Telegraph e-paper

Eight mistakes to avoid in the quest for winter sun

We may have mastered booking our summer holidays but travelling at this time of year is trickier, says Nick Trend

Winter will soon show its teeth and, when it does, the prospect of escaping for a week or two of blue skies and warm sunshine between December and March will suddenly seem very attractive. Unlike seeking summer sun in the Med, finding the right destination can be much more challenging. You are less likely to be familiar with the climate, journey and geography. So here are eight classic mistakes to avoid.

HITTING THE RAINY SEASON

I once received a plaintive phone call from a friend who had flown to Tobago in late November assuming the Caribbean was always sunny in winter; it poured with rain for a week. His assumptions were flawed in two ways. First, the climate varies from island to island. Second, had he checked he would have found that November is the second wettest month of the year in Tobago. Such regional variations are common in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The dry season for Phuket, on the west coast of Thailand, is from December to March, while in Koh Samui, 200 miles away on the east coast, it is from February to April. Before you book, check weather2travel.com.

TEMPTING JET LAG

Most winter sun holidays last only a week or so, but to get there you will probably cross five or six time zones. That only just allows you to adapt to the time in your destination before flying home and beginning the whole process again. Avoid the agony by flying as directly south as you can.

LOSING SLEEP ON THE PLANE

With long-haul travel, at least one flight is likely to be overnight – meaning you either arrive or return home exhausted from lack of sleep. One way to mitigate the misery (at a little extra cost) is to book with an airline offering a premium economy cabin. I found an excellent option on the BA website. The return overnight flight from Barbados to Heathrow on January 21 cost £242 in economy and a hefty £1,546 in premium economy – but on the same night, the BA flight back to Gatwick cost £295 in economy but only £611 in premium economy. The total return fare with outbound in economy (for £292) and overnight back in premium was £903.

FLYING TOO FAR

For a week’s break, flying for more than eight hours doesn’t make much sense. Unless you have longer, stick to the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East.

NOT FLYING FAR ENOUGH

While the Canary Islands seem like a good option (flights take about 4hr 30min and temperatures are usually pleasant in winter), don’t expect real heat. For that, the nearest options are Luxor (5hr 15min) or the Gulf (7hr).

LEAVING IT TO THE LAST MINUTE There are only two windows where you have a decent chance of getting a goodvalue last-minute deal. The first is from now until mid-December; the second is in the first two or three weeks of January – so look for discounts a week or two before Christmas. For all other times, it is best to book in advance.

FORGETTING JABS

Some vaccinations need to be administered or boosted weeks before you travel. Check well in advance at nhs.uk/conditions/travel-vaccinations.

NOT BOOKING A PACKAGE

When it comes to long-haul sun and sand – for which there are fewer return flights and it is harder and more expensive to get home if anything goes wrong – package holidays come into their own. Book through an agent (such as trailfinders.com) or an operator (such as kuoni.co.uk or tui.co.uk) and not only will your money be protected but you will also have support if you need it.

TRAVEL ADVICE

en-gb

2022-11-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://dailytelegraph.pressreader.com/article/281874417416376

Daily Telegraph