Make your waves, your way

One million Irish people went on package holidays last year, and the Holiday World Experience at the RDS offers plenty of choice. But if you want to go it alone, there's more scope than ever to plan your own itinerary, aided and abetted by travel web-sites and cheap flights

It may not quite fit with the backpacker ethic, but there are some who will spend €30,000 on a trip, if it means avoiding the package deals. It's a lot of money to bypass reps in bright turquoise uniforms, kids' clubs, bland food, pre-packaged culture and the constant threat of karaoke.

It also means they can avoid the rotting beach hut, cold shower and hole in the ground for a toilet. It's about getting away from the package holiday grind - and doing it in style.

They may be a rare breed, but there are still holidaymakers for whom as much enjoyment comes in planning and organising the holidays as in going on them.

There's hardly a part of the world left that cannot be done through a package deal, and most of them will be found at the Holiday World Experience, which begins at the RDS today. It marks the true rush for the travel agent counters. Last year, the Irish went on one million package holidays and in 2003 that figure is expected to jump another 5 per cent.

Over the New Year, 19 people camped for 86 hours outside Budget Travel on Dublin's Baggot Street in the hope of getting a cheap deal in the sun. There are a lot of people who like to write one cheque in February and not have to plan a thing other than the mosquito repellant.

The practicalities of the package deal are obvious, but DIY holidays can be more satisfiying, even if some of the same rules apply. "You do tend to get what you pay for," says Paul Fitzgerald of Trailfinders. "If a deal looks too good to be true, then it usually is." Trailfinders specialises in helping people mix and match to create their own itineraries.

"People of all ages travel independently, the difference is in how much money they spend." Most budgets are far more modest than €30,000, but independent travelling does not mean backpacking.

"More mature travellers tend to stay in good hotels, and they do more research in advance. They know where they're going to be when, while younger travellers tend not to plan so much."

Being adventurous about the holiday plans, does not mean playing Russian Roulette with the accommodation and flights. "They tend to book things in advance, to minimise the risk. If they are travelling with a family or a group, they will want to make sure that there will be a rental car at the airport that will fit everybody. They will want to have accommodation booked in advance, because they won't want to get off a flight and find that there's a festival on and there's no space. If you have two weeks of holiday, you want to make sure you're not wasting any time. It's about being prepared rather than going on a standard package deal," Fitzgerald says.

It's to those whose luggage includes children that the package holiday is most attractive. The reps entertaining to the point of exhaustion, the unfussy food, other kids to make friends with.

"We tend not to see too many families coming in here. There may be some more intrepid families, or wealthier ones, and they might go to Thailand or the United States. But people with children tend to stay closer to home, either by holidaying at home or by going to Europe" he says.

But there are some willing to risk going it alone. Aran McMahon, a Galway DJ and journalist, last year spent six months travelling the world with his wife Anna. They went through North America, Australia, New Zealand and what he calls the "child friendly" Asia of Bali, Hong Kong and Singapore. It needed to be child friendly, because they brought their three-year-old Rory with them. "He was a real passport, our little ambassador. The difference it makes in how people treat you is incredible," he says. Doing it your own way, though, poses particular problems, whether it's on a camping holiday in France or a round-the-world trip. Lonely Planet produced a guide to Travelling with Children, but experience tends to be the best teacher.

"Make sure that you always request the window seat on check-in," says Aran.

"There is nothing like the view from 20,000 feet as a distraction. Also, it's worth asking the airline for the kids' meal option when making your ticket purchase. They're basically the same as the adult ones, but with a treat and a few make-and-do goodies. It may not sound like much, but just wait until the kid in the opposite aisle gets the last one." Timing your flights right can be a lifesaver. "Try and keep in mind established sleeping times when looking at flight times. We found Trailfinders to be most helpful in this regard when booking our tickets. Rory ended up sleeping for most of the flight from San Diego to Auckland and from Singapore to Rome - both 12 hour flights."

On the road, goodies are vital. There are no kids' clubs to entertain. Long stretches of motorway aren't the best replacement. "Distractions, distractions, distractions - small toys, books, colouring stuff - all good." Bring plenty of kids' CDs, he recommends. "I can now sing every note of The Jungle Book soundtrack." Food can pose a problem too. Whereas package deals will guarantee chicken and chips in the hotel every night, independent travellers do not have that luxury.

"Some of the car companies will offer you a 'Picnic kit' for a small fee. Take it. When you're on the road, it's great to have the equipment to be able to knock up a wee ham and cheese sandwich for the little man if the goats' cheese and chilli marmalade foccacia at the local deli isn't hitting the spot," McMahon adds.

There are ways, too, of going independently but without leaving behind too many of the comforts of home. The increasingly popular house swap holidays mean getting the comforts of someone else's home instead. You swap cars and friends.

"You basically swap lives," says Gerry Lally. He, his wife Kathy and their three children last year swapped their Co Louth home with a family from Sacramento in California. They spent seven weeks living there, using it as a base for touring the state. It was their fourth house swap, having previously swapped with families from Denver, Niagara in Canada and Switzerland. "Obviously it's a trust thing," he says. "You have to trust them, but they have to trust you too."

The swaps are organised through Intervac, an international company with an office in Drogheda, which publishes a brochure with details of all those interested. Prospective swappers get in contact months in advance. It can pay to move into a house already occupied by kids of the same age as yours, as they will have the right toys. And while swappers may plan to overlap stays - so that each family can introduce the other to the house - sometimes the two will pass each other in the air.

While it might seem an eccentric way of planning a holiday, Gerry Lally says that he couldn't recommend it highly enough.

"I've yet to hear of a bad experience. The only difficulty may be in matching up holidays. We're both teachers, and it's difficult to find people who can take four or five week holidays. It is, though, a fascinating way to spend your time, literally living in another country."

It may not be one for the family, but there are also more and more people using a foreign trek as an opportunity to raise money for charity while also enjoying a break. Concern last year brought 160 people to Nepal on four separate trips and this year plans trips to Nepal and Namibia.

The catch is that you must raise €4,000 to join the party (last year Concern raised €200,000 through these treks), but they are becoming increasingly popular for couples and groups of freinds.

"Last year we had one married couple who took it in turns to go on the trek while the other stayed at home and looked after the children," according to trek co-ordinator Donal D'Arcy.

Concern has found that people sometimes extend their trip by a week or two and use it astheir main holiday of the year.

While some charities charge for the extension of the stay, Concern don't and will advise people on accommodation and any activities they may be interested in doing, although they won't book them.

"It's a package holiday, in that we include food and accommodation and organise the treks. But it's a package holiday with a difference." The best of both worlds, then.