Ask Joan: Cricket breaks and singles holidays

My husband is passionate about cricket and I would like to get him a visit to The Oval and take in a few days in London. Are there cricket breaks that include tickets to games? – FK, Sligo.

There are two major events for cricket fans on at the Kia Oval in 2015, the England v New Zealand, Royal London ODI on June 12th and the final test of the Ashes series, England v Australia from August 20th–24th, 2015, kiaoval.com. These are the events and dates you would be looking at booking for the trip to London.

Knowing the dates well in advance does help with booking flights and accommodation. Tickets for cricket at this level are always pricey. The members' ballot for tickets is already done and your options to get tickets are the following: buy tickets from touchlinetickets.com. Prices are from £175-£699, (€224-€892) per day plus £25 (€32) delivery, depending on which stand you choose. Flights and hotel bookings would have to be done by you.

Or book a package with Keith Prowse Travel in Dublin and the price will include flights, two nights' hotel accommodation and stand tickets with hospitality, from €869-€1,149pps for the England v New Zealand. The Ashes 5th Test in August will cost from €835-€1,173pps depending on days and stand chosen. Details from 01-878 3500 and keithprowse.ie.

As you will be making a holiday of the trip, you could also take him to visit London's other famous cricket club, Lords. You can book tours of the grounds for £18 (€23), lords.org

I am a single lady approaching the 40 mark and I want to go on a singles holiday next summer. Ideally, I am hoping for the summer alternative to the Today FM ski trip – lots of people, sun in lieu of snow, some activity and most importantly a lot of craic. Are there any good tours that you could recommend in June? – DG, Galway.

The TodayFM ski trip sounds like brilliant fun and I don’t know if there is anything that can compare to it for the craic – 500 Irish people having fun in the snow is hard to beat.

The nearest I can come up with is a trip to Andalucia with the Travel Department for a week. It is a solo-friendly holiday and will include breakfast and dinner each day and guided tours of Seville, Granada and Cordoba. You will also have the opportunity to lie by the pool and relax. It costs from €799. See traveldepartment.ie.

Friendship Travel, based in Co Antrim, has quite an extensive range of singles holidays to Spain, Turkey, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Morocco, Jamaica, and Mexico.

European holidays range from £595-£995 (€759-€1,270) for a week including flights, most meals and some drinks. There are also some sailing holidays in June in Turkey and Croatia. These are small groups on traditional gulets in Turkey and island hopping in Croatia, costing from £795-£995 (€1,014-€1,270).

Another option is to go on an activity holiday where there will be other lone travellers. Exodus Holidays have been popular in the Irish market for years. You could be exploring the Amalfi Coast, walking in the Picos de Europe or staying with a Cuban family in June. See exodus.com, 01-8047153.

G Adventures also has a great variety of holidays all over the world and I know that some of them attract people travelling on their own. You could give them a call, 01-6971360, to see which holidays in June might be suitable.

Send your queries to jscales@irishtimes.com