Your blog profile says you are well traveled, where was your last holiday?
I have been to some wonderful places, on four of the six inhabited continents. My last holiday was in Portugal, we spent four weeks there this Summer, my husband’s parents have a house in the Algarve region, it is so beautiful and very relaxing there. (Also hot, which I love!)
If you have traveled to America, what spots did you visit and which were well worth writing home about?
I have visited the USA and spent time in Atlanta, Georgia, where we visited the Martin Luther King Centre, it was totally amazing and inspiring. His resting place was a very emotional place to visit. We have also travelled in Oregon (love those Pacific sunsets!) and Washington State – my husband has family in Seattle, as well as crossing the border into Canada and exploring the area around Harrison Hot Springs. I am desperate to visit New York and have lots of friends in various parts of California, so would love to visit them too.
What is the most exotic location to which you have traveled?
I can’t choose between the Galapagos Islands, Amazon Jungle or Southern African countries. All were pretty exotic and amazing.
Do you a favorite type of travel guide to use when you go on holiday?
Lonely Planet is pretty good, but I tend to do a lot of Internet research and try to speak to people who have already travelled in the places I am planning to visit. A good travel advisor is a must! I have been pretty lucky in that regard.
As the mother of three children, would you like to instill your love of travel in your kids?
Absolutely. I hope that my children develop a love for the world and the people in it. That is much easier to achieve, when one has seen it!
If so, how do you instill that desire?
We regularly take our children to Europe on holiday and teach them about the history of the countries we visit. I also took my eldest son (Harry) to Africa in 2008, when he was 9. We travelled for four weeks, overland in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe and bush-camped the whole way. We saw the most amazing things and met wonderful people. I wanted Harry to appreciate the things he has and to hopefully understand that there are people who are much less fortunate than he is. He is still in touch with people he met on the trip. I hope it was a life changing experience for him. I also have to admit that one reason for taking him was because he was old enough to understand what was happening when I was ill and I wanted to make sure that his over-riding memory of childhood was not “Mom had cancer”. I hope the trip achieved this and enriched his life.
Name three places you’ve never been but would like to visit? Why did you choose those
destinations?
Only 3!!!???
New York. (Partly because I am an avid Yankees fan)
Australia/New Zealand – The only continent I have never travelled on & there are friends to visit there.
Hawaii – I desperately want to visit Kilauea
I’m sneaking a fourth 😉 Bermuda, because my pen friend of almost 20-years lives there and despite a couple of attempts, we have not yet managed to meet.
Part 3 – Tracey on politics and motherhood
