Tips on Booking the Perfect Walking Holiday

We’ve been talking to Mike and Paula of Pinnacle Walking Holidays about the questions they get asked when someone is thinking about a walking holiday. They told us that it is well worth doing plenty of research beforehand and, to help, they have put together some walking holiday tips to ensure your experience is a memorable one; in a good way! Okay so you’ve decided to take a walking holiday, sounds great fun, fresh air, exercise and the company of likeminded people. However choosing the wrong type of holiday could be a miserable experience, it’s so important to choose the right one for you.

Guided or Self-Guided?

First thing, decide if you want guided or self-guided:

• Self-guided provides you with a map and concise routes so it’s important you can use a map and compass. A major benefit of self-guided is that you can go at your own pace.
• A guided walking holiday gives you the opportunity to socialise with a larger group and the security of being led by an expert who knows the area well. Perhaps the down-side is that you have to go at the walking pace of the slowest person, it’s a compromise you have to consider.

 

Choosing the Right Company

When looking through brochures or on the Internet, make sure you check out:

• Group size: We think a walking group should be no larger than 12.
• Location and how you get there: Walking in remote mountainous regions might be appealing, but not if it takes two days to get there, two days to get back and you only have a week’s holiday.
• What’s included in the price: Check out accommodation, flights, transfers, breakfast, lunch and dinner, drinks, lift passes.
• The walk itinerary: These can vary considerably from challenging trekking in the mountains to low level walking in the countryside. Look at the grades of walk on offer and select one that suits your level of fitness.

 

Prepare in Advance

Walking holidays allow you to improve your fitness while you enjoy the great outdoors, but whatever grade of walking holiday you choose make sure you do plenty of walking before you go; this helps avoid aching limbs and sore feet especially if you have new boots or are doing multi-day walk itineraries. If the walking holiday you choose is at altitude, you should also allow a few days to acclimatise in your travel itinerary.  

Clothing and Equipment

Taking the right gear is very important, to help we have put together a list of items that would cover the walking part of most walking holidays; and, of course, if you’re missing anything Simply Hike can help.

• Walking boots –probably better to go for expensive rather than cheap, you will only end up buying another pair quite soon after; think of them as an investment.
• Waterproof jacket and trousers
• Walking trousers/shorts
• Walking T-shirts
• Comfortable underwear
• Soft shell/fleece jacket
• Good walking socks
• Warm hat/gloves
• Day sack
• Sunglasses/lip block/sunhat
• Water bottle-at least 1 litre capacity
• Basic first aid kit
• Walking/trekking poles
• Camera/binoculars
• Map and compass for the area you are walking in
• Dry-sacks or polythene bags to keep clothing and other belongings dry

If the walking holiday you book is more extreme or adventurous make sure you ask about any special equipment you might need like crampons or ropes. There are so many walking holiday companies to choose from offering a huge variety of holidays; an important consideration is how much of the organising you want to do yourself. We are always keen to ease the burden of organising; after all it is supposed to be a holiday.  

Join Mike & Paula in the French Alps and get £50 Off

Explore some of the most stunning mountain scenery in the world in the company of Mike and Paula of Pinnacle Walking Holidays next Spring/Summer and, EXCLUSIVELY for customers of Simply Hike, get £50 off per person. For details of their all-inclusive week long chalet-style walking holiday CLICK HERE: To claim your discount simply tell Paula “Chris from Simply Hike” sent you. Terms & Conditions

• Booking must be made and deposit paid by 31^st December 2014.
• Offer is subject to availability and is only available on the Walking Holiday in the French Alps commencing 20^th June 2015.
• A discount of £50 per person off the full advertised price and will be deducted from the final balance payment.