see the sights – Leger Blog

April 14, 2015June 27, 2023

Easter in Lake Garda, Venice and Verona by Linda McKeown

Linda McKeown and her family took one of our Italian Tours over the Easter holidays, visiting Lake Garda, Venice and Verona, here’s how she found her first coach trip to Italy.

I have just returned from a wonderful holiday to Italy this Easter; the Lake Garda, Venice & Verona Tour. I had wanted to visit Italy by road for some while and was dreading the driving, as there is plenty of it! However, I persuaded my husband and 2 teenage children to accompany me on the tour – and we had a fabulous time!

All we had to do was turn up at the convenient meeting point (just 7 miles from home) with our passports, and everything else was taken care of! The first holiday I have ever experienced when I am not constantly juggling tickets, passports, hotel details and a map! We were able to relax in the knowledge that everything was organised.
The drivers (Stuart and Gareth) were absolutely excellent – they got us from one place to another in good time, their driving was faultless and their knowledge of the area unsurpassed. We were not hurried, there were plenty of comfort stops and they made sure we were always looked after.
My husband and children dreaded the journey to Italy (boredom and leg room were the perceived issues) but we had plenty of leg room (we upgraded to Silver Service) and there was so much to look at on the way, that no one was bored! There was even a DVD to watch on the homeward journey. The hotel in Belgium for the first and last nights was excellent quality and the Lake Garda hotel offered an outdoor pool which the children braved during our stay!

We found Venice an absolute gem, we were there in good time in the morning to enjoy it before it became too crowded, and the children took the optional cruise which they really enjoyed. Verona was completely different, and a beautiful city to spend the day in and enjoy – we had lunch in one of the squares and enjoyed people-watching after walking around the arena, the church and the Roman ruins.

We did a spot of shopping after lunch (credit card beware, the shops are very tempting!) and then returned to theÂ tranquillity of Lake Garda. We did the optional boat tour of Lake Garda on Easter Monday, and despite the holiday traffic, we arrived in Malcesine in good time to enjoy the sights and the ice cream – we also had a wonderful boat ride to see the sights from the Lake.

We spent the day before departure walking around the Lake, having lunch at Riva del Garda enjoying the views and the sunshine, and sitting around the hotel pool – how fabulous!
We won’t forget our wonderful holiday in Italy, and not only have we recommended this holiday to friends and family, we will definitely do it again! Thank you Leger Holidays team! Linda, Dave, Rowan & Millie

March 24, 2013September 22, 2023

Grandparents Grounded with Childcare Duties

You may have seen it in the news (or even experienced it first hand) but when it comes to childcare nowadays, it’s often the grandparents that are left holding the baby.

Rising childcare costs have left many parents in a situation where it’s not worth one of them working. Unless of course, good ‘old’ granny or grandpa can help out that is!
Around half of UK families now depend all year round on the older generation, who we’ve dubbed ‘Retired Help’ (get it?) for their childcare. This savvy situation is thought to save more than Â£2,000 per year for the average family and over Â£10,000 for those who rely on grandparents to provide full-time support.
And let’s face it, most grandparents are only too happy to step in. Looking after children is undoubtedly hard work but (allegedly) so much more fun when you can leave them in the capable hands of their parents at the end of the day and go home to put your feet up!
But at Leger Holidays we began to wonder if this reliance was actually impacting on the holiday and leisure time of grandparents and so we conducted some research. And it seems we were right…
The research revealed that over a quarter of Britain’s 14 million grandparents feel that such commitments and responsibilities actually stop them from going away as often as they would like. Interestingly, grandmas are more likely to feel this pressure (32 per cent as opposed to 28 per cent of grandads).
So, whereas historically the mature traveller has always enjoyed more freedom when it comes to holidays, it appears there are now more than 3.5 million of them delaying or sacrificing their dream getaways to help their families.
One alternative of course is for grandparents to go on holiday with their families. But in our research some grandparents admitted *whisper* they didn’t enjoy the experience. One in five said they find it hard work and many also feel they are only invited to provide free childcare. Of course tastes differ across the generations too. Whereas many young families choose to lie on the beach or by the side of the pool, the older generation often prefer to have more experiential getaways, looking for new things to see and do each day. They want to visit museums, admire art, enjoy leisurely shopping and see the sights without a toddler who isn’t interested to bear in mind. Plus, most grandparents have done their fair share of “are we there yet?” journeys.
So we say ‘Retired Help’ of the world unite! Don’t feel guilty about needing a break, it’s important to take the holidays you want, see the places you’ve dreamt of seeing, and to get some well earned R&R! And if you do feel bound by childcare duties (and you don’t mind that) why not squeeze in a long weekend or short-stay break wherever possible, giving you lots of mini treats to look forward to? Come on now…surely you can squeeze in a few days on a midweek break to Paris, recharging your batteries? And imagine all the great presents you could get the grandkids from a trip to Belgium, the Chocolate Capital of the world?
We’re sure your grandchildren will appreciate a rested and rejuvenated granny or grandad – now you’d better get back to building that treehouse…

March 4, 2013June 27, 2023

Why do people like to travel?

Everyone has their own reason for getting away – I have a full list of them – but whatever our reason for travelling in the first place, once we’re away our brain seems to take on those sponge-like qualities we had as a child.

We become more alert to things happening around us, to sights, sounds and smells we experience, which is why it’s common to come back from our travels with so many more memories than we’d have from the same period of time back home.

To experience world cultures…

Some people travel specifically to discover new cultures – they want to see the difference between their own culture and that of the people in the country they’re visiting. It’s intriguing to see the way other people behave in other parts of the world – just watching them go about their daily business can be a real eye-opener. It’s so easy to take things for granted in our everyday lives, and immersing ourselves in the culture of foreign parts can be quite fascinating.

To do something different…

Placing ourselves ‘in the thick of it’ really helps us develop a different perspective on life, opening our eyes, ears, mind – and our taste buds – to all the amazing things that are out there. Speak a different language – or at least try; eat a dish you’ve never tried before; take a ride in a horse and carriage; go to the ballet; take in a classical music concert; climb aboard a boat… there’s a whole world out there just waiting to be experienced.

Eat something different: Cevapcici – the local dish I tried in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Out of curiosity…

We’ve all read about places, seen them on TV, or heard others talk about them, but what’s it really like to be there? What are the people like? Are the buildings really as big as they look on TV? Does scenery really take your breath away? So why not experience these places for yourself – find out more about them, explore them further. Nothing will satisfy your curiosity quite as much as being there, finding all the answers for yourself.

It's true what they say: standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon really DID take my breath away. — It’s true what they say: standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon really DID take my breath away.

For fun, excitement and adventure…

People can sometimes be a bit wary of the unknown – things that are different to back home; afraid of change. But so much excitement and adventure can be achieved, just by doing something a bit different to what you’d normally do.

To escape every day life…

It’s not unusual to become a bit bored of every day life. The daily routine: bills to pay; shopping to do; a big project at work; meals to cook; clothes to wash; gardens to tend to… there’s no wonder so many people look forward to some ‘time out’ each year. It’s a time to switch off from everything back home; to be free from responsibility; to leave our worries behind. We all know that all those things will still be there when we get back, but for that short period of time, they don’t exist. It does us good to get away from everything for a while, and we tend to come back feeling much fresher and more positive (for a while, at least!).

To see the sights…

Those famous landmarks you’ve heard about… Rome’s Colosseum; the Great Wall of China; the Eiffel Tower; natural wonders such as the Midnight Sun in the Arctic Circle; centuries-old glaciers and thundering waterfalls; or amazing architectural feats like Florence’s Duomo; Pisa’s leaning tower and the vast Alhambra Palace… they’re on many people’s ‘tick list’ of places to visit in the world.

Florence: somewhere I'd always wanted to go. — Florence: somewhere I’d always wanted to go.

To meet new people…

On the trips I’ve been on I’ve met some wonderful and interesting people: travelling companions and people from the areas I’ve visited. People from different places sometimes act differently, have different beliefs and have many different stories to share. I love listening to people about their travels and places they want to go to: people who have many years of holidays behind them and others who are just starting to discover the world. And just as we are all individual, we all have different things we want to get from our precious time away.

What’s your reason for getting away? What type of holidays do you like? Share your holiday stories with us.