Question
I’m determined to go to Monte Carlo for the Grand Prix this year and have noticed that flights to Nice have more than doubled in the last month. Do you have any money-saving tips for this trip?
Emma, via email
Answer
Monaco and budget are not two words you usually hear together! This doesn’t mean to say it is impossible, but it does require some effort.
Firstly, you must book your Grand Prix tickets as soon as you can, as they’re always in demand. This year’s event is over the weekend of May 26-27. The cheapest tickets are in the Secteur Rocher; for the Sunday tickets are £76.19 each, available through f1.com and acm.mc.
Accommodation will be your problem as Monaco is relatively small and places to stay are at a premium. The best advice is to stay outside Monaco and travel in. There are a large number of campsites in the area which you could cycle from – Beaulieu sur Mer is a popular resort 12km from Monaco. Another option is to stay a little further out of town and use the great network of trains. San Remo over the Italian border is a pretty resort, just over a one-hour train ride into Monaco (tickets £7 each way).
If you have plenty of time, driving to the French Riviera would be feasible (particularly if you have camping equipment), if you can bear the 15 hours in the car. Alternatively, you can fly to Nice for about £130 return with easyJet from Gatwick. While the train from London is an option, it works out more expensive than flying.
Question
My parents are coming to visit in October and I’m planning on going to Morocco with them. They’re worried about planning their own trip and were thinking about doing a tour. Can you provide some suggestions of tour companies that cater to people 35-55 years old and aren’t too expensive?
Brianna Marchant, via email
Answer
Your first choice is whether to choose a tour operator that includes flights and accommodation, or whether to book those independently. You can fly relatively cheaply with easyJet from Gatwick (currently £112 to Marrakech on October 6-13); bmi also fly from Heathrow. Booking a flight rather than a package is a good bet if budget is a priority.
Lonely Planet’s Morocco guide lists tour operators – authentic-morocco.com, supporting local communities, and equatorialtravel.co.uk, which offers tailor-made trips with a Fairtrade concept, are particularly good. In fact, there are so many companies to choose from, if you ask your parents what aspect of Morocco they are most interested in, you can then choose a tour operator to suit. There are operators that focus on historical, wildlife and adventure tours, for example.
Travelling independently around Morocco is possible, so your parents shouldn’t rule this out. However, if they want the hassle taken out of their trip, a tour is a great option and there is such a variety of tour groups, I’m sure they’ll find one to suit their needs.
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Secret beach
Sardinia is amazing, and I cannot recommend Arutas beach enough to anyone. It’s quite big, so not a secluded/ deserted spot, but it’s the sand that makes it special. Made up of small, round quartz grains, with colours that vary from pink to light-green to white, it’s pretty. And it means no itchy sand in your sun lotion, but is way more comfortable than a pebble beach as these tiny stones mould to your bum.
Catherine Bennion-Pedley, via email
Plastic fantastic
I keep all of my documents – passport, boarding pass, booking confirmations, insurance details – together in a plastic wallet. It saves them from getting battered or sodden when your water bottle inevitably leaks, and you know where they all are.
Ele Cooper, via email
