Travel Guide 2024: From Leeds and Yorkshire to the World
Sharon May, Owner of Leeds-based Worldwide Travel Solutions, shares some holiday inspiration for Yorkshire travellers this year.
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00:00 The start of the year is a very busy time for travel agents, with many of us making
00:04 plans to make memories abroad in the coming weeks and months.
00:08 Leeds-based Worldwide Travel Solutions, which recently received the One Love Affair award
00:13 from the Jamaica Tourist Board, is owned by Sharon May.
00:16 Her passion for travel took off 26 years ago and continues to soar.
00:21 "We're now back to pre-pandemic levels and business is absolutely booming.
00:25 So many destinations, people are looking for different types of holidays now.
00:29 I'm noticing people are booking further afield, so they're booking more South America, they're
00:34 booking expedition trips, they're booking what was on their bucket lists.
00:38 But they're also booking things like multi-generational families are very much in demand at the moment.
00:43 People just want to have that quality time with their family and also their friends as
00:47 well.
00:48 So it's definitely a good time of the year to be booking.
00:50 The key destinations at the moment that are taking off, I would say Australia is definitely
00:54 on the boom because it was closed a lot during that pandemic.
00:57 So a lot of people have got family and friends over in Australia.
01:00 So people are wanting to do longer trips, so three, four week durations as well.
01:05 Places like Vietnam is just booming at the moment and South America as a whole continent
01:10 is definitely on the up.
01:12 So when we're looking at closer to home, at the moment for example, Malaga last week was
01:15 22 degrees.
01:17 So people are looking for that warmer weather at this time of the year.
01:20 But we're seeing a lot of city break destinations, places like Athens and Porto and Krakow are
01:25 always very, very popular.
01:27 So people are looking for shorter trips away and morning flight out leaves Bradford, coming
01:30 back in an evening and then maximising a few nights away.
01:34 2024 will see some holidaymakers embark on their first journeys abroad since the outbreak
01:39 of the COVID-19 pandemic.
01:41 I would say for those people who haven't travelled away for a long time is go and visit your
01:45 local independent travel agent who will give you that key advice.
01:48 They'll hold your hand on every step of the way.
01:50 They'll let you know what forms you may need to fill in prior to travelling because things
01:54 have changed in the last few years.
01:57 But definitely go and see somebody to ask them their advice.
02:01 Let them know what you're looking for in a holiday personally and they can make the recommendations
02:05 to you so you can find the right match for your perfect holiday.
02:09 As for when to book, many like to lock in the dates for their calendars.
02:13 This time of year in January is the best time of the year to be booking your holiday.
02:17 Whether you're looking for a family holiday overseas or a city break or a multi-destinational
02:22 holiday, there's some phenomenal deals in January at the moment and agents are extremely
02:28 busy right now.
02:29 There's so many destinations that I've personally been to around the globe.
02:32 Some in South America are always my favourites.
02:35 Africa, I just can't beat a safari in Africa at all.
02:39 I'm standing in Roundhay Park now and it's like 2 degrees and it's extremely cold.
02:43 But when I think about it, I can jump on a flight now, at Leeds Bradford Airport, I can
02:47 be in Malaga in two and a half hours, enjoy the sunshine and the blue skies at 22 degrees
02:52 and even if you just go there for three nights and experience that, it can do a lot to yourself
02:57 as well.
02:58 So you just feel so much better, you feel revitalised, re-energised and ready to take
03:03 on 2024.