• Continental holidays return between 7-10pm
with the earliest return times at Leicester Forest East Interchange and the
latest return times at Sheffield. Weekend No change of Coach holidays will
normally return between 7-9pm.
Luggage
Luggage allowance is limited to 15kg per
person. Due to Health and Safety regulations our drivers are not
permitted to lift any baggage over 15kg. If your bag appears to be over
this limit it may be refused or you will be asked to load it yourself.
If you wish to bring any items over this limit, including collapsible
wheelchairs and mobility scooters, you must notify Skills in writing
before your tour departs. Battery driven chairs cannot be accepted.
• Our holidays by air have a
luggage allowance of 20kg in the hold and 5kg for hand baggage.
Overnight Bags
On some holidays where we make an
overnight stop before continuing on to our destination, you may wish to
bring a small overnight bag to avoid removing your main luggage from the
coach hold for this one night. Please look for the symbol in our
brochure which indicates you are able to do this. Please note, overnight
bags MUST be locked in the coach luggage lockers overnight to comply
with insurance policy. Any items left in the passenger compartment will
NOT be insured.
• Some insurance companies
may not insure your luggage if you leave it on the coach overnight,
please check with your insurance firm before leaving your luggage on the
coach. If you have taken out Skills insurance then your luggage is
insured provided it is locked in the coach luggage locker.
Passports and Visas
When travelling abroad it is your
responsibility to have all the relevant visas and documentation.
Generally British Passport holders do not need visas to travel to most
European countries (apart from Russia). However we do recommend that you
check with the relevant country's embassy before you travel. Non British
passport holders may need visas and should check before booking their
holiday.
• Please ensure that your passport is
valid for at least 6 months after your return to the UK, and that it has
at least 3 pages blank in case of immigration formalities.
Duty Free
Any person travelling to the UK from an
EU country may bring back up to 800 cigarettes or 200 cigars or 1kg of
tobacco and 2 cases or beer or wine. These are the maximum amounts
allowed due to weight and space restrictions on our coaches and may be
reduced by the driver at his discretion. If you are returning to the UK
from a non EU country then different duty free limits will apply. Please
see below for current allowances (please note these are subject to
change without notice):
200 cigarettes; or 100 cigarillos; or 50
cigars; or 250 grams of tobacco
Wines & spirits allowance
2 litres of still table wine or 1 litre
of spirits or strong liqueurs over 22% volume; or 2 litres of fortified
wine, sparkling wine or other liqueurs
Perfume allowance 60cc/ml of perfume
250cc/ml of toilet water and £145 worth of all other goods including
gifts and souvenirs
Vaccinations and
Health
For health advice please refer to the
leaflet Health Advice for Travellers issued by the Department of Health.
This information can be obtained at Post Offices, on their website at
www.dh.gov.uk/travellers on Ceefax pages 460-464 or by calling 0800
555 777. The leaflet includes an application for an E111 form which
entitles British citizens to free or reduced cost healthcare in EU
countries. We recommend that you obtain this in addition to your travel
insurance.
If your E111 form was issued before 19
August 2004 you will need to obtain a new one as any E111s issued before
that date are now invalid. On 31 December 2005 the E111 form was
replaced by a new European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which is free to
all EU members. Further details are available on the Department of
Health website above.
• We also recommend that you check with
your GP before departure to make sure you are fit to travel.
Foreign Office
The British Foreign &
Commonwealth Office Travel Advice Unit gives advice for British Citizens
travelling abroad. Information can be found on their website www.fco.gov.uk,
on Ceefax page 470, or by phone on 0870 606 0290
Currency
The Euro is now the common currency in 12
European countries: France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg,
Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Greece, Finland and Portugal.
You may use Euros in any of the above countries, regardless of where you
obtained them.
The following countries currencies are:
Croatia - Kuna
Czech Republic - Koruna
Most currency can be bought before you
travel by logging onto our website and clicking on Order Money. Some
currencies cannot be obtained outside of the country in which they are
used, in which case you will be advised to take travellers cheques in
either £ sterling or US $.
• Credit cards are accepted in most
countries and Maestro debit cards are now being phased in as well.
DVT
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood
clot that develops in a deep vein, usually in the leg. This can happen
if the vein is damaged or if the flow of blood slows down or stops.
Medical research has shown that DVT may be associated with any form of
long-distance travel whether by air, car, coach or train. We therefore
recommend that you consult a doctor if you have:
• Ever had DVT or pulmonary embolism
• A family history of clotting conditions
• An inherited tendency to clot
• Cancer, or treatment for cancer in the
past
• Undergone major surgery within the last
3 months
• Ever suffered from a stroke, heart or
lung disease.
• During your holiday there are certain
exercises that can reduce the risk of DVT if you are sitting
down for long periods of time such as; pulling the toes
towards the knees then relaxing, or pressing the balls of
the feet down while raising the heel. We recommend that you
try these exercises while seated.
Telephone Dailing
Codes
To dial the UK from overseas use the
international dialing code from the country you are in (usually 00) plus
44 for the UK plus the normal UK telephone number omitting the first 0.
Eg, to call Skills Holidays from France dial 00 44 115 977 0080.
International dialing codes from the UK
to other countries are:
Electricity
Mains voltage in Europe is 220
volts AC which is the same as the UK. Most of your electronic appliances
will work as they do at home as long as you use an adapter plug (which can
be bought in shops such as Boots)