Coach tours can be a great way to explore and get off the beaten track, and there is a wide range of options to suit different budgets and ages.
Better still, selling coach tours can offer healthy commission. Below is a selection of what’s available.
Best for older travellers
Best for older travellers What? Best of Belgium
Why? Travellers will be based in Ostend, a hit with the Brits thanks to its quaint fishing harbour and specialist shops.
The laid-back programme includes cultural and coastal attractions, art, architecture, horticulture, seafood and shopping, as well as the famous Dutch bulbfields at Keukenhof.
Grand UK Holidays organises hundreds of escorted holidays exclusively for the over-55s. It gears them towards like-minded folk who prefer active exploring to sitting on a beach.
The tours are ideal for solo travellers as there are no single supplements, and there is also a variety of singles-only trips.
Who would it suit? Anyone over the age of 55 and single travellers.
Sample package: £219 per person for the five-day Belgium escorted coach tour, including bed and breakfast and channel crossings, departing May 19.
Best for cities
Best for citiesWhat? Cosmopolitan Europe
Why? Enjoy a whirlwind tour of Europe’s most exciting cities, including Vienna, Venice, Rome, Florence, Paris, Brussels and Prague, with Cosmos Tourama.
A Rhine river cruise and a canal boat ride in Venice are among the excursions on offer.
Cosmos Tourama senior product manager David Binns said: “Clients can see the most famous sights in Europe in one holiday. It’s a hectic schedule but you spend two nights in each destination so you have time to enjoy it.”
Who would it suit? Over-55s and tourists visiting the UK from abroad who want to see more of Europe.
Sample package: £895 per person for the 14-night tour with Cosmos, including coach travel from London, bed and breakfast, some meals and excursions, departing May 17.
Best for luxury
Best for luxuryWhat? Grand Tour Italy
Why? Experience Italy’s famous attractions on this Shearings Holidays tour, which features the romantic cities of Rome and Venice, Romeo and Juliet’s Verona, and Pisa, with its famous leaning tower.
With leather reclining seats, personal entertainment and, the company claims, 50% more legroom than any other coach, the Grand Tourer offers the ultimate in five-star coaching comfort.
Who would it suit? Older travellers with cash to splash.
Sample package: £1,069 for the 13-night tour, including breakfast and dinner, departing May 25.
Best for young people
Best for young peopleWhat? Eastern Road Trip
Why? Starting and ending in the hip city of Berlin, this Contiki tour takes in six countries, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
Visit the concentration camp of Auschwitz and spend two nights in the Bohemian city of Cracow. This tour is organised at a relatively slow pace to allow travellers to get an in-depth knowledge of the culture of Eastern Europe.
Contiki has more than 100 itineraries that range from three to 46-day adventures. The emphasis is on socialising, wild nights out and adrenalin-packed activities.
Who would it suit? Contiki caters for 18 to 35-year-olds.
Sample package: £805 for 12 days, including accommodation, six dinners and all breakfasts, departing May 17.
Best for exotic
Best for exoticWhat? The Wonders of Iceland
Why? Steaming geysers, mud pots and scenic wonders make up the strange and dramatic landscape of Iceland.
Owing to its location on a Mid-Atlantic ridge, Iceland is volcanically active. Here, adventurous eaters can feast on puffin and rotten shark meat, washed down with a wee dram or two of the disturbingly-named Black Death (apparently the locals never touch the stuff unless feeling patriotic). But, be warned, alcohol tends to be expensive.
Collette has a week’s tour of the country, which takes in the city of Reykjavik, the famous Blue Lagoon, a natural geothermal pool in the midst of a lava field, and the two-tiered Gullfoss Waterfall.
For a similarly enchanting holiday, head to Russia with Cosmos Tourama on its eight-day tour of Moscow and St Petersburg.
Who would it suit? Well-heeled travellers with a taste for adventure.
Sample package: Collette offers a seven-night Wonders of Iceland tour from £1,249, including flights and transfers, departing September 21.
