Canterbury Travel

Canterbury Travel has been announced as the winner of Best Family Holiday Gold Award in the prestigious 2018 British Travel Awards. The announcement was made on 28 November at a glamorous Gala Awards ceremony, held in London and attended by more than 800 travel industry people.
Jacqui Banham Managing Director said: ‘Delighted and proud to have been awarded Best Family Holiday Company Gold for 2018, this means so much for our team and it’s recognition for all their hard work.... Thank you to everyone that voted for us.’
British Travel Awards’ chief executive Lorraine Barnes Burton said: “Canterbury Travel is to be congratulated on winning Best Family Holiday Company. The British Travel Awards are the only travel industry accolade voted for exclusively by the consumer and the Awards serve to recognise all that is great about travel, as experienced by the travelling public. To win a British Travel Award is a true achievement.”
The British Travel Awards is a proudly independent organisation, verified by leading global business practitioners Deloitte.
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UPDATE: SNOW CONDITIONS IN LAPLAND
There has been fresh snowfall most days this week in all locations, still lower levels than one would expect but certainly allowing our activities to go ahead, as planned.
For tours of 2, 3 & 4 nights:... Our first tour is coming to a successful conclusion in Luosto and more clients are on their way today.
There is snow due everyday through to the end of next week in the Pyha Luosto area and we anticipate an additional 10cm or so by next Friday. Please be reassured that even if air temperatures rise to 2 or 3 degrees, the ground is already so cold and rock hard icy underneath that snow does not simply melt away.
To repeat our previous statement, a core part of the itinerary that we offer is the Search for Santa, following the story and the clues and the interaction with our character elves; that will go ahead with no planned adaptations with the exception of the possibility of using quad bikes instead of snowmobiles to pull sleighs, for reasons of safety (better torque on the snow). The quads have a level of traction far superior to the snowmobiles and will be used to pull sleighs in the event that the level of snow is not as deep as we need for the safe operation of the snowmobile sleigh.
Snow machines have already been in use to prepare tracks for the rides - but this is normal practice anyway.
For Enchanting Lapland day trips: Again, there has been more snowfall this week but heavier snow is due tonight. We are ready for our first visitors this weekend and our husky and reindeer tracks and the snowcastle are ready and waiting for you.
Unless tonight's snow changes the situation, we will, as previously stated, supplement the skidoo and sleigh safari from the airport this weekend with a bus transfer but we will include an additional skidoo and sleigh safari around the lake, on location to ensure that all clients get to enjoy this experience.
We continue to stay in close contact with our suppliers and our team of staff on resort and now that tours are underway, we are able to reassure those yet to travel, that we are all working towards ensuring that our clients have the most magical time in Lapland.
Jacqui Banham | Managing Director
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Our awesome coach guides ready and waiting to greet our first passengers today

Our first customers of the season have checked-in and will be heading off to Lapland soon.

Monday 26th November 2018
We are pleased to report that snow has fallen in all locations (Luosto / Pyha and Enontekio) over the weekend and again this morning. Small flurries of snow are due most days this week with heavier snowfall predicted over next weekend.
For tours of 2, 3 & 4 nights: ... The advertised activities - reindeer, husky, snowmobile rides will all be available, using the same routes as usual and our local suppliers and ground staff reassure us that the fresh snowfall is now making the area look prettier.
A core part of the itinerary that we offer is the Search for Santa, following the story and the clues and the interaction with our character elves; that will go ahead with no planned adaptations with the exception of the possibility of using quad bikes instead of snowmobiles to pull sleighs, for reasons of safety (better torque on the snow). The quads have a level of traction far superior to the snowmobiles and will be used to pull sleighs in the event that the level of snow is not as deep as we need for the safe operation of the snowmobile sleigh.
Snow machines have already been in use to prepare tracks for the rides - but this is normal practice anyway.
For Enchanting Lapland day trips: There has been more snowfall in this region and the area is under a blanket of snow with more due as this week progresses. The reindeer and husky areas have been prepared in advance and snow machines have already been in use to prepare tracks for the rides - but this is normal practice anyway. The husky and reindeer rides will take place in exactly the correct way with no adjustments. The snow castle has been built and is ready for visitors. The area for toboggans and children's snowmobiles is being worked on now and will be ready for use in plenty of time for the first trip, this weekend.
For those travelling on Saturday 1st December and Sunday 2nd December, we are likely to supplement the skidoo and sleigh transfer from the airport grounds to location with a bus transfer - this is for reasons of safety. However, in place of this, an extended snowmobile and sleigh safari will be provided around the lake in resort. This extended safari will ensure that you still get to enjoy this excursion and is in addition to the sleigh ride across to find Santa.
All Canterbury Travel tours will go ahead, we are fortunate to operate in these areas, away from the main tourist areas and we have the infrastructure in place to prepare snow in advance and work with the local team to ensure that we are ready for when our customers arrive.
We have all worked tirelessly over the last few days to cover every eventuality; we cannot do anything about the weather but we can and have been working to ensure that we are prepared and ready for the arrival of our customers.
Jacqui Banham | Managing Director
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Tricky Dicky heard a rumour that Mrs Claus is baking ginger biscuits today http://ow.ly/OD0Q30mE68W

Have you got that Friday feeling? Still time to book your day trip to Lapland for 2018 http://ow.ly/vTHT30myz2g #Fridayfeeling #Lapland #Santa #Finland

Will you be visiting me in Lapland soon? Come and meet some of Santa's Special Helpers this winter http://ow.ly/ycKm30myAb5

Don't forget our 2-4 night tours for 2019 go on sale at 9am tomorrow (UK departures only). To speed up your booking process tomorrow, if you have any queries regarding our tours or you need to check prices etc. prior to booking call our team today on 01923 822388. We're open until 7pm http://ow.ly/HPTm30muX4g

Our Spooktacular offer is ending soon, don't delay check out the special deals for the Enchanting Lapland day trip NOW http://ow.ly/Sucw30mqvuc

Stopping traffic in Luosto

First log fire of the season. Many more toasty nights to come in Luosto

What an AMAZING experience from start to

finish (although we didn’t want it to finish). The whole experience was beyond our already high expectations. Coach A for Awesome led

by Elliott and Robin was the best way to travel and the kids loved them both. Plus such an amazing job done by Elliott after Robin became injured as he worked hard and entertained us at the same time. Snowy Bowey will be adored by our daughter forever, and neither of our kids will ever forget the bed time story from Speedy Sam. Our son’s only disappointment was that the reindeer didn’t fly! We are now going to become Elves!!!

We just got back from a day trip to Lapland which was fantastic. Such a magical experience, my little girl loved it. Every detail was thought about from the snowsuits/boots and wool socks to keep us warm, the sleigh ride in from the airport, to the individual family visits to see Santa. The staff were amazing so smiley and kind. The food was great and there was lots to do. We will never forget it. Thank you.

We have shared the most amazing, magical time in Lapland searching for Santa with Canterbury travel ���

I cannot put into words how truly incredible our 4 days were. From the minute we checked in at Gatwick until the minute we got home it was non stop fun, adventure, surprise and utter enchantment.

It feels like it was a dream, I cannot believe it happened.

We were taken into the enchanted woods on a hunt for santa where we went sledging, experienced reindeer and husky rides (which were utterly breathtaking), drove snowmobiles, sang songs, had snow ball fights, we were entertained continually by elves, experienced temperatures of -23 and finally we got to meet the big man himself.

I can honestly say I have never and will never experience anything like it again.

my heart could burst at the memories we have made.

If any of you are thinking of taking your little ones to meet Santa you absolutely must go with Canterbury Travel. They were beyond amazing and made the whole experience one we will treasure in our hearts forever �

We have just returned from 3 nights in lusto it was the best time. Everything was faultless and so easy and so well organised and brilliant fun we loved every minute. So many amazing moments and family memories. A huge thank you to Carl kelly and Elliott who were so amazing with our son who was a little shy at first but really worked hard to bring him out of his shell and by the end he was loving it. We will be back.

We did the day trip December 2017 and really enjoyed it, a very beautiful magical day from the moment we got onto the plane. Cabin crew were friendly and helpful and got everyone even more excited for Lapland. Breakfast on the plane was really nice considering it was plane food. When we landed there were hundreds of snow suits being handed out, staff just looking at you to see what size and handed you your snow suit. Boots too if required, and they kept us warm all day. It was -8 when we went. The snowmobile sleigh transfer from the airport was Amazing! About 20mins through the deep snow and we loved it. So beautiful when we got there, Christmas trees and fairy lights everywhere, candles and fires. We booked our time slot to see Santa and were told to keep checking the number, however they called out numbers over the tannoy which was helpful. When we saw Santa, another sleigh ride to him was really lovely and we got straight in with it being our time slot which was perfect for us as my 6 year old has autism and finds queuing a huge challenge. Santa was good, he knew all of our names as we walked in and chatted to my son however it felt rushed and Santa didn’t actually ask my son what he wanted for Christmas. Was expecting a bit more of a grotto with it being the “real” Santa but still good and my son loved it. Santa had a Birmingham accent which was a bit strange. We visited the ice house which was amazing and did most of the other activities such as kids snowmobiles, tobogganing, reindeer and husky sleigh rides, staff all very friendly and helpful and no queuing! It would have been nice if elves were walking around like I have seen in pictures from the longer stays. The restaurant was lovely, again no queuing and just help yourself all day. Food was delicious, choice of pasta, bolognaise, potatoes, bread rolls and soup, fresh pancakes with jam and cream and hot chocolate, tea coffee and juice. Very good quality food. The staff on the info desk were also lovely. There is a lovely gift shop but they don’t sell anything other than souvenirs, so take anything you need with you. I forgot my lip balm and suffered a bit due to the cold. They don’t sell any essentials at the airport either. Coach transfer back to the airport every 10 mins which we got on within plenty of time but then had to wait what felt like forever for the plane because they only let you through security right before boarding as it’s such a small airport, so I would have left it a little longer before getting on the coach. Once we got on the plane we realised my mum didn’t have her purse with her!!! So I emailed Canterbury travel in the morning who had found the purse and got it back to her door within a week! All money intact!!! So very grateful for that. Dinner on the plane home was also lovely. Would highly recommend. Would love to do it again! Thank you Canterbury travel. X

We did Lapland in December with our 8, 6 and 4 year olds and it was AMAZING! I did a lot of research and and we ended up going with Canterbury Travel. We have friends who have done it with other companies and it was nothing like the experience Canterbury offer. The whole trip was Magical - even better than I expected. We did the Magical Interlude Tour which was 3 nights in Luosto. They are not the cheapest option but in my opinion it was worth every dollar. The price includes everything from skidoo riding to husky and reindeer sled rides, visiting where the elves sleep, kids disco and entertainment, food and accommodation and finally a surprise visit with Santa. The whole time you are searching for Santa and getting clues from his special elves you meet along the way. Kids absolutely loved it and are telling everyone how fantastic it was. You can book extras like a bedtime story with Mrs Clause who comes to your room. We did that as a surprise for the kids and she remembered them when we got to Santa's house. She is really sweet. We stayed in the hotel as I was worried about the cabins with small kids as they can be a long walk from the main hotel for meals etc. The cabins look gorgeous though and would have been so nice with a log fire etc. They also supply you with proper thermal suits and boots made for the extreme temperatures so you don't have the added expense of buying those outer layers. Our only dislike was the food. It was like school camp quality and some things we couldn't even stomach to each. No flavour, dry meat or slop - think sloppy shepherd's pie which tasted foul or chicken breast so dry you can't chew it. At the "Gala" dinner they had turkey - I was excited - then they served us up turkey luncheon meat in gravy - gross!! On the last day we met another family who had taken the a-la-carte meal plan upgrade and said the food was excellent. It is served in a different restaurant to the buffet restaurant we were in. I didn't know about that option when we booked but would certainly suggest taking it if you go. If you are looking for the once in a lifetime magical experience then Canterbury Travel is the way to go. We never do tours when we travel but I'm so glad we did for this trip.

We arrived home yesterday from the 6 night Lapland Artic Adventure, as a party of 10! What can I say other than it was totally amazing, and magical and so well organised, the whole trip was faultless and we enjoyed every single moment!! We were so impressed with the length of all the excursions that were included they were brilliant, we loved everyone and couldn’t choose a favourite! So thank you to every single member of staff for giving our family such happy memories to treasure forever. We have all fallen in love with Luosto it’s such a pretty place. Thank you for such a fantastic holiday and one we will never forget!

The best holiday ever travelling alone with 3 children was so easy as everyone so helpful and every activity so well planned. Magical beyond belief from beginning to end blew my expectations well out the window as just too incredible to imagine just do it you won't regret it. Thank you Canterbury Travel x

Thank you so much for a wonderful day meeting Father Christmas on 22 December. Everything was great, from the interaction with the flight crew to the magical experience in Enchanting Lapland. I would recommend this trip to anyone! We were a family of three generations, from 7-years old to 65.

Thank you Canterbury Travel; we had an absolutely amazing time. Was a once in a life time experience. Adults were in awe as much as the kids. We were so sad to leave yesterday. All the Staff were fantastic from the flight out and back; shout out to Marcus and Ryan on coach ‘I’ for incredible! The Elves were brilliant, especially at cheering up grumpy, tired and cold Children when the parents couldn’t! No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get my daughter to stop whining about the cold, mistletoe and jingles achieved it in 10 seconds and had her jumping about like a loon! Very attentive, Mistletoe, Dizzy, Splash, Jingles, Holly, Clumsy and so many more were amazing. Thank you guys for such a wonderful experience; was so well done and put together meeting Santa and Mrs Claus was so smooth and personal, we felt so special. The ride in our family groups in the sledge up to Santa’s house in the middle of nowhere in the snow was just magical; such a special experience not to be packed in with everyone else. Having heard of other tour operators and how they charge for so many extras and how poorly they handle meeting Santa we feel thoroughly taken care of . My mother in law was tickled pink and nearly bowled us all over in her excitement to get a hug from Santa! Was really something.



I would say the only let down of the experience was the food in the hotel and out on adventures. There was a real lack of fresh fruit and no vegetable choices at times, it was all meat and a lot of potatoes and chips at every meal; which was all I could eat at times being Gluten Intolerant. Gluten free and vegetarian alternatives were very lacking at lunch and dinner, I asked for some ham or cheese (which they had plenty of at breakfast) so I could make a salad but was told no. I was given mash potato again with bolognese sauce on top, told it was gluten free (I’m sure it wasn’t as I suffered later). It was also never hot just tepid. The porridge and scrambled eggs at breakfast had so much salt in it was inedible. You may want to address this with the hotel as it’s the only thing that really lets your package down.



We were only there 5 days, thankfully we stayed in a cabin with full kitchen and found the grocery store so self catered for quite a bit when I couldn’t find food for myself or my mother in law who is vegetarian and has a fish allergy, so was not the end of the world! But really should be improved, I think quite a lot of people were grumbling about this.



The log cabin with fully functioning kitchen, fireplace, sauna etc made it all the more special. It was all so private. Didn’t feel rushed or packed in. Truly magical. The staff really make this whole experience special. I would recomend to everyone. Thanks Canterbury Travel

Landed home last night from such a fantastic weekend away in search of Santa with my niece. Coach B was definitely the best. Couldn’t ask for better tour guides either. Marcus, Brad & Ellie was amazing from start to finish. Really good with the kids and got all the adults involved as well. All the special elves where a great laugh & so we’re the green elves. Can’t wait to go back when I have my own kids

Just landed in Manchester after a truly magical and fantastical 4 days! Mr and Mrs Claus, the Elves and all the Canterbury Travel staff we met made this trip amazing; Ellie on coach F gets a big well done and thank you for adding the extra sparkle to our stay. Have a very merry Christmas everyone at Canterbury Travel and thanks a million the Palmer family �

Just back from day trip to Enontekio, “Enchanting Lapland” First went with C.T. with my son 18 years ago , now back with grandchildren. Think it was even better this time , fabulous day from start to finish . From cabin crew dressed as elves , leading carol singing , just generally “ having a day off “ but actually working twice as hard and going above and beyond. To an amazing santa who calls all grand children by name as they enter his house and saying were we came from genually reading letters written and making it all so beleivable. Great present they all thought was a lovely “ pre christmas gift “. Staff on site friendly and helpful. So well organised . Thank you for enchanting us all ������.

Just back from a fabulous time in Lapland with Canterbury Travel, the most magical holiday we will remember for years. Thanks so much to Ryan and Marcus and our coach driver on coach “I” for making our holiday such a special time. We will definitely be recommending this trip to friends and are hoping some close friends of ours want to do it themselves with friends just for an excuse to do it again. Can’t pick one highlight of the trip, everything from our log cabin to our special bed time story from “Speedy Sam” to each and every activity was just perfect. Magical memories forever �

I was lucky enough to take my son to Lapland for his 7th birthday a few years ago. The day trip was awesome, we had Zoe Ball and Fat Boy Slim on our trip. I’m now taking youngest on the day trip this Saturday the 9th and I don’t know who is more excited!! Fabulous, magical experience xxx

Got back yesterday following the Magical Interlude tour. Coach B with Carl and Brad was absolutely fantastic. They were so enthusiastic and just brilliant with the kids. Santa and his special elves were wonderful as well as the husky, reindeer and snowmobile rides. The whole experience was just magical. I would highly recommend Canterbury. Thank you for such a special holiday we will always remember!

Amazing experience from start to finish and the team at Canterbury Travels are brilliant especially our Coach Guide on C (Champion!) Elliott who was both hilarious and brilliant throughout and really added to the whole amazing experience. Highly recommend to anyone as the organisation and attention to detail was faultless and truly a once in a lifetime adventure to remember always! ��

Absolutely fantastic holiday. Best time of our lives, and Canterbury Travel made it so special. Every little detail was taken care of. The highlight was meeting Mr and Mrs, it was almost dreamlike it was that good . Really want to do it again

A massive thank you the wonderful people at Canterbury Travel! We have just arrived back from a fantastic, magical trip! We were with the Starlight tour bus, Nicole and Marcus were absolutely superb from start to finish! The activities were amazing, everyone we met from the Special Elves, Elves and Merry Elf staff were wonderful! My family and I loved every minute of it! Couldn't recommend you enough! We have created so many wonderful memories and it was just like Narnia! Once in a lifetime trip! Thank you. The Smiths x