Society & Culture1 min ago
Winter Sun
Are there sites to find good deals for pensioners long term winter sun in Europe , not fussed on the Canaries six to 12 weeks ?
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If you don't mind a longer flight try Goa. I spent the best part of February there and it seemed like half the British pensioner population was there! They go out for the whole winter because it's so cheap. I only saw one cloud in the whole time we were there. Guaranteed sunshine (was hot though but I like that)
You need to clarify whay you mean by Winter sun. The sun shines way more say in Spain & Italy in the winter than it does in the UK (clear skies, less cloud). It's still cold though.
If you mean you want to see the sun in a coat you can go to lots more places. If you want to be warm and sit outside in a tshirt then the Canaries (or maybe Madeira?) is pretty much the only place that would do for that in the winter in Europe.
Even the best travel agents in the world can't change the way that the Earth revolves around the sun. Nowhere in Europe can be guaranteed to be particularly warm in the winter months. That's why people travel further south to Africa (or, for those with really big budgets, to Australia, etc).
The only two African destinations which can be reached on a restricted budget are the Canary Islands and Madeira. (Yes, I know that they're both politically 'European' but they're most definitely geographically 'African' and it's geography which matters here).
So, if you're not too keen on the Canary Islands, perhaps you could look for a good deal on Madeira, using a site such as Vrbo, where there appear to be some good prices on offer:
https:/
easyJet fly from Gatwick and Manchester to Funchal. Jet2 have services from Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle. There are Ryanair flights from Stansted and Manchester, with TUI offering flights from Birmingham and Manchester. BA flights to Funchal depart from Heathrow until 26 October and from Gatwick thereafter.
The only other destination I can think of (which doesn't require mega-bucks but which should offer some winter sun) is Cyprus which, geographically (rather than politically) is in Asia.
If you're travelling for a long-stay holiday anywhere within the Schengen territories though (which includes the Canary Islands, Madeira and Cyprus), remember that your total stay within those territories in any 180-day rolling period mustn't exceed 90 days unless you've obtained a visa. (e.g. if you take an 84-day break in, say, Madeira, you'll then only be able to visit France, Spain, Germany or wherever for a maximum of 6 days in total during the the following 96 days).
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