Ask the experts
Q&A Ask the experts
TheKnowledge Q How can I make
the panel Planning a trip? Get inside advice from the best in the business
money from my holiday snaps? SJ Watkins, by email
It’s easier than you think. Just sign up with one of the many online picture libraries by sending in a batch of high-res JPEGs (no more than 10) so they can assess your work. You don’t need to be David Bailey to be accepted. Just make sure your shots are crisp and uncluttered, easy to crop — and original. (They aren’t going to be short on images of the Taj Mahal, but they might not have many of street signs, for instance.) Where to start? Smaller, new-wave microstock sites, such as Fotolia (fotolia. com), istockphoto.com and 123RF (123rf. com) shift large numbers of royaltyfree images at low prices. The amount you’re paid varies, depending on the package you sign up to and the size and use of the image, but you could get anything from a few pence to a couple of pounds per use. Meanwhile, larger, established professional sites, such as alamy.com and gettyimages.com, sell fewer pictures for, among other things, one-time use. It’s harder to get pictures accepted, but if you do, you could get £10-£300 a go. Laura Goulden
A
Tamzin Reynolds Travel‘s deputy chief sub-editor and equestrian expert
Q Which UK
Laura Goulden Travel former staffer and photography enthusiast
music festivals are good for families? Mark Steen, by email
In general, festivals are more family-friendly than ever — some more than others, though. If it’s your first time, or your children are under five, stick with one that genuinely caters for kids. Camp Bestival, at Dorset’s Lulworth Castle, does just that: it has an art area, science and face-painting tents, fairground rides and bouncy castles (July 28-31; campbestival.net; adults £198, under-5s £15, under-10s £45). Older children in tow? Opt for a more adult fest, but with kid-friendly facilities — eg, Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire (August 3-6; wildernessfestival.com; adults from £169, under-5s £5, under-13s £35), where there are cricket matches, theatre, crafts, and a family campsite, plus babysitters, so parents can escape to banquets by top chef Nuno Mendes, Tate Britain talks, or a Neal’s Yard massage. Meanwhile, WOMAD is a mash-up of family-friendly world tunes, with a circus area and a storytelling tipi (womad.co.uk; July 27-30; adults from £175; under-14s free); and Green Man in the Brecon Beacons has a ‘Little Folk’ activity area (greenman.net; August 17-20; adults £180; under-13s £20; under-5s free). If in doubt, just go for a day: London’s Citadel Festival on July 16 has a family ‘rave’, with a kids’ play area (citadelfestival. com; adults £50, under 5s free, under 12s £6), while Jamie Oliver’s Big Feastival in the Cotswolds has day tickets where your brood can do cookery classes or see CBeebies superstars (August 26-28; uk.thebigfeastival.com; adults from £60; under-13s free). Alicia Miller
A
Alicia Miller Travel’s assistant editor and festival-goer
Q I’m going to Morocco and would like
to try a camel trek. Is it cruel? Camilla Wright, Dorchester
The answer — when dealing with all animals in a ‘commercial’ environment — is that it can be. So before living out your Lawrence of Arabia fantasy, do some research. Camels have been bred for transport for more than 3,000 years and although they’re highly valued by the locals whose livelihood depends on them, it’s not uncommon to see instances of maltreatment. Avoid camels with sores around the saddle or harness, and look out for bald patches, which can be signs of mange (though camels can naturally look patchy during the spring moulting season). SPANA, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad charity, has a guide to help tourists — see bit.ly/ HolidayHooves. Responsible handlers
A
38
Sunday Times Travel JUNE 2017
will welcome questions about how they treat their animals, the maximum load they can carry (the average camel shouldn’t carry more than 150kg), how long they work for each day, and whether they have regular access to vets for check-ups. Ask your hotel for recommendations, too. In Marrakech, for example, many work with carefully chosen handlers in the Palmeraie oasis, where an hour’s ride costs about £35. Or book a desert trek through a company with an ethical-tourism policy, such as responsibletravel.com, which vets all its providers. It has a four-day ‘Budget Camel Safari’ in the Sahara from £255pp, including food and accommodation in a Berber village. Tamzin Reynolds
Katie Bowman Travel’s features editor and Mexico regular l Write to Q&A, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Times Newspapers Ltd, 9th Floor, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF, or send an email to travelmag@ sundaytimes.co.uk. Unless you state otherwise, we will assume you are happy for your question to be printed
Q What should I
do on my stopover in Atlanta? Candice Faulker, by email
PHOTOGRAPHS: AWL IMAGES, GETTY
Paul Oswell Travel writer and Deep South regular
There’s never been a better time to visit, what with the city riding high thanks to cult-cool TV shows such as Fox TV’s Atlanta. Make your base the Glenn Hotel (glennhotel.com; doubles from £155, room only), a historic building with great rooftop views and close to major sites, including
A
Q I want to go to Mexico — where do I start?
Sophie Hahnemann, London
Mexico makes a thrilling first dip into Latin America . It’s got the temples, beaches and jungle of Belize or Guatemala, but affordable direct flights and the great hotels you’d expect from the Caribbean. Take two weeks and fly into Cancún (about 10 hours; direct with BA, Virgin, Thomson or Thomas Cook, from £450 return), then leave this high-rise resort immediately. You’re only 90 minutes from Tulum, a boho-beautiful beach town with boutique B&Bs, outdoor yoga, cenotes (sinkhole swimming), and great taco stalls (stay at Zamas from £109, room only; zamas.com). Or make for coastal Mayakoba, where a cluster of luxury
A
you’re two hours from the greatest mayan ruin STILL STANDING
hotels in the watery jungle give you an authentic taste of Mexico with five-star sprinkles. (Try low-key Rosewood, from £470, room only; rosewoodhotels.com.) Either way, you’re a mere two hours’ drive from Chichén Itzá (pictured)— the greatest Mayan ruin still standing. See it at its quietest by entering the park at 8am, before the tour buses descend (stay at Hacienda Chichén, from £94, B&B; haciendachichen.com). Before you head home, snorkel or dive with whale sharks off tiny Isla Mujeres island (stay at Hotel Secreto, from £122, room only; hotelsecreto.com). Katie Bowman
the Georgia Aquarium. From here, the city may look modern, but wait until you scratch the surface: must-dos include perusing Civil War exhibits at the Atlanta History Center (atlanta historycenter.com; £13), and visiting the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site (nps.gov/malu; free), where you’ll see the great man’s birthplace and a museum filled with his personal effects. End the day at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack (fatmattsribshack.com; mains about £21), which serves up the city’s famed BBQ with live blues. Paul Oswell JUNE 2017 Sunday Times Travel
39
TheKnowledge Q How can I make
the panel Planning a trip? Get inside advice from the best in the business
money from my holiday snaps? SJ Watkins, by email
It’s easier than you think. Just sign up with one of the many online picture libraries by sending in a batch of high-res JPEGs (no more than 10) so they can assess your work. You don’t need to be David Bailey to be accepted. Just make sure your shots are crisp and uncluttered, easy to crop — and original. (They aren’t going to be short on images of the Taj Mahal, but they might not have many of street signs, for instance.) Where to start? Smaller, new-wave microstock sites, such as Fotolia (fotolia. com), istockphoto.com and 123RF (123rf. com) shift large numbers of royaltyfree images at low prices. The amount you’re paid varies, depending on the package you sign up to and the size and use of the image, but you could get anything from a few pence to a couple of pounds per use. Meanwhile, larger, established professional sites, such as alamy.com and gettyimages.com, sell fewer pictures for, among other things, one-time use. It’s harder to get pictures accepted, but if you do, you could get £10-£300 a go. Laura Goulden
A
Tamzin Reynolds Travel‘s deputy chief sub-editor and equestrian expert
Q Which UK
Laura Goulden Travel former staffer and photography enthusiast
music festivals are good for families? Mark Steen, by email
In general, festivals are more family-friendly than ever — some more than others, though. If it’s your first time, or your children are under five, stick with one that genuinely caters for kids. Camp Bestival, at Dorset’s Lulworth Castle, does just that: it has an art area, science and face-painting tents, fairground rides and bouncy castles (July 28-31; campbestival.net; adults £198, under-5s £15, under-10s £45). Older children in tow? Opt for a more adult fest, but with kid-friendly facilities — eg, Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire (August 3-6; wildernessfestival.com; adults from £169, under-5s £5, under-13s £35), where there are cricket matches, theatre, crafts, and a family campsite, plus babysitters, so parents can escape to banquets by top chef Nuno Mendes, Tate Britain talks, or a Neal’s Yard massage. Meanwhile, WOMAD is a mash-up of family-friendly world tunes, with a circus area and a storytelling tipi (womad.co.uk; July 27-30; adults from £175; under-14s free); and Green Man in the Brecon Beacons has a ‘Little Folk’ activity area (greenman.net; August 17-20; adults £180; under-13s £20; under-5s free). If in doubt, just go for a day: London’s Citadel Festival on July 16 has a family ‘rave’, with a kids’ play area (citadelfestival. com; adults £50, under 5s free, under 12s £6), while Jamie Oliver’s Big Feastival in the Cotswolds has day tickets where your brood can do cookery classes or see CBeebies superstars (August 26-28; uk.thebigfeastival.com; adults from £60; under-13s free). Alicia Miller
A
Alicia Miller Travel’s assistant editor and festival-goer
Q I’m going to Morocco and would like
to try a camel trek. Is it cruel? Camilla Wright, Dorchester
The answer — when dealing with all animals in a ‘commercial’ environment — is that it can be. So before living out your Lawrence of Arabia fantasy, do some research. Camels have been bred for transport for more than 3,000 years and although they’re highly valued by the locals whose livelihood depends on them, it’s not uncommon to see instances of maltreatment. Avoid camels with sores around the saddle or harness, and look out for bald patches, which can be signs of mange (though camels can naturally look patchy during the spring moulting season). SPANA, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad charity, has a guide to help tourists — see bit.ly/ HolidayHooves. Responsible handlers
A
38
Sunday Times Travel JUNE 2017
will welcome questions about how they treat their animals, the maximum load they can carry (the average camel shouldn’t carry more than 150kg), how long they work for each day, and whether they have regular access to vets for check-ups. Ask your hotel for recommendations, too. In Marrakech, for example, many work with carefully chosen handlers in the Palmeraie oasis, where an hour’s ride costs about £35. Or book a desert trek through a company with an ethical-tourism policy, such as responsibletravel.com, which vets all its providers. It has a four-day ‘Budget Camel Safari’ in the Sahara from £255pp, including food and accommodation in a Berber village. Tamzin Reynolds
Katie Bowman Travel’s features editor and Mexico regular l Write to Q&A, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Times Newspapers Ltd, 9th Floor, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF, or send an email to travelmag@ sundaytimes.co.uk. Unless you state otherwise, we will assume you are happy for your question to be printed
Q What should I
do on my stopover in Atlanta? Candice Faulker, by email
PHOTOGRAPHS: AWL IMAGES, GETTY
Paul Oswell Travel writer and Deep South regular
There’s never been a better time to visit, what with the city riding high thanks to cult-cool TV shows such as Fox TV’s Atlanta. Make your base the Glenn Hotel (glennhotel.com; doubles from £155, room only), a historic building with great rooftop views and close to major sites, including
A
Q I want to go to Mexico — where do I start?
Sophie Hahnemann, London
Mexico makes a thrilling first dip into Latin America . It’s got the temples, beaches and jungle of Belize or Guatemala, but affordable direct flights and the great hotels you’d expect from the Caribbean. Take two weeks and fly into Cancún (about 10 hours; direct with BA, Virgin, Thomson or Thomas Cook, from £450 return), then leave this high-rise resort immediately. You’re only 90 minutes from Tulum, a boho-beautiful beach town with boutique B&Bs, outdoor yoga, cenotes (sinkhole swimming), and great taco stalls (stay at Zamas from £109, room only; zamas.com). Or make for coastal Mayakoba, where a cluster of luxury
A
you’re two hours from the greatest mayan ruin STILL STANDING
hotels in the watery jungle give you an authentic taste of Mexico with five-star sprinkles. (Try low-key Rosewood, from £470, room only; rosewoodhotels.com.) Either way, you’re a mere two hours’ drive from Chichén Itzá (pictured)— the greatest Mayan ruin still standing. See it at its quietest by entering the park at 8am, before the tour buses descend (stay at Hacienda Chichén, from £94, B&B; haciendachichen.com). Before you head home, snorkel or dive with whale sharks off tiny Isla Mujeres island (stay at Hotel Secreto, from £122, room only; hotelsecreto.com). Katie Bowman
the Georgia Aquarium. From here, the city may look modern, but wait until you scratch the surface: must-dos include perusing Civil War exhibits at the Atlanta History Center (atlanta historycenter.com; £13), and visiting the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site (nps.gov/malu; free), where you’ll see the great man’s birthplace and a museum filled with his personal effects. End the day at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack (fatmattsribshack.com; mains about £21), which serves up the city’s famed BBQ with live blues. Paul Oswell JUNE 2017 Sunday Times Travel
39
