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The joy of travelling at an older age is that you can indulge your passions with a focus that your younger self – constrained by children or the youthful need for giddy excitement – could never manage. There may be an element of this type of thinking to the opera holidays to Vienna offered by Pettitts Travel (01892 515966; pettitts.co.uk). These four-day breaks combine a luxury hotel in the heart of the Austrian capital – a base from which to visit the likes of the enormous Hofburg palace and St Stephen’s Cathedral – with tickets for a performance at the Vienna State Opera. From £590 per person, including flights and transfers.
Covid rules Proof of vaccination and either a booster (proof of recovery counts as a booster) or a negative PCR not more than 72 hours old. The unvaccinated without proof of recovery cannot enter
IN THE FRAME
Art is always an excellent reason for a holiday that takes its time – pausing in front of flawless paintings, in galleries alive with works by the great masters.
Martin Randall Travel (020 8742 3355; martinrandall.com) goes straight to the source with the Art of Florence – Cradle of the Renaissance, a seven-day group getaway that follows in the footsteps of heavyweights – from paintings by Da Vinci and Botticelli in the Uffizi to the elaborate frescoes that adorn the Brancacci Chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine. The next departure is scheduled for March 21, from £2,610 per person, including flights.
Covid rules You must fill in a passenger locator form and show proof that you are fully vaccinated, as well as showing a negative PCR taken no more than 48 hours before entering Italy, or a negative antigen test taken no more than 24 hours before entering Italy
BLANK CANVAS
If you would prefer to pick up your own brush rather than admire the achievements of those who once wielded them with genius, a holiday that combines painting with a stint in the sun will always be a splendid idea. Alpha Painting Holidays (01934 733877; alphapainting holidays.com) offers a range of such breaks in destinations across Europe – including to the corner of France that most lends itself to celebration on canvas. Two separate weeks of watercolour study and tuition in Provence are scheduled for September, both turning their eye to the villages of the Luberon. From £1,495 per person (flights extra).
Covid rules All arrivals over 12 must show proof of being fully vaccinated and present a “sworn statement”
(déclaration sur l’honneur) saying they are symptom-free. Unvaccinated travellers can currently only enter France for essential purposes
THE IRON DUKE
Unlike art, war is rarely a good reason for travel – unless, of course, the war is long over and has been leaping out at you from the pages of a history book. Kirker Holidays (020 7593 1899; kirker holidays.com) will delve into just such a conflict this year – eschewing the trenches of the First World War for more distant 19th-century machinations in northern Spain and Portugal. Its seven-night the Duke of Wellington & the Peninsular War group tour will trace Britain’s struggles with Napoleon in the likes of Porto and Salamanca in the early 1800s, ending in the latter, where a key battle took place in 1812. Two trips are currently planned (April 20; October 5), from £2,147 per person, including flights.
Covid rules Portugal: visitors can enter with proof of full vaccination or recovery, or an antigen test. Predeparture PCR test is required for mainland Portugal but not Madeira or the Azores. Under-12s exempt. All travellers to Portugal must complete a passenger locator form before arrival. Spain: an online health form (spth.gob. es) must be submitted for all passengers prior to departure. Fully vaccinated tourists and children under the age of 12 can enter the country without testing – but, at present, unvaccinated tourists are not permitted to visit
PASSAGE TO INDIA
The dawn of our more senior years can mean a chance to consider destinations that may have felt implausible in earlier decades – too far away, too tricky with children. India, although a country that many of us regard as an essential part of a lifetime’s journeys, perhaps falls into this category. If you are planning to visit it for the first time, it makes sense to book a tour that moves at a gentle pace while also cramming in the brightest highlights. The
The dawn of our more senior years can mean a chance to consider new places
17-day Grand Tour of India offered by Cox & Kings (0333 060 8874; coxand kings.co.uk) certainly does this, gliding between Delhi, Agra (for the Taj Mahal), Amritsar (for the Golden Temple) and the palaces of Rajasthan. From £2,695 per person, including flights.
Covid rules Visitors must submit a self-declaration form on the online “Air Suvidha” portal and show either proof of being fully vaccinated or a negative RT-PCR taken within 72 hours of departure. You must also self-monitor for 14 days
LATIN LESSONS
South America may also feature on the list of destinations you avoided earlier in life – 30 years ago, the most tantalisingly tropical of the continents came with worrying headlines and warnings of peril. It is much changed in 2022, and much better connected to Europe than it once was. Argentina is maybe the best choice for a first trip – restrained of temperature, genteel on the avenues of Buenos Aires, superbly scenic in Patagonia. The 12-day Classic Argentina holiday from Last Frontiers (01296 653000; lastfrontiers.com) is a fine introduction. From £3,785 per person (with flights).
Covid rules Arrivals need proof of full vaccination, an electronic “sworn statement” form, Covid insurance, and a negative PCR taken within 72 hours of departing the UK or an antigen test taken within 48 hours. Unvaccinated non-citizens of Argentina may not enter
GRAND DESIGNS
The US remains less of a leap of faith for those unsure of the wisdom of travelling long haul, especially while the uncertainty of the pandemic continues to swirl around us. And there is reassurance to be found in booking a group tour – not least if you want to see some of those craggier areas that require a long road trip if visited independently. Insight Vacations (0808 271 7307; insightvacations.com) has America’s Magnificent National Parks – a 15-day escorted journey through the hard places of Utah and Arizona (Grand Canyon and Monument Valley included). Thirty-five trips are planned this year, from £5,180 per person (flights extra).
Covid rules Proof of full vaccination is needed, plus a negative PCR or lateral flow test taken no more than 24 hours before travel (all travellers aged two and over). Adults must complete an attestation form before arrival
CURRENT AFFAIRS
The happy convenience of group travel is at its fullest on a river cruise. Not only do you have company throughout a holiday that is organised at every stage, but enjoying the scenery involves little more than turning your head to the window. Viking River Cruises (0800 319 6660; vikingrivercruises.co.uk) adds an extra layer of simplicity by including return flights in its prices, and offers something different to the Rhine and Danube in a 10-day Elegant Elbe journey that forges from Berlin to Prague. From £2,595 per person.
Covid rules Germany: proof of vaccination, proof of recovery, or a negative test taken prior to arrival (if unvaccinated, you must be a German citizen to enter). Czech Republic: passenger locator form and three doses of vaccine or two doses plus a negative PCR. Without these, you are only permitted entry for essential reasons
SPRINGTIME IN PARIS
One of the obvious joys of later-in-life travel is that, untethered from the rituals of the school term, you can go away whenever you please. A midweek dash to Paris in May, when the academic year is firmly in session and the Tuileries are not awash with little voices? Why not? Abercrombie & Kent offers luxurious three-night breaks to the French capital from £940 per person (with flights). Accommodation options include the Hotel Pont Royal in Saint-Germain (03301 623455; abercrombiekent.co.uk).
Covid rules All arrivals over 12 must show proof of being fully vaccinated and present a “sworn statement” saying they are symptom-free. The unvaccinated can only enter for essential purposes
CRETE EXPECTATIONS
If you are going to zip to Paris outside the most obvious windows for travel, why not take the same approach to Greece? And to Crete – which, as the country’s most southerly island, can be as hot in high summer as it is full of tourists. Swap July for May, however, and you can expect quieter beaches and warmth in the mid-20s. For added tranquility, go to the less-visited south coast. A week in May at the Manos Studios in Paleochora costs from £821 per person, with flights, with Sunvil (020 8758 4758; sunvil.co.uk).
Covid rules Arrivals over five must complete a passenger locator form, and show either proof of at least two doses of an approved vaccine, or a certificate of recovery. Unvaccinated travellers must show a proof of recovery or a negative PCR taken withn 72 hours prior to arrival, or rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to arrival