ESCORTED TOURS
‘I want to meet new people – are there any group tours I could join?’
If you’re interested in a more far-flung destination but do not relish all the admin involved in organising such a big trip, an escorted tour is a good bet.
Sri Lanka is proving a popular choice. Tom Bugeja, chief executive of Mercury Holidays, said: “We have seen a 400 per cent rise in bookings for our escorted tours with the favourite destination being Sri Lanka. But despite the surge we still have availability in June.”
Egypt is also proving popular – second only to Turkey for Jules Verne, an escorted tour company. Prini Patel, head of marketing, said: “Egypt is our second most-booked country for travel in 2022, with an increase of 76 per cent for bookings in the first 10 days of 2022, compared with the period in 2019.”
This year is a good time to visit, as it marks 100 years since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb; the golden mask of the boy-king, alongside other spectacular pieces from his tomb, will go on display when Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum opens this year.
BOOK IT
h Trailfinders has a 15-night guided group tour in Costa Rica from £1,599pp, including flights and two nights in a jungle lodge. September departure (020 7368 1200; trailfinders.com)
h Mercury offers a nine-day Jewels of Sri Lanka holiday taking in the cities of Kandy and Galle, plus the tea plantations and the Sigiriya rock fortress. Availability in June starting at £1,399pp (0333 321 3144; mercuryholidays.co.uk)
h Jules Verne has availability on its February 26 departure of Pyramids and the Nile (eight nights from £2,345pp) and on their February 11 departure of The 600-Mile Nile from £3,795pp (020 3553 3722; vjv.com)