Beirut Travel

As a child, coach trips to British coastal resorts seemed like something of a treat. The rise of package holidays to Europe soon led to those old coaching holidays falling out of fashion but times are changing once again – escorted coach holidays are making something of a comeback.

With increasing numbers of us choosing to book holidays online, package holidays have come under threat. Now that we can easily compare prices on hotels, flights and car hire, the advantages of booking package holidays have been disappearing.

As well as leading to an increase in independent holidays, the rush to use the internet as a tool for booking trips abroad has also seen a revival in an older form of travel: the escorted holiday.

The basic concept of an escorted holiday will be familiar to many of us. These are trips that often involve making use of a coach to get to our intended destination.

Although the concept is familiar, the new style of escorted holidays differs considerably from the old stereotypes.

Touring companies specialising in escorted holidays have been taking a good look at themselves and have been making changes to ensure that they are popular with a new breed of tourists. With executive coaches, experienced tour guides and first-class accommodation, escorted holidays are increasingly aimed at the luxury end of the market.

They are beginning to appeal to travellers who want a holiday that is free of stress. Having an experienced driver handle the bustling traffic of major cities, while an English-speaking guide provides information on the city, sight or region being visited, is attracting many to this style of travelling.

Where escorted holidays have really come into their own is with holiday-makers looking to travel in Eastern Europe. To many of us, the thought of making arrangements for a trip to Poland, Bulgaria, Romania or Russia can seem somewhat frightening.

With an escorted holiday, all of the arrangements are dealt with. There is no need to scour the internet to find a hotel that is up to scratch – that is the responsibility of your tour operator.

It’s clear that escorted holidays are experiencing a renaissance. Given the ease involved in booking such a trip and the quality of experience that is now available, you can expect the popularity of escorted holidays to continue to grow.

By: Keith Barrett

About the Author:

Create a video blog

Ever had the desire to quit your lame 9 to 5 job, tell your boss to shove it, pack up and start traveling the world?

All of us have had that desire at one point! The thing that stopped you was probably the same thing that stops most people: money.

“How will I pay for my flights, food, lodging, transportation, yada, yada, yada,” you asked yourself.

Don’t let these concerns bother you too much, because there is an underground, growing group of travelers who are utilizing some simple but hidden techniques to make significant incomes while traveling.

Here’s an overview of how we make money traveling and by landing travel jobs:

Underground Travel Income Method #1 – Traditional Travel Job – Hold a job that either a) pays for us to travel or b) is located in the place we wish to travel to. This is the lowest paying and most complicated method of all, but is the most commonplace.

Common jobs that pay for travels are for professional speakers, salespeople, package couriers, flight attendants, travel nurses/doctors, conservationists, cruise ship workers, etc.

Travel jobs located in the places we wish to go to can be any of the above, but also are specific to the location we travel to. There are some FUN jobs overseas that are looking for foreign workers!

Underground Travel Income Method #2 – Travel Writing – Travel writing jobs for magazines are more common than you may imagine. However, there are LOADS of other ways to write as you travel and make money, including blogging, picking up projects from sites like Elance and Guru, and writing travel guides, both online and offline.

Underground Travel Income Method #3 – Selling Affiliate Products – Using a simple website, you can drive online traffic to a product that will be of interest to your online followers. Don’t be intimidated by this! It can be as easy as using your very own Facebook or Myspace profile. Affiliate products typically pay 50% to 75%, so you can make a very healthy income for selling just a few objects.

Underground Travel Income Method #4 – Filming Your Adventures – If you’ve got the camera out and you’re taking pictures, why not switch it to ‘film’ mode and make money from it? You simply make a video of your destinations using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, then use your videos to create a customer base!

Underground Travel Income Method #5 – Podcasting – If filming scares you off or intimidates you, you can make an iTunes podcast. It is easier than ever to get listed in iTunes and there’s a HUGE audience of podcast listeners. Simply talk about the places you visit two or three times a week and watch how your following grows… and how your bank account grows!

Underground Travel Income Method # 6 – eBay – The common misconception about eBay is that you have to sell a physical product to make money. Here’s the trick: You can set up a fulfillment house to ship your product (or hire your little sister or the neighborhood kid). All you have to do is create your eBay post from an internet caf