of petrol/diesel, congestion charges (if applicable) and of course parking, which is not only costly but can prove to be stressful as the majority of city centres tend to restrict the amount of parking areas.

The solution to this is to take the coach, not only will you be able to travel in comfort to the destination of your choice, you will also have a guaranteed lift home, all included in the price, which if compared with the cost of the train and taxi will prove extremely economic, a welcome release especially at this time of the year.

Around the festive period the theatres become a hot bed of activity, not only do the long running productions get a festive makeover but there are of course the pantomimes, love them or hate them, they are great fun for the whole family.  The coach is the perfect way to get from your local coach station to the theatre and then home again, all in all it can prove to be a stress free experience for the whole family.

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This change in travel behaviour actually goes hand in hand with a change in the way people would like to travel.  The main transport options are of course flights for the cash rich time poor clientele, rail for those on a tight timeline and then of course there are the coach travellers, those tourists for whom the journey is the holiday and the stops offs are a welcome bonus.

We find ourselves in the middle of a global financial crisis and as such disposable income is at a premium.  The need to spend for recovery has placed the ball firmly in the consumers’ court, tourism operators having to adapt to this and respond diligently and astutely.  In light of this a change in tack from coach tour operators sticks out.  The well-travelled clientele hold an even stronger position and as such these operators have had to wilt to their demands to maintain their future custom.

It seems that the ever-popular high-speed trains are being used to replace the routes travelled by coaches, thus satisfying the more discerning traveller who wishes to avoid coach travel, but still have the security of an organised trip. Coach travel still remains a popular choice, however, in particular for the first time traveller, think of the Topdeck and Contiki tours that attract young travellers from across the globe, although in particular those from the southern hemisphere.

For those on a budget, coach travel still remains a great option, affordable and all inclusive it seems that for the first time traveller and those who are looking to enjoy the ‘travel’ aspect of travelling coach travel remains a firm favourite.