Sunseekers snap up free trips

HOLIDAYS worth an estimated 60,000 were given out to 22 weary souls outside Budget Travel’s offices in Dublin’s Baggot Street for the start of their summer sale.

Now those 22 who had been queuing for more than a week in bitter cold and rain will be jetting off this summer with their partners and children to resorts in Florida, Spain, Portugal, the Canaries and elsewhere.

One of them, Catherine O’Shea, from Tallaght, was delighted after securing a family holiday in Orlando, Florida, USA even though her husband had to drop out of the queue when he developed a medical problem and was hospitalised.

“I’m delighted. It’s what we wanted. We didn’t think we’d get it, because Christy had to go to hospital. I was going in and out to the queue, as was another friend and her son, to try and keep Christy’s place. But we got it in the end.”

Catherine estimates their two week holiday in Florida, starting on June 16, would cost up to €3,500 for herself, husband and their two children.

Michelle Stanley, from Pimlico, landed her third free holiday yesterday. The mother-of-four will be bringing her family back to Lanzarote, where they went last year. The year before that, they got a holiday in Salou.

“We’ve been queuing for a week so it’s not easy,” she said.

There were jubilant scenes in the Budget Travel Baggot Street offices when the doors were opened at 9am and the free holidays given out. The 22 people in the queue were given the holidays of their choice.

“We gave each of them a complimentary holiday. We had asked them before where they were hoping to go, so we knew what they wanted,” said Niamh Hayes, marketing manager with Budget Travel.

Ms Hayes said there was huge interest in their summer sale and they expected 18,000-20,000 people to book holidays by close of business yesterday.