POD Travels asked POD aged 5 what she packs in her Trunki. Her Trunki is three years old and his name is Gaston (in homage to the eponymous Ladybird in Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom), although officially he’s the Harley Ladybird Model.
With white-sandy beaches, turquoise sea, unmissable sunsets and activities to cater for all these once remote islands now rank alongside Bali as one of Indonesia’s top destinations.
The Doves’ love for tennis has been covered both here on POD Travels and on our parent blog PODcast. We’ve always enjoyed the Mark Warner model which allows you to play on holiday with LTA qualified coaches, as well as taking advantage of what’s on offer in resort. We have however also taken an activity holiday at Club La Santa which is situated on the North West Coast of Lanzarote.
We always flew to a destination before POD came along as we wanted to begin our break by the quickest means possible. Since we’ve become parents however, the journey has formed an integral part of our overall holiday experience. Now aged five, POD is a true adventurer with her inquisitive nature undeniably infectious. Luckily for us she loves to discover new places too and is pretty much up for anything. Over recent months we’ve taken the car to the Isle of Wight, the Côte d’Opale in France and Ghent in Belgium. Road trips are amazingly good fun and they’ve enabled us to do even more exploring that we might have done otherwise. This summer we’ve decided to do something we’ve not done before – travel to Northern Spain on board a Brittany Ferries’ cruise ship.
Ankles lashed together I shuffle to the edge. The sun shines bright and warm, a soft breeze caresses my cheek. Below me 340ft and 102m are the blue-grey waters of the Shotover river.
The fishing village of Ambleteuse is located on the Côte d’Opale in Northern France. It was discovered by Louis XIV in 1680 when he was passing through Boulogne-sur-Mer who decided to make it a military port. Coincidentally we visited the picturesque town following a stay in Boulogne which included a visit to the old town and the NAUSICAA aquarium.
When we booked our holiday to Greece with Mark Warner, at the Levante Beach Resort, we weren’t sure if we were going to utilise the childcare on offer. Mainly as we see a family trip being exactly that and because POD tends to be looked after by the same people.
We’ve travelled to Belgium several times now so we’re excited to be visiting the historical city of Ghent soon. Viewed by Lonely Planet as Europe’s best kept secret, this cultural hub is situated an hour’s drive from the capital with many medieval landmarks lining its largely traffic free streets. We thought we’d take a look at the must see places to visit in the Arts Quarter (Kunstenkwartier), home to the Book Tower as well as many of the city’s museums and the Historical Centre (Kuip) where there’s a thousand year old fortress, medieval towers and of course the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.
Little did we know there was so much to see on the Opal Coast. From the obelisk at Cap Blanc Nez and Batterie Todt at Cap Gris Nez to Audresselles and Wimereaux. Having stayed in Boulogne-sur-Mer and explored the old town, we visited fishing village Ambleteuse before checking out the pretty seaside town of Wissant.
Having arrived in North Island later than anticipated, our stay in the Raglan overlander train was cut short but we made it to Hamilton as scheduled. We had the most amazing day at the cricket, spent with good friends we’d not seen for some three years. The following day we were on the move again, the destination of choice thermal city Rotorua located 100 kilometres away. The heartland of New Zealand’s indigenous Maoris, due to the marae (meeting grounds), Rotorua is renowned for its hot springs, mud pools and geysers.
