Travel advice: Guide to DIY journey excursions

By Sophie Butler 331PM GMT twenty-two March 2010

Plus points embody being in small groups, definition some-more peculiarity time�and flexibility, no queues and no vigour to buy anything

Shore visits are between the arch pleasures of a cruise. Unfortunately, prices for ship-organised excursions can be high and organisation sizes large. Clearly, the answer is to organize your own in isolation excursions. True, there can be red fasten involved, but there are ways of removing around it.

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For example, I not long ago listened from a reader whose Baltic journey enclosed a revisit to St Petersburg. Was it true, he asked, that if they visited the city exclusively rather than engagement the excursion, they would have to request for visas? I replied in this mainstay that you have to have a visa that ever approach you do it the disproportion is that when you book an outing the journey association organises it for you and includes in the price. If you revisit unaccompanied, however, you have to request for your own visa prior to travelling. A approach turn this, as an additional reader forked out, would be to book a debate by a internal company. Authorised agencies that are authorized and protected by the Russian Immigration Service can yield proxy visas for their tours. The same would request in alternative countries.

Something else that mitigates opposite organising your own excursions, is miss of transparent recommendation from journey ships. Sometimes this recommendation is on purpose misleading. One reader reported that his journey association told him that officials authorised people on day trips organized by the journey to step off first, that incited out not to be the case.

However, judging from the emails I have received, couple of readers engagement their own excursions have experienced any problems at all. Visas and alighting forms arrived in great time; their guides, drivers and ride were watchful for them; and they found the peculiarity of their tours exceeded expectations.

Plus points enclosed being in small groups, that meant some-more peculiarity time and flexibility, no queues and no vigour to buy anything. As one reader noticed "The debate lonesome some-more in one day than the journey ships cover in two, at a cost that was less than the journey ships charge."

If you are still disturbed about utilizing internal companies, check out reviews by alternative passengers on internet forums such as Cruise Critic (cruisecritic.com). Listings of authorized internal companies can mostly be found by inhabitant traveller offices see ANTOR (antor.com) for a utilitarian list of traveller house contacts.

As with all these things, the some-more task you do, the less expected you are to come a cropper, and you could severely heighten your journey experience.

M M, from Tredington, writes

We are carrying problems with transfers from Sicily"s Catania airfield to the road house in Taormina. We"re told a minibus will cost an startling �119 each way.

Sophie Butler replies

Try Shuttle Direct (0870 7350 369; shuttledirect.com) or ATS (01531 822854; a-t-s.net ). Or ask your road house about open transport.

C T, from Woking, writes

We are receiving a journey from Dover in July. Can you indicate a approach to find a poor one night pre-cruise stay with dual weeks" car parking?

Sophie Butler replies

Your most appropriate gamble is Holiday Extras (0800 093 5478; holidayextras.co.uk/dover-port-hotels)

M J, by email, writes

Could you suggest a fly-drive debate of Eastern Canada?

We were meditative of Nova Scotia or the Qubec and Montral area.

Sophie Butler replies

North America Travel Service (020 7569 6710; northamericatravelservice.co.uk) offers Canada"s Eastern Explorer from �1,449 or Maritime Explorer in Nova Scotia from �1,834. Prices are per person, together with flights, place to live and entirely thorough car rental.

B S, by email, writes

Next February, my mother will be celebrating her 70th birthday. She"d similar to to go somewhere comfortable and see a carnival. What would you recommend?

Sophie Butler replies

The most appropriate source of report is The Rough Guide to the World"s Festivals (worldparty.roughguides.com), that allows you to poke by date and theme.

Email queries to sophie.butler@telegraph.co.uk . Sophie Butler regrets she cannot reply to any queries not used for publication.