Coach Holiday News

We are delighted to announce that Edwards Coaches of Pontypridd, South Wales will be joining the prestigious line up of coach operators that we offer on the coachholidays.com website.

The Edwards family has operated buses and coaches in South Wales since 1925 and during the following 20 years or so, the company’s main source of income was the “local bus service” into the market town of Pontypridd. Later on as the near-by Treforest Industrial Estate expanded, many factory workers were transported to & from work and also during the Second World War, to the munitions factory at Bridgend
The 50’s and 60’s brought new ambitions for Edwards and indeed its clients. Their luxury coaches boasted a heater and radio, picking up clients from all over the South Wales Valleys and transporting them to popular UK destinations, such as Bath, Blackpool, London and Stratford. During the early 60’s, tours were organised as far afield as Austria, Belgium and Paris.
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Alfa Travel today confirmed that there will be no surcharges on their holidays as a result of increasing fuel costs. Managing Director, Paul Sawbridge, said:

“Everyone knows that fuel costs have risen dramatically in recent months and most of our competitors have introduced surcharges of between £1 and £3 per day. On a Continental coach holiday, this can increase the cost by anything up to £42 per person.
“Some operators are also adding currency surcharges reflecting the fall in the value of the pound against the Euro, which can make the surcharge even greater. If they also levy a credit card charge, which can be as high as 2% of the holiday price, the combined cost of their hidden charges can easily exceed £100 per couple on a longer Continental holiday.
“We estimate that if prices of fuel, gas and electricity stay at current levels, the fuel and energy costs for our coaches and hotels will rise by roughly half a million pounds this year, so I can fully understand why they have taken this action.
“However, we believe that changes of this sort in a company’s costs should be absorbed by the company for holidays which have already been advertised. We will therefore not be increasing the cost of any of the holidays featured in any of our published brochures.
“This guarantee includes all holidays featured in our Summer 2008 and Autumn 2008/Spring 2009 brochures.”

Follow this link to search for Alfa Travel holidays

We are delighted to announce The Crusader Summer Sale which starts today !!
27 fantastic reductions with one of the South East’s finest fleets of German Setra touring coaches!

Bruges 3 days 18th July was £164.00 Now £126.00 Saving £38 !!
Paris CP 18-Jul 3days Was £154 Now £117 Saving £37 !
Eden Project TGC 18-Jul 3 days Was £195 Now £148.50 Saving £ 46.50!!
Lake Maggiore by air AIM 20-Jul 7 days Was £570 Now £450 Saving £120.00!!
Bournemouth EBQ 20-Jul 7 days Was £395 Now £306 Saving £89.00!!
Blackpool EB 21-Jul 5 days Was £279 now £215.10 Saving £63.90!
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Seasoned traveller Billy Lawes regularly enjoys coach holidays - but he took his first ever flight earlier this month at the age of 90.
The World War Two veteran had travelled to the Continent by boat on active service, and has taken more than a dozen coach tours with over-55s operator Grand UK Holidays.
But despite living about six miles from Heathrow, in Langley, he’d never taken to the skies before.
He flew with Aer Lingus from Heathrow to Cork on June 2, and at the end of the flight was invited to meet the captain in the cockpit.

“I felt like a celebrity when he congratulated me on my flight,” said Billy, who only mentioned it was his first flight after dropping his pen and chatting to a fellow passenger.
Married for 57 years, until his wife died 10 years ago, Billy had not ventured anywhere by plane, preferring coach holidays.
“My wife never wanted to go anywhere by plane or boat, but I have always fancied seeing the Ring of Kerry,” said Billy.
“I also have friends out there – including one chap who I taught accordion to – and they collected me during the holiday for a tour.”

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The Guild of British Coach Operators members had cause to celebrate at the 2008 Coach Tourism Awards organised by Coach Monthly magazine, winning no less than 4 prestigious awards, including Coach Tour Operator of the Year! Held at the Ricoh Arena on June 5th, the accolades awarded to members of the Guild of British Coach Operators came thick and fast:

Eddie Brown Tours - voted UK Holiday Programme of the Year for the second year running. The judges noted Eddie Brown Tours ´commitment to quality´ and how ´the company keeps raising the bar´.

Galloway European Coachlines - Coach Tour Operator of the Year (fleets of over 10 vehicles). The judges comment - ´a worthy winner´. What more can we add!

Meanwhile, recognising the people behind successful companies, Epsom Coaches´ Alistair Scott was voted Coach Tourism Manager of the Year.

Other Guild members who were shortlisted as finalists included Skills Holidays and Woods Coaches.

The UK remains the top destination for holidays despite unpredictable weather, new research shows.

More than three quarters of UK internet users - 21 million adults - plan to take a main holiday of seven nights or more away this year, with the UK the most popular destination, followed by Spain, the US and France.

Data produced by research firm Continental Research shows that the South West (Devon, Cornwall and Scilly Isles) is by far the most favoured domestic holiday destination with 35% heading there in 2008 for a main holiday or short break. Read the rest of this story »