30 June 2023

Amo l’Italia! Italy holds such a special place in my heart - an affection forged in my teens when I was an Au Pair in Lugano on the border of Italy and Switzerland. A very special and most wonderful time. Quite simply, I think I fell in love - with Italy, it's people and, basically, all things Italian. Over the years I have visited this stunning country many times. In particular, I have spent ma

24 September 2019

What a lovely day out we were treated to with Aurora Expeditions - kayaking in the Solent and a high speed rib ride to the Needles, spending time with the passionate staff from Aurora Expeditions. What is expedition cruising? The first expedition voyage to Antarctica was some 25 years ago for Aurora and their spirit of adventure still burns just as bright. There are limited group numbers to e

23 September 2019

Family or Friendly French ski resorts The Portes du Soleil ski area is one of the biggest winter playgrounds in the world, with 12 linked resorts on either side of the French-Swiss border. In the heart of the French and swiss Alps, the ski area Alps is located between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, skiers come for the excellent snowfall - more than 8 metres every year! The Portes du Soleil offers 4

23 September 2019

I just love Antigua, 365 white sandy beach, relaxed way of life and super food - what is not to like? It is only a 8 hour direct flight from the UK - daytime flight out and overnight on the way home on BA or Virgin - making it a perfect winter get away. Or combine with Miami, as we did this summer, only 3 hours from Miami direct flight. The island is easy to get round, car hire is very safe - t

11 September 2019

It had been 20 years since I had visited Miami and going back with our now teenagers was going to interesting ... well it doesn’t disappoint. Hot, clean, friendly and definitely iconic. Getting around is so easy with the free trolley buses (with air conditioning and free Wi-Fi). Download the app so you can see where the stops are and when the next trolley is coming. Tip - using only electric golf

11 September 2019

My family’s first cruise ( with teenagers of 16 & 18 yrs) was going to be an experience on way or another! It was a 5 night cruise out of Miami - we chose this cruise as it fitted with our holiday dates and included Havana. Unfortunately Mr Trump then with 1 month of departure date - declared that Cuba was off limits to Americans and American cruise ships - we were very disappointed. However the

30 March 2019

I recently had the chance for a ship visit on the classic ex Transatlantic ocean liner The Astoria. Having watch this ship sail majestically into Poole Harbour I look forward to seeing the cabins, and accommodation on board. A great size ship taking only 550 passengers with 2 restaurants, 5 lounges, bars and Calypso Show lounge, nightclub and outdoor swimming pool it certainly is comfortable. Th

25 October 2018

When my children were 6 and 8 years old, I felt they were old enough to join me and my husband on one of my research trips, combined with a family holiday to Costa Rica. They loved it and a great highlight for them was Arenal Volcano near Lake Arenal, the largest volcano in the world, erupting every day since July 1968 until 2009. The local Costa Rican guide had the children in the front of th

07 September 2018

This trip was arranged by Visit California, with 10 groups all visiting different areas of California. My group visited the northern region from San Francisco. I would say this is an area of specialist interest for those who like a road trip and want to see the unusual California. The Redwood Forest are amazing, and these are now my favourite trees. I love the way they grow a little family

07 September 2018

How lucky to win a place on a Travel Counsellors trip to Thailand. I love traveling and to travel with my super colleagues to an amazing place is such a bonus. Thank you so much to Emirates and Centrara and EXO. I flew with Emirates to Bangkok via Dubai staying at the Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao. A busy time in Bangkok, somewhere I haven't visited for 25 years! The roof top bar/resta

07 September 2018

I visited Lonesome George in February 2008. Galapagos is such an incredible place with an amazing variety of wildlife. Many of the creatures are endangered species protected by the Darwin Research Station. Our Galapagos ground agents were kindly able to provide a detailed history of Lonesome George, we hope you find this an interesting read. Celebrating the Life of Lonesome George, the world-fa

07 September 2018

What is this.... well if you haven't heard of Ras al Khaimah it is one of the 7 United Arab Emirate states, only 40 minutes from Dubai airport along some very new road. Ras al-Khaimah, historically known as Julfar, is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Its name could be taken to mean "headland of the small huts", which can be attributed to the indigenous buildings tha

04 September 2018

A short stopover in Singapore on the way home was not long enough! I love this city and would have liked to have a few days to explore and take in the sights and sounds. If you have a flight layover - the airport offers a free tour of the city, with two options. Depending on the time you have you must be in transit for this though. As we were travelling on a NON through ticket we had to co

04 September 2018

Hong Kong what a city! Busy, vibrant and some serious shopping to be done! Start with the Star ferry for the famous bay crossing, an institution for the locals and a mythical voyage that the national Geographical Traveller magazine lists as one of their 50 experiences of a lifetime. From the boat you can appreciate what some consider as being the most beautiful skyline in the worlds, where t

04 September 2018

The Terracotta Warriors are on everyone's bucket list - they are incredible. However, I would like to prepare you if you are planning a visit, the Chinese Government now allow 80,000 visitors a day in the site! It is madly busy in the viewing of the pits of the warriors, so be prepared for queues, jostling and the heat. Standing in battle-ready formation and numbering into the thousands, the T

04 September 2018

Visiting Beijing is a must when in China - it is busy, with a population of 20 million! I have been some 28 years ago to China and Beijing but don't remember much apart from bicycles everywhere. That had really changed and now the car is king, and the roads are really busy. Use of the subway is recommended as the fastest way to get about. Though funnily enough, they are now trying to reintroduc

04 September 2018

A week of relaxing in Bali. This was my first visit to Bali, (I know, how have I missed this special place!) We picked Bali as I have always wanted to visit and the climate seemed perfect for August, which so many places in Asia are not at that time of year. The weather was a super 28 degrees, sunny and not too humid - the dry season. We had one day of rain in the hills of Ubud but that didn