GO ASK JOAN:From a holiday for a single mum to getting from Bologna to Florence and renting an apartment in Berlin JOAN SCALESanswers your queries
All-in break for single mum
I am a newly single mum of one in desperate need of a holiday. I never went on a package holiday – I always travelled independently – but now being on my own with a three-year-old, a package holiday seems to be the way to go. I want everything: the sun and the beach for my kid, a kids’ club and a babysitter service for a night or two, a bit of culture for me, and I also want to meet other single people. I am obviously on a budget and I am looking to travel for a week to 10 days in October (but I am flexible). So where should I start?
AM, Dublin
There is a company in the UK, Small Families, that caters specifically for single parents – see smallfamilies.com. It has an extensive programme of holidays throughout the year based around school holidays.
On October 23rd it has a week’s holiday to Hammamet in Tunisia which is all-inclusive and provides most of what you are looking for. The resort is small but it has three pools, children’s club, sporting activities and a thalassotherapy spa. There is entertainment every night and a disco that the children are welcome to. The price includes meals, drinks with dinner, soft drinks all day, activities and an excursion.
Flying from Heathrow with Tunisair the price for adults is from £583 (about €667) and from £436 (about €495) for a three-year-old.
You can get flights to Heathrow with Aer Lingus for around €100.
Another company based in the UK is Mango Kids – see mangokids.co.uk – and it is similar to Small Families but with more destinations. In October it has a half-board holiday to Cyprus where there will be activities for the children and outings. The prices are a bit more expensive than Small Families.
Some of the main tour operators, such as Panorama Holidays, Falcon Holidays and Direct Holidays, have discounts for single parent families and you should contact a local travel agent for advice. These discounts are usually at certain times of the year, but a good travel agent should be able to find out if there are any available for October.
Maybe you could join with another single parent for a holiday. You should also have a look at stickyfingerstravel.com – it has good advice for single parent families.
Bologna to Florence
We are a group of five to six people who would like to go to Florence for a three-day trip next April. We would prefer to fly to Bologna than to Pisa, and are looking for advice as to how to travel from Bologna to Florence. We have heard that from Florence it is possible to go on a one-day tour which includes a couple of hill towns in Tuscany and a visit to Pisa, and we would welcome any advice/suggestions.
JM, Dublin
Florence is easily accessible from Bologna by train. There is a regular service about four times an hour that takes less than 40 minutes and is reasonably priced. The fare is around €5. You can see train times on trenitalia.com.
Both Ryanair and Aer Lingus have flights from Dublin to Bologna.
The tour you are looking for is the Best of Tuscany Tour by walkaboutflorence.com. It is an all day tour that visits Siena to see the cathedral, then takes in lunch at a typical vineyard, a guided tour of San Gimignano in the afternoon, drives through the lovely Chianti countryside and then on to Pisa.
The tour, including lunch with wine, is from €80 per person and can be booked in advance. It will give you a good feel for Tuscany and the beautiful countryside.
As you are going to Florence for such a short time, and may probably want to visit the Uffizi Gallery, you can book tickets in advance by telephone in English on 00-39-055294883 or online at uffizi.com.
Apartment rental in Berlin
We are a couple heading to Berlin next Easter. We are meeting up with another couple who have two children – age 10 and 13 – and they will be travelling from Holland. We thought about an apartment but there are not many three-bed apartments for rent. Do you have any suggestions or know of websites we could try. We thought an apartment may be cheaper than hotels.
GP, Kilkenny
With six people, renting an apartment would be a good option for Berlin. There are plenty of apartments to rent. I have seen a good selection of three-bedroom plus apartments on homeaway.com, which has a sister German site, FeWO-direkt.de.
These sites are rentals direct from owners and prices are from €100 per night. Prices for properties in the suburbs are better value and you will find properties to rent within commuting distance of the city.