New 'day trip-focused' ferry service aiming to connect islands from 2024

National Holidays And Just Go! To Offer First-ever Long-haul Destination

National Holidays and Just Go! Holidays have added Sri Lanka to their 2024/25 winter sun programmes, the first time either brand has offered a long-haul destination.

It is the first time JG's brands have offered long-haul options (Credit: Mariana Proenca / Unsplash)

The two JG Travel Group brands have put 11-, 15-, 22- and 29-night breaks at the Tangerine Beach Hotel in Kalutara on sale for the period from October 2024 to May 2025.

The hotel features an outdoor pool, gym, spa and tennis courts, and offers yoga and meditation classes on the beach, as well as live bands, cultural shows and DJ sets.

National and JG's "four weeks for the price of three" offer will apply to all Sri Lanka departures, meaning a 29-night stay in May 2025 leads in from £2,499pp.

Packages include 28 nights' all-inclusive accommodation, return flights (including one night in the air), four excursions and transfers. Both operators are offering limited no single supplement rooms.

Agents' clients can also opt for a five-day Impressions of Sri Lanka pre-holiday tour, taking in Dambulla, several cultural attractions including a tea plantation, and the city of Kandy, a Unesco World Heritage site. The tour leads in from £749pp.

Chris Simmonds, JG Travel Group chief executive, said: "Our winter sun programmes continue to go from strength to strength and this is our biggest ever offering.

"Just Go! Holidays and National Holidays have never ventured into offering long-haul destinations until now, and bringing Sri Lanka into our portfolio is a real milestone moment.

"Our insight data showed our customers want to and are travelling further afield, and that they trust our brands to take them there. I'm delighted we can now offer them this new option and have some amazing prices to promote."

Also new for winter 2024/25 is Albufeira on Portugal's Algarve coast, complementing its existing European winter sun destinations such as Benidorm and Calpe on Spain's Costa Blanca, as well as Malta and Cyprus.

Elsewhere, National and JG are offering 14-, 21- and 28-night all-inclusive breaks at Albufeira's Auramar Hotel, which lead in from £999pp (14 nights) or £1,399pp (21 nights). Those wishing to opt for 28 nights can do so for an £100 on certain details.

Packages include return flights and transfers, and guests can take in a cookery demonstration, a tour of Faro and a trip to Loule Market, as well as coastal excursions on longer trips.

Meanwhile, all Costa Blanca breaks now feature the option to travel on one of JG's new JG Explorer coaches, launching in May with comfier seats, more legroom and footrests, as well as panoramic views, an onboard Nespresso machine, fully-stocked fridge, fresh filtered water tap and a new onboard entertainment system.

Simmonds added: "It is clear people want to escape the winter here in the UK and this was especially apparent during our last season which sold incredibly well.

"These programmes offer a brilliant selection of great value holidays, excellent stay longer for less offers and feature amazing new options alongside popular favourites."

Dedicated winter sun brochures will drop with agents in the coming weeks.

Lapland Fam Trip Hailed An Overwhelming Success

Not in the Guidebooks, has hailed its fam trip to Lapland an overwhelming success.

A total of eight agents from across the UK travelled to Lapland with Not in the Guidebooks' Sales Director, Debbie Sowden and Trade Support Manager, Caroline Burroughs, with the purpose of getting to see what Lapland offers, not only as a major Christmas destination but also for other times of the year.

During the trip those who attended got the opportunity to experience a range of local experiences, including ice floating - an activity recently featured on Channel 4's Travel Man programme.  The Travel Man programme also featured The Artic Treehouse - where agents stayed.  Other experiences they enjoyed included a husky safari ride under the stars and Aurora hunting by heated sleigh.

Ashley Phillips of Travel Chaps said: The trip was absolutely incredible. We experienced snowmobiles, husky rides, we found Santa, we made gingerbread cookies. We saw igloos, we saw the Northern Lights, and we experienced the Ice Hotel.  On this trip with Not in the Guidebooks, we got to do things that you wouldn't get to do on normal fam trips.  

It's been a great way of getting under the skin of the destination and experience everything Lapland has to offer. It will certainly help me promote Lapland as a destination to my clients."

Sowden added: "We feel it's really important that agents get to experience first-hand what we offer as a tour operator, and those who travelled with us to Lapland were completely blown away.

 "Many people think that Lapland is just for Christmas when in fact it has a great offering year-round with January to March being a fantastic time to enjoy winter activities and to see the Aurora Borealis, and the Spring and Summer months when you can relax by lakes and soak in the rays of the midnight sun.  It really is a great destination for active families, hikers, climbers and mountain bikers.

"We have been overwhelmed with the response we've had from agents to our fam trips. In March we launched our first long-haul fam trip to Costa Rica and within an hour of going live with the details, we had more than 600 agents register and 140 join our webinar on Costa Rica.

"With more and more people looking to take experiential experiences, agents don't need to be experts – they can rely on us to be their trusted partner in this sector."

My Wife And I Were Seated Apart For Our Long-haul Flight Despite Booking The Package Holiday Together

Gill Charlton has been fighting for Telegraph readers and solving their travel problems for more than 30 years, winning refunds, righting wrongs and suggesting solutions. 

Here is this week's question:

Dear Gill,

My wife and I recently travelled to India with Saga Holidays. The package tour included return economy flights to Delhi with Virgin Atlantic.

We elected to upgrade our flights to Premium Economy but were not able to pre-book seats because the airline's six-character PNR booking reference covered the whole group.

At Virgin Atlantic's desk at Heathrow, we discovered we had been allocated seats several rows apart, a situation which could not be resolved on board. 

We contacted Saga about the matter from India and, to its credit, it managed to seat us together for the return flight. 

Can you find out why this happens, given that we share a surname? We have asked Saga but, as yet, have received no response.

This is an urgent concern as we are travelling to Japan on another Saga tour next month and we really don't want to sit apart for 13 hours.

– Reg Pengelly

Dear Reg,

Tour operators offering escorted group tours will usually make a block booking of seats with an airline to cover the number of customers they expect on the tour.

These "Inclusive Tour" fares for group travel are heavily discounted and often give the tour operator flexibility over name changes and the ability to hand back unsold seats at a later date.

The problem with such fares is that the airline doesn't generate individual PNR codes, so customers cannot reserve specific seats, nor can they check in when online booking opens 24 hours before departure. 

I asked Saga Holidays if such problems could be resolved in advance, as surely it should have control over seat allocation within its block booking? 

Unfortunately, it turns out not. Saga says that while it can submit seat requests, these are generally assigned by the airline at check-in at its discretion. When the flight is very busy, a couple may indeed be seated apart, especially in the small premium economy cabin which is often fully booked.

"In some instances, it can be possible for us to request specific seating requirements," said a Saga spokesperson. "This is managed on a case-by-case basis by the airlines upon request of the customer at time of booking and can lead to a charge." 

Saga has contacted British Airways, which is operating your flights to Japan, and ensured that you are sitting together. 

Customers can, of course, buy your own flights, but in doing so you may forfeit the financial protection that applies to package holidays under the Package Travel Regulations.

If you are on a group tour and want a particular seat, it is best to turn up as early as you can, ideally three or more hours before departure if flying long-haul, when there may still be some seat choice available.

– Gill Charlton

Your travel problems solved

Gill takes on a different case each week – so please send your problems to her for consideration at asktheexperts@telegraph.Co.Uk. Please give your full name and, if your dispute is with a travel company, your address, telephone number and any booking reference. Gill can't answer every question, but she will help where she can and all emails are acknowledged. 

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