I st holiday outside UK but where?

Oh, such a choice! Choose somewhere where you will feel comfortable, first of all. I would suggest somewhere in the USA but it might be beyonfpd your budget. But if you could stretch to it, then Colorado, or Vermont, not the glitzy places.

Barcelona is wonderful, specially if you can hire a car and explore a little, or what about Italy - Lake Garda, or Como. If you take a package tour you can opt out of all the excursions and so on, but still have to security of the package.

This is a very quick personal set of ideas. We travel a lot, and I'd be happy to talk to you an a pm!

Some good advice there Ariadne but perhaps driving abroad on a first trip might be a little daunting? (it would be for me, but perhaps grannot is made of sterner stuff!)

The Canary Islands might be worth a look (there are still some relatively unspoilt locations) and I have friends with no language skills who like Malta.

I always like France - Dordogne, Normandy, the Landes - wherever!! You could go by Eurostar to Paris which would be lovely.
Switzerland is lovely but pricey - or how about one of those 3 centre hiolidays that I have seen advertised e.g. "Prague, Vienna and Budapest" (usually around £700-800 a head)
Not a lot of people think of Germany but it is very beautiful - the Rhine valley or the Baltic and the lifestyle is wonderful.
Or not too far from home, Eurostar to Belgium and Bruges which is beautiful and /or Brussels.
So many lovely places to choose from. Lucky you!

My husband and I have holidays at various resorts on Lake Garda in Italy. Lovely weather, lovely people and gorgeous food including ice cream! Our favourite place is Malcesine but this year I think it will be Bardelino. You can get boats up and down the lake so apart from the pleasure of the sailing you can explore.

Greece is still warm in September and relatively cheap. The food is uncomplicated and healthy. 4-5 hour flight. It's safe, the people are friendly but not overbearing. Do self catering rather than all inclusive and get a real feel of the place and people. Relax and unwind. Sheer bliss.

Why not have a conversation with Trailfinders. I have found them superb at suggesting places in the past.
Valencia (Spain) is a place I know well and is very interesting and most places of interest are walkable.
A friend loves Goza - an island near Malta.
Do you want to go on your own or as part of a small group ?
So many places to go in the world it will be a difficult choice !!

Madeira springs to mind as a possible good choice also anywhere in Italy would be lovely.

Do you like city trips and sightseeing or are you looking for somewhere more relaxing? Or maybe a bit of both?

As you are first timers abroad (is that correct?) then you might prefer something in a small group, rather than having to organise it yourselves.

And don't forget that passports, incl photos, are £80+ per person these days so allow time and money for that!

Good luck - I think my first trip abroad was a wintertime trip with the car to France and my first flight was to Toronto - both when I was in my twenties!

I love Crete, the Chania side of the island. Always a pleasant breeze. Not sure about the weather; we tended to have to go in the school holidays. Never loved a place the way I did Crete [a lot of people have said the same].Perhaps more culture nearer to Heraklion but I liked the Venetian feel to Chania. Not sure what's happening in Cyprus these days, but I'd like to go there for a bit of warmth. We went in September and it was still almost too hot. Didn't like the beaches, though.I used to say that 2 weeks in the sun set me up for a year and I'd feel 10 years younger. Hated the place at first but it grew on me.

I knew I could rely on Gransnet to give us some idea's! We actually went to Paris 30+ years ago just before we were married and that same year I went with my Mum to Halkadiki in Greece but since then it's been Devon or Cornwall! We have found the damp and cold this winter very draining and depressing and feel the need to brighten our lives up before the winter of 2014 arrives!!

So we will take all your advice on board and delve into some on-line brochures,

Regards

Grannot

I would recommend that if you only speak English and it is your first foray abroad that you should book a package holiday where there will be a rep to show you the ropes and sort out any difficulties that might arise. Don't discount the likes of NORTH Majorca or the WEST of Ibiza which have lovely climates, beautiful scenery, uncrowded beaches and are quite separate from the 'Blackpool with Sun' resorts such as Magaluf or San Antonio.

Two of our Mediterranean favourites were Nerja, mainland Spain and Lido di Jesolo, Italy - near enough to Venice for a couple of full day trips there.

grannot I am certain you will have numerous suggestions to make it almost impossible to choose. Having spent most of my working life being sent around the world to work all I would suggest is firsty establish what you would wish from a holiday i.e. culture, antiquities, walking, beach or mountains - you have already mentioned warmth in your bones so sunnier climes are needed than our Northern lattitudes. The eastern mediterranean is always a haunt of mine for the last week in September and first two or three weeks in October. You will possibly get a couple of days of rain but it will only last an hour or two and will be bone dry again in an hour after it stops. The sea is at it's warmest having had the sun on it all summer and there are places combining lots of variety. Cyprus drives on the left as we do, everyone speaks English, at least in the tourist areas they do, food is cosmopolitan but as a destination it can be expensive. All inclusive is very popular I am told.
North Africa has warmth at the time you suggest and if you have an interest in Roman remains those at Leptis Magna in Libya are a sight to behold and worth a visit. I was fortunate in being posted there for 2½ years and the weather in September is lovely. Although never having visited I am told the Canary Islands too have fine weather. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are possibly within your budget but I am not certain. If a flight up to 5 hours is your limit then I would think North Africa and the Mediterranean is your best bet. For 6 plus hours then America and the Emirates can be considered. Whatever you decide do have a lovely time and enjoy it.

We used to use "Mercury Direct" they had reasonable prices .
Only reason we stopped is they don"t supply the hotel we like to go to in Mauritius !
You can go online to get a brochure from them .

Come to Malta! If you have no language skills it is the perfect place for you as everyone speaks English. The weather in September is still good but not as hot as July/August. It is easy to get around by bus if you are not planning to hire a car.
It is only a three hour flight from the UK and for a small island it has a rich history, although I don't know if that interests you.
Good luck, anyway, and I hope you have a great holiday wherever you end up.

Austria or the Italian Lakes.

I love italy too. Lake Garda as mentioned above, Lake Como, the Amalfi coast (apart from the scary roads), and Venice (expensive and crowded but wonderful IMHO). Sherish - I agree re Malcesine - wonderful.

Isn't Leptis Magna unadvisable at the moment Ps?

My favourite country is Norway. So much to see and such beautiful scenery to enjoy and lots of healthy food. It's a bit pricey but worth it in my view. Oslo has wonderful museums and art if you like city breaks.

Lots of good ideas (though some of them a bit pricey maybe for your budget?) and I think ps has hit the nail on the head - what kind of thing do you want to do while you are away? Big difference between busy touristy city holiday and quiet, sit by the pool and enjoy the warmth.

When talking to a travel agent be clear about whether you want to go somewhere lively or quiet. And think about whether you want to go somewhere where food is provided - a hotel that caters for British people will have some familiar dishes on offer - or are you keen to sample local restaurants etc.

I think I would suggest Madeira. Nice and warm, small island, not too far away and most speak English.

I agree with those who suggest Malta. A fantastic place that is very Mediterranean but also very English. Easy to get anywhere by taxi or bus, if a bit of an adventure!!

We have stayed in touristy hotels there, but last time browsed the internet and got bargain flights and rented a private apartment. Easy to do as there were no language problems and the locals are really friendly and helpful.

I agree with Tegan . We love Crete and have been several times over the years. However I wonder if you would be more comfortable on an organised tour with other Brits ? We have travelled with several companies such as Riviera and Travel Editions and you have a tour manager with you at all times and the other travellers tend to be people of our age and interests. I believe SAGA organise holidays too. I hope this helps.

Like goldengirl my favourite country is Norway, but if you're looking for sunshine in September I have to be honest and say that I think that Malta or Gozo would be a better option.

Have you thought about a cruise around the Med? Our first cruise started from Majorca and took in Villefranche, Rome, Naples [Sorrento and Pompeii] Minorca and Barcelona. We absolutely loved it and have been on several similar European cruises since then, involving stops for Florence, Dubrovnik, Venice, Santorini and other Greek islands. We enjoy the Thomson ships as they are not too big and the staff and entertainment are 1st class - and we're not ones that usually go to organised activities. We found cruising to be a lovely way of dipping into different countries, and then sailing off into the night and waking up somewhere new in the morning. Think of it as a taster and then you can always return to places at your leisure. Because the stops are usually in towns and cities that have a strong tourist vibe, you'll not have any problems with language. Even in lesser known places in Croatia, it was easy enough to buy coffee or a lunch as we strolled around. You can do as little or as much as you want. In many places you can just walk off the ship and wander around local markets etc or you can go on organised excursions if that suits you.
Whatever you do, have a wonderful time.

Florence, Italy.....every time....the best and most fab art in the world, ever!!!!!