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Comment: Escorted holidays – they’re not all touring!

You’re in the very safest of hands, says Newmarket Holidays Richard Forde

For most people, the chances are the word ‘touring’ instantly conjures up images of a tightly packed schedule, taking in as many essential sights as possible, unpacking and then repacking your suitcase as you change hotels every other day.

Think again!

Virtually all tour operators including Newmarket, offer a range of tours that have been specially designed to take in as many sights as possible. However, ‘stay put’ tours are becoming increasingly popular and might just carry an extra advantage as the travel industry looks to bounce back in 2021.

As the name suggests, ‘stay put’ tours stay largely – if not entirely – in the same place for the duration of the holiday. Staying in one place really lets guests settle in and unwind as they make themselves at home, whilst enjoying a varied range of included and optional sightseeing excursions. ‘Stay put’ tours also have a maximum group size of 24, although most Newmarket ‘stay put’ tours have an average group size of just 16.

Our ‘stay put’ range is expanding all the time and already features some incredible destinations like India, Lake Garda and South Africa. One ‘stay put’ tour in particular, ‘On Safari in South Africa’, which is new for 2021, is proving particularly popular already. On the tour, guests spend seven nights at a celebrated lodge with its own private, sweeping game reserve. From this wonderful base, they go on several fascinating safaris, both within the reserve and further afield, including one in search of the Big Five to the Welgevonden Game Reserve. This particular tour has been so popular that we have expanded it to include another lodge and created a Kruger National Park version. Our Incredible India holiday, takes in the Taj Mahal, but then is all inclusive, has a swimming pool in resort and yoga sessions every day !

As with any escorted tour, there’s always a tour manager around on a ‘stay put’ tour, which can be especially reassuring during times like these. All of our tour managers are bonafide experts who really know the local area. Using their valuable local knowledge, our tour managers will ensure customers have an enjoyable but safe experience, for example, by avoiding large crowds by visiting attractions out of peak times, or by only recommending restaurants that adhere to exceptional hygiene practices. Of course, in the unlikely event that something were to go wrong on the tour, all our tour managers have been specially trained and know exactly what to do.

Whichever kind of holiday you book, when you book an escorted tour, you’re in the very safest of hands.

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