When it’s time to book your holiday, you’ll be asked to indicate a seating preference on your booking form – but how do you know which are the best seats onboard the coach?

First of all, it’s important to say that this is totally a matter of personal preference – and we do find that people tend to stick to the same seats where possible, once they’ve found something they like. You might think that everyone wants the ‘best’ seats, but different people are looking for different things.

Please note: ALL our seats are on a first come, first served basis, so it’s always a good idea to book as early as possible to give you the best chance of getting your first choice of seats.

So here is a rundown of some of the top things to think about when choosing your coach seats:

FRONT SEATS

The front seats on the coach are naturally popular, because you benefit from the nice big window at the front, with excellent views – particularly good for scenic holidays like our Scottish North Coast 500 holiday.

These are also a good choice if you don’t want to go too far back in the coach, for example if you aren’t a good traveller or you have mobility issues.

It’s important to remember though that these seats can have restricted legroom and you will have everyone else on the coach passing you while boarding and disembarking, which some people may find uncomfortable (e.g. if they have continuing concerns about Covid)

KERBSIDE

The Kerbside of the coach is always more popular than the driver side – normally due to the fact that we drive on the left in the UK, so you’ll typically be on the ‘view’ side for our scenic drives. Of course, if we’re going to Europe, this logic is reversed and you should sit on the driver side!

EXTRA LEGROOM

Our own coach, Serena, has 25 seats with EXTRA legroom, which are located in the back half of the coach. These are great if you’d like a little more space for added comfort during our journey, and you’ll also find this section of the coach is more quiet as fewer people will be passing you.

The only time extra legroom seats might not be a great choice is if you’re not very tall – you may find that you struggle to reach the footrests!

BACK ROW

The Back Row – people either love it or hate it! It does benefit from extra legroom, but you may find that you feel a little more movement from the coach at the back, so we don’t recommend you choose these seats if you’re not a good traveller.

On some coaches you may also find that there is an emergency exit next to the back row, which can cause draughts (and coaches are normally naturally cooler at the back).

WINDOW LINE

Another thing to consider is whether your chosen seat is in line with the window joins and curtains. This may not bother you, but if you like to enjoy the scenery it’s worth considering whether your view is going to be restricted by the window line

NEAR THE TOILETS

This is another love it or hate it choice! Some people like to be near the toilet and refreshment facilities in the centre of the coach, while others prefer to be further away, as they may be concerned by the risk of odour. There is also often a stairwell to the emergency exit in the centre of the coach, so if you’re seated here it’s important to be aware of the stairs, particularly when moving around the vehicle.

MY FAVOURITE

If I had to choose a favourite set of seats, I’d go for 27 & 28. Onboard Serena, these seats are the row just behind the toilet and stairwell, so they benefit from a lovely big window for excellent views of the journey. They’re also two of our extra legroom seats, so you can stretch out your legs and enjoy the journey, and they’re close to the coffee machine, if you’d like a cuppa from Sandie during our stops!

What do you think? What are your favourite seats and why?

Exclusive Holidays offers Market Harborough Coach Holidays and Kettering Coach Holidays. Pick up points throughout our local area for South Leicestershire Coach Holidays & Northamptonshire Coach Holidays. Coach Holidays depart from Kettering, Northampton, Wellingborough, Rushden, Market Harborough, Desborough, Rothwell and Lutterworth.