Australia Tour for Two Generations

Grand Travel, which introduced the concept of grandparent/grandchildren tours, has added an excursion Down Under to its 1992 program of international tours.

The newest addition is a 19-day tour of Australia that includes Kangaroo Island, Australia’s largest nature preserve; the Great Barrier Reef, seen by helicopter and submarine, and a visit to the country’s vast Outback, with stops at Alice Springs, Ayers Rock and the Olga Mountains. Major cities to be visited include Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.

As with all Grand Travel trips, the Australian visit is designed to appeal to two generations, stressing quality time together for grandparents and grandchildren, but also time apart, when the kids can romp--with supervision--and grandparents can relax with their peers.

Cost of the Australia trip, which includes round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, 15 nights’ lodging, all meals and deluxe or best-available accommodations, is $7,950 per adult, sharing a twin bed room; $7,090 for children 12-17, and $6,975 for children 7-11.

Other Grand Travel international trips include escorted tours to France, Italy, the castles of England and Scotland, and a Kenya “Adventure Safari.”

Grand Travel’s domestic 1992 tours include New England, a week in New York City or Washington, D.C., Alaska, Hawaii, Western national parks, and a 10-day tour of Northern California that includes San Francisco, Sacramento, Monterey and Yosemite.

The Yosemite trip includes three nights in San Francisco, two each in Monterey and Yosemite, plus overnights in Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nev., and all meals and sightseeing. Cost is $2,930 per person (adult or child), sharing a room. Transportation to the starting point in San Francisco is not included.

For more information, contact a travel agent or Grand Travel, 6900 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 706, Chevy Chase, Md. 20815, (800) 247-7651.

Now in its 17th year, Monrovia-based Corliss Tours offers tours geared primarily to mature travelers. Owner Bob Costa stresses a relaxed pace on his escorted tours, with extended stays in central hotels to eliminate the need for excessive packing and unpacking.

This year, among the tours offered by Corliss is eight days to England and Ireland that includes kissing the Blarney Stone on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, with part of the evening spent at Jury’s Pub in Dublin.

Also included on the Ireland portion of the escorted tour are a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle, plus trips to Tipperary, Limerick and the lakes of Killarney, and sightseeing in Dublin.

London, Windsor Castle, Oxford and the Cotswolds are included on the England portion of the tour.

Tour price, which includes air fare from Los Angeles, all motor-coach travel and sightseeing, manor house accommodations in England, plus breakfasts and dinners, is $1,695 per person, double occupancy. Single-supplement chargeis $172, but Corliss tries hard to match singles upon request.

Other spring tours by Corliss include a week in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, and six days’ motor-coach sightseeing in Louisiana and Mississippi combined with a seven-day Caribbean cruise on the Enchanted Seas out of New Orleans.

For more information, contact travel agents or Corliss Tours, 436 W. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia 91016, (818) 359-5358 or toll-free (800) 456-5717.