08 March 2025

Having arranged the tour of The Golden Triangle for my sister and Brother-in-Law, I was apprehensive! You don't want things to go wrong, not only is it your personal but also your professional reputation. I have been back a week, today as I type this and my sister and Brother-in-Law have told me they are very happy. Trust me, they wouldn’t say it if they didn’t mean it! When your client is happy, you're happy! We said goodbye to my sister and Brother-in-Law at Delhi as they headed home to the UK. We then went to the opposite end of the spectrum and had a week in The Maldives, sheer luxury at all-inclusive 5*resort. With a Maldive resort, you get what you pay for, some of the resorts closer to Malé, the capital is the risk of being near the waste dump! With a 40-minute sea plane ride, we knew that would not be the case for ours! Arriving to a welcoming party of staff and drum beats certainly made us feel welcome, where we were shown to reception to do the formalities of hotel arrival. Being shown to our Over-water villa, with mini bar included and a choice of pillows from a menu, made you realise this was a 5*resort. For the week we ate, wonderful food and drank too much, we snorkelled with turtles and tropical fish, we saw the effects of globalisation finding plastic shampoo bottles and other detritus washed up on a desert island. We saw dead coral and a live coral reef. All whilst zipping about in a speedboat with 2 x 200hp outboard engines. We sat under clear skies from morning to night in shorts and shirts, ate gourmet food at different restaurants, Italian, North African, Asian and buffet style each night were our choices. We had a 30-minute Jet ski session, which is great fun. I 'drove' it out, Madeleine brought back in. Madeleine claimed to have beaten my top speed of 24mph by getting up to 30mph, but as I didn't get the chance to reclaim my title, does it count? Our penultimate day was meant to have been the speedboat tour, but Madeleine was poorly in the night, when we became concerned, her airway could become compromised. I called for a doctor. She was given several drugs, some intravenously. The following day, we found they had a speedboat on standby for transfer to hospital should it have been required. We called to ask for the bill! To be told it was all included, that was a relief. Now, that’s what you call all inclusive! All the drama of the day meant we couldn't do the speedboat. It was postponed to our final day, which was a blessing in disguise. Instead of wallowing around all day we enjoyed ourselves, finishing with an excellent Italian meal and bottle of red wine. Receiving our departure information explaining the procedure for paying for any extras, in our case jet ski and speedboat tour, then luggage taken to the seaplane dock, our last breakfast before a final look around our over water-villa.

06 March 2025

Around the end of 2024, my eldest sister asked me to arrange a trip for her and her husband to go to India, a trip she’d been planning since before Covid. When the itinerary came back it quickly became apparent, we should also go to India, we also added on an extension to go to The Maldives. We arranged for a trip to the Doctor’s to ensure our vaccinations were up to date. We also had to apply for Indian Visa’s, these can take time to complete, especially when you must name all the countries you have been to in the last 10 years! I should point out; I forgot Austria but was still cleared to travel. It cost $25 per person and once you tick the boxes agreeing you are not wanted for Genocide or War Crimes, it is sent off. We then received countless replies saying it had been accepted, my sister counted 20 plus of these replies. Ensure you have the visas for all your party, I had mistakenly taken an email that my wife’s Visa was accepted, when it hadn’t been fortunately, I noticed with time to spare and was able to get it completed. If you apply for an Indian Visa, ensure you take note of the number assigned to your application. This is only for the pre-application; in case you need to come back to. Once it’s sent off you then receive another number! The day quickly arrived, staying overnight in a hotel with parking, allowed us to travel down the day before at a more leisurely pace. Arriving at the hotel, allowed us to relax into our trip something I prefer to do as I am too much of an anxious Milly to travel on the day! The following day we awoke reasonably refreshed and ready to head for the airport. Again, we had booked a lounge to enable our relaxed and stress-free trip. Finding a seat in the lounge, having a bite to eat and drink without the hassle of the departure lounge. The flight was uneventful, besides being delayed for departure and we landed in Delhi around 3.30am. Although we had completed the Visa’s when you arrive you also must complete Immigration Forms. Arriving in the early hours, Delhi’s airport is an abuse on the sense’s, it could be 3.30pm with no break in amount of people arriving. Unfortunately, we also couldn’t find the form, it’s an A5 size and asking officials for more forms does not guarantee any are found. Eventually after what seemed like an age, we found some forms to complete. Then you must wait with the rest of your travellers, all tired and hungry and fed up, so a sense of humour can go a long way at this point! Meeting our guide ensured we were delivered to our driver. I know New York claims to be the city that never sleeps, but Delhi is on drugs! I am currently reading Simon Reeve’s book ‘Journey to Impossible Places’ he describes Indian roads as ‘without rules’ it’s true, Indian drivers believe the horn gives you right of way, drivers have an almost telepathic ability overtaking and undertaking, the first in the gap wins. It’s no coincidence we didn’t see any car hire firms at the airport, not that I would want too! Any foreigner thinking they can navigate the road network should seeking psychological help before they arrive in Delhi. Our tour started in Delhi, then we went to Amritsar and the Golden Temple. Flying back to Delhi and onto Agra, were we saw the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and ‘Mini Taj’ finishing the day asking our guide to go to a bazaar, meaning a market what we got was a street of shops and some stalls. We found out later a bazaar is a street of shops; our request was lost in translation. When at some of the major tourist attractions, do not be surprised if people come and ask for a picture with you. Our guide explained some people come from the country to temples or mosques and have never met Westerners. They will display your picture in their home as a badge of honour. It makes you appreciate what someone famous must have to deal with. We stayed at a homestay property in Agra, a B&B property run as a government scheme allowing foreigners to meet people in their homes. We then moved on to Ranthambore, a National Park in the hope of seeing tigers. Unfortunately, the tigers did not come out to play, our second safari later in the day did allow us to watch antelope, deer and monkeys react to a warning call from antelope further up the hill from where we were. We stayed in the hope of seeing tigers or leopards but never seen them. TOP TIP: If you fancy a safari, I suggest you consider a four day stay in resort, allowing 2 safaris per day just increases your chances of seeing the animals you came to see. After that, safaris can be tiring I would then suggest finding somewhere else such as a beach or pool. The next stop on the tour was Jaipur, to see the Amber Fort. Our final leg was back to Delhi for flights onward to The Maldives. Some final Top Tips: you need to consider several things for a tour of India. * You will see lots of deprivation and poverty, including small children begging. You must harden your heart and not make eye contact; do not hold anything a street seller is offering you. If you accept something without intention of buying, you may find yourself trying to explain to your guide and anyone else you did not want it! You will see dead animals and dogs on the street. * Particularly for the ladies, my sister and wife both suggest you do not wear open toed shoes and ‘tight’ trousers, carry tissues and hand sanitiser as some of the toilets are not clean by Western standards. Your guide will always try to ensure you go to clean public toilets, but no one can account for your call of nature. The owner of our accommodation in Agra described India quite succinctly, ‘If you come to India and look at it with your head, you will hate it! If you look at it with your heart you will love it.’ I can say I loved our trip, as a taster of such a huge country. The people are all friendly, the food, culture and history are amazing.

20 October 2024

We had decided on our Europe trip in early 2024, Madeleine, my wife fancied Greece as a destination. As the time approached, we considered only having a month, might not be enough time. You don’t really want to spend more time driving than enjoying either the scenery or culture other countries have to offer. Europe is set up for a nomadic lifestyle, with no borders and areas you can park up in at night for a small charge, the one we are in as I write charges 10 euros, with another charge for electricity. You should be able to enjoy your journey for some that means planning, this includes me. I like to know where I am staying, how I am getting there etc. Others, Madeleine included prefers the more laissez fair way. No surprise that Madeleine’s way won. When we set off from home we were heading to Canterbury as Canterbury council have used part of their park & ride scheme as an ‘Aire’ charging £4 per day, midnight to midnight. Hence, it’s £8 for an overnight stay. It’s a much more reasonable cost for a self-contained motorhome, than staying on a camping site which has seen costs rise considerably since the pandemic. We booked the Channel Tunnel crossing, it’s slightly more expensive than ferries but we find it more convenient. Having Vera our West Highland White Terrier with us, means she stays in the van with us while the train takes the strain. The train crossing takes approximately 40 minutes. If you travel with pets and choose the ferry crossing, some ferries ask you to leave your pet in the vehicle and you can’t visit them once the ship is underway. When we travelled to Ireland a few years ago, we had no choice but to leave Vera in the van, while crossing from Scotland to Northern Ireland. We set up a video for her to watch (Yes, I know, we spoil her but she’s our fur baby!), believe it or not she knows how to scroll. When we got back, she had paused the video so spent the crossing staring at the same screen for approximately 3 hours! Once across the Channel, we had decided to avoid Toll roads on the continent it can prove costly, especially with a van over 3.5 (metric) tonnes as ours is. We had a general route planned out, heading towards Belgium, Germany, Austria, across into Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and finally Greece. That was the plan! We quickly realised a couple of things: A) Germany is a big country; it took us 4 days just to cross it B) I didn’t want to spend all my time driving, although Madeleine did offer but I do prefer to drive than be a passenger. We made it to Austria and came up with an amended plan which involved staying in Salzburg for 3 days, I was still working and required the time there. It also happened to have fallen on a festival weekend, which allowed us to enjoy Saturday walking around the city enjoying some late winter sun and the atmosphere of the festival. The amended plan was we would do a circuitous route of Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and France in time to catch the train home. When we moved on to Vienna from Salzburg, it was because it was the Capital, and we felt we should at least look around. It became apparent we were very limited having Vera with us, most tourist places do not allow dogs into the gardens never mind the buildings. We instead enjoyed marvelling at the architecture of the old city, but also at how the architects have mixed contemporary with ancient buildings very well. The Vienna train system is like The Tube in London and runs very well, from our experience on the day. Moving onto Slovakia, we decided to head into the hinterland of the country rather than stopping at Bratislava, the Capital and only an hour from Vienna. We stopped at a place in Slovakia called Bojnice finding a car park we could stop at for 7 Euros for the night, when we went for a walk, the lady serving us recommended we go to the Tatra Mountains in the North of the country. The next morning, after looking at the local castle, which was stunning and all authentic we headed to the mountains, only to find we crossed into Poland! Another border! Only stopping for one night didn’t allow us to see much, the mountains are beautiful unfortunately we couldn’t stay; that and it took us North, which was the wrong way! We then headed South ending up in Budapest, it was a bit grey and ‘flat’ making it difficult to take pictures. After climbing the hill to the Castle area, the sun came out ‘lighting up’ the buildings in their white/sandstone colour, making the pictures we took look bright and superb. Madeleine had googled what to do in Hungary and found Spa’s are the thing to do, so we headed to a town called Sarvat, staying at a camp which was a bit expensive, but it gave access to a local Spa, massage etc. as well as the campsite facilities (Electric Hook Up (EHU); Water and waste disposal (Grey [washing up water]; Black [toilet emptying]). After a couple of days there we headed to Slovenia, Lake Bled. Where our plans changed again! We had to get Vera sorted by a vet in the EU for returning home, France is better to do this as they are used to English people needing it and our French is better than Magyar (Hungarian) or any other language that side of Europe. So we headed to France, on reflection we left too early but that allowed us to really explore Alsace. As someone interested in World War history the area is fascinating, we saw Hartmannswillerkopf a mountain side where French and German soldiers fought during WW1. Neither side won anything but lost a lot of men, a very poignant place. We also went to a part of the Maginot Line, a fortification built before WW2 by the French. Another fascinating part of history. History is never far away in France; every village and town have buildings hundreds of years old. Imagine every town you go to looking like the Shambles in York, that’s what you get. Heading North to catch the train back, we stopped at Luxembourg for a couple of nights, so another border crossing. In total we crossed 9 borders: France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Some stats from our trip: Av. Spd: 33 mph or 53 Km/h Av. MPG: 29.9 mpg or 10.6km/l Time driving: 108.13 hours Mileage: 3547 miles or 5708.5km Approx. spent £1500

17 July 2024

We then headed from Hatton to Yala, the day was incredibly long due to fitting in Nuwara Eliya and old colonial town the locals refer to as ‘Little England,’ it was a short stop again an old colonial hotel, lots of dark wood panelling, straight out of an Agatha Christie novel. We stopped at Ella, to be shown 5 Arches bridge and then after lunch Madeleine and I climbed ‘Little Adams Peak’ it wasn’t little, it was hot and humid and in that respect it was like climbing Sigirya Rock. Madeleine and I made it, lovely views and sense of achievement just as it started to rain and we descended! We arrived at our hotel for the night at Cinnamon Wild, Yala. A hotel complex set in the National Park of Yala, our lodge was in the trees and was we arrived with our hotel guide bringing our luggage we were met by a troop of monkeys, in the trees next to our lodge. As we got ready for dinner, we could hear their ‘clogs’ on the roof. Next morning was an early start to do a safari, it should have taken 3 hours but we got stuck twice and it took 6 hours to get back to check out of hotel. We continued our trip to Galle, an old Portuguese Fort town, still in use today via, a Turtle Sanctuary. It was explained how the baby turtles are buried by their Mums and the sanctuary collects them to ensure they survive, we saw turtles that the sanctuary look after, one had lost it’s flipper and couldn’t go back in the sea, another was albino and had a deformed shell. We also saw lots of healthy baby turtles all swimming in a pool, until they are old enough to be let loose about 2 weeks after hatching. We continued our journey to Galle. We had lunch but as the time was mid to late afternoon and to his credit Nalinda, still wanted to show us things on the schedule, but we asked to be taken to our final hotel at Cinnamon Bey, near Bentota. By the time we arrived we had been going since 5am and it was about 6.30pm. Arriving at Cinnamon Bey, meant we had reached our final hotel of the trip. Time to relax properly, sitting by the pool taking a dip to cool off, Madeleine enjoyed going snorkelling in the Indian Ocean right on the beach. Madeleine fancied going whale watching, after speaking to hotel reception they arranged for a driver. After a bit of negotiation, we came to an arrangement. Madeleine would leave the following morning at 4.50am to be at the boat to go looking for whales. On returning Madeleine explained the whales had been quite elusive. What she did come back with was a very nice ‘Rainbow sapphire’ ring, we can’t decide if she was pressured, did she pay a fair price? We will only know when we have it evaluated in the UK, we did speak to the gentlemen involved in the transaction and they offered a full refund, but Madeleine likes the ring and it’s a nice keep sake from the trip. We did go for a ride in a Tuk-Tuk with a local man, we met on the beach, he took us to a local village were we bought some extra gifts for some family members

17 July 2024

My wife, Madeleine and I visited Sri Lanka in February 2024. This happened before I became a Travel Counsellor, so we asked our Travel Counsellor about some destinations we fancied. It takes time to craft that perfect holiday, so we discussed our requirements and she added some she knew we liked from previous trips. We flew from London Heathrow on our trip of 3 weeks, with a short stopover in Doha airport, A must if you are planning a trip East. (Top Tip: You can book to stay at the airport, it’s well worth it.) Our first hotel was to allow us to relax after a long journey. A list of the hotels we stayed at: • Arie Lagoon we only stayed one night before starting our 10 day tour of the island. • Amaya Lake we stayed for 3 nights, a pretty hotel by a lake in a beautiful lodge with plenty of space to relax. • Amaya Hills, set above Kandy with beautiful views of the sunset and the surrounding hills. It’s cooler here but a little more humid we stayed for 2 nights. • The Argyle, the name comes from the owner of the Tea Planation the hotel now sits in. This was our favourite hotel, the staff said they treat everyone like family. The cynic in me said ‘yeah, right!’ but when we came to leave after 3 nights I had something in my eye! They really did make me feel special. • Cinnamon Wild, set in Yala National Park we only had 1 night but as our cases were being brought to our room monkeys were sat in the tree next to the lodge, a lovely welcome. • Cinnamon Bey, our final hotel for the tour. It’s set on a beach, with a natural lagoon great place to go snorkelling and a beach of fine sand and coral. The hotel also has the biggest pool I think I have ever seen, it must have been 100m long, great for getting the lengths in for your exercise. After that first hotel, our driver, Nalinda really had a pace to ensure we saw all on the itinerary. Starting at Sigiriya Rock, it’s not for the feint hearted with 1200 steps to the top. Heat and humidity do not help, Madeleine had to stop half way due to her breathing. At the top views over the jungle where you can see for miles, which became very handy as a torrential downpour was heading our way I was able to take shelter! The next day we went to Polonnaruwa, the second most ancient city in Sri Lanka and also declared it’s capital in 1070 AD. It’s stone carved figures of Buddha stand several metres tall or long, depending on Buddha’s pose. The intricate carvings are impressive when you consider the age of them. We then had a traditional lunch at a Farmers type kitchen, served on a plate with a banana leaf, sat watching Egrets and listening to Peacocks in the paddy fields was our view. We then went to Minneriya NP for a short safari, we managed to see an elephant, several deer, a chameleon in a tree, a Kingfisher and several other colourful birds. The next day on our way to Kandy, we stopped at a spice farm and learnt about herbal medicine and the properties of various herbs and spices. We bought so much, Madeleine especially believes in herbal medicine, so we have lots of lotions and potions for our aches and pains! When we arrived in Kandy, we had time to look around an old colonial hotel, with the dark wood and old lift it was like stepping back in time. We then went for a walk around the Temple of the Tooth, a sacred place to Buddhist’s as it holds the tooth of the previous Buddha. Although the Temple was attacked by someone with a bomb a few years ago, the Temple has been re-built and has some of the most beautiful wall decorations. We returned to our hotel for the night, Amaya Hills overlooking the hills around Kandy. The following day Nalinda arranged for us to see traditional Sri Lankan dancing and drums. The Master explained how he had learnt to dance in this was from the age of 4 and was now approximately my age (56). When the dancers came on, the master had explained how young children learn from about 4 years of age how to place their hands in a certain position, this can take up to 18 months just for the hands, we discussed how disciplined children would have to be. Nalinda asked if we would like to go to a traditional Sri Lankan restaurant and eat as the locals do with our hands. For me, it was such a simple thing, but I loved it. Who’d have thought I would have to learn the knack, which involved making a ball of food with rice, sauce etc. and then using your thumb to ‘push’ the food into your mouth. It made me incredibly self-conscious, but then everyone else was eating the same way. For 3 meals including drinks it came to £3ph. The afternoon we went for a trip around the Botanical gardens in Kandy. The following day we took a train ride from Kandy to Hatton, the experience alone of hanging out the door to get a video, definitely not something East Coast mainline would let you do!! New destination, new hotel. The tour has taken a slight decrease in pace now, giving us time to relax by a pool with beautiful views over tea plantations, review our Social Media and relaxation. We also got to go to a Tea factory and see how the tea is picked, what the factory does with the pickings, how the leaves are refined. As tea drinkers, Madeleine and I found it really interesting. On our way back to the hotel, Nalinda showed us two waterfalls, Devon and St Clare. Surrounded by the tea plants and palms, they could have been out of a shampoo advert.

16 July 2024

The Start Off I booked our trip myself through a supplier of Travel Counsellors for the first week in July 24. I also booked a Hotel and park, that is I booked a hotel for the night before we fly and leave the car there for the duration of our holiday. We prefer it to having a mad dash to get to the airport on time. Setting off from home around 1pm after dropping our dog Vera, off at daughter's house. Driving to Stansted with none of the anxiety of ensuring you get to the airport on time. We booked an evening meal with a couple of drinks, retired to our room with a drink for the road, well the corridor! Watched a couple of acts of Glastonbury on the ‘Beeb’ and settled down for sleep in a very nice comfy bed in Novotel Stansted, definitely a hotel I will recommend to clients in the future. The Flight We awoke at 6, showered and met the shuttle bus which cost us £4 each. Checked in at the BA desk, where a nice gentleman checked our names off his list. He explained because we were on a charter flight we would be at the cargo side rather than with the scheduled flights. Personally I felt less 'cattle class’ being boarded via a bus on a plane that was 4 seats wide. The flight took 2 hours and we were in The Med. An hour after touch down, using a private transfer and we were at our accommodation, A’merula in Calvi, unpacked and by the pool! Another couple from our flight arrived about half an hour later, we saw them arrive as we sat by the pool. The accommodation was a small studio apartment which was suitable for Madeleine, my wife and I. The kitchen had everything we needed, although we ate out. The week flew by with the beginning not having sunny weather but was warmer than the UK! We managed to go on a local train to another village up the coast called ‘L'Ile Rousse.’ It cost about 13 Euros each return. We walked around the peninsula with the old and modern lighthouse, had a look around the town and then found our way to a beach bar for a drink. One of the things we did enjoy was sitting in the marina watching the yachts arrive. On our last night, a Lamborghini boat arrived! I didn't know they made boats, apparently 400 of them about 4 million each! Highlights/Recommendations I would recommend Calvi for families with small children below 5, the beach is excellent with a shallow slope. As an example of how shallow the beach was, adults were walking out 100m and it was still only coming up to their waist. Apparently Bastia has a water park to keep the slightly older children entertained, which may be a better option as a resort for families with older children. In Calvi you had a choice of restaurants, we thought if you were there for 2 weeks you could eat somewhere different every night! Choices were amazing, especially if you like seafood. We found Corsica to be slightly more expensive than we expected. A meal for 2 would normally run to around 100 Euros, including drinks and desert. Would I recommend Corsica for a holiday? Of course, it has something for everyone; If you fancy hiking in stunning scenery you can, ensure you come prepared to walk in excessive heat. If you just want to laze on a beach or by a pool, you can. The beaches also have plenty of water sports from Jet Skis and Snorkelling. If you planned to stay for more than a week, you may want to hire a car which I believe is about 300 Euros per week, dependent on size of vehicle of course. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me to ask, I will do my best to answer them.