To see some photos from the visit to Romania click here.
Organisers
| Samina Aslam | Co-ordinator | (0114) 235 1489 | Samina Aslam |
| Brain Cave | Treasurer | (0114) 230 5312 | Brian Cave |
Holidays are open to all Su3a members.
If you have a destination that is unusual or you think would be of interest to our Su3a members please contact any of the ETG organisers, we would love to hear from you.
We often have difficulty in securing a large number of single occupancy rooms. This is why we have to turn away many of you from our holidays. So, if all possible, please let us know on the application forms if you would be prepared to share a twinbedded room with a fellow traveller. You would only be called upon to do so if absolutely necessary.
Cancellations and insurance
All members are responsible for arranging their own insurance to cover the costs of cancellation (whether the deposit or full amount) through sickness, personal injury, any change of personal circumstances, accidents and loss of or damage to luggage or personal property.
Sheffield u3a cannot be responsible for any such claims
In case of cancellation please note that refunds for deposits or full amounts are subject to the travel operator’s terms and conditions and if a replacement (who must be a Sheffield u3a member) can be found by the organiser. All refunds are subject to an administration charge of £10.00
Anatomy of an EG Tour and registering your interest
It all starts with members of the ETG committee sitting around a table over coffee and biscuits putting forward ideas for future trips: how many in the year, which destinations, how many days, mode of transport, how many are likely to travel? This is just the start of the questions that need to be answered
At this point each member takes responsibility to research one or two of the options to return in a couple of months for review of the draft itinerary and final choice. We look at the standard of hotels, quality of local restaurants, what members might do with any free time, how much travel is involved to/from the area, flight times, hours in a coach etc. The draft itinerary is sent to a number of group travel specialists to provide an approximate cost per person for the trip.
To comply with u3a guidelines for 3rd party and personal liability insurance, we have to use an ABTA and ATOL registered travel operator for our travel and hotel bookings.
After about 2 months, when our research is completed, the ETG committee meets again to look in more detail at the tours. At this point together we look at costs, travel details, options, is it likely to attract enough travellers to make it viable, dates, who will lead from ETG and will it fit in with the other tours for that year. From all this we make the decision about which tours we will progress and when they should be advertised in the Links magazine.
The first advert in Links will give a description of the proposed tour with a guide to the itinerary and approximate cost. You will be invited to register your interest. Your response is important to us. Based on your response we decide whether we proceed with the trip or not. It is not a booking but is indicative of the likely number of members who would make a booking if this trip went ahead.
As you have seen, a lot of time and effort is spent in organising these trips and in the past we have cancelled trips through lack of interest. If you register your interest you will be given priority in the event that a trip is over subscribed.
If sufficient expressions of interest are received we than go back to the tour company and agree/negotiate the final details. This will include number and type of bedrooms, restaurants, day trips, travel details and final cost.
We then place an advert in Links for the tour and include an application form. This should be returned by the due date to the person leading this tour, together with your deposit and showing the type of bedroom required.
Single rooms are at a premium, which is why we ask if you would be prepared to share a bedroom.
Once the closing date is passed, the committee meets again to open the applications. If we do not have the minimum number of applications, we return the deposit cheque to the applicants. If we have more than we can cope with, we give priority to those that had sent in an expression of interest and the remaining are drawn out of a hat until the maximum number is achieved.
Successful applicants are sent a booking form, details of the itinerary and a receipt for their deposit. The booking form should be returned a.s.a.p.
A lot of work but worth it for a successful holiday!
We often have difficulty in securing a large number of single occupancy rooms. This is why we have to turn away many of you from our holidays. So, if all possible, please let us know on the application forms if you would be prepared to share a twinbedded room with a fellow traveller. You would only be called upon to do so if absolutely necessary.
Forthcoming trips and application forms
A Flavour of Sicily 1st – 8th April 2025
Little Boats of the Mediterranean – 27th September – 5th October 2025