Destinations
The air holidays shown are ATOL Protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 3253. ATOL Protection extends primarily to customers who book and pay in the United Kingdom. Click on the ATOL logo if you want to know more.
Travel tips
The holiday is the easy bit – just enjoy! But we all know the business of packing and getting to and through airports can be a hassle. We hope these travel tips help. Firstly, some top tips from the Honeyguide team.
Travel tips from the team
Helen Crowder: always have antibacterial hand wipes or lotion in your rucksack. "Strangely, women usually do and men don't!" says Helen.
Ivan Nethercoat: to prevent overheating on hot days, take a small cloth you can soak in cold water and wrap round your neck.
Chris Gibson: get a tick extractor from a vet's. Simple but highly efficient.
Chris Durdin: book parking before you travel – it saves money (see below).
Rob Macklin (on a similar theme, and greener): if travelling by rail always book well in advance, it’s much cheaper.
Robin Hamilton: take Chris Gibson’s animals guide (right) – much more compact than heavy field guides to reptiles & amphibians and mammals.
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Before you travel
Valuables: travel insurance rarely covers valuables such as telescopes. 'All risks' in a house insurance may only cover items in your custody i.e. not in luggage travelling separately within the aircraft or airport. Given the value of many ‘scopes and binoculars, it would be worth checking your insurance cover and probably carrying optical equipment in hand luggage.
Plastic: in case you lose your wallet, it can reduce hassle if you reduce the number of cards you carry before travelling.
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Packing
Have a checklist!
Documents: carry a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), your insurance policy and a photocopy of your passport. Be aware that the EHIC has an expiry date: renew online at www.ehic.org.uk.
Put one pair of socks and underwear in hand luggage in case your case doesn’t arrive.
Have a distinctive suitcase – so many look the same on the carousel. Or use spray paint. If you have a name-strap, lock it otherwise they can come off in transit.
Volume can be reduced by organising and packing clothes in plastic bags that can be rolled up or which have a valve to remove the air (Lakeland Plastics does them, also Tesco and maybe elsewhere).
For cameras, take a spare battery/batteries, as well as a charger.
Coping with Ryanair’s measly 15 KG checked in luggage allowance:
- Start with the lightest suitcase you can. Sailing bags weigh the least and will fold up somewhere out of the way when empty, though don't have wheels.
- Decant shampoo, conditioner, facewash etc into very small bottles, e.g. recycled from complimentary products from hotels. (Liquids need to go into suitcases under current airport security, of course.)
- Pack heavy items (e.g. telescopes) in hand baggage. It’s quite difficult to make that reach the 10KG allowance.
- Wear boots
- Put books in coat pockets
- Luggage allowance isn’t transferable but as everyone gets 15KG, coordinate with fellow travellers.
- Weigh bags in advance
Honeyguide will pay for any excess baggage charges by Ryanair, though naturally we'd prefer not to!
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Travelling by rail
If you’d rather not fly, try www.seat61.com to help plan your railway journey.
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The airport
Getting to the airport: lists of holiday participants sent before the holiday say where people come from, to help you think about sharing transport.
Airport parking is always cheaper if pre-booked. Of course, shared parking is even cheaper, per person. We recommend Holiday Extras as they give a keen price, good service and a small commission to Honeyguide. Get your quote online from our booking page or phone on 0871 360 2390 and quote HX132 for Honeyguide. Parking combined with a hotel is usually a good deal too.
Always write down where you are parked!
Honeyguide luggage labels: making these easy to spot helps leaders find you and for Honeyguiders to find each other.
Getting water: although no liquids can be taken through security, you can take an empty water bottle. At Stansted there is a water fountain in the entrance to the loos just beyond security. Failing this, when buying coffee, persuade them to fill up your water bottle. We like Pret A Manger as the food and drink is ethically sourced. If you have to buy water, often the best deal is to buy a newspaper with a free bottle of water.
Waiting for luggage: this is the ideal time to go to the loo!
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Once on holiday, don’t forget those …
Tips for green travelling for Honeyguiders
For Honeyguide, think ‘SWEET’...
• Shopping: if buying souvenirs, locally made products help the local economy.
• Water & waste: bottled water is heavy on transport costs and waste disposal. In most areas we go to
tap water is fine – take local advice – so you can save a little and be greener by bringing a water bottle
or buying one bottle of water then topping it up from the tap.
• Enjoy: simply choosing Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays makes you greener than most.
• Enthuse: be an ambassador for nature – talk to people about why we are there. Just wearing binoculars carries a message.
• Travelling: please consider travelling to the airport by means other than a car – or at least car sharing where possible.
Holiday information
Tips on this page are general ones. For each Honeyguide wildlife holiday there is 'Holiday information' with a book list and practical advice about what to take.
Travel tips on the web
Know before you go: travel advice and tips for British travellers on staying safe abroad and what help the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) can provide if something goes wrong. Click here
Travel safe: tips from the Lonely Planet and the FCO. Click here
Responsible tourism: practical tips from the FCO on how you can be a responsible tourist here
Currency calculator here
Chris Gibson’s animals guide: compact and authoritative. Review on Amazon here
Plastic: leave some of these behind, just in case. But do carry your EHIC - a 'must have' for all travellers within the EU.
Leave the big bottles at home, decant into small containers.
The Man in Seat 61 "will tell you how to travel overland comfortably & affordably where you might think that air was now the only option."
Bookings for Honeyguiders who travel without a flight are not presently covered by Honeyguide's ATOL - Air Travel Operator's Licence - as this covers flight-inclusive packages only. Read more here or contact the Honeyguide office for more information.
Luggage label: helps you recognise Honeyguiders at airports.
"Wear your binoculars with pride!" says Chris Gibson. "Shopping or wandering the streets, it gives a powerful message of the value of wildlife to the local economy. And you never quite know when that black woodpecker will fly over!"
