Tag Archives: travel

Happy travels

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I just returned from a week-long, short-notice trip to London. Work took me there but I managed to squeeze in some social and family visits between meetings. And a little shopping too 🙂

The travel bug bit me when I was very young – my parents used to take us to see my British grandparents every few years, and would make a point of stopping somewhere en route to show us a bit of the world. Childhood experiences of Amsterdam’s canals, Dutch tulips, the Eiffel Tower and the Impressionist collection at the Musee d’Orsay were just a few of the things that inspired what’s become a lifelong passion for seeing new places. Continue reading →

Single supplements

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My Dad is running a training course in a beautiful little town a couple of hours away in a few weeks’ time – my Mum is going to go with them and they asked me whether I’d like to join them for a mini-family-weekend away. It sounds rather nice, so I started researching the local B&Bs.

  • Cost of double room: USD115 (i.e. USD57.50 per person)
  • Single occupancy: USD82.50

Yes, fellow singletons, if I want to stay at this establishment on my own, I’ll have to pay nearly 45% more than my parents will (per person obviously).

In other words, it’s 45% more expensive to be single. Ironic because we’re the ones on – doh – ONE income.

Hotels that do not charge single supplements are few and far between and I so wish their single-ist* competitors followed their example. Single supplements should be banned. Grrrrrr.

*Is there a term for discriminating against people on the basis of their single status? 🙂

I need a holiday – but where to go?

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I used to live in London and one of the best things about being there is that it’s SO easy to travel to somewhere exotic. It doesn’t take long and it usually didn’t cost too much.

Since I moved to Cape Town, my globetrotting has been curtailed – it’s a hell of a long way to get ANYwhere and I’m earning in the local currency, which doesn’t go very far against the dollar, pound and Euro. (I’ve already travelled extensively through South Africa.)

I am well overdue a holiday (the New Year road trip does not count!) and, with itchy feet, am really keen to go somewhere exotic for two weeks.

My idea places to go to are:
– Zanzibar – seriously exotic! Stone Town, spices, beautiful beaches…
– Madagascar – I’d love to see the lemurs and the other quirky species that abound there
– Buenos Aires – I’ve never been to South America and quite fancy and Argentinian excursion
– Japan – top of my wish list! The scenery, architecture, customs, pop culture, gadgets, food…

Any suggestions?