Your questions answered
Where can I find a long cruise for an elderly friend?
QI have an elderly friend, now frail on her feet, with a super-active mind who adored foreign travel all her life. She is not really suited to air travel any longer. I wondered if there would be a relatively long cruise from Dublin to the Mediterranean. It would be important to have total confidence in safety and hygiene conditions where an elderly person is concerned. My friend could possibly travel with an able and attentive niece.
John F, Dublin
This year, we will have around 14 cruises collecting passengers in Dublin or Cork for voyages as far north as Iceland, as far east as Greece and as south as the Canary Islands. There is a cruise with Fred Olsen Cruise Lines from April 25 for three weeks called the Mediterranean Kaleidoscope. It will call first to Greenock, a lovely trip up the west coast of Scotland, before proceeding to Gibraltar, Cagliari, Tunis, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Malta, Tangier, Lisbon and back to Dublin. It is priced from €2,553 per person sharing. Fred Olsen has a name for being solid and reliable but the Black Prince is an older ship. A brand new ship the MSC Poesia will be taking passengers from Cork on April 8th for an 11-day trip around the Med calling at Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome, Dubrovnik and ending up in Venice, where you fly home. Prices are from €870 sharing an inside twin. Details from John Galligan Travel on www.jgt.ie and 01-2076555.
QI read the recent article by Manchán Magan about La Gomera and getting there by ferry. Is it possible to island hop to all of the Canary Islands via ferry or hydrofoil? I have asked this question many times of travel agents but nobody seems to know. I have never been to the Canary Islands but would like to go as an independent traveller and visit all the islands.
Jerry, Ennis, Co Clare
You can travel by ferry all around the seven main islands of the Canary Islands easily, namely Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma. As the islands are stretched out in a long rectangle, I suggest you begin in Lanzarote and island hop your way to La Palma from where you can take a ferry to Algeciras on the Spanish mainland, about two hours from Malaga.
If you have time for a side trip, Isla Graciosa on the north end of Lanzarote is worth a visit. You can check out routes, timings and prices on www.naviera-armas.com around the Canary Island and www.transmediterranea.es for ferries to Spain.
QPlease consider the plight of the single person. I would dearly love to plonk myself down by a pool or a beach to avail of a bit of sun during the winter but it is very hard to do so alone. I have travelled alone in the past, but it is lonely and stressful. I have no desire to engage in strenuous activities but am open to some activity. I am also interested in city breaks and cultural tours.
In need of sun
Sorry to say that there is little available for single travellers, a situation that has not improved in recent years, despite the growth of foreign travel. But I do have some suggestions. Friendship Travel is based in Northern Ireland and arranges short city breaks, sun holidays in Greece and Turkey and some exotic trips to the Caribbean and spa resorts. They will book you from your nearest airport. See www.friendshiptravel.com or 048-94462211.
The Patt Club in Donegal offers a small selection of trips each year to members. It is part of Driftaway Travel. In May, there is a week in the Algarve, staying in four-star accommodation with entertainment, including some leading artists from the country music scene, priced from €899 plus single supplement. Also in May, a tour to California and Las Vegas with three Daniel O'Donnell concerts from €1,799. The summer programme should be available shortly. Log on to www.thepattclub.ie or tel: 074-9128238. When it comes to city breaks and culture, The Irish Times readers travel service takes many lone travellers on trips each year. Watch the paper for offers and talk to our travel partner about the mix of people going.
Go contactE-mail questions to jscales@irish-times.ie