Live webchat with Luke Gaskins, First Choice Family Travel Expert, Thurs 29th Jan 1 - 2pm

[CatherineMumsnet]

Luke's career in the travel industry began during university summer holidays when he was an activity instructor for school groups in France. He then spent 2 years with leading adventure tour operator, Explore Worldwide, before joining First Choice Holidays, where he undertook a number of roles, including the management of all Family Holiday concepts. He'll be available to answer any questions on family holidays such as where to go, what to do and how to get there.
As ever if you can't join in on Thurs then post your questions in advance.

Yes - that would be great! Thanks

Lucky you

I know . I also know if its anything like the others, I won't be disappointed. At the risk of coming across as First Choice's Biggest Fan on this thread, they really have got it right with the format of the holiday villages.

Do I get a discount off my next holiday now Luke?

Hi Luke
I am currently looking to take our first family holiday abroad next year. Could you recommend anywhere that would be suitable for 2 adults a 6,4,3 and 1yr old without us having to split into 2 rooms?
thanks

Hi Yellowbrickroad,

If you want an easy life by having all facilities on site, an All Inclusive resort with activities for all ages is a good option. All meals are taken care of and most offer a range of activities for kids. Watch out for many hotel run kids clubs that only have clubs from 3 or 4 years plus.

Within First Choice I'd recommend Holiday Villages - again, but they are great!! (or there are loads of other hotels where we run our own english speaking child care.
Within Thomson, i'd go for "Familyclubextras"

Despite the children being aged widely apart, there are so many things going on at both of these places to keep everyone amused from theatre schools, story telling; soft play areas; swim teaching, DJ sessions, footy coaching.

Another option would be a villa - you can teach your toddler to doggy paddle in your private pool and your 7 year old can play about in the gardens. Try Meon, Simply or Thomson for some really special.

Personally I love Sunsail too...and they offer fantastic childcare and activities. Learn to sail with your 7 year old whilst the 18 months in having a ball in Minnows club..

Luke

Hi silverfrog,

I can?t comment on what other operators may be able to do, but with First Choice our Kids Academy clubs will quite happily take special needs children. However what we recommend is that when you arrive in resort you take the time to sit down with our children?s reps who will be able to talk you through the varied programme of activities we offer throughout the holiday and then you can decide which would be most suitable. All our childcare staff will be qualified or have extensive experience dealing with children so will be able to advise appropriately, however experience of dealing with special needs will vary by staff member. We have a dedicated special needs team who will be able to assist with all aspects of your holiday before you depart..
Regarding the dietary requirements, we will always do our best to ensure these are passed to the hotel but sometimes we can?t guarantee these. I would therefore suggest a self catering holiday may be more suitable, at our Holiday Villages in Majorca, Costa del Sol, Algarve, Lanzarote and Cyprus we offer self catering holidays but with all the facilities of the Holiday Village including our Kids Academy clubs.

Thanks

Luke

Hi nodetoxforme

Depending on the size and ages of your group, if you visit your local travel advisor, they?ll be able to search for the best deal for your specific group. They can do a total party search for you and depending on the group size and when you?re going, you may be entitled to a group discount and/or free child places. All inclusives are great for big groups of families as there?s something for everyone.

Cheers
Luke

sorry meant to add was also looking for AI as self catering tend to allow for us all to be in one room.

sorry meant to add was also looking for AI as self catering tend to allow for us all to be in one room.

Hi basementthebear,

First Choice is part of the worlds largest travel company and last year reported record financial results. I appreciate it is a difficult time right now, what with the worries of banks and car companies, however, rest assured we?re in a strong financial position.

For peace of mind, I?d suggest booking a package holiday with a company that protects its holidays under the Government backed ATOL scheme ? such as First Choice and Thomson. This will give you complete protection should the company fail (you?d get your money back if you haven?t travelled and if you?re on holiday and it fails, you?ll still be able to enjoy your break and know you?ll get home at the end of it!).

If you decided to book your own travel arrangements, and you book a schedule or low cost flight direct with the carrier, you?ll have no protection and have to get your own way home.

Luke

Hi Scrooged

This is a difficult one, if a hotelier charges us £100 a room, we would typically charge £50 per adult, if it?s a single parent and a child and we charged £50 for the parent and £10 for the child, we would be loosing £40 on the booking. Without having to get other holidaymakers to subside your holiday, it?s a difficult one to crack. We do have ?Single Parent Saver? offers, which are actually genuinely good deals, so it?s worth booking early and investigating these offers.

Luke

Thanks to everyone who has posted questions and a big thank you to Luke for joining us and dishing out some good travel advice. Luke has very kindly said that he will pull together answers for any outstanding questions.

Hi Nemo,

A villa holiday could be a good option for such a large family as it allows you the independence to come and go as you please. However if you?d like some organised activities on your holidays then our Holiday Villages in the Algarve and Cyprus both offer 2 bedroom apartments. In these villages you?ll find a full day and evening programme of entertainment including our Kids Clubs and crèches, so there will be something for everyone and I?m sure your little ones will love the new Bob the Builder shows. Plus if you fancy a night on your own, our clubs are available until 11pm selected nights and we have some lovely á la carte restaurants. The Algarve is only a short flight away so might be a good choice when travelling with so many children, and there are loads of things you can pre-book to make your holiday run even smoother including baby packs and crèche sessions.

All the best
Luke

Dear Scrappydappydoo,

Both First Choice offers loads of holidays to stimulate kids minds and you don?t necessarily have to travel with an adventure tour operator to get this fix. I guess it?s easy to associate larger companies with ?flop and drop? pool and beach holidays, but there?s a lot to see and do beyond the hotel?s gates.. In every destination we offer a fantastic excursion programme where families can get out and about and experience the destination ? from the cultural island tours (if that?s what you want) to funpacked theme park visits, it?s all made easy for you.

Younger children get pretty excited about the travelling itself, so its wise to set expectations at a reasonable level. For on site activities, Kids clubs programmes at First Choice Holiday Villages have broken the mould of all other offerings and kids can learn to swim, dance, act, sing, climb, canoe, play footy etc?..all delivered by professional instructors? They will definitely come back with a stream of things to tell mates at school.

Incidentally if small group tours ARE your thing, then both Exodus and The Adventure Company have started family exclusive trips, so you can discover the world with like minded families.

Thanks
Luke

Luke has said that he'll send me through any outstanding answers on an email, which I'll put up on the thread.

Was wondering if Luke is going to answer ?

did we ever get any other answers? My question about flight fuel surcharges wasn't answered.

Erm, yes, sorry I was meant to post them earlier
Just collating them now.

Hello SameAsYou,
As I mentioned to scrooged a few posts down, this is a difficult one, as costs are passed onto us by hoteliers. However, we do have ?Single Parent Saver? offers, which are actually genuinely good deals, so it?s worth booking early and investigating these offers

Hello tatt,
Thanks for your comments on the website ? we?ve spent a lot of time ensuring that it is easy to navigate and it?s great to hear feedback like this. Your comment on nuts ? if a customer advices at the time of booking that a passenger has a severe nut allergy, we do instruct the crew that the peanuts in the bar are not to be sold. If the customer only advises the crew on the day, they would have to also advise the crew on the inbound leg of their holiday as well. There is no reason as to why the crew should be doing this if we have been pre-informed, and I?ll raise this with the airline direct.

To FrazzledFairyFay
I?d suggest Mallorca or the Costa Del Sol ? both will be a nice temperature at that time of the year ? not too hot that you?ll be worried about burning the minute you step outside and certainly still warm enough to sit outside of an evening. They?re also both just a short flight around. Choose a hotel which has good children?s facilities.

Hi PlainOldPeachy,
I?d like to pass this to our agents to spend a bit of time on and to get back to you properly. Would you be able to email the mumsnet team so they can pass on your details? We can then spend some time speaking to our overseas teams and make some helpful suggestions.

(Peachy, email us if you're happy for us to do this..MN Towers)

Hi bebee,
Sharm is fantastic for family holidays, but ensure you pick the right hotel making sure you can enter the sea from the beach not via a jetty! The sea is warm ideal for the children, and you could even try your hand at diving with padi courses introductory or intermediate levels available. Lying outside the eurozone, Egypt also offers excellent value for money. Feburary and October are arguably the best times to visit Egypt when it isn?t too hot.

To Scrooged

This is a difficult one, if a hotelier charges us £100 a room, we would typically charge £50 per adult, if it?s a single parent and a child and we charged £50 for the parent and £10 for the child, we would be loosing £40 on the booking. Without having to get other holidaymakers to subside your holiday, it?s a difficult one to crack. We do have ?Single Parent Saver? offers, which are actually genuinely good deals, so it?s worth booking early and investigating these offers.