GTOs have been telling us about the holiday and day trip destinations they’re visiting with their group throughout the year - we’re very jealous!
2024 looks set to be a very busy year for group travel. The group travel organisers we’ve heard from already have very busy calendars with a variety of day visits, short breaks and longer holidays to all sorts of amazing places in the UK and overseas.
Gwen Wright, The Arts Society (Cranleigh) is off to Madrid and Segovia with her group in April visiting Ávila and Salamanca. Their itinerary includes visits to Prado Museum, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial as well as the Casa Lis Art Deco Museum.
Then in July they have a holiday to Leicester and the Midlands, an itinerary which has been created because of their interest in King Richard III. They are visiting the King Richard III Visitor Centre in the city centre along with the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre.
The tour starts in Ely with a visit to Ely Cathedral and the Stained Glass Museum followed by a trip to Birmingham, taking in the Birmingham Botanic Garden and Barber Institute of Fine Arts. They’re also packing in a day in Stamford with a visit to Burghley House as well as Shakespeare’s Birthplace & School Room in Stratford-upon-Avon.
In September they have an exciting Scotland and northern England tour including an evening performance of Kynren in Bishop Auckland as well as trips to Glasgow, where they’ll see the Gallery of Modern Art and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum among other attractions, and the New Lanark World Heritage and Abbotsford House & Gardens also on the trip.
Bob Walker is taking his MANCASS Manchester-based group on a leisurely break to north Yorkshire as well as a nine-day holiday to Portugal in July when they’ll visit Evora and Cascais.
They also have a trip to London planned the same month with the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and RAF Museum in Hendon featured.
Later in the year they’re off to the Isle of Man and Bob has a suprise up his sleeve with a Mystery Tour for November.
It’s a busy year for Barbara Tester who runs the Day Explorers Group. She’s off to Warner Hotels’ Cricket St Thomas followed by a stay at the Knights Hill Hotel in Kings Lynn. She’s also planning a weekend in County Durham, a Wales holiday for garden lovers and a trip to the seaside town of Eastbourne.
Where are you excited about visiting with your group this year? We’d love to hear from you. Email editorial@groupleisureandtravel.com or comment at the bottom of this article.
Lin Wilson, Solent Events & Leisure, is starting as she means to go on for 2024 with a 12-day group holiday to Cape Verde, visiting the islands of Sal and Santiago. Then it’s a 13-day adventure in Borneo in April followed by a short break to Kraków in Poland.
In September they’re off on an Andalusian river cruise as well as a short break to Devon, Dawlish and Dartmouth. Then to top off the year it’s a Christmas break to Italy, visiting the markets and staying in the stunning Hotel CastelBrando.
The Valentine Club, based in Oxfordshire, have some lovely experiences lined up this year, thanks to GTO Richard Preston who told us: “Thanks to your various contacts we are visiting Painshill Park and Denbies in Surrey and I’m also planning a short break to Thursford, Norfolk, in November.
“Then in September we’re taking the group to Eastbourne along with our visit to Warner Hotels’ Norton Grange on the Isle of Wight, both of these are five days.”
Dave Hartle, who runs Dave’s Trips, has an epic 28-day holiday to South America booked this year. They’re travelling to Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. He’s also taking the group to Warner Hotels’ Bodelyddan Castle in north Wales. Dave said: “Seeing as my grandkids call me Grandad Holiday we may as well keep on going whilst we are able to hey?”
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