Once upon a time, family holidays consisted of bucket-and-spade and boring seaside resorts: today it’s Costa Rica, cheetah parks and camel caravans…
Explore’s new Family Adventures programme for 2011/12 includes five thrilling new trips to Costa Rica, Egypt, Israel, Nepal and Nicaragua. In all, the UK’s leading family adventure travel specialist now offers 69 tours to 40 countries, covering almost every corner of the globe.
Once upon a time, family holidays consisted of bucket-and-spade and boring seaside resorts: today it’s Costa Rica, cheetah parks and camel caravans…
Explore’s new Family Adventures programme for 2011/12 includes five thrilling new trips to Costa Rica, Egypt, Israel, Nepal and Nicaragua. In all, the UK’s leading family adventure travel specialist now offers 69 tours to 40 countries, covering almost every corner of the globe.
Says Explore’s Managing Director, Ashley Toft: “This is our most ambitious family collection yet. Whether it’s a late-night kahwa (coffee) with Bedouin tribesmen, sleeping in beehive huts in Swaziland or getting up close and personal with India’s tigers, our itineraries cater for all tastes and budgets. With 30 years of experience, Explore is still pushing the boundaries of family travel.
“Our small-group trips enable like-minded families to mix together, and allow the children to have a ball while making new, lifelong friends. The tours and their activities are specifically designed around giving the kids a great time – because happy kids mean happy parents!”
Explore’s Family Adventures also continue to offer tours specifically catering for teens and tots, now with 17 special Teenage Tours and three Toddler Tours included in the programme.
The minimum age for travellers on an Explore Family Adventure is just five years old for most departures, and only two for Toddler Tours. Trips last from four to 16 days and comprise small groups of families travelling at a realistic pace in the company of an expert tour leader.
As well as the five new trips (see summaries, below), here’s what else is new:
Immediate discounts: Book on any of Explore’s five fantastic new Family Adventures by 8 October 2010 for travel in 2011 and you’ll save 5%. There are also 5% discounts for bookings of eight passengers or more, and for all second and future Explore family adventure bookings.
UK holiday dates guide: Explore has this year included a useful guide to all the scheduled UK school holiday dates, outlining which of its trips are available during each break. Explore breaks ONLY depart in the school holidays, so there are no sudden price hikes for these periods.
Huxley the Hippo: The 2011/12 brochure also marks the debut of Huxley the Hippo, Explore’s new mascot. Every family which books an Explore Family Adventure will receive a Huxley Hippo cuddly toy and, in exchange for taking a picture of him on the trip, will be entered into some great competitions. More on Huxley soon!
LEAD-IN PRICE:
Prices for the eight-day Dordogne Adventure in France start at £635 pp, including return travel by Eurostar, transfers, seven nights’ B&B, most activities and the services of an Explore Tour Leader.
For more information or for a brochure call Explore on 0844 499 0901 or visit www.explore.co.uk.
New tours in Explore’s 2011/12 Family Adventures programme:
Costa Rican Escape (Teenage Tour) (9 days)
Known as Mother Nature’s Playground, Costa Rica will satisfy the most energetic of kids. This tour offers a jungle canyoning expedition, a climb up an active volcano, some adrenalin-pumping white-water rafting and an evening bat hunt, all before a spot of Caribbean beachcombing.
The tour costs from £899 pp (ages 12+) (or from £1,772 pp including flights), transfers, seven nights’ B&B, five other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in all 2011 school holidays; first departure 19 February.
Egypt – Bedouin Adventure (Teenage Tour) (8 days)
This hiking-based tour allows active kids to experience the sun-baked Sinai Desert as part of a camel caravan – passing sandstone valleys, vast dunes and oases – with camping under the stars, Bedouin-style. There’s also an ascent of Mount Sinai in time for sunset, and relaxation beside the Red Sea.
The tour costs from £420 pp (ages 12+) and £318 pp (age 11) (or from £849 pp and £747 pp including flights), transfers, seven nights’ B&B, seven other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in Easter, May half-term, October half-term and Christmas holidays in 2011; first departure 9 April.
Israel – Jerusalem & Beyond (8 days)
This unusual Israel itinerary combines thrilling experiences – a cable-car ride up to the Sky Fortress of Massada and camel trekking in the Negev Desert – with time on the beach and a float in the Dead Sea. There are also visits to the holy cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and a mud bath at Qum’ran.
The tour costs from £795 pp (all ages) (or from £1,345 pp (ages 12+) and £1,258 pp (ages 5-11) including flights), transfers, seven nights’ B&B, two other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in May half-term, summer and October half-term holidays in 2011; first departure 22 May.
Nepal – Himalayan Discovery (14 days)
Families will love this exciting new tour in Nepal, where parents and kids will ride rickshaws through the narrow streets of Kathmandu, fly up close to the summit of Mount Everest, stay in traditional teahouses during a Himalayan trek and enjoy an elephant-back safari in Chitwan National Park.
The tour costs from £895 pp (all ages) (or from £1,595 pp (ages 12+) and £1,485 pp (ages 7-11) including flights), transfers, 12 nights’ B&B, 13 other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in Easter and Christmas holidays 2011; first departure 10 April.
Active Nicaragua (16 days)
Nicaragua’s currently one of the world’s hottest destinations for travellers thanks to its beauty, beaches and long-awaited political peace. Explore’s new family tour takes in the country’s northwest, offering a wealth of activities from Pacific Ocean surfing lessons and chocolate factory tours (with a ‘compulsory’ tasting session!) to ox-cart journeys and horseback circuits of a volcanic rim.
The tour costs from £1,269 pp (ages 12+) and £1,119 pp (ages 6-11) (or from £1,999 pp and £1,839 pp including flights), transfers, 14 nights’ B&B, 12 other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in Easter, summer and Christmas holidays 2011; first departure 9 April.
Call Explore on 0844 499 0901 (www.explore.co.uk).
Ends – 6 September 2010
Press: For more information, contact Richard Mellor or Ian Bradley at Travel PR on 020 8891 4440 (r.mellor@travelpr.co.uk).
Says Explore’s Managing Director, Ashley Toft: “This is our most ambitious family collection yet. Whether it’s a late-night kahwa (coffee) with Bedouin tribesmen, sleeping in beehive huts in Swaziland or getting up close and personal with India’s tigers, our itineraries cater for all tastes and budgets. With 30 years of experience, Explore is still pushing the boundaries of family travel.
“Our small-group trips enable like-minded families to mix together, and allow the children to have a ball while making new, lifelong friends. The tours and their activities are specifically designed around giving the kids a great time – because happy kids mean happy parents!”
Explore’s Family Adventures also continue to offer tours specifically catering for teens and tots, now with 17 special Teenage Tours and three Toddler Tours included in the programme.
The minimum age for travellers on an Explore Family Adventure is just five years old for most departures, and only two for Toddler Tours. Trips last from four to 16 days and comprise small groups of families travelling at a realistic pace in the company of an expert tour leader.
As well as the five new trips (see summaries, below), here’s what else is new:
Immediate discounts: Book on any of Explore’s five fantastic new Family Adventures by 8 October 2010 for travel in 2011 and you’ll save 5%. There are also 5% discounts for bookings of eight passengers or more, and for all second and future Explore family adventure bookings.
UK holiday dates guide: Explore has this year included a useful guide to all the scheduled UK school holiday dates, outlining which of its trips are available during each break. Explore breaks ONLY depart in the school holidays, so there are no sudden price hikes for these periods.
Huxley the Hippo: The 2011/12 brochure also marks the debut of Huxley the Hippo, Explore’s new mascot. Every family which books an Explore Family Adventure will receive a Huxley Hippo cuddly toy and, in exchange for taking a picture of him on the trip, will be entered into some great competitions. More on Huxley soon!
LEAD-IN PRICE:
Prices for the eight-day Dordogne Adventure in France start at £635 pp, including return travel by Eurostar, transfers, seven nights’ B&B, most activities and the services of an Explore Tour Leader.
For more information or for a brochure call Explore on 0844 499 0901 or visit www.explore.co.uk.
New tours in Explore’s 2011/12 Family Adventures programme:
Costa Rican Escape (Teenage Tour) (9 days)
Known as Mother Nature’s Playground, Costa Rica will satisfy the most energetic of kids. This tour offers a jungle canyoning expedition, a climb up an active volcano, some adrenalin-pumping white-water rafting and an evening bat hunt, all before a spot of Caribbean beachcombing.
The tour costs from £899 pp (ages 12+) (or from £1,772 pp including flights), transfers, seven nights’ B&B, five other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in all 2011 school holidays; first departure 19 February.
Egypt – Bedouin Adventure (Teenage Tour) (8 days)
This hiking-based tour allows active kids to experience the sun-baked Sinai Desert as part of a camel caravan – passing sandstone valleys, vast dunes and oases – with camping under the stars, Bedouin-style. There’s also an ascent of Mount Sinai in time for sunset, and relaxation beside the Red Sea.
The tour costs from £420 pp (ages 12+) and £318 pp (age 11) (or from £849 pp and £747 pp including flights), transfers, seven nights’ B&B, seven other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in Easter, May half-term, October half-term and Christmas holidays in 2011; first departure 9 April.
Israel – Jerusalem & Beyond (8 days)
This unusual Israel itinerary combines thrilling experiences – a cable-car ride up to the Sky Fortress of Massada and camel trekking in the Negev Desert – with time on the beach and a float in the Dead Sea. There are also visits to the holy cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and a mud bath at Qum’ran.
The tour costs from £795 pp (all ages) (or from £1,345 pp (ages 12+) and £1,258 pp (ages 5-11) including flights), transfers, seven nights’ B&B, two other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in May half-term, summer and October half-term holidays in 2011; first departure 22 May.
Nepal – Himalayan Discovery (14 days)
Families will love this exciting new tour in Nepal, where parents and kids will ride rickshaws through the narrow streets of Kathmandu, fly up close to the summit of Mount Everest, stay in traditional teahouses during a Himalayan trek and enjoy an elephant-back safari in Chitwan National Park.
The tour costs from £895 pp (all ages) (or from £1,595 pp (ages 12+) and £1,485 pp (ages 7-11) including flights), transfers, 12 nights’ B&B, 13 other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in Easter and Christmas holidays 2011; first departure 10 April.
Active Nicaragua (16 days)
Nicaragua’s currently one of the world’s hottest destinations for travellers thanks to its beauty, beaches and long-awaited political peace. Explore’s new family tour takes in the country’s northwest, offering a wealth of activities from Pacific Ocean surfing lessons and chocolate factory tours (with a ‘compulsory’ tasting session!) to ox-cart journeys and horseback circuits of a volcanic rim.
The tour costs from £1,269 pp (ages 12+) and £1,119 pp (ages 6-11) (or from £1,999 pp and £1,839 pp including flights), transfers, 14 nights’ B&B, 12 other meals and the services of an Explore Tour Leader. Departures in Easter, summer and Christmas holidays 2011; first departure 9 April.
Call Explore on 0844 499 0901 (www.explore.co.uk).
Ends – 6 September 2010
Press: For more information, contact Richard Mellor or Ian Bradley at Travel PR on 020 8891 4440 (r.mellor@travelpr.co.uk).