Welcome to my travel stories on Love Travel Planning. At the moment, these blogs are primarily about planning travels for my family – husband, 3 older children, and a ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Linus.
Before long, we will not be restricted only to travelling during UK school holidays, which will open up possibilities for longer (and cheaper) trips, and slower travel. As a result, I expect my blogs will evolve over the next year or so, to suit those with more time for travel.
I have come to blogging late, having left a professional career in Recruitment and Human resources after 30 years, so my learning curve is steep and my sense of anxiety is high, but I am taking the leap to follow my passion for travel.
All the photos on my website have been taken by me or one of my family. Expect photos of beautiful places, rather than of me, as I am much happier behind the lens than in front of it.
What’s my travel authority?
Nothing more than having been on a mission to squeeze in as much travel as possible over the years. To do this, we have become quite adept at maximising airline and hotel reward schemes to facilitate traveling overseas as a family, which I’ve written about in the Planning section.
I have enjoyed planning our family travels – researching options, making bookings, and bringing our holiday plans to life, but most importantly creating forever memories in this amazing world.
Road trips have become our favourite way to travel and, as they require a lot of planning, they have developed my travel planning skills over the years, which will inform the advice I pass on to you through my blogs.
Getting to know me…
My favourite Travel Podcast is The Travel Diaries, by Holly Rubenstein – basically a Desert Island Discs for travel lovers. So, for a bit of fun, here is my version to help you get to know me:
What were my first travel memories?
UK based: My parents had a static caravan based in Bridlington for many years when I was young, so I have strong memories of packing up the car and heading off to the coast to enjoy the ‘Great British Seaside’ experience – fish and chips, buckets and spades, sandcastles, crabbing, beach walks, collecting seashells, doing jigsaws indoors when it’s raining, and listening to the blare of the fog horn from my bunk bed at night.
Not very glamorous, but strangely comforting to have a second home in miniature, where you reassuringly know exactly what you’re returning to each holiday.
Abroad: My first foreign holiday memories are of walking holidays in Switzerland which my parents loved – fresh clean alpine air, cable cars, cows with bells in the meadows, chocolate, my trusty pair of walking boots with red laces and matching red walking socks, the revolving James Bond restaurant and stunning mountain scenery are all evocative of happy times in the outdoors.
What’s the first place I wanted to return to?
This coincides with the first overseas trip I made independently of my parents. Aged 19, I flew to Pisa in Italy to meet a friend who had been studying at a summer language school in Florence.
We travelled around Italy by train to destinations including Siena, Rome, Venice and Ventimiglia. I quickly became captivated by Italy – the architecture and the glow of the setting sun on the buildings, the smells and taste of the food, the stylish people, the history and knew that I would be on a mission to return.
When did I fall in love with travel?
On a one-month inter-railing holiday around Europe during a University summer break. I loved the freedom of moving easily between countries, watching the changing landscapes speeding past the train windows, and exploring a variety of new locations every couple of days.
We travelled all the way down to Athens (through Yugoslavia, as it was) and caught ferries to Santorini and other islands as the mood took us. Everything was new, and it seemed like I was in awe of everything. Despite travelling with barely any money, my wanderlust was fully activated on this trip.
What’s my favourite destination of all time?
This has to be Canada. Aged 20, I worked in Toronto for three months on a visa organised by the BUNAC organisation. I lucked out securing a summer job at a yacht club on Lake Ontario and embraced all things Canadian – baseball, wild camping, canoeing in the national parks, sampling maple syrup and Coors beer. I never wanted to leave.
This experience inspired several trips back to Canada and my love affair with Canada continues. Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, has everything I love – ocean, trees, bears, whales, beaches, surfing, lumberjack shirts and a mist which descends creating magical scenery.
What are my hidden gem recommendations?
We found the San Juan Islands in the USA by accident when planning a trip to Canada, but flying into Seattle to maximise airline points. We travelled by ferry from the USA mainland to the USA island of San Juan, where we stayed in Friday harbour for a few days, before entering Canada via the south of Vancouver Island.
Friday Harbour was a quaint town and wholesome retreat offering coastal vistas, seafood restaurants and a Whale Museum. It felt like a million miles away from anywhere, and was our starting point for a multi-night kayaking trip in the hope of spotting orcas (sadly not successful on this occasion).
What’s my worst travel memory?
A very scary flight to the Isle of Man when I was young, probably around 6 years old. Our small propeller plane was thrown around in a thunderstorm and in my memory, we were struck by lightning (although that memory cannot be verified)!
When you’re young and you see your parents being scared, it makes the whole experience even worse. I suspect it was this flight which sparked a low level fear of flying in me, which I manage but struggle to completely shake off.
What’s next on my travel bucket list?
There are too many places to mention, but if there’s water, wildlife and a wide horizon then I’ll be happy!
