Here to Help You Find Your Perfect Coach Holiday
Why Am I The Coach Holiday Expert?
Over 25 years experience taking groups on coach holidays all over the world
Worked for several different coach holiday companies as a Tour Manager
Trained other Tour Managers on behalf of coach holiday companies
Taken special interest groups, private groups and trips to events and concerts
Did coach holidays before there were cheap flights!
I’m here to help you find your perfect coach holiday.
I would recommend these posts as a starting point;
10 Things You Absolutely Need to Know About Coach Holidays – including a really key bonus tip
10 Coach Holiday Hacks – to help you have an even better coach holiday
Coach Holiday Myths – busting some popular misconceptions
Coach Holidays for Single Travellers – 3 things to know before you book
Coach Holiday Company Differences – 4 key things to know about your coach holiday company
How Does Being a Coach Holiday Expert Help You?
- I’ve put together resources and guides to help you find your perfect coach holiday, whether you are a newbie or old hand
- For some destinations I’ve done the legwork for you and compared the top coach holiday itineraries side by side, and added in some of my insider insights to help you find your perfect trip
- I’ve shared hacks and guides to help you travel like a coach holiday expert too!
What Type of Coach Traveller Are You?
Take this very quick quiz which will help you get an idea of the type of holiday that might suit you best. 🚌
Quick Links to Coach Holiday Expert Resources
What you absolutely need to know before you book. Don’t book without reading this!
There is a key additional tip in this post that could be very important if anything was to go wrong on your holiday.
Top 4 Coach Holiday Myths – Busted!
Let’s bust some of the most common misconceptions about coach holidays. Based on my +25 years experience of taking coach holidays as a Tour Manager
9 Reasons to Choose a Coach Holiday
Based on feedback from guests I have travelled with about why these regular take coach holidays.
Check out some of the most recent coach holiday trends, and how they might impact coach holidays in the future.
Coach Holidays Are Not All The Same
Check out how differences between coach holiday companies can make a difference to your holiday experience. Find the right company for you.
Top tips to help you have an even better holiday and travel like a coach holiday expert too!
What does an orientation tour mean? Is it the same as a guided tour (in short no!)
How to Avoid the Most Common Coach Holiday Issues
These easy steps will help you avoid the most common issues guests experience and have a great coach holiday experience as a result.
What A Coach Holiday Tour Manager Really Does
A Tour Manager is a key part of a coach holiday. Find out what they really do (it’s alot!) and get even more from your coach holiday experience.
A coach holiday wouldn’t be a coach holiday without a driver. Find out more about this key role including what rules drivers have to follow in relation to driving and breaks.
Coach Holidays for Single Travellers
3 things you need to know before you book – to help you find the right trip for you
Coach Holiday Expert – Coach Holiday Reviews
Knowing the right questions to ask and understanding what you are buying are key to finding the right coach holiday for you.
To make it easier I have done some side by side comparisons of coach holidays, so you can compare itineraries, included extras, costs and also get insider insights to help you understand the itinerary.
Itinerary insights also helps you to understand areas where you might want to ask more questions before you travel.
Scottish Highlands Railway Holiday Review
Check out this detailed review with lots of information to help you decide is this is your perfect railway holiday
A stay and discover tour review with how to get to the Highlands, local tips and questions you might want to ask before booking
Check out this in depth review of a popular river cruise with a well known company. Is this the perfect river cruise for you?
Check out these top 4 tours compared side by side to help you find your perfect trip
Coach Holiday Expert – My Coach Holiday Experience
I have spent 25 years taking coach holidays all over the world.
I started taking coach holidays before the internet, before modern computers and before cheap flights came along. We weren’t quite steam driven in those days but I do wonder how we managed and how everything worked!
I have lots of experience including;
- River cruise holidays.
- Stay and explore holidays.
- Special interest holidays.
- Active holidays.
Being a Tour Manager has been so much more than a job for me, it really has been a lifestyle and a career and one that I have absolutely loved.
Not only have I met and travelled with thousands of lovely people, I have also seen and visited many wonderful places and have had the chance to learn about them before and from local guides when there in person.
Years of experience are great but they don’t necessarily mean you are a coach holiday expert.
I have also invested a great deal of effort into honing my skills and knowledge when it comes to coach holidays including;
- Taking first departure tours which involved on the spot problem fixing due to itinerary and supplier issues.
- Taking private group tours including alumni groups.
- Training other tour managers.
- Updating tour manuals and information for other tour managers.
- Providing tour briefings to other tour managers.
- Taking over coach holidays at the last minute in the event of illness or accident of tour manager or coach driver.
Coach Holiday Expert – My Travel Experience
Over my 25 year career I have taken holidays to;
- Most of Europe including France, Portugal, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Holland and Italy
- Russia
- Australia and New Zealand
- China
- Singapore and Bangkok
- Plus plenty of trips to the UK, special events, sporting events and much more.
Coach Holiday Expert Recommendations
I’ve got a huge number of notes and cards from passengers I have travelled with over the years. These are always a great reminder of a happy trip and helping someone to enjoy their experience. A couple of notable recent experiences;
I travelled with a first time traveller who had never been out of the US before. She was very nervous but enjoyed her trip and wrote me the most wonderful note saying how I had helped her gain the confidence to carry on travelling.
A husband and wife travelled with me on a recent trip. The husband had absolutely hated the idea of a coach holiday and was really going along because of his wife. He didn’t really think he would enjoy the experience. At the end of the holiday he did a speech on behalf of the group saying what a great Tour Manager I had been and that he was converted and was now looking forward to lots more holidays with his wife.
Who knew Tour Managers could help marriages too!
Check out a couple of testimonials from my most recent tours 👇
Coach Holiday Considerations
There are lots of things to think about before you book a coach holiday. If you haven’t already got it I would recommend my 10 Things You Absolutely Need to Know about a Coach Holiday. This will help you avoid some of the most common issues I have seen guests experience on holiday, by ensuring you get the best holiday for you. The article will help identify areas of the itinerary you might want to ask more about.
Here are some other things you might want to consider or ask more about too;
Given the uncertainty around any travel at the moment it is probably worth being clear about deposit terms, current travel advice in relation to travel in the UK and also overseas, and how any advice differs in relations to coaches and coach holidays. You may want to check any advice, requirements, restrictions in relation to seats, hotels, tours, toilets and more. For more detailed information on this topic check out my article Coach Holidays and Covid19.
How do you join your coach holiday? Are there local joining points or do you make your own way, fly or take the train and then start your coach holiday?
If there are local joining points how much coach travel is involved before you reach the starting point for the holiday? Some companies operate local joining points which could be for more than one holiday, with all passengers meeting up and then changing on the right coaches for their holidays. Local joining points can also mean that the coach takes longer to reach the starting point for the main holiday because it has to go round and pick people up.
Does the coach have reclining seats, an onboard toilet or air conditioning? While you might expect these things as standard they are not always. This can be the case when using coaches for pick ups (known as feeder coaches) and it can also be the case if using coaches overseas. Not all coaches in other countries have air conditioning, they may have forced air cooling systems too.
Coach Holiday Companies
If you want to jump right in and start looking at coach holidays right now then check out the following companies, all of whom I know;
