Retro travel around the world

TESTATA: IOL Travel
DATA: 08/09/2008
AUTORE: Belinda Archer

Can I travel back in time?

Maybe not in a Dr Who kind of way, but a vast array of retro retreats are on offer, from old-fashioned British seaside holidays to kitsch Fifties-themed hotels in Mykonos to hiring a Harley-Davidson and heading off down Route 66 in the US.

Finnair (www.finnair.com) has just introduced a retro plane known as Silver Bird to celebrate its 85th anniversary. The airline has kitted out a modern Airbus A319 to look like the national carrier's old Convair from the 1950s, the age of first-class-only air travel. Everything has been themed, from the air hostesses' – sorry, flight attendants' – uniforms, to the 1950s on-board duty-free. Flights are out of Finland, but they go to a range of major European destinations such as Paris and Amsterdam as well as other Finnish destinations.

Ooh la la Vintage (www.oohlalavintage.com) is a new company that specialises in vintage weekends to Paris, taking in tours of vintage fashion shops, a night of classic cabaret glamour at the Moulin Rouge, visits to old brasseries and cafés and staying in a choice of three retro hotels offering genuine old-style attention to detail. Oh, and you get to drive round in a vintage Citroë 2CV too. Priced from £300 (about R4 100) per person based on two sharing including return train fares, one night at the Asiatique Hotel, "vintage master class".

You might like to recreate the days of the British Raj by staying in an elegant colonial bungalow on a 19th-century tea plantation in the scenic hills of Sri Lanka. The bungalows, once managers' homes on working plantations, have been restored to their former glory and each comes with its own chef, butler and houseboys. Premier Prestige (www.premier-prestige.co.uk) has a five-night break with all meals/drinks starting at £1 299 (about R18 000) per person (twin share) with return flights from Heathrow or Gatwick and private transfers.

The website www.retrotogo.com is a source of "all things hip and retro". As well as vintage fashion tips and advice on where to get retro gadgetry, it has a useful travel section detailing a wide selection of vintage vacations.

Travel in style?

Travelling by a vintage mode of transport is a popular way of capturing a bygone age. How about hiring a Morris Traveller for the weekend – top speed 96km/h – or something a little more racy, like a Jaguar E Type roadster or Jensen? Great Escape Cars (www.greatescapecars.co.uk) has numerous vintage vehicles and classic cars.

Or you could book a 1970s VW camper van and tour round the Isle of Wight through Isle of Wight Campers (www.isleofwightcampers.co.uk). The company supplies a full list of recommended campsites and places of interest, as well as full breakdown-cover and insurance.

Perhaps the best Harley adventure is in California, the heartland of the American Dream. California Motorcycle Adventures (www.californiamotorcycleadventures.com) has Harleys of all description, including Road Kings, from as little as $99 (about R800) per day. It will put together a customised self-guided tour for you, including trip routing with maps and recommended hotels en route, as well as offer fully guided tour packages.

But maybe the sea is more your thing: join the crew of a tall ship for a voyage round the Mediterranean, the Caribbean or even across the Atlantic. Tall Ships (www.tallships.org) runs trips for adults on its fabulous 60-metre square-rigged u o brig, the Stavros S Niarchos, built in 2000, with a traditional 18th-century rig. Perhaps surprisingly, no sailing experience is required.

A classic train ride?

You are spoilt for choice. There are several classic trains and train journeys to choose between. Online travel-experiences company Isango (www.isango.com) offers a number of retro rail-journeys such as the Georgetown Loop Railroad, a genuine old-style 19th-century steam locomotive which passes for nine hours through the Rockies in Colorado, reliving memories of the Gold Rush, from £52,30 (about R400) per person.

Or you could climb aboard the Danube Express (www.danube-express.com), a stunning recreation of the beautiful carriages of the 1950s. This deluxe hotel on wheels, which was used by Hungarian officials and dignitaries on state visits, tours Eastern and Central Europe from Budapest. A two-night all-inclusive trip, excluding flights, from Budapest to Istanbul costs from £990 (about R14 000) per person.

Perhaps nothing can quite match the antique carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, however (www.orient-express.com) for a whiff of the golden age of luxury rail travel. Be transported in style to the likes of Venice, Istanbul and Rome, a one-way journey from Rome to Venice costing from £415 (about R5 700) per person. Alternatively, take off to any number of UK destinations on its British sister trains, the British Pullman and Northern Belle. A one-day return trip to Bath from London including gourmet brunch, dinner and guided tour costs from £310 (about R4 300) per person.

I'm a fan of the 1950s

How about "doing" Route 66, the road of legends that crosses the continent, from Chicago to Los Angeles? Fifties-style diners, motels and museums dot the historic journey, and you can even stop for frozen custard and a drive-in movie. Do the whole route or just a part – packages through Bon Voyage (www.bon-voyage.co.uk) start from £899 (about R12 500) per person for 14 nights including return flights to Chicago and home from Los Angeles (or vice versa), all-inclusive compact car hire and 14 nights' three-star accommodation.