SO WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

Where, how and with whom? The first steps of planning an overseas walking adventure…

Between throwing your kit in the boot on a Friday night and heading for the Eurotunnel, and planning for an Everest Base Camp trip in five years’ time, there are hundreds of options for plotting a walking escape. Guided or self-guided; solo or with friends/family/partner; toe-in-the-water or all-out wilderness: the process may seem daunting at first, but with a clear head, careful budgeting and a healthy dose of realism when it comes to your ambitions and expectations, the road becomes a lot simpler. Let’s start with the four Ds…

DESTINATION & DURATION

These two are linked because one often determines the other. Europe boasts pretty much every landscape you could wish for apart from desert, and lends itself to trips of any length from a weekend to a fortnight. Most of the famous Alpine walking bases (eg Chamonix in France, Interlaken in Switzerland and St Johann in Austria) are within an hour or two of a major airport (Geneva, Zurich and Munich in the above cases), making fiveday breaks very feasible – three days’ walking with a travel day either side. But three days doesn’t really get you under the skin of a place, or let you get too far on foot. So the more ambitious your aims, the longer you’ll need. You’re unlikely to head to Canada, South America or the Far East for any shorter than eight days. When it comes to organised walking trips, 8-12 days is about the average across Europe; 12-20 for longer-haul journeys.

DIFFICULTY

It’s important to be honest with yourself. The Dolomites might be your dream destination, but if your UK walking experience hasn’t taken you into mountain terrain before, no amount of expert guiding will make it less of a physical shock when you get there. A good holiday provider should be transparent on the level of difficulty each trip offers (look for a clear, coherent scale of challenge) – and be available for phone or email conversations about your concerns and previous experience before you book.

DOUGH

It might sound surprising, but an all-in package where you get accommodation, guides and meals (and sometimes flights) can work out quite a bit cheaper than an independent trip staying in similarstandard hotels. Why? Because the holiday companies negotiate group and bulk rates with hotels, restaurants etc, and often use trained volunteer guides to keep costs down. Then you have to add in car hire and meals if you’re going solo. So if that’s your preference, you’ll either need to save a few more pennies, or consider using public transport and more budget lodgings. Once you’ve thought about the above, you’re free to consider how much help you’ll need when you’re out there. In other words, what format your holiday might take. Here are the three most popular options, in order of simplicity…