Girls' Travel Club

Trans-Mongolian: 1 month, 4 countries, 7622Km and 2 Pairs of Pants!!!

2012-01-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

Girlstravelclub customer Katherine got in touch with us after her safe return from travelling the Trans-Mongolian railroute solo, and very kindly sent us some top tips about her experiences. Enjoy!

"I want to write this mainly so other women out there know that anything is possible! That through a little etermination, hard work and meticulous planning one can have the trip of a life time, and moree importantly that one can travel through 4 countries in the space of a month with only two pairs of pants! Ha!

Ladies, welcome! I feel the need to impress upon you the need for correct under garments before commencing your journeying wherever it may take you! I undertook a lot of walking in my “Tilley Coolmax Extreme Briefs” (in black ) and a lot of sitting, sleeping and the odd bit of stretching. This by all means is not a plug for the above mentioned briefs (…ahem) but an insight as to what I did in my briefs.

I planned a trip, that would be just me and the world. This took me through from London to Beijing and back again by plane. The epic Trans-Mongolian! First discovered as a child having grown up surrounded by nature videos about Russian steppes, the taiga and wildlife I thought now was the time to attempt it! (I am 28 this April). Coupled with a freakish fascination and romanticised with trains I sat one day at work and schemed in my little head a notion that I couldn’t shake off.

Albeit not your normal holiday adventure – this is one where I wanted to rough it, prove something to myself and put paid to any fears I may have about travelling on my own. If I could do this, anything was possible! This was October 2009 and I thought if I was careful with money and planning, I could go in September 2010. My first step was too plot my route and the most important parts were Moscow (how could I not?), Siberia , Mongolia ( for cashmere ) and Beijing ( silk and pearls ).Clearly my priorities were forefront in my head. Starting by plane was cheating so this is the route I followed entirely by train until my flight home from Beijing….

London St Pancras – Cologne – Warsaw – Moscow – Siberia (Tomsk) – Siberia (Irkutsk) – Mongolia – Beijing – London.

These are all the places I stopped, however when I add all the extra countries that I passed through (Brussels, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Minsk, Belarus ) although not particularly in that order the list is long! I woke myself up in some of the countries just to take pictures of their stations as we weren’t allowed off! Sad!

So I planned through a company called “Real Russia” who after learning of my route booked all the individual tickets as you cannot “hop on and off” the Trans-Mongolian train! It took me 9 months of hard saving and a lot of work to get the funds together. Due to meticulous planning my budget was spot on and sufficient for my entire journey! My flight home was the first thing I booked then I worked backward with how long I wanted to stay in each country! I booked all my hotels on my own and nothing was done as a “package” which steals the authenticity of roughing it! Visa’s cost me about £400. Including a Russian, Chinese and Mongolian visa I needed a transit visa for Belarus as I was transiting through.

I was in Moscow long enough for a day trip over night to St Petersburg choosing the one day that EVERYTHING is shut to visit! Boo! Siberia was not as cold as you would think however Russia “squat” toilets took a bit of getting used too! I travelled entirely on my own – I was never hassled by men or anyone wanting to “rip off” the tourist and found the whole experience in Russia beautiful. The longest time I spent on the train though was about 2.5 days and that was a struggle. You communicate with your cabin mates with gestures to spell your name, share tea and cucumbers and explain where you are going. Most of the time people kept to themselves. Each train I shared with a different person – sometimes men as well. Everyone is very considerate of each other’s space despite the tight conditions ; - )

Mongolia was short and only 4 days – enough to spend £250 on cashmere and take in the landscape with a trip to the country and horse-riding! I managed to stay with friends of friends here which made things a little more personal to have a guide although accommodation is very easy to find out there. It is weird though to see traditional Ger’s (Mongolian tent like structures) with cars outside them! Onto Beijing and what hit me most was the change in terrain from Russia, to Siberia, to Mongolia and then Beijing. I met a few people that were on previous trains and like you see in pictures of people crowded into ones persons cabin for drinks and laughs that’s exactly how it was. Everyone travelling for their own reason and in various directions with different destinations! It was fascinating hearing their stories as well.

I hardly spoke to anyone within my first two weeks –then there was an influx of English speaking tourists that I couldn’t get rid of until Beijing. Even then I ran into people that I met on the train. It’s a small world girls, even in China!

I am happy to answer any questions that any of you may have about this – this is a small glimpse as to the epic adventure I had. I use the term epic too much I think but it truly was. Getting equipment together including clothing that would keep me warm but equally cool in case of weather changes was no easy feat. I bought items like hiking boots to wear every day, horrid granny-esque sandals for very warm days, a few tops, a jacket and only one other change of clothing! Everything had to fit in a rucksack of about 65 litres. I saw people with multiple bags that you would take to the shops which clearly hindered them. My pants were important as they dry very quickly, sometimes sooner than overnight and are comfortable. I bought two pairs and alternated them –simples!

With visa’s, flight home, train tickets, etc. I had about £5500 put away and came back with change. The tickets themselves only cost about £750. I spent too much money on cashmere from Mongolia, pearls from Beijing and FOOD! I am a vegetarian and some of the food I discovered was simply amazing, then again in other places – not so good!

So there you go – enjoy the pictures! I am a 27 year old female, travelled on my own(much to the disdain of my boyfriend) and paid for this thing all by myself. If I can do it – you can too!

Muchos love girlies…"

Kat's Essential Travel Items.

The Tilly Travel knickers in black were a must. You need to travel light if you are doing this on your own, as no one else will be carrying your bags for you. You don’t need 30 pairs as you carry GTC soap leaves and Tilly dry very quickly. I brought two pairs of knickers just in case.
I brought a Papaya Notebook as there would be lots of down time whilst on the train and I especially like Papaya as there are ruled pages and plain pages for doodling and writing.
A “Light my Fire” outdoor meal kit came with me as it folded down pretty small, contained everything I needed and was hardy in case I dropped it.
A “Constellation” giant soft fibre towel was purchased also. Most hotels and places you stay will lend you one but a big one is a good idea.

HighLives takes travellers to new heights in Latin America

2011-10-28T03:38:00.000-07:00

London-based tour operator HighLives uses local know-how to offer unique experiences to British visitors to Latin America.

Bolivian-born founder Bibiana Tellez-Garside has pioneered specialist adventures, such as these new tours:· A river cruise up the Amazon headwaters featuring yoga on deck and starlit evening meditation classes.· Golfers can hit the longest shots of their lives in the rarified atmosphere of the world’s highest grass course in La Paz, Bolivia.· Keen amateur photographers hone their skills under the guidance of two professionals on a tour of Peru’s most spectacular natural and cultural sites. HighLives is a small firm specialising in high altitude destinations, with a focus on Bolivia’s La Paz, Bibiana’s home city and the world’s highest capital at almost 4,000 metres above sea level. HighLives aims to showcase a country still little visited by holidaymakers, despite frequently appearing near the top of many seasoned travellers’ favourite destinations (e.g. no. 9 in Wanderlust magazine’s 100 greatest travel experiences, August 2011).

“We’ve had enquiries from people asking about doing paragliding, horseback riding and mountain biking in the areas they plan to visit. With our local knowledge and contacts we can set up opportunities for travellers to engage in their passions and make their journeys a truly personal experience,” said Bibiana.

HighLives offers upscale and adventurous opportunities in Bolivia, Chile and Peru, starting with our 13-day Bolivian Odyssey with prices from £1,280 excluding flights.

For further media information/imagery:

Bibiana Tellez-Garside- bgarside@highlives.co.uk, 020 8144 2629, mob:07825786948.· Please feel free to contact us for story ideas, travel tips and insight into the region, altitude-based travel and health, wellbeing and fitness tourism.· Our experiences have been selected to carefully consider the best possible ways to include responsible tourism practises. We aim to offer experiences that are sensitive to the environment and derive economic benefit to the local communities visited.· The operator is working with The Altitude Centre, a UK-based specialist in training consultancy for athletes and mountaineers, with the aim of providing services for top-level and serious sportspeople to optimise their performance with an extended stay at venues several thousand metres above sea level.·

HighLives is holding an open day on 26 November 2011, where there will be presentations on the destinations and packages it offers. The Altitude Centre will also be giving a talk and there will be free yoga, latin dance and zumba sessions. The day will support the charity “Friends of Bolivia”.

Christmas shoebox appeal

2011-10-05T03:30:00.000-07:00

It is already that time of year when here at GTC Towers we start collecting for our Christmas shoebox appeal. These boxes go to incredibly disadvantaged kids in Eastern Europe, and make a huge difference so please help us by sending a donation!

We need little toys, games, t-shirts, puzzles and toiletries suitable for kids up to the age of sixteen, so put a little parcel together and email Becci for the despatch address at info @ girlstravelclub.co.uk.

Thanks so much,

Bex and the GTC team xxxx

Looking for a writing retreat?

2011-09-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sheepwash is not, contrary to popular opinion, an agricultural shampoo product, but a lovely little village in Devon. Home to a charming little book exchange in an old red telephone box, and a proper village shop that sells Lockets and shoelaces, it is also the location of the fabulous Retreats For You.

Deborah Dooley, journalist and creator of meringues extraordinaire, has been opening her home to artists, writer and those just looking to get away from it all for three years, and has created a fabulous space to get your artistic head together. Dinner, bed, breakfast and a delicious home-made lunch are all provided, as are wellies, woollies and the chance to borrow a dog and her husband and go blackberrying under the blustery autumn clouds.

I stayed with her for a few days last week and had the most wonderful time. By turns inspiring, energising and relaxing, it gave me the chance to look over the manuscript I have been working on for years and make a plan to move forward with it, and this, coupled with a constantly overflowing jar of flapjack left by the kettle made it the perfect writer's break. Walkers and artists are also welcomed, although how much walking one would want to do after 3 days of cooked breakfasts, home-made bread, fresh eggs from the garden and lots of lots of wine is up to you...

Her daughter Flo very kindly gave me her Ultimate Best Squidgy Flapjack Recipe Ever, which I will share with you now, and if you are looking for a pampering weekend away in the Devon countryside, please get in touch with the lovely Debs and Bob!

Flo's Fabulous Flapjack Recipe
250g butter
220g dark sugar
450g oats
110g golden syrup

Put the butter, sugar and syrup into a pan and melt on a low heat until everything has melted/dissolved.

Add this to the oats and mix well, adding any other bits and pieces you fancy, such as choc chips, raspberries, sunflower seeds.

Pour into a lined baking tray and cook for 15/20 mins at 180 degrees. Leave to cool.

Traveller’s banana pancakes recipe

2011-09-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

The Banana Pancake Trail is a loosely defined route that takes in all the most popular of backpacking destinations from India, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia down to Bali, and where you are guaranteed to find this cheapest and most comforting of foods. Travellers often mistakenly think it is a local dish, but the tradition of cooking them spread organically as Western backpackers started to explore Asia and yearned for sweet, sticky filling food. The recipe differs from guesthouse to guesthouse, country to country, but the best ones always are drenched in some form of syrup, crisp and hot and golden.

Makes 4 big pancakes
1 cup of flour
1 pinch salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup of milk
3 small bananas, sliced or mashed
Oil

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, then make a well in the centre.
Beat the egg and milk together, then slowly pour into the well, stirring all the while.

Stir in the banana and leave to stand for quarter of an hour.

Heat the oil in a small pan, and ladle in enough mixture to thickly coat the bottom.

When the top begins to dry out and bubbles form, carefully turn it over and cook the other side until golden

Serve hot with maple or golden syrup, palm sugar or honey.

Classrooms for Kenya

2011-09-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to try some volunteering abroad? Well, we were delighted to receive this letter from Leah Norton, a student in West Sussex who went on a trip to Africa to help build a new school...

"Hi Becky, I had an amazing time in Kenya, the mosquito net you gave me was the BEST one there, because it had a door which meant I didn’t have to scrabble with my mosquito net to get out of bed in the mornings. I have attached some pictures of some of the places we went to and the children at the school I was building.

I was surprised at the weather; even though we had been warned that it was the rainy season I didn’t anticipate it to be quite so wet. Every evening it would rain, I think about only two of the nineteen days I was there it didn’t rain.

Whilst we were at the school the children were so friendly and welcoming and whilst we were there it was one of my team members 18th birthday and they held a ceremony for her and performed songs, danced, read poetry and performed a play about a stolen chicken! This was very amusing.

Every morning after the longest bumpiest bus journey a smile was always put on our faces as the children would stand by the gates and greet us chanting welcome and giving us all high fives.

We each took with us donation items to give to the children and the Kenyan builders. We took with us tops, jumpers and pens, we also left the trowels and building equipment that we had been using and gave new building gloves to all the builders as they did not have any. We gave the donation items to the children a few days before we left the school, the tops and jumpers we gave them matched the colours of their uniform and all the children and teachers were so thankful.

Building the classrooms was tiring but it was great to see it taking shape and the achievement of building something was very rewarding. We managed in the two weeks of building to get the classroom up to roof height which was great, the roof would be put on by the builders and it should be complete and ready to teach in very soon.

Whilst at the school I taught an English culture lesson which the children found very funny as their culture is so very different to ours. They found it strange that it was illegal for a man in England to have more than one wife as that is normal in Kenya.

The children at school also loved our hair they would play with it for ages because all of the children at the school had shaved heads so found our hair very interesting. They would also call out ‘Mazungu’ at us which means “white man” you hear this all the time. It was the first word I learnt as even driving to and from places children would point at us and shout ‘Mazungu!’

We went to Mount Elgon one Saturday; we drove up most of it and climbed up part of it. The climb up was quite difficult but the view from the top was amazing and we had lunch up there. After visiting Mount Elgon we visited Kitum cave which was a bat cave it was really amazing seeing all of the bats however the smell in the cave was horrible.

We also went to a baby rescue centre and orphanage, I was expecting this to be very upsetting but all the children there were so happy and friendly and it was such a lovely place they were staying in that this was one of the best parts of the trip. At the baby rescue we constantly had children on our shoulders or on our hips. The children didn’t speak much English but all of them knew the word for “shoulders” and “again.” We also donated toys and clothes to the baby rescue centre and all of the children loved them.

The last day at the school blew me away it was astounding just how giving the school was to us. They lined us up and sang to us and whilst this was happening children came out with gifts and necklaces and gave them to us. They also brought us caps with the letter R on they said that this stood for “remember, remind, return” it was amazing how selfless the children and teachers were as you could not imagine that happening in England which is a much more wealthy country. When we were driving away from the school all of the children were running after the bus cheering and shaking our hands.

As a celebration of all the work we had done we all went on safari; I saw lions, giraffes, buffalo, rhino, flamingo and a lot of monkeys they were as common as pigeons are in England. "

By Leah Norton

How to make our GirlsTravelClub Ultimate Gooey Chocolate Bushcraft Brownies

2011-06-25T03:04:00.000-07:00

We know how important it is to keep one's sugar levels up when enjoying the Great Outdoors, which is why on our GTC Travelskills and Bushcraft courses for women we always provide a tray of our special gooey chocolate brownies for our clients.

Low-cal they are not, but they have become something of a trademark feature of our Travelskills courses and as people are always asking for the recipe I thought I would share it with you. This recipe makes a roasting tin-ful of lovely, squidgy brownies, but you can halve the mixture if you don't have to feed a wood full of hungry bushcrafters.

The key to keeping the brownies gooey is to take the tin out when the top is dry but the middle is still wobbling, as the internal heat means they will still keep cooking for a few minutes; too long and you just end up with a chocolate sponge. If you can bear to leave them overnight they will be really squidgy but much easier to cut than if you slice them straight away.

12 oz butter
18 oz dark chocolate
6 eggs
16 oz caster sugar
8 oz plain flour

Line your roasting tin with baking parchment, then roughly chop 6 oz of the dark chocolate into chunks and set aside, having pre-heated your oven to 180 degrees.

Melt the rest of the chocolate and the butter slowly in a big pan and cool slightly. Beat the eggs and sugar together, then slowly tip into the chocolate mixture and stir to combine, before adding the flour and mixing well. Lastly stir in the chocolate chunks and pour the brownie mix into the roasting tin, (before eating what is left in the bowl with a spoon until slightly nauseous).

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, but keep an eye on them after 15 minutes; everybody's oven is different so you really need to just keep checking to make sure they don't overcook.

Leave overnight and slice into squares, before devouring by a campfire with a nice cup of tea.

How to make nettle tea

2011-06-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

Here at GTC we are never averse to a nice cup of tea. Generally Tetley, I have to say, but sometimes we like to think outside the box a little, and indulge in a cup of nettle tea. Yup, seriously, it tastes like liquid Spring, just one sip and you can feel the sap rising, the birds singing and all those wonderful health-giving properties coursing round your veins...
Nettle tea is renowned for cleansing the body of impurities and acts as a diuretic. It is also supposed to be excellent for osteoarthritis with mild painkilling and anti-inflammatory properties, and is rich in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. However if you are not used to it we suggest you limit yourself to one or two cups a day, the same for children.

Wearing a pair of thick gloves, pick one cup of stinging nettle leaves (urtica dioica) for every two cups of water. Pick only the youngest tips as the older leaves can be bitter, and make sure you choose leaves that are well away from roads or well-walked paths.

Rinse the leaves thoroughly. Place them in a saucepan, cover with the water and bring to the boil, before simmering for two minutes. Strain and enjoy! I like half a teaspoon of honey in mine, and you can also eat the strained leaves with knob of butter and a sprinkling of sea salt (a bit like spinach). Don't worry about being stung in the mouth, you won't be!

If you are making this with kids, add a slice of lemon and watch the tea turn from green to pink, as the liquid turns from alkali to acid.

-The Top 10 Tips for coming home from holiday

2011-06-16T03:35:00.000-07:00

Even though your holiday has finished, there is no need to be down. Make the shift from holiday to home as easy as possible by following these top tips given from Vicki Copley, the founder of holiday laundry service Your Holiday Wash.

“Being super prepared for your home coming ensures the return to reality is as pain free as possible, I follow this routine each time I go away.” commented Vicki.

1. Order the food shopping - It’ll save you time when you come back and will allow you some much needed rest after your journey. 2. Clean and tidy up - coming back to a clean house will keep you in good spirits or if you are lucky enough to have a cleaner make sure you get the house spring cleaned whilst you away. Ideally put fresh bed linen on the beds, everyone loves their one bed and what a better welcome home.
3. Cancel the milk or newspapers - you don’t want to come back to a doorstep full of stale milk and your postbox crammed with old newspapers, plus this signals to burglars that no-one is home.4. Tell family or friends to keep an eye on your house - even giving them a key to check your house will give you piece of mind when you are away. If you need to ensure, they have alarm codes too. Make sure you share your holiday plans with loved ones, in case of emergency.5. Empty the fridge and sort the bins- everyone has returned home after a break to be greeted by some decaying item! If you have a wheelie bin arrange with neighbours to put it out whilst you’re away,
6. Prepare for post-holiday such as washing - think about using the professionals such as booking Your Holiday Wash. Recent research confirms that 52% of holiday makers returning home, dread getting the holiday washing and ironing done more than any other chore! *7. Back to work - make sure you are ready for the first day back – think school bags, uniforms and work clothing, have it ready in case you arrive back late and have Monday morning to contend with.
8. Green fingers - plan for someone to mow the lawn or water any house plants just in case there is a heat wave while you’re away.
9. Man’s best friend - make sure any family pets are planned for, are they also having a break. Even the goldfish needs some TLC.
10. And finally ....put a bit of bleach down the loo to ensure everything smells clean and fresh when you return!

Available for £49.90 (that’s only £4.99 per kg), Your Holiday Wash collect, wash, dry and iron up to 10kg of holiday washing which they aim to return within 3 days – all beautifully folded and in a box. The laundry is returned directly to your home, or office door, with no hidden extras. All you have to do is open the box and put the ready folded clothing away!

* Omnibus Survey in April 2011 through UK online research panel.

The best travel clothing for women

2011-02-15T11:44:00.000-08:00

Here at GTC we are often asked "what is the best and most essential clothing for women," and I have to say go for natural fabrics every time.

Natural fibres wash really well, and are easy to care for.

Cheesecloth kurtas and loose trousers are perfect as you can wash them in the sink, they dry quickly and don't need ironing.

Silk travel clothes are absolutely brilliant. They weigh practically nothing, pack up into a tiny space, can be washed in cold water in the sink and dry in next to no time.... and they keep you warm when its cold and cool when you are hot, so what's not to like? Choose from silk maxi skirts, silk a-line wrap skirts or even silk kurta tops.

Consider a couple of pairs of Tilley travel knickers as essential! You only need to take two pairs as you can wash them by hand, and they dry overnight; we constantly get great feedback from our customers about them and highly recommend both the Tilley travel briefs and the vests.

I always take a cashemere travel wrap now that I feel grown-up enough! They pack down small but give you a touch of luxury and warmth when you most need it.

Items that can be worn in different ways are must. Go for long kurtas or tops that can be worn as a beach dress, over trousers in the evening when the insects are biting, or maybe worn with a belt when you are lounging in a cafe.

I am a great believer in trekking sandals, Merrells in particular, but Jack Wolfskin are excellent too; a great investment if you are doing a lot of hiking and sightseeing. Instead of taking a heavy and bulky waterproof jacket or cagoule, I always take a womens' waterproof poncho instead. They are less clammy when wet, and allow you a bit more freedom to move and breathe, plus you can wear them over the top of your precious shopping or daysack!

Yes, we all know sarongs are invaluable, but I take one everywhere now. I use it as a blanket for me or my two year old on planes and trains, a picnic blanket on the floor, and most usefully, a shrug when your shoulders are beginning to burn....

5 useful ways with a sarong...

How to wear a sarong as a dress; hold the top two ends of the sarong behind your back in the horizontal position. Wrap the upper two ends in front of you. Cross and twist the two ends, cinching them comfortably against the body, and tie them
behind your neck.

How to turn a sarong into a beach bag. Lay the sarong out flat. Take two opposing corners and tie them in a knot, then take the two remaining corners and tie again, to make a great emergency beach slouchy shoulder bag.

How to turn a sarong into a sun shelter. String a piece of dental floss between two trees. Tie the two corners of one short end to the the floss, and weigh down the other two ends with rocks or in the sand to make an improvised sun screen .

How to wear a sarong as shrug to protect burning sholders (did this last week in Malta, wearing strappy sundress with no shade, shoulders started burning!). Place sarong over shoulders like a pashmina,then grasp both ends and tie in a knot behind your back, thus making emergency shrug cardigan.

How to wear a sarong as an emergency sun hat.
Place over the forehead bandana style and pull back like a ponytail..... twist and keep twisting until it is long enough to wrap once round the head, then tuck the tail through under the start of the wrap, leaving the tail hanging down to protect your neck. --

The Ultimate Luxury Travel Accessory

2011-02-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

I have to say I think this is one of the most useful travel accessories for women we have ever come across. Our new range of luxury 100% cashmere travel wraps can be worn as a shrug, a scarf, a poncho or a shawl, simply by fastening/undoing the buttons. The fabric drapes beautifully, and is hemmed to avoid the curling edges which is often a problem with cheap cashmere.

Beautifully gift boxed in our GTC signature packaging, your cashmere travel wrap also comes with its own cotton bag for storage, the latter also being perfect for lingerie etc. I certainly would not travel without one now, and really wish I had had one when I first went backpacking as it means you don't need to lug about heavy bulky jumpers!

Wear as a poncho with the mother of pearl buttons done up along one shoulder.
Wear as a scarf
Great as a wrap or pashmina on chilly holiday evenings.
Perfect little travel blanket for long haul flights.
Wear with the buttons down the front as a cashmere cape.

Size: 1480mm x 740mm (when open)

BRITISH GOVERNMENT FLIGHTS FOR BRITISH NATIONALS WISHING TO LEAVE CAIRO

2011-02-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

In light of the ongoing unrest in Egypt the British Government has chartered a plane to supplement commercial capacity.

The plane will depart from Cairo International Airport on Thursday 03 February and there will be a charge of approximately £300 per person.

To register for a seat on this flight and further instructions please call: +44 (0)207 008 8765 / +20 227 916 000 in Egypt

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/egypt

Backcountry survival and bushcraft

2011-01-25T09:56:00.000-08:00

Here at GTC we get to meet all sorts of interesting people on various bushcraft courses, and while Becci was furtling around in some woods setting light to things Up North last year, she met Neil, a rather lovely bushcraft chap. He has just started a survival school up in the wilds of Scotland, providing courses that make the most of not only the amazing scenery, but also the er, challenging weather conditions that prevail up in those parts. Not only can you spend a couple of days learning the art of willow weaving, or send your family on a Dads and Lads weekend, you can also feel the joy that only sleeping in a snow hole can bring, on one of Neil's Arctic Survival courses.

Neil and his team assure us that they will provide you with a unique experience in the wild and stunning environment of the Scottish Highlands. Based near Aviemore, he provides tailored courses and packages in all sorts of wilderness survival techniques and the art of bushcraft.

Backcountry Survival is different from other bushcraft companies, as clients have the opportunity to learn skills relevant to a variety of environments – woodland, moorland, mountain, river, loch and sea. Their courses also compliment a variety of outdoor activities, as they provide key survival and navigational techniques that would benefit anyone spending time in a diverse wilderness environment – whether it be walking, climbing, skiing, cycling, paddling or camping.

Take a look at their new website, and if you fancy a trip up to Scotland we can heartily recommend them!

Visiting You-know-who in Lapland

2011-01-24T08:14:00.002-08:00

You know us, here at GTC, nothing makes us a happy as a good strong north wind blowing down from the Arctic; throw in some snow and a couple of reindeer and we are beside ourselves with joy, so when the opportunity cropped up to pop over to Lapland and visit Father Christmas and his elves for a couple of days, I jumped at the chance.

And, yes, they do say that Christmas is about kids, so I felt morally obliged to be accompanied by a boisterous two year old and my husband. He just knew the fun was about to start when we boarded the plane and were confronted with cabin crew wearing Christmas hats, and carol song sheets carefully placed on all the seats. It was actually rather lovely; Dan did the kids' Xmas word searches like all the other Dads, while the little ones were herded up the front and had a whale of a time singing carols into the public address system. I believe all the mothers just drank gin.

We stayed at the Hotel Levitunturi, only 15 mins drive from Kitila airport in Finland; as there are only a few hours of daylight it was pitch dark when we arrived, but the whole town was picked out in fairylights and looked beautiful under a blanket of snow (although when the coach pulled up in front of a huge LED display reading -16 degrees everyone collectively sucked theer teeth and started scrabbling for mittens).

Fear not however, if you do not actually like the cold very much. On this particular break the cost of thermal suits is included, but most of the time we were in Lapland the temperature stayed around the -16 mark and I was absolutely fine in my skiing jacket, salopettes, a fleece and my trusty M and S thermals. Also a number of the activities have kota thoughtfully provided; these are lovely little wooden huts with warm woodburners and hot berry juice and biscuits so you can take shelter from the cold and these are absolutely brilliant when the wind is starting to burn your ears!

Svalbard

2011-01-19T04:03:00.000-08:00

We love to hear from all our wonderful customers when they have safely returned home from their travels, so we were delighted to receive this fantastic picture from Dr. J.H, GTC customer and proud Tilley hat owner, freshly back from circumnavigating Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean.

We hope you had a lovely trip, and that your Tilley will serve you faithfully for years to come!

What did the Romans ever do for us, eh?

2010-10-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

Well, apart from all the obvious (aquaducts, smoky eyemake-up, dormouse canapes), they kindly provided a wonderful fun day out for families in West Sussex, albeit unwittingly. One of our favourite places to go in the area if we fancy a wander and a cup of tea is Bignor Roman Villa.Nestled at the foot of the South Downs and conveniently close to the A29, Bignor Roman Villa was first rediscovered by the Tupper family in 1811 and they still run the farm and villa today, providing great tea and cake as well as an insight into one of the world's most beautiful Roman mosaics.

I first came here donkey's years ago as a trainee archaeologist, and now I like to bring my 2 year old for a bit of a jolly, as they are always putting on special events with lots of things for kids to do (the tractor rides are a must!).

This weekend sees the family host an Autumn Craft and Gift Fair, as they prepare to close down for the winter season; we will definitely be going, to gaze in awe at the remains, gasp in wonder at the beautiful landscape and thrill to the glory of a decent cup of tea and piece of cake....

How to make damper, bannock and BBQ bread for your bonfire night party

2010-10-21T02:26:00.000-07:00

Whether you’re off to a BBQ bonfire night party or heading for Oz, damper or bannock bread is a sure fire winner any time there’s a Barbie or a fire alight. It’s incredibly easy to make, and you can mix up all the ingredients in a ziplock bag and store somewhere dry until you’re ready to make it.

Simply mix together
2 cups of flour
a pinch of salt
a teaspoon baking powder
a teaspoon sugar
a tablespoon milk powder

When you feel like making it, simply add cold water a little at a time until the mixture forms a stiff dough. Now you will need to find a green stick as thick as your thumb (willow and hazel are best, though at this time of year you're not going to find a very green one!). Scrape away the bark to get the worst of the dirt and bacteria off, then pinch off a good sized lump of dough. Roll it into a sausage and pinch one end onto the stick. Now wrap it round the stick in a downwards spiral, pinching on the other end to finish it.

Now hold your stick over the embers (but not in the flames!), and keep turning so it cooks evenly and is golden all over. It should sound hollow when tapped when it is properly cooked. Fill the hole with butter or golden syrup and enjoy. You can even mix fruit and nuts, or even a little bit of sage and onion stuffing in with the dry mixture to add variety.

How to choose and pack a rucksack

2010-10-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

If you are off on your first great adventure and looking to buy a rucksack, there are a few things you should bear in mind. Your rucksack is going to be your home for the next few weeks, so it is worth investing a little time and effort into making sure it is as comfortable and well organised as possible!

Most people will never need anything bigger than a 60 or 65 litre rucksack, particularly as a female; some come with an additional 15 litre packdown daysack, and these are well worth having so you don’t have to lug all your stuff with you every time you want to go on a daytrip.

Ensure that the hip belt is well padded, and that roughly half the weight of your gear is resting on your hips, not just your shoulders. The shoulder straps should be adjustable, and the back section should not only be well padded, but also have adequate ventilation. There are few things nastier than a heavy rucksack on a damp back in high humidity, trust me! Try and buy one that can be accessed from both the top and the bottom, so that you don’t have to tip your gear all over the road in order to find something hidden right at the base. Remember the "first in, last out" rule, and keep your sleeping bag and overnight stuff in the bottom section.

Your heaviest items should always be as close to your back as possible but there are lots of theories about whether the heavy stuff should be at the top or the bottom. In my experience the general rule is that if you are walking over even terrain, heavy items packed towards the top can be kept over your centre of gravity just by leaning forward a little; if you are climbing a mountain put the weight closer to the base. This will slow you down and put more weight on your waist, but it will also make you more stable. The general weight should be evenly distributed across the width of your rucksack as well; try not to overload one side pocket with heavier stuff than the other, or your back will struggle to compensate!

Some packs come with their own raincovers, as few rucksack are truly waterproof. Either invest in a cover, or make sure you have always got a binbag in an easily accessible side pocket to act as an emergency rainshield. Keep all your gear subdivided into ziplock bags as well; not only will this keep your kit dry, you will be able to repack your bag faster and be able to separate dirty clothes from clean.

Make sure your loo roll is in a plastic bag, as once it is damp I find it starts to lose its structural identity! Keep it, your waterproof cagoule/poncho and any low value items you don’t mind being rummaged through in the easily accessible side pocket. I always make sure that the things I use the most, like suncream, tissues, lip balm and water are in these pockets too, as well as my first aid kit (keep this in a ziplock bag as well as damp plasters are next to useless). I try and keep my high value items in my daysack close to my hand, or wrapped up in socks and stuffed deep inside the back my rucky, just in case anybody does decide to have a poke about while I am dozing. It is also a good idea to make sure that you keep a few toiletry essentials in your daysack, just in case you do become separated from your main bag; a spare pair of knickers, a couple of tissues and a little packet of wet-wipes will ensure that you can feel refreshed and more comfortable while you wait for your bag to be returned to the right airport!

When you are putting your beloved rucky in the airplane hold, fold the waistbelt back around the pack and do the clips up, just to make sure it doesn’t get caught in the conveyor belt, and put luggage tags on both the inside and the outside. If the outer one gets ripped off by some brute of a luggage handler then there is still a good chance your bag can be identified.

Use elastic bands to keep loose items like flip-flops organised, and use them to secure clothes that have been rolled up (I am sure that rolled clothes takes up less space than folded ones, but have a go and see what you think!).You can always hang them up in the bathroom while you take a hot shower and let the steam take the crinkles out, while compression sacks are great for stowing away jumpers and cardigans that take up lots of room.

A plastic lunchbox is also useful; it does take up a lot of room but you can use it to store all your small, easily lost items (sewing kit, knife, Polos etc), and it is also great for keeping squashable tubes and bottles in. Surely I am not the only one to have had the greater part of a bottle of high factor Soltan splurged all over my Lonely Planet??

The trick to a well-packed rucksack is to not fill it up. You need much less than you think, and you can buy anything anywhere, generally for less than you can get it here. By all means take toiletries from home with you, but you don’t need three of everything. In Asia in particular many shops sell mini bottles of Western toiletry brands and these are brilliant for cutting down the weight of your bag.

Don’t go overboard spending money on kit and clothes before you go; you are only going to need half of what you think, and it’s much more fun to buy clothes abroad anyway as they are more likely to be suited to the local climate and etiquette, and they make nice souvenirs when you get home. How else are you going to sit in the pub on your return wearing a Cambodian headscarf, kurta pyjamas and a New Zealand Swan Dry jacket, regaling the locals of how you bartered for fabric in a remote hill tribe village with an opium smoking nonagenarian?

The Girlstravelclub Christmas Shoebox Appeal

2010-10-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's that time of year again when everyone here at GTC starts collecting toys and toiletries, gloves and hats for kids aged between 3 and 12 years of age, ready to be packed in Christmas shoeboxes by the wonderful Lisa.

Charlotte and the wonderful ladies at Slinfold and Cranleigh Country Club Creches are already collecting for us; if you would like to contribute, please let us have your gifts by the 5th November, so we can get them off to Lisa in good time! Below are a few ideas of what we need, please email us at girlstravelclub @gmail.com for delivery details.

Thank you very much,

Becci, Taba and the GTC team xx

Boys 3 ‐ 5 years old. Toy cars / Ball / Jigsaw / Picture Book / Soft Sweets / Crayons / Pencils / Soft Toy / Soap / Flannel / Toothbrush / Toothpaste / Hairbrush / Comb/ HAT / GLOVES.
Girls 3 ‐ 5 years old. Toy dolly / Everything else as above.
Girls 6 ‐ 11 years old. Toy Dolly / Skipping Rope / Jewellery / Ball / Playing Cards / Sweets / Book / Felt Tip Pens / Pencils / Paper / Soft Toy / Flannel / Toothbrush / Toothpaste / Soap / HAT / SCARF / GLOVES.
Boys 6 ‐ 11 years old. Toy car / Yoyo / Everything else as above.
Boys 12 ‐ 15 years old. Marbles / Travel games / Juggling Balls / Baseball Cap / Playing Cards / Geometry Set / Note Book / Pens / Pencils / Soft Toy / Sweets / Soap / Flannel/ /Toothpaste / toothbrush / GLOVES / SCARVES.
Girls 12 ‐ 15 years old Hair accessories / Jewellery / New make up / Perfume Stick / Talc / Deodorant / Dolly / Skipping Rope / Everything else as above.

Kate Humble urges travelling Brits ‘stuff your rucksack’

2010-10-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Broadcaster and travel writer Kate Humble has launched a website called
www.stuffyourrucksack.com.

Stuffyourrucksack.com acts as a message board between travellers and small charities and organisations that need things a traveller could easily bring with
them on their holiday.

Anyone travelling that comes across a small school, for example, that needs books or toys, can put the details on the website to alert other travellers who may be planning a trip to the same place and could bring those things with them.

Kate said, “I started the site out of frustration as I have travelled to many
developing countries and come across so many small projects that needed things I could have easily brought with me, had I been able to find out in advance. This is what Stuff Your Rucksack does; let’s travellers know before they leave home what’s needed where they are going. Our logo says ‘Pack a Bag, Change a Life’. It really does! And the traveller gets a unique experience that can’t be bought or found in a guidebook.”

How do charities or organisations register their needs on the site? Some have found out about it and registered themselves but most of the over one hundred projects on the site at the moment have been registered by travellers who have seen the projects for themselves and want to help.

The new-look site has been designed by Think Publishing and the team there will continue to host and run the site. Easy to navigate, it is extremely user-friendly, and encourages travellers to post their photographs and videos and share stories of their Stuff Your Rucksack experiences. This exciting new phase has been made possible by the invaluable and generous support of Aigle, the French outdoor lifestyle clothing and footwear brand that has existed since 1853.

The Stuff Your Rucksack Foundation was set up by Kate four years ago. With more than 180 charities/not for profit organisations now registered on the site Kate felt it was time to officially launch the site and broaden its appeal and urge anyone travelling abroad this year to log-on to the site and find out what they can pack to change someone’s life. Go and have a look and see how you can help!

Calling all Scandophiles!!

2010-09-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

I love schnapps and herring. I mean, I REALLY love schnapps and herring, so I was delighted to find out about the Scandinavia Show, to be held at Olympia on the 9-10 October 2010.

It promises to be a great day out, featuring everything Scandinavian from food to homeware, style to travel, with live entertainent, music, kid's section and the latest fashions.

We have free tickets for two lucky people to go and spend the day there and absorb all those lovely Scandinavian ideas. All you have to do to win is email us at girlstravelclub@ gmail.com and tell us your favourite Scandi recipe by 31st September and we will enter you in the draw.

Not only your groceries, but now you are buying your cars online!

2010-09-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

When it comes to buying a new or used vehicle women do not feel as comfortable about the car buying process as they do about other high value purchases. Recent research highlights the issue of women often feeling under more pressure in the showroom or at a dealership than men (What Car? Magazine).

Leading economist Linda Babcock and author of “Women Don’t Ask” claims that women are 2.5 time more likely to feel “a great deal of apprehension” about negotiating than men, especially when it comes to purchasing a car, which may lead to women putting off going to a showroom or car dealership altogether.

However, as the Internet continues to grow and people are increasingly purchasing high value goods online, there are further signs that it is also changing how people buy cars. Ford Retail, the UK's largest dedicated Ford dealer group which is wholly owned by Ford Motor Company, has launched ‘FordOnline’ (www.fordonline.co.uk/social), a new easy-to-use car buying website that offers both convenience and value for Internet shoppers looking for new or used Ford cars as well as commercial vehicles. Most car buying journeys start with browsing the Internet for information. Surprisingly, FordOnline has found that a large proportion of Internet shoppers (37%) are now prepared to purchase vehicles without a test drive, removing one of the final barriers to online selling of cars. The convenience of the process is becoming increasingly important.

New research carried out by FordOnline.co.uk shows that motorists believe the benefits of buying a car online are convenience and a hassle free process, especially with today's busy lifestyles.

Steve Hood, Managing Director of FordOnline.co.uk, commented: “We know that with the growth of the Internet there are car buyers out there who want to search for and buy a car without visiting a dealership. We have specifically designed FordOnline.co.uk for those people, offering them great choice, low-prices and high levels of customer service. What you see on FordOnline.co.uk is exactly what you get. Our customers only need to visit a dealer to pick up their vehicle.”

FordOnline.co.uk aims to make car buying simple and straightforward, it is also 100% owned by Ford Retail, so users can be confident in using the website – it is the trusted, quick and convenient way to buy a Ford vehicle. They are now also to be found with the latest stories and updates on Twitter @FordOnlineUK. To find the best deals on your next Ford, visit www.fordonline.co.uk/social.

Those lovely people at FordOnline have provided us with some very handy in-car accessories as a prize.

Win this handy organiser, that consists of a pink 4-sectioned boot tidy that can be expanded or collapsed to suit any boot size, plus 2 x shopping bags that come in their own case and clip to the end of the Boot Buddy for storage when not in use. Also includes a shopping trolley token on a key ring clip.

PLUS keep yourself looking in tip-top condition with a pair of in-car hair straighteners!
All you have to do is tell us the most useful thing you keep in your glovebox by October 1st and you could win this handy prize! Email us at girlstravelclub @gmail.com and let us know your top in-car item!

Employees of Fordonline and their families may not enter, the judges' decision will be final. Winner will be notified by email by October 31st.

Becci wins the BT Best Home Business Award 2010!!!

2010-09-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

We are all chuffed to bits here at GTC as last night following a glittering ceremony at London's Grand Connaught Rooms, Becci won the BT Best Home Business Award 2010!!!

Apparently the competition for this category was ferocious, but the judges were impressed by her "determination and motivation" and thought that "GirlsTraveClub is an excellent example of an internet home business born out of expediency, necessity and the motivation of its founder."

The BT Home Business Award is aimed at finding the most innovative business that demonstrates how remote working and home working has made a beneficial impact on their business and home life. The Remote Worker Awards in association with BT Business aims to highlight how home working increases business mobilization.

Becci said: "I am absolutely overjoyed to win! Not only is my business benefiting from the raised profile such a prestige award nomination brings, I am also proud to be a champion of the burgeoning home working community. We are all driven, motivated, creative and happy to be at home - even more so if there is a constant supply of tea!"

There were also very nice salmon fishcakes in the finger buffet, which Taba particularly enjoyed....

DEC and the Pakistan Appeal

2010-08-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

I am sure that you have all seen the footage of the floods in Pakistan on the TV over the last few days, and read about the DEC's concerns about cholera. Frequent travellers will know the dangers of this horrendous disease, but many people I have spoken to have no idea what it is or how it kills.

Below is a copy of the DEC's cholera factsheet; children are often the worst affected, yet treatment can be as simple as giving them oral rehydration salts costing as little as 3p a sachet. Please visit the DEC website to read more, or call their donation line on 0370 60 60 900.

Thanks,

Becci

CHOLERA FACT SHEET

What causes cholera and why is it so dangerous?

Cholera is a bacterium that spreads through infected water or food.
The disease causes acute watery diarrhoea, which can lead to life-threatening dehydration within hours.
Patients can lose up to 10 litres of fluid a day.
Where people are living in cramped, unsanitary conditions without proper toilets or clean drinking water, the disease can spread incredibly quickly.
The incubation period is very short which means people start to become ill very quickly after being infected.
People with low immunity - such as malnourished children - are at greater risk of contracting the disease and succumbing to it.
If cholera takes hold in an already vulnerable population it can kill up to 50-60% of those infected if they do not receive prompt treatment.

How can cholera be prevented?

Adequate sanitation - ensuring toilets don't leak and are a safe distance from drinking water sources.
Delivery of safe drinking water.
Good food and personal hygiene.
Chlorination of contaminated water sources where possible.
Public health education and promotion.
Oral vaccines are also available but are not the best first line of defence against the spread of cholera during an emergency.

How is cholera treated?

Speed of treatment is the key to survival. If cholera is treated quickly and effectively, the mortality rate is less than 1%, but if left untreated the rate can jump to 50-60%.
Most cases can be easily treated with Oral Rehydration salts, costing just 3p per sachet.
Intravenous drips can be used to rehydrate patients in the most extreme case.
Antibiotics can also be used but are not necessary for most patients so long as they are receiving rehydration treatment.

Bex on ITV Meridian News!

2010-08-17T05:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we've all just got back from an amazing weekend at Vintage at Goodwood, a weekend of frocks, eyeliner, music and lovely flushing loos...... and waiting for us was an email saying that Becci was being interviewed on Meridian News about being a finalist in the BT Remote Worker Awards.

If you missed it, and would like to witness the glory of her bomb shelter, please click here!

Remote worker awards

2010-07-08T05:16:00.000-07:00

Rather flatteringly, we have been nominated in the Remote Worker Awards, and last week a camera crew came and filmed Becci working from home... click here to see how tidy she made her caravan look :O)

Now we just have to wait and see if we are shortlisted.......

A insight into the FCO with Alice Draper

2010-07-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

Alice Draper works at the FCO, managing their Go Gap Year and Know Before You Go Campaigns , aiming to keep all travellers safe abroad. She kindly offered to answer a few questions for us about what it is like to work there.

What services do the FCO provide to travellers abroad?

If you're sick we can contact your family, liaise with your insurance company and come and visit you in hospital if needed. If you've been arrested we can put you in touch with local lawyers and interpreters and give you information about the local legal system and if you are being ill treated or your personal safety is at risk we can take it up with the police or prison authorities. We will also help you out if you've been mugged or assaulted, and if you run out of money we can help you arrange a transfer of funds from the UK

Are there common misconceptions about the amount of help the FCO can give travellers in trouble?

We sometimes find people think that we are able to release them from prison or that we can enforce UK law overseas - we can't! Travellers also mistake us for an emergency bank - unfortunately we can't pay for your hotel bill and travel tickets. We even had one Brit who had escaped from prison and turned up at the embassy expecting us to help him get home!

What is the most useful advice the FCO provides to travellers and how can they access it?

Our advice varies from country to country so the key thing is to do your research into the country and any local laws and customs which may affect you - www.fco.gov.uk/travel is the place to start. Wherever you are going you need to arrange suitable travel insurance, check that your passport and any visas are valid and make sure someone knows where you are going (Go to www.fco.gov.uk/locate and at least tell us!). It's also useful to take copies of all your important travel documents and ensure you have access to backup funds to tide you over in case there is an emergency.

How did you end up in your current position working for FCO and would you recommend it as a career?

I'd definitely recommend it! Its hard work but very rewarding and of course there is the chance to work abroad. We move jobs every two or three years, taking our new skills from one job onto the next, so if you want to try something completely different, you can.

What are your must-have items when travelling?

I guess it depends on how long I'm away for, and what I'm going to be doing. We've got a list of essentials on GoGapYear www.gogapyear.com/gap-year-essentials. My number 1 essential is baby wipes - they really come in handy for cleaning up, removing make up etc. One lightweight little black dress that you can dress up or down always goes in - you never know when you might need to look a bit fancy!

Finally, where do you go on holiday and why?

I tend to stay pretty close to home, so Europe mostly, I love a summer holiday on one of the Greek islands. I like city breaks too - Rome in particular was amazing. My dad lives in France so I like to pop over there for the weekend when I want fancy a last minute break from the UK.

Thanks Alice, and we'll remember to pack the baby wipes next time!

Looking for a good holiday read?

2010-05-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

If you have ever been to India and fallen in love with the sights and sounds of Bombay, then I heartily recommend you read Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts.

A great holiday read at nearly 930 pages, it is based on the author's own lifestory, the tale of a bank-robbing, money-laundering, slum-dwelling Australian and his love for Bombay. I'm not normally a fan of crime-based semi-autobiographies, especially as a holiday read, but I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book on holiday as thoroughly as this since Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy.

Robert's storytelling is magical and evocative; the colours and descriptions of Bombay life leap off the page in a whirl of jewel-like flashes and a clash of cymbals, all set to the blaring soundtrack of a tinny transistor radio playing the latest Bollywood hit song.

By turns an adventure story, philosophical muse and tale of love, it should easily last you a few days by the pool, and if you're not fortunate enough to be off backpacking round India soon, you can can really get a taste for the heat and dust and smell and clamour of one of the world's most lively cities without having to move too far from the kettle....

Keep bugs away with an, ahem, pet care product...

2010-04-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

It's always with great pleasure that we test new products here at GTC, so when a beautifully wrapped bar of soap called "Dirty Dog" arrived from Ishbel at www.naturallymadesoaps.co.uk we were more than happy to have a sniff.

One deep lungful and we were transported back to the magical scents of Asia, with green tea, citronella and tea tree wafting round the office.

"Blimey, smells like Thailand in here," commented Dan as he wandered in for a biscuit, "that's lovely!" Praise indeed from a man who is not normally known for his olfactory discernment.

We sent the soap off with one of our testers to Kho Samui for a month, and she reported that not only did she smell lovely, but that she was bitten less by bugs too, so if you are off to foreign parts and want a natural way to possibly help deter biting nasties, this lovely soap might be worth a try. It was only afterwards that when I was checking the weblink that I saw you could also wash your pet dogs with it.....

A skiing holiday without any skiing?

2010-03-30T01:34:00.000-07:00

"A last-minute trip to the Austrian Tirol,” I thought, “how very sporty and adventurous of us! We’ll learn to ski with great aplomb, sit in mountain chalets sipping gluwein and sampling apple strudel, then skim athletically down the crisp white mountainside in time for a quick schnapps and a sauna before supper….”

Actually, it didn’t work out quite like that. We did manage to bag a bargain on the internet for a week’s half board, flights and transfers to the resort of Mayrhofen in Austria, a beautiful little town nestled in the Ziller valley and cosseted by snow-capped peaks… and yes, it was like being an extra in Heidi. We stayed in the wonderful Hotel Pension Alpina run by the charming Frau Hauser and her most incredibly hospitable family, ate fresh bread and coffee every morning in the pine booths of the breakfast room, sweated in the sauna surrounded by naked Germans, chatted by the bar to the other (fully clothed) guests, and feasted on the traditional home-cooked Tirolean delicacies provided by Frau Hauser’s kitchen.

But as for the skiing??? Nope. A horrendous cold which had plagued me for two weeks prior to our departure had the audacity to turn into an ear infection, and the journey up the mountain by cable car on the Saturday of arrival nearly had me in tears, so skiing was off the menu… and a lack of snow low down in the valley meant that tobogganing and skidooing were also no go. And annoyingly, all the ski schools courses start on the Sunday so we couldn’t start half way through the week if my ears improved.So what to do? Would there be enough to do to satisfy not only my cultural urges but also one very easily bored husband? Actually yes.

Unlike rural areas in this country, Mayrhofen has an excellent integrated public transport system and a little narrow gauge railway that ploughs up and down the Ziller valley, thus connecting into the main transport system, so it’s actually very easy and cheap to explore. The nearest little railway station was about a kilometre away from our hotel in the hamlet of Schwendau, so every morning we would ramble downhill, past wooden chalets and farmhouses, under the greenest of hills and whitest mountain peaks, and over a crystal clear river to wait with all the skiers and locals for the next little train.

An hour away is the city of Innsbruck and its famous Golden Roof, medieval streets and excellent coffee houses, but far more fun was Salzburg. Elegant little shopping streets and bustling market squares are crossed by the clip-clop of horse and buggy rides, while overhead towers the castle, reached by a funicular cable-car ride. We had a lovely lunch at the top of the fort, bathing in the sunshine before exploring the exhibitions on p uppets, WWII uniforms, a medieval audience chamber and models of the castle through the ages, whilst battling through groups of American students with expensive orthodontistry. Mozart’s old house is also open to the public and contains a fascinating insight into his life, complete with personal-audio-guide; even the husband was interested by the bolt-shooting display and was pleasantly shocked by Mozart’s filthy sense of humour and paintings of bottoms. And of course we had to have sachertorte in one of the many cafes, as Salzburg is home to a branch of the famous Hotel Sacher where you can see beautiful displays of boxed gateaux in the windows and not be able to afford one of them.

Mayrhofen is also excellent walking country, with maps available of the many marked walking routes; our favourite was a desperate clamber up to the Steiner Kogl, a guesthouse perched high on the mountain above the town. Pausing only to cough and sit down every hundred yards we eventually staggered in and ordered hot chocolates, before it started to chuck it down. Naturally not having an umbrella or any proper clothing we decided to walk back down the path on other side of the mountain through dense pine forest. As any mountaineer will tell you, coming back down is far harder on the muscles than going up, and the only thing that kept our spirits going as we trudged through dripping branches down pine-needle crusted switchbacks was Dan yodelling “high on the hill was a grumpy husband” as his blisters swelled while I fell over a lot. Great fun, one of our better days out, I feel.

The highlight of our non-skiing skiing trip was undoubtedly snow-shoeing, thankfully wearing modern plastic snowshoes rather than tennis rackets à la Wimbledon circa 1924. We booked this thro ugh one of the Inghams reps that proved to be so helpful with info such as train timetables and après-ski activities, and it was just such a blast! We were picked up from the hotel by our guide Walter, driven half way up a deserted mountain and forced to walk the rest of the way up, trudging across virgin snow, over crystal mountain streams and through the laden boughs of beautiful snowy pine forests. The pace was slow and plodding (we had warned him that we were unfit and unschooled) but remarkably easy, though the last ten minutes took its toll on our thighs.

We stopped for a rest at one of the wooden cabins used by the farmers when their cows are grazing on the summer pastures and Walter unpacked possibly one of the nicest treats I can remember, pouring out a cup of steaming hot fruit tea and honey for both of us, plus a crusty ham roll and a bar of chocolate. It’s absolutely true what they say about food tasting better outdoors, that was the best picnic I can remember (and I have had a few!). Walter was also extremely knowledgable about all the local flora and fauna, and taught us how to read the tracks of animals in the snow. “Look, zere iz ze tracks of ze rabbit, and zis iz ze fox, and here ze rabbit iz jumping, and there iz ze fox running hard and oh dear, ah, vell, zis is a nice deer for you instead…”

Actually the rabbit got away, but something scared the deer and his tracks were broken by a leap of around three metres. Felt just like Daniel Day Lewis in Last of the Mohicans.
Did I mention the horse and cart rides, the spas, the swimming pools, the shopping, the wandering and enjoying the most pristine of scenery, people-watching whilst drinking coffee in the sunshine, the après-ski camaraderie in the hotel in the evenings?? Yup, I can’t wait to not go skiing again.....

A lesson in Indian home cooking

2010-03-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

I've always wondered why the fabulous food I ate in India is so unlike anything you are served in Indian restaurants, so it was a real privilege to spend an evening with Sanjay and his lovely wife Mili at the Megdhoot Mystique Masala Restaurant in Petworth, nestled cosily in the heart of the South Downs.

Sanjay and Mili are passionate about good quality food made from outstanding ingredients, and run Indian Home Cooking Evenings upstairs in their restaurant in Petworth, as well as at private parties and events. Sanjay promised the food was going to be unlike anything we had eaten in Indian restaurants in the past; he explained how most restaurants will cook up a massive batch of a basic onion and garlic sauce, then just add different ready-made curry pastes to flavour each dish as required.

However Mili learned the art of home cooking in India from her mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, and has never attended any professional course or training in cooking, so everything we saw being prepared was a traditional and authentic hand-me-down recipe.

The thing that has always put me off trying to cook Indian food at home without using ready-made curry powder is the huge list of spices and ingredients quoted on recipes, and indeed there was a beautiful array of spices laid out for us to inspect, but as Sanjay pointed out, they are all available in the Asian section of your local supermarket, and infinitely superior to any sauce you can get from a jar.

Once we were settled with a nice bottle of red, Mili proceeded to make the most delicious vegetable pakoras I think I have ever eaten, the recipe for which is below, and which are easy enough for even me to try.

Mili's Vegetable Pakora.

Par boiled cauliflower
Thinly sliced potatoes
Sliced peppers
Sliced aubergine
250 gms gram flour
200 ml water
salt to taste
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/2 tspn chilli powder (optional)
oil for deep frying

1. Make a thick batter of gram flour by gradually adding water and salt to taste. Add the turmeric and mix well.

2. Dip the vegetables in the batter and fry until golden brown.

3. Garnish with coriander leaves and Chaat Masala, (an Indian spice).

We also learnt how to make pulao rice, an amazing chicken curry, gobi aloo (potato and cauliflower) and the most delicious chapatis and parathas, plus all the questions we've ever wanted to ask about Indian cooking were answered. Did you know that "masala" means "spice,"
or that the shelf life of spices is about two months? I'm never going to make my Heinz tomato soup based curry (learnt from my mother, naturally) again.....

I can't recommend this evening highly enough. Mili and Sanjay's enthusiasm and hospitality made it a magical evening, and we were all given recipes and a goody bag of spices to take home, so if you are ever in the South Downs area it is well worth making a detour for a meal in the wonderful restaurant!

Meghdoots Mystique Masala, East Street,Petworth,West Sussex,GU28 0AB.

It's not really called Sandy Balls, is it??

2010-03-23T06:24:00.001-07:00

Ah, Sandy Balls. Don’t laugh, it isn’t an affliction brought on by close proximity to builder’s merchants; it’s actually a holiday park in the New Forest. At this gloomy time of year we generally head off for a few days at Center Parcs, but some bright spark in our family decided we should try something else for a change, so thus it was that we headed off with our 20 month old son, my mum, brother and his two kids for a week at Sandy Balls.

Nestled in the heart of the New Forest, just south of Fordingbridge, Sandy Balls consists of a little park of log cabins and holiday homes set in clearings and surrounded by trees. Oh, and drizzle. Yup, a holiday in England in late January might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and indeed our weeklong break was pretty much dominated by trips to the chemist for various flu/cold/sinusitis/migraine preparations as one member of our party after another fell prey to common winter illnesses. Sandy Balls however (and please try and stop sniggering, I am trying to be serious here), is actually a great place to visit even when it’s chucking it down.

There is a great indoor pool with paddling pools for the kids, plus a soft play area where the little darlings can work off loads of excess energy by hurtling down slides and throwing themselves into ball pits, before being taken into the Bistro for a welcome hot chocolate and a Danish pastry. A little supermarket provides all basics you need to rustle up a quick supper in your cabin, and if you can’t be bothered to cook then there is always a takeaway supplying really rather nice scampi, pizza etc., plus a pub and the aforementioned Bistro.

If you feel more adventurous and can be bothered to get out of the rather comfortable beds in the morning, head out down the road to Godshill and have a satisfying tramp across the copper-coloured heaths see the wild ponies and cattle, or zip down to Lymington to look at the boats in the marina and have breakfast (£5 for a HUGE Full English) at the Vanilla Pod Café, Gosport Street.

Another great meal to be had in the area is at The George, Fordingbridge. Set by the banks of a river, it serves unbelievably good, fresh food at very reasonable prices, along with an amazing wine list. In fact the menu was so creative and well-presented that my husband rated his meal of huss, cooked in a chilli, lime and coriander batter and served with hand-cut chips as a 9/10, when he neither likes fish, nor coriander. “And I’ve never given a burger nine out of ten,” he muttered slightly resentfully afterwards, “and I love burgers.”

The problem with going anywhere in the winter in the UK is that most attractions tend to be shut. We did get a ferry over to the Isle of Wight for the afternoon, and this too had all the appearance of being closed for the day, but with a flask of tea and a packet of biscuits in the car, even the dampest of locations can become a good healthy walk followed by a car picnic.

And how did Sandy Balls get its name?? No, it isn’t the owner’s name as my neighbour suggested, it is in fact called after the sand and gravel outcrops that occur on the western boundaries of the 120-acre park. Now, that wasn’t so funny, was it?

Exclusive offer from Wanderlust magazine for Girlstravelclub.co.uk!

2010-03-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Wanderlust is the UK's leading travel magazine for independent-minded and adventurous travellers just like you looking for world class information and advice about where to go, what to visit and how to get there. Our in-depth travel guides have been written by experts and will help you plan your trip whether it's an overland trek, adventure tour or a once in a lifetime travel experience.

Subscribe today for only £24 – the equivalent of getting all 8 issues over the year for the price of 6 – and we’ll include our stunning travel photobook ‘Visions of Wanderlust 3’, worth £19.99, absolutely free!

Sleep Easy with Girls Travel Club!

2010-02-19T01:59:00.000-08:00

We all need our beauty sleep but sometimes sleep doesn't come as easily as we'd like it... Here at GTC we favour natural remedies and practical solutions that will help you on your way to a peaceful and well deserved slumber.

Tisserand ethically harvested lavender oil 9ml is essential; brilliant for insomnia and rumoured be one of the best ways of helping naturally prevent and treat jetlag. Smudge a couple of drops on your pillow at night and add a few drops to a warm bath to aid relaxation and sleep.

Make (and drink!) a cup of camomile tea, then throw a couple of camomile teabags into a warm bath. Lie in the water and be soothed by the calming scent and essential relaxing properties of the camomile, whilst placing the damp teabags over your eyes to soothe them.

Lavender oil is also just the perfect treatment for many of life's little knocks and bruises. A natural antiseptic, it's wonderful for burns; soak the burn (having run it under a tap for at least ten minutes) in a bowlful of water with a few drops of lavender oil to supposedly prevent scarring.

Use it on insect bites to prevent itching and infection or on spots to make them disappear faster. The scent of lavender is also apparently repellent to insects, so dab some on at dawn/dusk! Add a few drops to a cup of cool water and sponge over sunburn to soothe and relieve pain.

GTC also stocks the bestselling Quiet Zone earplugs (£6.99). These earplugs are invaluable for long flights or journeys, or even if your partner has a heavy cold and is snoring more than normal! Also very useful for noisy hotels or if you have to share a hostel dorm.

The Jet Rest luxury eyemask (£9.99) isn’t your average eyemask but instead a very reasonably priced luxury model. Normal travel eye masks tend to press down on the eyelids making it hard to sleep, while the straps tend to be elastic and non-adjustable, leading to the dreaded “hair-bulge” effect! Our blackout sleep eyemask has a contoured body, allowing you to blink and thus feel like you’re actually relaxing in the dark, rather than desperately trying to snatch a few minutes nap in a crowded plane or coach.

The straps are fully adjustable to ensure complete comfort (and it even comes in its own little carrying case) and your eye makeup won't get smudged. GTC says “This is by far the best of all the travel/sleeping eyemasks we have tested. Perfect for planes, it also allows you to have a good night’s sleep if your partner wants to read in bed, or if you’re staying in a crowded hostel dorm or chalet. It’s even been recommended to us as invaluable for those mornings when one is slightly worse for wear from all that après-ski!"

GTC also have a large range of high quality sleeping bags, eyemasks, accessories and many other natural remedies in their online boutique specialising in female travel and health accessories. Perfect for the female traveller and perfect for gifts! Come and visit us at http://www.girlstravelclub.co.uk/

Christmas Shoebox update

2010-01-26T06:49:00.000-08:00

We've just been sent an email from Lisa, who, on behalf of the Mustard Seed appeal, collects childrens' toys and gifts and parcels them up ready to go to kids in orphanages or who are living in poverty in Romania and other Baltic states.

"Hi Becci, here are some photos of the shoeboxes and boxes before they were collected," she says. "Thank you once again for your help, it's very much appreciated. Without you we couldn't have helped so many people!"

Below is a picture of her hallway, just before the parcels were collected. She says she and her mum "did 40 shoeboxes for the Mustard seed, plus 25 bigger boxes for them as well. We also did 40 shoeboxes for the Rotary club, 55 bigger boxes,and 6 family boxes too!"

Congratulations from everyone at GTC to Lisa and her Mum for all their hard work; we were delighted to support you and look forward to doing so again in 2010!

Top tips for surviving cold weather at home and abroad

2010-01-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

"There is no such thing as bad weather," goes the old Scandinavian saying, "just bad clothing," so here are a few hints and tips to keep you warm when you are out and about in the most chilly of conditions.

Many thin layers are more effective than one thick one. Long-johns aren't glamorous but they will keep you warm; if you don't have any then a pair of warm tights is just as effective (there are lots of builders who secretly swear by thick woolly ones in midwinter!).

Eat spicy foods. Chilli, ginger and garlic all stimulate a sweat response and keep the body's circulation working beautifully. Keep a little ziplock bag of crystallised ginger in your pocket to nibble on when you are out on a walk or on the piste to add a little heat. A cup of Indonesian-style ginger tea will not only warm you up, but help fend off colds as well; simply add an inch of smashed ginger root and a teaspoon of honey to a cup of steaming hot black tea.

Mittens are warmer than gloves as the air trapped between your fingers will add extra insulation. Yes, you might look like a four-year old but at least you won't get frostbite... and don't forget a hat either! A huge amount of bodyheat is lost through the top of the head, so wearing a hat in bed as well as in the day will keep you warm.

If possible have a hot shower or bath to warm you up, then apply a thick layer of body oil or lotion to act as an extra insulation layer.

Eat! Have a hot carbohydrate meal that will burn energy slowly and keep drinking hot fluids to keep hydrated and energised. Caffeine speeds up the body's circulation thus making you feel warmer. Avoid alcohol though (shame!), as it causes blood vessels to dilate, thus bring more blood up to the skin's surface where it will just cool quicker.

Hot water bottles aren't just for bedtime. Keep one securely tucked in the front of your clothing and you'll soon feel warmer... if you don't have one, fill a couple of plastic bottles with warm (not boiling) tap water and make sure the lid is securely fastened. Place in the end of your bed ten minutes before you retire for the night and your bed will feel a much more friendly place to be!
If you have cooked a hot meal in the oven, put a couple of bricks in to warm up as well. Wrap them in clean newspaper before putting them at the foot of your bed; not only will they provide heat for hours, they will keep the bed from getting damp in less well heated rooms. You can then leave the oven door open to spread a little more heat around the home or chalet!

Keep toasty warm during the long cold winter nights with a pair of knitted travel slippers (6.95) or one of GTC's bestselling mini hot water bottles. With a knitted cover and a cute heart design in either red or cream they are the perfect bedtime companion at just £6.99!

If you are able to venture of your house and jump in the car it's always wise to be prepared for getting stuck in the snow or even just a long delay in the cold. Here's a useful list of things to keep in your car as a survival kit, all available on the Girls Travel Club website.

Pop a Lifesystems emergency thermal blanket in the boot of your car. For only £2.99 this blanket will reflect over 80% of radiated body heat and keep you nice and warm in any weather.

Sometimes, a nice cup of tea is the best solution to an emergency. With a car kettle (18.99) you can rest assured that you can make a lovely warm drink wherever you are. It comes with two cups so just pop a few teabags in the glove box and you're ready to go!

A handwarmer is the perfect remedy after a morning of making snowmen! An adorable miniature version of GTC's classic Heart Warmer Hottie, the tiny knitted roll-neck cover contains a re-usable hot pack. Just snap the disc to activate; it will keep hands warm and cosy for hours for only £4.99.

Batteries not included! Our Design Go wind up torch (9.99) means that you can wind it up and have light anytime. It's very compact and has 3 LED functions and a cord so you can wear it round your wrist.

A GTC tried and tested tip for staying warm is to wear many layers of thin clothing rather than just a thick sweater. Tilley's Women's Coolmax Extreme Travel Tank Top (£15.75, available in black & white), will fit snugly under your winter warms and keep you nice and toasty.

Let it snow!

2010-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

Gosh, it has been a chilly week here at GTC Towers. Below are a couple of pics of the front of the cabin, so you can see just how cold it has been... and yes, we had a two day powercut as well. My 18 month old was not happy about the lack of CBeebies but we kept warm by keeping the logburner roaring, and thanks to our obsession with camping equipment we had so many camping cookers and wind-up lanterns that we could have fed an army.

Thanks to all the lovely guys from EDF and Southern Electric who worked so hard to get our village back online again! Mind you, two days without a laptop, Blackberry or phone was quite liberating and we enjoyed our candlelit evenings so much we have decided to have a weekly word game tournament in the near darkness.

Right, it's snowing again so I'm off to put out more birdfood for our resident doves; keep warm!

A trip to visit Santa

2009-12-28T04:15:00.001-08:00

Ever thought of taking the kids to visit Father Christmas at his home?? That's exactly what Kate Lavender did, and she kindly sent us this review of her trip. Happy Christmas!!

http://www.savalen.no/

We flew into Oslo and then rented a minibus as we were a party of eight and it made sense but you can take a bus or a train up to the resort. The flight is 2 hours but the transfer is 5 hours – which sounds long but the advantage is that even the most cynical child believes we have travelled far enough to find Santa.

The resort is delightfully simple. There is a variety of accommodation on offer – anything from hotel rooms to apartments of varying sizes – we stayed in one, which easily accommodated the eight of us. It was warm and comfortable without being over the top. Best of all it was on “ Santa Street” with his own house just down the road. The whole resort is quite compact so small children don’t find it exhausting to get around.

We went dogsledding. That was amazing – we helped get the very excited dogs into harnesses. The dogs are used to doing 6-day races covering 1000kms so this little 4k route was nothing for them – however they did have some fairly heavy people to pull! We ended up doing two laps, each having a go at driving, and it was brilliant – they could go at quite a speed and there were quite a few bumps, which left us all screaming with laughter.

One of the things the resort had was a sort of skate sledge so someone could sit on it, someone could stand behind holding onto the handle and skate the sledge along as needed. The boys loved that and always wanted to go “skating”!

You can do a skiing – there is a lovely nursery slope with a carpet lift and beginners mingles with sledgers quite happily. It is a great way for young children to get a taste of skiing, as it is all very low key and unpressurised unlike the Alps.

We also did a moonlit sleigh ride pulled by horses. It was really magical as we all snuggled under blankets and watched the stars as we glided across the snow. There were lots of stars too as there is of course no light pollution to get in the way. The horses were adorable with thick, curly coats – and so strong – there was no change of pace as they started to pull us up some pretty steep hills!

Then there was a trip to Santa’s house. It was amazing. We saw the toy-making machine where he takes wood from Christmas trees, turns that into toy dough, which in turn becomes toys that are painted and wrapped. Brilliant. He wrote your names in the good book and asked you what you wanted.

The resort had a lovely spa complex including a gorgeous pool – in the day time it looks over the lake (which was frozen) and at night they turn on “star effect” lights to create a very mellow atmosphere – there is even a pool bar.

The hotel is very nice and food is good. There are no real shops in resort so we bought supplies in the nearest town but you could have all your meals in the hotel and not bother.

Overall this was a fantastic way to see Santa and the boys (aged 5 and three quarters) enjoyed every single minute, as did we.

Highlights of Syria and the Lebanon, by Janet Syder

2009-12-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

Fancy something a bit more exotic than a week in Majorca? Follow the advice of GTC customer Janet Syder, and take a trip to Syria and the Lebanon!

Baalbek, Lebanon. The most fantastic Roman ruin in the Middle East (my opinion!). Suggest you stay the night there in Baalbek. Treat yourself and stay at The Palmyra Hotel. Its wonderfully old world and you wouldn't believe who else had stayed in the hotel before you. If you can, stay in the new annex, just 30 meters down the road. The hotel is opposite the ruins and if you are lucky enough that the night you are there the lights are on the ruins (they have power cuts so lights are not always on) its just beautiful. The huge majority of tour groups visit the site as a day trip from Beirut, so the site gets busy from about 10.30am - 2.30pm then its lovely and quiet again and you can virtually have it to yourself until 5-6pm when it closes for the day.

Aleppo Citadel, Syria (below). I love Aleppo, its a wonderful city and the citadel is still so complete and to think its built on a natural hill is amazing. Stay in the Ramses Hotel, its within easy walking distance of the Citadel and over the road from the famous Baron Hotel (where you have to go for a sundowner). Suggest you eat at the Qasr Al Wali the food is unbelievably good, you will be truly wowed. From Aleppo visit the Dead City of Serjilla and St Simeons.

Palmyra, Syria. (3rd photo) Take a torch. Walk up the Arab Castle for sunrise over the site. The walk is not as far as it looks but the view is awesome. Suggest you eat in the Garden type restaurant opposite the Museum (can't remember what its called, but its outdoors). The staff are really, really helpful and can help with bus timetables etc. The food is what you would expect in Syria, fantastic, fresh and addictive. Loads to see in Palmyra, but would suggest all the obvious sites but also the Tomb of the Brothers as its so different from the other funerary temples.

Damascus, Syria. The photo below is of the Street Called Straight in Damascus. Its been a trading street since the Biblical times. Its bussling, you can buy anything and the atmosphere has to be soaked up, take your time. Make sure you have an ice cream from the famous ice cream shop in the covered part of the street (can't remember what its called, but its always stuffed full of people in the evenings, you can't miss it). Stay in the City Hotel, its a great location for the Museum which is an absolute must, it brings all the other sights in Syria to life as it has most of their best finds. Try to go in the afternoon as most tour groups tend to go in the morning. The City Hotel is also a fantastic location for the Tourist Souq. I think the Tourist Souq actually has the best range of jewellery, scarves and handicrafts if you are buying gifts and the prices are excellent too. Its well worth a look even if you arent buying. The silver prices are honest as they weigh everything (to be honest, we never felt like we were being ripped off with prices even in the main souq). Eat in the Jabri House restaurant. Again, fantastic food, the best mezze, fresh, plentiful and really tasty.

Joy and Joff cycling the Americas

2009-12-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Remember Joy and Joff, the lovely couple who are cycling the Americas in aid of a charity supporting those with Duchennes syndrome? Well, here is their latest update! Happy Christmas to both of them from everyone here at GTC :O)

This is to let you know that it is now 7 months since we left home, and whilst we have not cycled 7000 miles yet, we thought we should remind you of our progress.....So: we have cycled 6601 miles and some of the significant numbers in the last month are listed below:-

430 miles sailed across the Sea of Cortez85 degree water temp!
55 foot sailing boat called Sea Dream has become the next mode of travel!
48 hrs of food poisoning.
41 children in the orphanage we have been helping at.
39 miniature T shirts ironed by Joff at the Orphanage in 2 hrs.
36 hrs of feeling sea sick.
17 nights spent in the same bed.
14 Dolphins swam on the bow of the yacht for 30 mins.Wow!
12am - The start of Joff's night watch!
9 Spanish lessons.... 'sin embargo, nosotros hablamos un poco Espanol.....'
7 hrs time difference with the UK.
4 foot waves have been fantastic for boogie boarding!
32 inch long bright orange and green Iguana seen on the footpath in 'the village'
1 scorpion seen at close quarters.....
100's seen squashed on the road!....and 100's of tarantulas on the road - also squashed.

and still NO punctures!

Photos of all our experiences can be seen at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycletheamericas/
and our lastest stories at :http://www.cycletheamericas.org/blog/?page_id=230
enjoy the run up to Christmas....much love
JOY and JOFF

Bex in the Daily Express!!

2009-11-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

It is the Eve of yet another seminal moment in the life of http://www.girlstravelclub.co.uk/, for tomorrow there is a full centrefold spread interview with Becci in the Daily Express. The interview took place last week but yesterday a full complement of stylists, hair and makeup artists and photographer arrived to take pics of Becci looking languid over a carefully arranged stack of Lonely Planet Books. Oh yes, and dress her in clothes supplied by M and S for the occasion.

And after hours of being primped, dressed, preened and told to stand up straight, all we can do here at GTC Towers is wonder whether her bottom is indeed going to look big in that....

we'll let you know tomorrow!!

Espa at Slinfold Country Club

2009-11-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

I am so relaxed I have just poured a glass of water down my front. Yup, I am so chilled and floppy that I'm not entirely sure that I'm safe to drive, I feel as if I have just had a lovely nap in a bed made of er, marshmallows.

This morning I was treated to an Espa holistic face, back and scalp treatment, one of Espa's signature massages, and one I was truly looking forward to following an over-optimistic gym session the day before that left me with a dreaful aching neck and niggling headache (well, I was watching the guy with the tattoo on the cross-trainer and wasn't concentrating as much as possibly I should have).

The Retreat is the new spa area at the refurbished Slinfold Golf and Country Club, a few miles south of Horsham. With its beautiful cedar clad pool, Turkish steam room and bubbling hot tub the urge to just splash about rather than actually try out the magnificent gym is overwhelming, but I managed to drag myself away from my coffee in the Member's Lounge and hobble to the Retreat, where I was greeted by Emily, my therapist.

Lest you think Emily is providing me with some sort of psychological support, she is in fact a fully trained Espa therapist who led me into a beautiful treatment room, decorated in a way that I wish my bathroom looked, but sadly doesn't.

Emily then gave me the choice of different oils for my treatment, before giving me a few minutes so I could get undressed before lying face down on a massage bed with my head facing through a hole, above a steamy bowl with one of my chosen oils in. For a moment I was unsure if the bowl was there to catch the dribble as I fell asleep, but nope, apparently inhalation is just another way of letting the oil's properties into the body.

Ironically enough, the oil I was drawn to was called "Fitness." Yes, if you have ever seen me indulge in any form of physical activity then you'll understand my point. Emily remarked that people were generally attracted to oils with properties that their body needed, but the heady blend of rosemary, clove and Indian Bay instantly had me thinking of a boyfriend I had when I was 19 and left me pleasantly daydreaming while my back was first exfoliated and then massaged.

I did withstand the urge to dribble before being turned over on to my back for a dreamy facial and then a thoroughly relaxing scalp massage (I did spend quite a lot of time wondering how many hot flannels were used during the treatment, and how they managed to keep the waffle towels so luxurious and fluffy when mine always end up slightly crunchy?). The facial in particular was excellent, tailored to each person's particular needs, in my case, dry and sore with a hint of leftover porridge.

Anyway, as soon as Emily left me to get dressed, I picked up my glass of water, not realising my arms were no longer accepting instruction from my brain and tipped the lot down my relaxed frontage. That woke me up a bit.

And the result? Well, the dreamy feeling lasted all day, despite a ton of emails to plough through when I got back to my desk, and no less than three people said how lovely my skin looked and was I having an affair?

The treatment costs £70 but would make a wonderful treat for someone who has just got back from a long trip, and we'd heartily recommend Slinfold Club as a wonderful place to spend some time, whether you lounge in the jacuzzi or have a drink on the beautiful terrace.

By the way, the first person to guess how many flannels were used during the treatment will win a little GTC gift, so email us!!

GTC and the Love In a Box Appeal

2009-11-03T01:27:00.000-08:00

Blimey, it's heading towards the festive season at a rate of knots now, no matter how much we try and put it off, but one of the more fun jobs we do here at GTC is put togther a parcel of gifts to go to the Love In a Box Appeal.

This is an annual occurence, facilitated by the Mustard Seed Appeal. Every year we are contacted by Lisa Day, who along with her mother, works as a volunteer collecting gifts which are then put in beautifully wrapped shoeboxes. From the Mustard Seed's depot in Eastbourne over 50,000 shoeboxes are taken each year to underprivileged children in Eastern European schools, orphanages and hospitals, some of whom live in the most terrible poverty.

If you would like to send a gift or two, please contact Lisa Day at lisaandkeanu@yahoo.co.uk, I know they will be thrilled to bits with anything you can add, whether it's a pretty bar of soap or a sticker book!

Thanks!

Becci

Phew!

2009-10-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a busy couple of weeks here at GTC towers! Not only have we been to such glittering events as the Wanderlust Awards 2009 at the Royal Geographical Society, we have floated, been massaged, interviewed by national papers, networked (drank white wine and ate cashew nuts) at the Women In Travel event in London AND looked after all your orders.

Angie has been on a great trip to Norway (where it seems like it rains even more than Forks, Washington, for all you Twilight fans :O), and Bex has been all over the place sourcing lovely new travel gift ideas just in time for Christmas! We've got some wonderful new travel accessories coming in the next couple of weeks, but if you have anything you'd like us to find, or any tips you'd like to share, please let us know!!

Relieve your jetlag and float free!

2009-10-14T04:06:00.000-07:00

I am floating, blissfully calm, drifting freely like a spaceman who has had his cable to the mothership accidentally disconnected and is now sliding through space. Though not as panicky, obviously. And without such big boots on.

Actually it is rather lovely. I am at the Floatworks centre, a short stroll from London Bridge, and have been invited by Tim and the lovely team to come and have a try; I have never floated in a spacepod-type environment before but you know us here at GTC, always willing to have a stab at something just to keep you guys informed...

Upon arrival you are ushered through reception and into your own private room, and given comprehensive instructions on what to do. Basically there is a large pod-type tank filled with water and a huge concentration of Epsom salts in suspension, (enough to support the body's weight and fool it into thinking it is weightless), and once you have had a quick shower you can climb straight in and enjoy it.

From a purely practical point of view, the pod is very easy to use. I had my lid closed and the light switched off, but you can leave a pleasing blue light on if you prefer if you do get a bit claustrophobic; there is also a panic button and a bottle of freshwater in case you need to spray the saltwater out of your eyes.

From a therapeutic side of things the benefits are astonishing. All the stresses and strains on your body are relieved, your brain enters a state where it/you can relax thoroughly and all the tension just leaves your body as you drift, comfortably supported by the warm water; I just wish I had known about this when I was pregnant and suffering from restless legs and insomnia! In fact all morning I had been suffering from an achey neck as a result of over-confidence at the gym, and the pain just disappeared in a truly wondrous fashion. And no Nurofen!

In addition to pure relaxation there are also a multitude of genuine health benefits, including improving blood flow and circulation, reducing jet lag, blood pressure, back pain and muscular tension. I have to say I loved the experience; it took me a while to unwind as the journey to London had been a bit of a 'mare so my mind insisted on running round in circles, rather than just shutting up and letting me sleep, but apparently the more you float the easier it becomes to switch off and let go. It was utterly, utterly pleasurable....

A couple of points of note; when inserting the earplugs provided, make sure you put in two the same size. Like a complete numpty, I didn't, and had one squeaky ear for the first half an hour. Secondly, do not whatever you do get water in your mouth or eyes as it stings like anything and tastes horrendous. In addition make sure you don't shave or pluck anything the day you go as the saltwater will sting beyond measure.

Fluffy towels cost £1 to hire, and there is shampoo, conditioner and showergel in your own shower; once you are dressed there are little hairdressing areas with comfy chairs, water, hairdryers and various toiletries to make yourself more human again, plus a great fishtank in reception if you feel like just sitting and staring blankly into space.

And no, you don't need a swimming costume......

So next time you are going to London, pop in and see the lovely Sarah and Babou at Floatworks and treat yourself to a truly stress-free trip.... and if you mention us they'll give you a whopping 25% discount! Thanks chaps! :O)

A Book of Travellers' Tales, by Eric Newby

2009-09-08T00:44:00.000-07:00

Oh, I love Eric Newby. He was born in 1919, and following a period as a POW spent his life in the fashion business and book publishing, writing such classics as "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" (one of my favourites), and "Slowly Down the Ganges."

In his travel writing he veers from the poetic and evocative to the downright hilarious, but in this travel compendium he has gathered some of the funniest and most poignant snippets I've ever read.The book covers over 2000 years of travel writing and over three hundred different authors, as disparate as Queen Victoria, T.E. Lawrence and Shackleton. It is, put simply a gem.

Read it cover to cover or dip in and out of its cool, refreshing waters on a hot, sticky day; what will strike you most is the fact that the experiences of travellers for the last two millenia have hardly changed at all. You'll find this reassuring next time you are being fleeced in Egypt, lose your baggage or are heartily seasick.

Of particular value are some handy phrases from Murray's Handbook of Travel Talk; the usefulness of the German phrase for "the coachman is drunk and impertinent" is only rivalled by that of "'tis is quite a hurricane. I am really much alarmed," the latter obviously coming in more pertinent in this time of global warming.

There are also a multitude of tips from a Rev. Tatchell, who dispenses many words of wisdom.."A llama has but one method of attack or defence and that is to spit in your eye, and the ploughing buffaloes of Siam, though driven with ease by a tiny native child, resent the smell of a white man."

"There are few beds more comfortable than a dry ditch in England in June. The law is that you must not sleep within fifteen yards of the middle of the road."

"Should you be attacked by a mob in the east, hurt one of the crowd and hurt him quickly. The others will gather chatting round the injured man and you will be able to slip away. However.. you are much more likely to be attacked by a dog."

Beauty tips for lazy backpackers

2009-09-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

A random diet, an excess of carbs and lack of vitamins, plus a tendency to sleep at strange hours are contributing to my new look, which I can only describe as raddled.

This is a far cry from the scruffy backpacker chic beloved of summer Sunday supplement fashion shoots, where bronzed and scantily clad beauties lounge by roadside foodstalls, pouting glossily. In reality, I notice a certain tendency in travellers to slump with bad posture, stare sullenly with tired, bloodshot eyes and have unfortunate breakouts of acne and sunburn, so below I have put together a few beauty tips. Some of them are gathered with hindsight.

If you are leaving in the dead of British midwinter, it may be advisable to get a fake tan before you go. I cannot guarantee it, but it may go some way to avoiding the heckling one may suffer at the hands of Aussie labourers.

My make-up regimen consists entirely of black eyeliner and black mascara. However impromptu swims and afternoon downpours can leave you looking like a panda with a hangover, so get your eyelashes tinted before you leave home. Predictably I didn’t, as I didn’t know the procedure even existed until informed by a kindly beautician from Leeds.

Vaseline is a wonderful thing. Leave your lipstick at home, as it will melt in the heat; instead take a little tin of Vaseline which will melt, but will be less annoying. Use as a lip gloss, then smear a dab on your cheekbones for a healthy radiant glow. It can also be used to secure windswept eyebrows, on cracked heels and toes and to soften cuticles.

Slap on sunscreen, as the English girls I have seen with vast expanses of exposed red and peeling skin look like partially completed hog roasts and are always a topic of conversation amongst locals.

A hat is also a very good idea, as not only doea it prevent sun damage and wrinkles, but it also only takes a couple of days for a white squinty frown line to appear between one’s eyebrows. This I say from experience.

Take advantage of all the beach pedicures you can, as after a few months of sand, grit and filthy roads your feet may start to suffer, and if your toes and heels start cracking they can hurt quite a bit.

Your skin can also dry out very quickly, thanks to all the sun and sea, so mash up a ripe avacodo and plaster it thickly all over your face for 15 minutes. You will smell like a chicken salad but your skin will feel enriched and revitalized.

Pinch a cupful of porridge oats or muesli from the breakfast buffet if there is one, then tie it up in a sock. Float the sock in a bath full of hot water, then use as a moisturizing puff and massage all over your body. The sock will be a bugger to wash but your skin will feel wonderful.

Keep a couple of those little sugar sachets in your washbag, then when your skin is feeling dull, mix one with a squirt of shower gel for an invigorating body scrub. If you are swimming on a sandy beach, sit in the shallows and give yourself a scrub with a couple of palmfuls of sand to make your skin feel great.

Ditch the perfume as not only can the heat make it smell dreadful, but it also attracts mozzies and insects.

How to make damper, bannock and BBQ bread

2009-08-20T00:54:00.000-07:00

Whether you’re off to a BBQ or heading for Oz, damper or bannock bread is a sure fire winner any time there’s a Barbie or a fire alight. It’s incredibly easy to make, and you can mix up all the ingredients in a ziplock bag and store somewhere dry until you’re ready to make it.

Simply mix together
2 cups of flour
a pinch of salt
a teaspoon baking powder
a teaspoon sugar
a tablespoon milk powder

When you feel like making it, simply add cold water a little at a time until the mixture forms a stiff dough. Now you will need to find a green stick as thick as your thumb (willow and hazel are best, though at this time of year you're not going to find a very green one!). Scrape away the bark to get the worst of the dirt and bacteria off, then pinch off a good sized lump of dough. Roll it into a sausage and pinch one end onto the stick. Now wrap it round the stick in a downwards spiral, pinching on the other end to finish it.

Now hold your stick over the embers (but not in the flames!), and keep turning so it cooks evenly and is golden all over. It should sound hollow when tapped when it is properly cooked. Fill the hole with butter or golden syrup and enjoy. You can even mix fruit and nuts, or even a little bit of sage and onion stuffing in with the dry mixture to add variety.

Free tickets to the BBC

2009-08-17T01:45:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a GTC works outing to the BBC TV centre to see an episode of a new sitcom being filmed. No, this is not strictly a feature on travel, but it was a free night out and everyone likes one of those so we thought we' let you in on it!

Our tickets were to see "Miranda" being filmed, a new comedy starring Miranda Hart with Patricia Hodge and the brilliant Sally Phillips, and very funny it was too. I've never understood how sitcom audiences can be heard to laugh so very hard at jokes that don't seem that funny (see My Family as a classic example of that), but a) they tell you to laugh out loud and b) between takes another comedian chats to the audience and keeps you giggling, (about swine flu and his affair with the floor manager).

If you do go, a few points of note..

We drove in, a very easy journey along the A4 and you can park in the massive new Westgate shopping centre opposite.
The petrol station over the road cannot be guaranteed to supply you with a good picnic. We had to make do with Tictacs, a tube of Hobnobs and a bag of suspiciously re-processed chicken lumps.
We got there at 6, and the queue was huge already; you are marshalled through security and into a cafe where you have to wait around until you are directed to the studio. If there is a table free near the Tardis outside, grab it as it is much cooler sitting there than indoors, and someone will come and let you know when you need to get in line.
Take a cardigan, it can get a bit nippy in the studio as the aircon is on.
You can take a drink in with you but it has to be in a screwtop bottle, I'd just got a cup of tea when we were called in and had to leave it behind :O(
Nobody tells you off for eating Tictacs when they are filming.

Simply go to http://shows.external.bbc.co.uk/, pick your show and then they email you free tickets! As far as I can tell, the available shows change very regularly so it's worth checking fairly frequently... and watch the show when it comes out, if last night was anything to go by it should be good!

Easy Meals for Campers

2009-08-07T03:47:00.000-07:00

We've just returned from a weekend camping, and whereas we had the teamaking equipment, wine, bottle opener and soft drinks very well organised, when it came to knocking up a quick and tasty supper on the first night our options were quite limited. Rather than the proffered baked beans on marmitey fried bread, my husband decided he'd rather go out for dinner. And breakfast. And in fact lunch.....

It worked out to be quite an expensive little trip in that regard, so I've done a little bit of research and found a great recipe where not only can you cook it all in one pot, you can mix all the spices, chopped veg and chopped chicken in ziplock bags before you leave, so all you have to do is add to the saucepan as required once you've got your tent up. Keep all ingredients chilled in an icebox until you are ready to use.

Easy Chicken Pilaff

Yield: 4 servings
Ready in: 40 mins (15 mins Prep - 25 mins Cook)

Ingredients

Bag 1

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 red pepper, seeded and diced

Bag 2

340 g (12 oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts (fillets), cut into thin strips

Bag 3

170 g (6 oz) button mushrooms, halved
2 courgettes, sliced
300 g (10½ oz) basmati rice, rinsed
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon

150 ml (5 fl oz) coconut milk
400 ml (14 fl oz) hot chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion, garlic, red pepper and chicken. Cook, stirring, over a fairly high heat for 4–5 minutes or until the chicken has lost its raw look.
Add the mushrooms, courgettes, rice, ground coriander, cumin and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Pour in the coconut milk and hot stock, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes or until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid.
Remove from the heat. Stir in some chopped coriander, then cover again and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

How to manage your fear of flying!

2009-07-13T11:38:00.001-07:00

We all know that statistically flying is by far the safest means of transport, but that doesn't stop even the hardiest of passengers suffering a fleeting jolt of panic every time a slight bump of turbulence is felt.
To this end I have compiled a few little facts that might explain all those unpleasant sensations and noises, and a few tips to keep you more comfortable and jet-lag-free!
To start with, anxiety is perfectly understandable; after all, it's not often in our daily lives that we give complete control over our personal safety into the hands of a stranger in such extreme circustances. However, just look at the faces of the stewardesses. They're completely relaxed and, even when busy and tired, still manage to walk about the cabin perfectly calmly without the need for a large stiff gin and two valium. They are completely at ease with being on an aircraft day in and day out, so I always think, if they can do it, so can I!
All planes will make odd thunking noises (when the landing gear retracts or comes down), or changes in engine noise that make it seem like the plane is decelerating. All this is perfectly normal so try not to pay any attention to it; sitting there listening anxiously to the sound of the engines won't help your general state of comfort! Put on the earphones and listen to some music instead.
Turbulence is also completely normal. Most planes fly above extreme weather conditions, and the pilot will know if there are any patches of turbulence coming up and will advise you accordingly; planes are built to withstand these sorts of pressures, so once again, keep an eye on the faces of the stewardesses! They don't panic when turbulence happens, so you don't need to either!I find the homeopathic remedies aconite and arnica to be excellent for pre-flight anxiety, but by far the best remedy I have found is Rescue Remedy. A couple of squirts is incredibly helpful and will ease those dreadful butterflies.
Sit upright, place your palms on your thighs, and push hard with your feet against the floor; you should breathe slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth then you will feel out the fear and tension go out of your body!In addition, if you start to hyperventilate, breathe slowly in and out of the paper bag in your seat pocket.Make sure you know where your nearest exit is just in case of an emergency landing; smoke is the biggest danger if this should happen, and visibility may be poor, so always count how many rows away the doors are so you could do it in the dark if you had to.As to the effect on your body, well, you are in a very artificial situation, and it's no wonder that you feel a bit disorientated as a result. When you are flying at an altitude of 12,000 metres, the cabin is artificially pressurised to around 1500-2000 metres; most people live at around sea level so to be rocketed to this altitude in a very short space of time is going to take its toll.

However, there are ways you can minimise the discomfort.
Wear loose clothing, as your body swells in the thinner air of the cabin.
Take your shoes off, and have a blanket ready as the temperature can rise and fall quite a lot.
Cocoon yourself with an eyemask and earplugs and try to rest comfortably (bring your own as many airlines don't provide them any more).
Drink lots of water; I know there is a temptation to avoid drinking, just so you don't have to get up to go to the loo but it won't help you feel better in the long run!
Seats in the middle of the plane are best if you suffer from motion sickness.
Suck a sweety on takeoff and landing to help your ears adjust. They don't seem to provide them onboard anymore so make sure you've got some in your bag.
Avoid spicy foods before takeoff and on the plane, as your body is struggling enough without having any extra strain on the digestion!

Jetlag occurs because the body's Circadian Rhythms are out of sync with the time zone of the new destination, and can lead to tiredness, disorientation and bad temper; it can even effect the body's immune system.Normally hormones and seratonins are released into the bloodstream and govern our appetite and sleep patterns; when we change zones these are affected and it is thought it can take one day for every time zone crossed to recover our health and energy.

The dry air on board can also make passengers more susceptible to all the bacteria breathed out by their fellow travellers, and even the efficiency of the digestive system can be affected.So what can we do? Well, travelling to the east is worst than the west symptomatically. If heading east, eat as little as possible and try to get as much sleep as you can. If going west, you are lengthening your day so try and avoid sleeping until you get there.
When you get on board change your watch to the new time zone to help get accustomised to it.

Exercise. Keep walking about and wiggling your toes and even try some simple stretching; many airlines now have instructions for some exercises in their inflight magazine. You might look like a bit of a womble but it will help your circulation and make you feel better; it will also help reduce to risk of DVT so keep wiggling about!

A celebrity we know who flies all round the world frequently swears by putting a piece of brown paper in each shoe; apparently it really works, though we have no idea how!
Lavender on your travel pillow or a tissue helps you to sleep and is very good for alleviating the symptoms of jetlag; add a few drops to your bath when you get there and put a couple of drops on your pillow as well. Arnica is very good for restoring sleep patterns, while our Pulse Point Gel contains lots of essential oils to refresh and revive.

How to make a passable Tinto Verano

2009-06-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

Gosh, it's quite humid isn't it? Not having all the right stuff in the house to make a Pimm's (ie. a bottle of Pimm's, for starters), I have just knocked up a Tinto Verano to remind me of those lovely, long Spanish summer evenings....

All you need is a bottle of red, and some not-too-sweet lemonade (in Spain they use Casera, I reckon Sainsbury's Diet Lemonade isn't too bad). Simply mix half and half in a tall glass with a couple of cubes of ice and a slice of lemon.

Drink six, sleep heavily :O)

Pad Thai Noodles Recipe

2009-06-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Pad Thai noodles, as any backpacker knows, are the staple food of anyone travelling through Thailand and Asia, and are available from the highest class restaurants through to roadside stalls.

Naturally nothing ever tastes as good as it does when you are on holiday, but I reckon these are about as close as you can get without going long-haul!

4oz rice noodle
8oz king prawns, or chicken
2 tbsp finely chopped shallots or red onion
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
6oz beansprouts
2 beaten eggs
2 chopped spring onions
1 lime juiced
2oz dry roast peanuts
2tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1tbsp sugar
1tbsp water
2 red chillies, seeded and chopped
cucumber slices
lime wedges
prawn crackers

Soak the rice noodles in warm water for an hour (or use those ones that are ready cooked from Sainsbury's). Heat a spoonful of oil in a large wok; fry half the chillies and garlic for one minute, then add the prawns and chicken and cook.
Add the sugar, vinegar, lime juice, water and fish sauce and mix, then add the noodles, bean sprouts and half the peanuts. Cook until warmed through.
Now push all that lot over to one side of the wok, then pour in the beaten eggs and cook; when its nearly done, shred it a bit with your spatula and mix into everything else.
Put the pad thai into two dishes, then garnish with chopped onion, the rest of the peanuts and chilli, plus cucumber and lime wedges. I also like to eat a bag of prawn crackers simultaneously.

A wet weekend in Wales?

2009-05-29T04:18:00.000-07:00

Lumpy beds. Congealed bacon and porridge like wallpaper paste. Sullen service and overpriced crisps. Oh, and endless dripping rain. Yes, this is your average holiday in the UK; expensive, gloomy and grey. Or is it? We often tend to have a Spring break in Spain, where in latter years one was guaranteed Sangria, sun and very good value for your sterling, but at the mo’ with the pound so low you just don’t get, ahem, much bang for your buck anymore.

We have therefore decided to spend all our holidays for 2009 exploring the UK; already this year we have been to Dorset and Somerset for little jaunts, but we have just spent a few days in Wales, and rather lovely it was too.

First up was a rather gruelling drive to the Brecon Beacons. I’d been there as a young and enthusiastic Venture Scout and had hiked my way up Pen Y Fan in the company of equally enthusiastic boyfriends, but as we checked into Peterstone Court Hotel, nestled quietly in the foothills below this lovely cloudswept mountain, I wasn’t even sure I was going to make it up the flight of stairs to our room, such was the mound of equipment we were carrying. Travel cot, assortment of nappies, suitcase full of toys, decaf teabags, Dan’s nocturnal supply of Minstrels, books and snacks, plus, oh yes, the baby. The room couldn’t have been nicer actually, with plenty of space to put up the cot in lovely surroundings. Each room here is decorated individually, and ours had a rather lovely red and gold theme, along with a huge flat screen TV, bathrobes, slippers and even jars of lollipops and home-made biscuits, plus a wonderful view of the mountains wreathed in grumpy looking clouds.

Downstairs is even more interesting, with a comfortable library with DVD's to borrow, a morning room and a small bar, plus the friendliest and most charming staff I've met in a long time. Nothing was too much trouble, and I even got a guided tour of the other (empty!) bedrooms from one of the chambermaids.

There is also a small spa offering treatments along with a jacuzzi and relaxation room; I had a very soothing aromatherapy massage, but didn't manage to convince Dan that he too would benefit from one, even after six hours of the SatNav taking us around the countryside in its own convoluted way and him still not knowing the difference between left and right....

The full Welsh breakfast was great, with the baba getting a very tasty bowl of porridge and syrup, plus some delicious (and I imagine home-made) muesli bars; the waiter all smiles even when confronted with a cornflake covered carpet and everything within a two foot radius of the baby being smeared in crumbs/porridge.

Apparently it gets fully booked at weekends and during the wedding season, but it felt to us like we had the whole place to ourselves. It made a great base to explore the area; there are some amazing waterfalls to the south, with amazing drives and walks over the mountains, and we can also recommend both the George Hotel in Brecon, and the Ford Inn just down the road for really good food with lovely friendly service. In fact, that pretty much sums up our stay really; friendly, relaxed and a great little break. Not quite the same as Spain perhaps, but not an airport check-in sight!

Fancy a dip?

2009-05-23T04:23:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining and a chill wind is blowing round my bare knees. It's mid-May and I am about to plunge into the sparkling and surprisingly clear sea at Mwnt, a fantastic little cove just north of Cardigan. Oh, and it's about 14 degrees. My husband wisely decides to opt for the child-care option and sits there with the baby, slightly aghast as I splash into the water and then run out screaming.

"It's brass monkeys," I gasp, desperately trying to fill my lungs with air, my chest seeming to have imploded upon contact with the icy water, "b-b-b-bb-blimey!"

But I stagger shivering back into the waves, then launch myself into the surf and get my shoulders underwater, before performing a very fast and comically desperate breast-stroke/butterfly manoevre in the hope of getting my heart started again.

We have had a lovely drive through country lanes, verges bursting over the road with wildflowers and butterflies in the sunshine; Dan driving, baby playing with his favourite dustpan and brush and me clutching my already treasured copy of Wild Swimming Coast, by Daniel Start, and a tin of travel sweets. (I do not like the red or orange sweets, preferring green and yellow. Fortunately Dan does not have a preference).

I loved flicking through this book when it first arrived just for the amazing pictures, evoking long heady summers and picnics, paddling and rockpooling, but now I've actually used it properly I can fully appreciate all the hard work that has gone into putting it together.

Each region has a map identifying the top locations for wild sea swimming, then individual sections for each swim provide OS references and, ideally for us, (whose road map was published before the onset of motorways), postcodes for the SatNav. The walk to each site is graded for difficulty and length of time to get there, and the details are clear and accurate. What also makes the book really good fun is all the extra information Daniel provides on seaside games, cooking outdoors and useful stuff to take with you, plus an excellent section on water safety.

We also visited the Blue Lagoon near St David's yesterday; in Daniel's photos the water looks emerald green and very enticing, but as I stood on the black cliffs above it, wind whistling past my cold damp ears and the clouds skating low overhead, I thought I might give it a miss and come back another time......

This is a great book for armchair swimmers, but I'm really looking forward to exploring some of the beaches near us on the South Coast which I had no idea existed; the joy of Wild Swimming Coast is in taking you to some of Britain's most wonderful places which you would never find otherwise! Go and take a look at the website too, http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/, for lots more swims, tips and events.

Wild Swimming Coast, by Daniel Start

2009-05-16T02:22:00.000-07:00

Here at GTC we love a spot of outdoor swimming, so Becci was chuffed to bits when a copy of the new Wild Swimming Coast by Daniel Start came through the office letterbox. She had the pleasure of catching up with Daniel, who kindly answered a few questions for us (and we'll be trying a couple of the swims in the next few weeks and reviewing them for you so you can stay nice and warm indoors with a cup of tea :O)

How long have you had the urge to fling yourself into our freezing native wetspots? And as a child, was your mother permanently pulling you out of drains and puddles?

There is a picture of me at three, standing naked in a bucket of cold water in the garden. It was the drought of 1976 and apparently I had downed tools and insisted it was too hot to do anything else. I've never been a good swimmer, but I have always loved taking a plunge in a clear waterfall or beautiful stream. I spent part of my childhood in Herefordshire, near the river Wye, and were always building rafts and rope swings. The books are partly about rediscovering the joys and freedoms of childhood again.

I particularly remember a wonderful twilight swim at a lovely spot called Josephine Falls in Australia that always brings me a little happy frisson of pleasure when I think of it; do you have any particular swim that stays in your mind as A Top Life Moment?

I remember an exceptionally hot summer of 1989. I was back packing in north Wales with school friends and we were aiming for a high mountain tarn on Snowdon to camp. We arrived early evening, boiling hot, the sun still scorching the bracken and our burnt faces. The tarn appeared and I remember running down to it, stripping off and plunging in, the water quenching my skin, and the sun sinking over the mountains, the whole lake shimmering with golden light.

One of the lovely things about your books is the amazing photos, did you take them all yourself? And have you swum in every single one of the locations you recommend??

Yes and yes! I love photography so this has been great fun - asking my friends to dive in one more time until they have hypothermia. But I always swim too - that's the best bit! I've swum in every one of the 600 locations n the two books - and in the same number again that didn't quite make the grade. Thank God for waterproof skin!

Whenever I throw myself in a river for a dip I always seem to get someone going on about the amount of pesticides in the water and how there are always dead fish floating just upstream. Do you worry about water quality or is it just a matter of making sure you don't swim along with your mouth open? (I've always dreamt of doing that in the river of chocolate from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by the way).

Fresh and marine water quality is better than at anytime in living memory and there have been amazing improvements in the last 15 years - so you won't find pesticides and poisons. Occasionally there will be cow poo, but any river or lake that has good fish stocks is clean enough to swim in. Fish are very fussy and the fisherman are always on the guard against bad farmers. That said, you should always be more careful in larger, lowland rivers, and never swim in cities or just downstream on a city. Our website http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/ tells you how to check your local water quality online.

Do you have a wild swimming kit in the boot of your car, and if so, what is in it?

I'm a minimalist! So that means a pair of trunks, some goggles and a light wieght cotton sarong for a towel (which also doubles as picnic table cloth, a man skirt, for carrying sea shells etc). Also a small plastic bag for the wet trunks afterwards. And if I know I'm going to do some swimming around rocks, a pair of plastic sandals to swim in. I never use a wetsuit - they're for wimps! And if I don't have trunks and towel, then I'll skinny dip and sacrifice an item of clothing to dry myself on.

Any tips for how to warm up following an icy swim?

10 press-ups - if you can do them. Otherwise 20 star jumps and a walk up a good hill. Plus a big jumper, a thermos of hot chocolate and a visit to a pub with a roaring fire.

And lastly, my husband has just come in and asked if you have any advice on blowing up armbands, and whether you do it on site, or take them pre-blown. I have just confiscated his elevenses biscuits as a result.

Ha! We often take rubber rings and lilos with us on summer missions and people always want to blow them up in the car on the way, which causes all manner of navigational problems.

Thanks for taking the time to chat to us, and good luck with the new book!

Happy swimming!

A Trip to Nepal...

2009-05-11T04:08:00.000-07:00

Well dear readers, this blog was kindly sent in by one of our customers who generously gave us her feedback on some of the girlstravelclub.co.uk gear she had bought from us. Makes fascinating reading, and also makes you value the fact you can go and make yourself a nice cup of tea whenever you want!

Greetings travel bloggers, I've just returned from Nepal. This trip was the third in three years with the purpose of running courses in Biblical counselling.

Since last year there have been big changes that affect all travellers. Then, with load shedding you enjoyed 16 hours of electricity a day, now it’s down to just 8 hours in 2 x 4 hour blocks which often come in the middle of the night. Thus, though my travel kettle is still my favourite travel accessory, many was the time it was not useable.

It’s not the only shortage. Water is scare now, as well as being ALWAYS poisonous. The winter rains in January did not arrive and the rain we had at the end of the March was the first since October. My friend Tanka and Rita with their 9 year old daughter and 8 month old baby had just moved into a new third floor flat (the stairwell was lethal) and the landlord in the ground floor controlled the water turning it on for 15 minutes morning and evening. They are lucky, standing pipes are common.

Bottled water is not always around so the Aquapur water bottle is essential kit for ensuring I always have pure water to hand or mouth!

As ever, when eating out you depend on other people’s hygiene and diligence in iodizing fresh foods. My companion did some suffering. I on the other hand have never on my travels had tummy troubles. I put this down to taking cider vinegar every day whilst I am abroad. Last year it was the cause I think of my suitcase being opened on the way to Nepal as, of course I could not have the vinegar in my hand luggage, so this year I took priobotics. You can get a version that does not need refrigeration … a bit pricey ₤9.99 for 40 BUT it's wonderful not to feel rough when you are on your feet tutoring for 7 hours a day.

Nepal is a country where tourists are now beginning to return but BE PREPARED as interruptions to daily life are constant.

AGAIN there were petrol shortages which are pretty constant. All petrol comes up from India, so days can go by without petrol and often there are shortages of kerosene which is the major cooking fuel. The most frequent cause of disruption is when someone calls a strike, or bandh. Nepal then verges on anarchy as strikes can be continual and random, and if you do not get off the road and close down your business, whoever called the bandh is likely to conduct violent reprisals.

In 3 weeks we had 2 local bandhs that affected people’s ability to get to and home from the courses and one national bandh that was called for a three week period which brought the country to a standstill. Life has to be flexible and the locals have to adapt their lives to put up with all these interruptions. Expect delays when travelling and if you are elsewhere other than Khatmandu, allow 24 hours in the capital when you are flying out of the country to be sure of making your flight. If you are in the capital some taxis will run as long as they are carrying tourists and you will get to the airport.

We flew with Qatar Airways who only allow 20 kg of luggage so travel gear has to be both efficient and compact. Essentials were the Design Go travel kettle, the wind up dynamo torch, my tiny LED lamp, my head torch and the Tisserand lavender rollerball for moments of fraughtness (oh, and my MP3 player with audio books)!!

Trials and Tribulations of a Travel Writer

2009-04-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

It’s in Cancún, that rather large, scary resort on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, that I realise there’s a fine line between a travel journalist and a travel journo lost. Here I am researching a brand new guidebook to Mexico and no sooner have I arrived before I’m hopelessly entangled in lotes, manzanas, calles and other bizarre parts of addresses, dragging a one-wheeled suitcase behind me – a spur of the moment buy in nearby Playa del Carmen, to rest my backpack-weary shoulders, a plan that backfires as soon as I step off the bus in Cancún and said wheel irredeemably comes off. This does not bode well.

I finally find somewhere decent-ish to sleep and the hotel owner looks at me like something the cat dragged in – it’s hot and I’m all bedraggled after my suitcase struggle. “You can have a room on the top floor,” he says with a nasty, greasy smile, showing off just what tequila and chillies without a toothbrush can do for you and off I scamper obediently, up eight flights of rickety stairs, while the owner just grins and doesn’t lift a finger. Sigh!

Oh well, Cancún here I come – time to start the real work. Being a guidebook writer may sound like a dream job and true, getting paid to travel the world doesn’t suck, but there’s a lot of legwork involved – literally. Walking up and down the streets of Cancún, checking out everything from hotels, restaurants and bars, to banks, cultural centres and tourist boards, I remain irretrievable lost and no matter how many times I attack the same street in search of no. 35, I can’t find it. In despair I turn a corner, only to find the same street again! This is when it dawns on me that there are two of every street in the centre of town – two “Margaritas street”, two “Tulipanes street”, both one-way in opposite directions and with different house numbers. Phew, mystery solved – for now.

Cancún is a challenge for the budget traveller, geared almost solely towards the package tourist and the mid to top-end of the market and it’s my job to seek out exceptions to this rule. Budget places, though, have a nasty way of disappearing from year to year, or moving, or changing names, or – well, you catch my drift. It’s good exercise, I tell myself after a long hike to the tourist information office, only to find it’s now the Polish embassy. Exhausted I slip some pesos into a drinks machine, which happily munches my coins, but refuses to spit out the drink. I almost start howling in misery there and then, when a kind security guard bashes the machine so hard it finally coughs up the can and my faith in humanity, if not Cancún, is momentarily restored.

Some eight hours walking the streets and I almost feel like I’m plying my trade, but at least the hotel touts near the bus station now recognise me and have stopped trying to show me their cheapie hovels. Thanking heaven for small mercies I slowly stagger up the eight flights of stairs to my own hovel and collapse in a heap. Tomorrow is a another day...

By Anna Maria Espsäter

First UK Rights

The Footprint Guide to Mexico will be published in November 2009, http://www.footprintbooks.com/
Contact details: amespsater@googlemail.com

Spring bushcraft course at GTC is a surprisingly sunny success

2009-03-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday saw the GTC team head down to the woods for the first time this year, running another Travelskills survival and bushcraft course for women travellers. Unlike last time, when the heavens opened and we clung to our hot chocolates round the covered fire, this time the weather was truly beautiful; mild, sunny and with green shoots sprouting all around. And there was cake.

The group learnt many skills, including how to light a fire using tinder and a battery, as well as purifying water and learning how to make a tent peg. The latter doesn't sound overly thrilling, I grant you, but is useful for SO many things, from making a pot hanger (to suspend your billy can of tea safely over the fire you've just successfully lit) to er, well, putting your tent up. And blimey, as for the uses of lavender oil and a small handbag mirror, where do I start?

And the lunch, well, I can safely say it was truly amazing as I didn't have anything to do with it; once again the lovely Val cooked up a dribble-inducing side of trout, new potatoes and stir-fried vegetables cooked over the open fire, with muchos beveragos hottos to warm one's cockles.

For those more concerned with the, ahem, lavatorial facilities, we were delighted to unveil Wayne's new facility, a composting toilet of such wonder and glory that we will be bringing you photographic evidence shortly, as well as instructions in case you wish to forgo 21st century plumbing and build your own at the bottom of the garden. If you fancy joining us on the next course, please ring us on 07766 016502, or send an email to info@girlstravelclub.co.uk and we'll send you all the details you need.

"Thank you for a great day last weekend down at Arundel, Emma and I really enjoyed the course, we learnt so much. It was a lot better than anything I have learnt on Duke of Edinbrough. We especially enjoyed learning the fire skills and trying to light a fire without matches. We now feel ready to head out into the wilderness with our new skills! Thanks again, Sarah"

Cycling The Americas for Charity!

2009-03-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

To be frank, here at GTC there's always an argument about who's going to go out and get the milk if there's even a sniff of rain, so we are always in awe of those who are willing to travel more than 300 yards without a car, possibly in inclement weather. We're therefore delighted that we're going to be following the progress of a remarkable couple, Joy and Joff, who have packed in their day jobs in order to cycle the length of the Americas. They're going to be keeping us regularly updated with their progress, and here is their first instalment..... we wish them all the luck in the world and look forward to hearing more of their travels!

In May 2009 we are leaving to begin cycling across - and then down - the continents of America - partly to have an adventure and partly in order to avoid work….

On our honeymoon last January, Joff asked his wife of 5 months whether she would consider doing something that he had wanted to do for a long time….

Much to my surprise, with no hesitation she agreed to go. Since that fateful day in February they have been planning routes, reading of others’ adventures, buying clothing, training (occasionally) and generally getting ready, both mentally and physically.

The route will take them from Nova Scotia on the east coast of Canada across the States, via New England and the Mid West, to Seattle on the west coast. After a detour into Vancouver they’ll head south towards the sun, pedalling the west coast highways of Washington, Oregon and California before crossing into Mexico; hopefully in time for Christmas.

From there it’s a straight run along the west coast, perhaps with a few meanderings inland, until they end up in Tierra del Fuego, in southern Argentina.

For relaxation, they plan on doing some sea kayaking in places such as Vancouver Island and Baja California.

The aim is to camp for much of the route, but youth hostels, B&B’s, friends, tenuous contacts and complete strangers will hopefully all play their part in helping them. A website called http://www.couchsurfing.com/ has introduced them to a new world of opportunity in terms of accommodation.

They figure that by leaving Britain in May, they’ll reach the far side of the States by the end of August, and southern California or even Mexico by December. The intention is that they’ll be home the following Christmas. Fingers crossed.

They decided quite early on that they should do the trip in aid of charity. The nephew of Joff’s best man at their wedding has a strain of Muscular Dystrophy called Duchenne. From what they understand, research into this particular sort of Dystrophy is seriously underfunded and, because they are apparently quite near to a cure, Joy and Joff felt that any money they could make would be worth giving to them. As such, people will be able to sponsor them via their website, http://www.cycletheamericas.org/ or via the Justgiving website; just as soon as they can organise it…..:)

I have listed a few questions below which will hopefully offer a bit more of an idea of what we’re going to do. However, if you would like more information on any aspect of the trip, please mail us at Joffandjoy@tiscali.co.uk

How far is it? About 20,000 miles. Which is, for the purposes of comparison, very roughly the same distance as flying to Australia and then back to Indonesia. (…..though I am happy to be corrected….)

Why this route? Starting off gently in the States will get us into the swing of things before it get more difficult. We are also interested in the great variety of cultures and colours available without having to take a second flight. Finally, because we both failed our physicals for shelf stacking in the Co-op, we thought it was best we only contend with small mountain ranges (!) before arriving in the Andes.

Have you got good saddles? The saddles are good, but ‘breaking in’ a leather one takes a lot longer than the maker suggests.

What are you looking forward to most?
The downhill ride as we get to the top of the Rocky Mountains
Seeing the giant Redwood trees in the USA.
Looking at the remains of the ancient civilisations of Central America.
The downhill ride as we get to the top of the Andes.
Arriving at Ushuaia.
Our first cup of tea on our return.

Is working for a living that bad? Yes….

If you would like more information then our web site should be up and running by mid March: http://www.cycletheamericas.org/

Photograph courtesy of The Cambridge Evening News

2009-02-06T03:55:00.000-08:00

Here at GTC towers we're delighted to introduce Hilary Bradt MBE, creator of Bradt Travel guides and experienced traveller! She has written or co-written thirteen travel books, and is off to Cambodia next week, so we managed to catch her for a few minutes in between polishing her new MBE and packing for her next trip....

You're famous for creating the Bradt range of travel guides. What first inspired you to travel, and then actually sit down and write about it?

It was probably an advantage that I didn't go abroad until I was 16, and did my first overseas trip without my parents when I was 18. By that time I was mature enough to indulge my interests - art and natural history - and relish the adventure. So I wrote long letters home. The desire to share my experiences in this way led naturally to the first guidebook and numerous articles.

What do you think makes your style of guide so different from the mass market of other guides available (not mentioning any names!).

There are various factors: an emphasis on history, culture and wildlife, as well as the unusual destinations that we specialise in. Most of all, though, it is the freedom we give our authors to induldge their enthusiasms. Our books are not formulaic, which we believe leads to better writing and so a more enjoyable read (check them out at http://www.bradtguides.com/).

Where in the world has inspired you most, and what did you gain from it?

The easy answer would be Madagascar because that's the part of the world I now write about most. But on reflection I think I'd say Chile. My (then) husband and I went there in 1973, just after the coup which replaced President Allende. Nothing that we had read prior to entering the country prepared us for the response of the local people: several people came up to us in the street to tell us how delighted they were that Allende had gone. This relief was reinforced by drivers who picked us up as we hitchhiked south. I'm not saying that I became a right-wing supporter of Pinochet, but I realised that the media, by its nature, does not report both sides of a story. I learned that to get the feeling for a country you must meet, and talk to, the people. Since then I have mostly retained a neutral position on political happenings in countries I don't know, and the Bradt policy is publish guides to any country of interest and natural beauty, whatever government is in power.

Meeting people from different cultures is always one of the highlights of any trip; who have you enjoyed meeting the most?

I think the most exhilarating cultural experience was when we walked across the little African country of Lesotho in 1976. We were well away from the road, and the people we met were hugely hospitable. One family put on a dance in our honour, and an entire school helped us across a flooded river. Moments like that remain in your memory for a lifetime. [You might like to visit www.hilarybradt.com/ which has my published articles on this and other people experiences]

If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go, and most importantly, where would you eat?

Well, in a week's time I'm heading for Cambodia, to Angkor, which has been on my Wishlist for as long as I can remember. Next is Borneo, though I don't know when I'll get there. No idea where I'd eat in either place! But I would choose local food in a locally-run restaurant or 'street food' which is often safer and tastier than food served in international hotels.

Do you have a few must have essentials that you take on every trip?

I always take a couple of novels to tide me over airport waits and transport breakdowns. Likewise Codewords. Otherwise a notebook and pencil are the only other essentials..

Any tips for would-be travellers out there?

There's only one tip: Embrace the experience of travel and stop worrying about what might happen. It probably won't!

Lastly, we couldn't let you go without finding out what it was like to meet the Queen!

Quite a few people dream that they meet The Queen – indeed a book on the subject was published a few years ago. So how does one feel when it actually happens? I found out when I was invited to Windsor Castle to receive my MBE on December 12.

The waiting period between hearing the news in May and the actual investiture in December was nerve-wracking. When would it be? And what should I wear? The Palace was quite vague on the subject: morning dress or lounge suits for men (easy for them) but nothing specific for women. In the first flush of excitement in June I’d bought a lovely summery outfit from a charity shop, but as the months passed without notification, and the weather got colder, I realised that I would need to rethink. In the end I borrowed a red velvet jacket and black trousers from friends, and Hotter kindly gave me a pair of smart Iris shoes. And I hired a huge red hat. And practised my curtsy.

From the moment my friends and I arrived at the special entrance in Windsor Castle we were made to feel really special. Up the broad staircase lined with motionless guards from the Household Calvary in full uniform, and into a splendid room with a huge ornate fireplace and many paintings to have a drink and mingle with the other recipients. Then an equerry, wearing red and gold military uniform, including spurs, gave us a demonstration of exactly what we had to do – including the curtsy or bow. It seemed very complicated and I’m sure we all experienced the same feeling of panic that we wouldn’t remember everything.

In no time at all I found myself at the head of the queue and there, in the Waterloo Chamber, was a tiny woman, dressed in blue, standing on a dais. The Queen! I was rooted to the spot. “Go on” said the equerry and gave me a little push. The trouble was I couldn’t remember what legs are supposed to do to create a forward movement. I wobbled to the centre of the room, managed my curtsy, and walked to meet Her Majesty. She hooked the MBE over a pre-positioned pin, asked me about the charity aspect of the award, held out her hand, and that was it. Another curtsy and I left the room, remembering to my shame that despite the careful training I had forgotten to address her as “Your Majesty” or even “Ma’am”.

I think most of us would have liked another go in order to get it right but the Queen must have seen it all. Why else would the equerry have said, rather urgently, “And don’t forget to let go of The Queen’s hand!"

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, and congratulations on the MBE!

Christine's latest adventure!

2009-01-13T01:31:00.000-08:00

Here at GTC we've been following the adventures of Christine Davies as she learns to sail... we are delighted to say she has arrived safely back on dry land after her latest sortie on the high seas!

“Feel the luff!” I’d heard a similar phrase in a Yoga class, but I had always assumed it was part of a meditation - “Breathe deeply and feel the love”….. Like so many things in our everyday consciousness, it has a nautical derivation. On a sailing boat once a sail is hauled up, the halyard (that’s what you pull it up with) must be pulled tight so that the tension passes from the mast to the edge of the sail. The person at the mast must then feel the edge of the sail - the luff edge, and signal to the person on the winch controlling the halyard - that it is tight; ie. not flapping in the wind. If it’s not tight enough, then they signal with a finger in a circular motion, to keep on winching.
There seems to be no limit to what there is to learn about sailing. My second week in a 60 ft Clipper, Ariel, was less intimidating than my first attempt. This time I knew what to expect. But nothing could prepare me for three “Man Overboard” drills - one in the middle of the night. Time after time the Skipper, Juan, hurled a fender overboard and we all sprang into action. The marker buoy was instantly dropped into the sea to give a higher level visual beacon, and we all raced on deck to pull down the sails. Someone switches on the engine, and the boat turns round. The idea is to come alongside the person in the sea, on the downwind side, and a crew member who has scrambled into a harness is lowered over the side attached to a halyard. By this time we have pulled up floorboards and prepared a flat stretcher to which the Man Overboard is strapped, in case they have received spinal injuries, and in preparation for helicopter evacuation.
Of course there is much banter as the “rescued” person is tied to the board with sail ties, and in one case a serious debate about whether or not they should be lowered into the cabin head first. A doctor amongst the crew said not, the Skipper said that it was protection against a potential heart attack. Not being medically qualified I just put the floorboards back when it was over.
Our Skipper Juan gave no quarter, and we each had to carry out every part of the daily maintenance on board ship. That meant washing down the boat with disinfectant every morning, checking the engine oil and filters, filling in the log with our sailing co-ordinates every hour, and attempting to understand every part of the daily regime. “Get in the engine room Christine, and check the day tank. I want that much fuel “ A gesture of about six inches. I had to crawl into a hatch and look at a plastic pipe with a metal gauge. The gauge has to be pulled out and the fuel level drops to the actual reading. It stuck and I had to whack it with my torch. Then I had to pump a wooden handle to fill the tank to Juan’s six inch reading. It would be easy to retch at the smell of diesel in the cramped darkness. I decided not to breathe. But I did it.
What I didn’t do however, was get into the bowman’s harness and scramble up the spinnaker mast. That was for the young and agile, and there is a limit to how much of an idiot I can look. Most of the others enjoyed it enormously, especially Emma, a young home economics graduate who races sailing dinghies in her spare time. She became so proficient, that she was ordered to don the harness when our major drama hit. In the dark our spinnaker (a massive racing sail the size of a house) wrenched one corner from the attached sheet (rope) and began flapping wildly. Juan looked worried. He shouted in the dark - “It can go under the boat and wrap itself round the keel” I didn’t like to ask what that meant. But it didn’t sound good. Everyone sprang into action. The wind changed and Juan told us he had to gybe, which means that the boom swings to the other side of the boat, a dangerous manoeuvre even in good sailing conditions. At the same time, Emma was to be pulled up the mast to “spike” the attachment holding the spinnaker in place, releasing it, then we were all to leap and haul the spinnaker in through the hatch. There was a danger that if we didn’t catch it, it could either fly away or fall into the sea. At about £2000 a sail that was a worst case scenario to be avoided. I could see that the normally laconic Juan was on edge. “We have to do this now” he shouted over the wind, with the sound of the billowing sail cracking menacingly. I clipped myself to the guide rope that runs along each side of the boat from bow to stern. The only useful thing I could think of to do was to shine a torch at the winches, so that the crew manning them could check the colours of the sheets they were easing. In the dark there were so many snakes of rope on the floor of the cockpit that it could be easy to ease or grind the wrong one. Emma was winched up on a halyard, and shouted that she had spiked, then we all lunged for the edge of the falling spinnaker. In a slow motion Bruce Willis moment, Fred, a sailing instructor from Sydney, leapt with arms upward and caught the loose corner. We yelled and then the sail was pouring through the hatch, yards and yards of it. In the hours afterwards there were screams of laughter as we wearily bunched it up again, tying it tightly every 12 inches in black wool. Then it has to be folded into its sail bag so that it will spring readily out again when the wind is behind us and we are ready to give the boat full sailing power. We had done this so many times that we decided that we would fill it with cornflakes for the next training crew. Or knickers, someone helpfully suggested.
It was good to be at sea with so many women crew. There was always the sound of chattering and laughter. “What would you think of an all women crew Fred?” I asked him in the pub. “We could hang our washing along the rail.” He choked into his beer. “Laundry halyard going up” said Jake, a divine young man who works in the Neurology unit of a major London hospital. Beyond the jokes though, I think that women at sea are tolerated rather than encouraged. One crew member, who shall remain nameless, had sailed professionally most of his working life. He said that sailors are very superstitious. For example, they will never start a voyage on a Friday. He had delayed his flight to England so that he travelled on a Saturday, even though he then had to be on board on the Sunday. I looked at him. “What about women on board ?” something made me ask. “Women at sea are bad luck “ he said. I had the feeling that he was uncomfortable with us, and I kept a low profile when he was on deck. But it is as well to know.
The week passed too quickly. Even an hour’s sleep in a bunk I could hardly get into seemed a luxury, Fred’s gentle snores below were miles away as I sank into exhausted oblivion, and then it would be time again to get up in the dark, pull on my waterproofs and announce my arrival on deck. “Christine coming on deck” It is etiquette to identify oneself to the helmsman. Then I could sit and gaze in wonder at the stars, and the stars beyond the familiar ones, in a blanket sky so deep that I longed to be wrapped up in its beauty.
There are so many precious moments at sea when you just feel the cutting edge of life; the wonder of our existence, the magic of the endless cycles of dawn and dusk, time and tide, wind and wave. It’s like a chemistry set that always has another formula you haven’t experienced before. There is a silent solidarity with those you share the moments with; you “feel the love” of human frailty and the exhilaration of shared endurance. There is never a moment to dwell on your own inner questions; the only reality is the sheer physical pain of pushing yourself to be a competent member of the team. And the huge pleasure of succeeding. And now I have my Part A Certificate guys - stand by to hear about Part B - on an even bigger boat !
Christine

2008-11-03T04:20:00.000-08:00

Christine is one of the founder members of Thelma &Louise, an online community of women worldwide which enables members to meet like-minded women, find travel companions and fulfil their aspirations. We've been following her progress as she attempts to be selected for a RTW sailing trip....

Hi Christine! Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us. You applied to join a sailing crew having seen an advert on the Underground; had you ever had any sailing experience before? What gave you the impetus to pick up the phone and apply?
What impressed me about the ad was that they listed the sailors as "housewife, doctor mechanic etc" implying that, like me, they had never sailed before. So I thought that if we were all amateurs I couldn't look like too much of an idiot. However, my subsequent experience once I signed up, is that most of the people qualifying to sail round the world, or do a leg of the race - are in fact experienced sailors. One guy I sailed with, Fred, is a RYA sailing instrucor of 30 year's experience from Sydney. But they have all been as nice as pie about having a land lubber on board.

What were the reactions of your friends and family, and did anyone give you any useful advice before you embarked for the first time?
My brother and father have both sailed, and my brother currently has a power boat in Spain. They said in unison " Yachties are mad. At the end of a few weeks crammed together in insanitary conditions you will all be at eachother's throats - and the stink will be indescribable. It will be freeezing and you will never get dry, the food will be disgusting. You will hate it. " Well actually the food is the worst I have eaten since boading school, and the conditions are pretty bad. But the company has been great and I have laughed until my jaw has ached.

Would you say you were nervous or just madly excited prior to launch? How did you prepare; any unusual exercises??
I was intimidated the first time I climbed onto the yacht. As I was choosing a bunk, the first mate advised me to put my soft bag in a bin liner, as the boat often leaked and my clothes could all end up wet. I didn't prepare at all - just trusted to luck.

Do you suffer from seasickness, and if you do, how do you combat it?
A doctor friend who sails told me to get seasickness patches, which have to be prescribed by the doctor. So I wasn't seasick - but then I probably have a cast iron stomach anyway.

How do you manage to eat and drink when the yacht is rolling about all over the place? I imagine that one could survive just on chocolate biscuits for a certain period of time, but do you ever get to eat a hot meal?
Meals are mainly from tins - it is amazing what can be created without fresh ingredients. Curried sauce and tinned meat with rice seems appetising when you are ravenous. On the last trip we had baked beans three times in a week. The oven is on hinges and it rocks with the boat, and there is a strap so you can attach yourself to the cooker when the boat is on a slant. The hot water can be a bit dangerous but the advice is to wear your water proof clothes so that if you catch fire you have some protection. It's a bit sweaty but you get used to it. I can't eat baked beans but my meal vanished in a flash when I advertised its availability.

On the same topic, how tricky is it to get to sleep without rolling out of your bunk? And do you ever get more than a couple of hours at once? I am fairly certain that such an erratic sleep pattern would make me VERY grumpy.... do you get used to it or is it a constant battle?
The bunks are fitted with a lee cloth so that you are held in - otherwise you can "hot bunk " - you go to the down side of the boat and take someone else's berth if they are up on deck. The watch pattern is three or four hours on and then off - the bunks are so hard and narrow that you have to sleep on your back. This makes the overweight men snore - but I have to say that I had no trouble in sleeping, even just an hour was refreshing. But my back would be so stiff that I would feel like a cripple trying to get out of my bunk. But just half an hour on the deck in the fresh air and sunshine and I would feel happy as Larry again.

When you are cold and wet and verging on the desperately knackered, how do you all keep your spirits up?
The first Skipper I sailed with got us to play memory games, and tell jokes. People chatter and we get to know eachother. If someone is sick you grade their retching on a scale of one to ten - a really good vomit gets a resounding cheer. All very juvenile but good for the team spirit.

We recently visited an open Viking longship that was sailing from Dublin to Denmark, and the question that was asked most by almost everyone was "how do you manage to go to the loo onboard?" Presumably you have a little more privacy, but again, I have experienced hanging on for grim death on a cross-channel ferry on a mildly choppy sea, so imagine that it could get a little difficult in high seas. Do you just grin and bear it, or quietly dehydrate until the seas calm again and it is safe to drink?
The two toilets (heads) have a plastic cloth door which is zipped up on each side. There is no sound insulation. I would wait until everyone was on deck - but if you can't you just have to get on with it.

How much gear can you take, and what items have you found most useful?
There is space for a small soft bag. A torch is useful for finding your things in the dark - wet wipes are a must. I was very thankful for my long johns which I could sleep in and preserve my modesty when getting in and out of my wet weather gear.

Have you seen much in the way of interesting wildlife (apart from drunken crew at Cowes)?
I have only sailed in the Channel which is limited, but a wide sky on a clear night takes some beating.

Finally, what are your tip tips for any budding sailors amongst us?
What I have started to appreciate is that sailing is a team sport. You have to think "team" and not "me". Repression of the self is a new experience for me, and is rewarding. People have liked me, although I have not looked at myself in a mirror for three days and have no idea if I have spinach between my teeth. We have helped and supported each other and become friends. You depend on eachother. And you stop thinking about unimportant things which are civilised niceties. On a racing boat every moment is about speed and winning.

Thanks very much, and we look forward to watching your progress next year on your epic voyage!!

Christine Davies goes sailing!

2008-10-13T04:54:00.000-07:00

Christine Davies is the co-founder of the women's travel network Thelma and Louise (thelmandlouise.com), which enables members to meet like-minded women, find travel companions and fulfil their aspirations (just our cup of tea!). She is currently underway on a sailing trip, which if all goes well will see her sail round the world next year, so we thought it might be interesting to find out what inspired her and follow her progress!

"It was a chance advert on the London Underground showing a yacht on its side in a high sea, with the crew clinging off it that prompted Christine to want to learn to sail. The chaption asked – ‘could you race a yacht round the world?’ and gave a website address.

There have been moments when Christine has regretted this impetuosity – notably in a Force 8 gale off the Isle of Wight on a 60 foot boat which alarmingly adopted the same position as the one in the ad. The guard rail on the down side was in the water. The rain lashed down, and in the dark a helicopter hovered nearby with an enormous searchlight – looking for a missing fisherman. Half of the frozen, wet crew were incapacitated by violent vomiting, and Christine helpfully emptied the buckets, and wondered why she was there.

However the next morning the sea sparkled with sunshine and with a fair headwind the boat sailed to France – and like childbirth, the horror of the night before was replaced by elation.

What does sailing in a race around the world entail? First a great deal of sweating and rushing from one side of the slippery boat to the other, pulling up sails, or pulling them down again and folding them up without getting them or you blown into the sea. Lots of churning away at winches which pull the ropes attached to the sails, a really exhausting job which on many boats is done automatically – but on a racing boat all equipment is kept to a minimum to travel light, so it is done by hand. All ropes (called sheets for some unfathomable reason) are constantly rewound and left in neat curls on the deck. All the time people are shouting at each other at the tops of their voices above the wind and crashing waves, so that the rest of the team know what position to move into next – “Cunningham made” was one particular cryptic code which appeared in my dreams during the few brief hours respite allowed in my bunk bed – still in my clothes as there is nowhere to get dressed and nowhere to even put clothes on the floor as the cabin is piled high with spare sails. I gave up on personal hygiene and just hoped that any whiff was carried away by the sea breeze. The toilets are too distressing to merit a description, but thankfully I was blessed with constipation for the voyage.

We all took turns at cooking – learning to concoct appetising recipes from tinned ingredients. The stove is on hinges and rocks from side to side, with a big metal kettle constantly on the boil for the cups of tea that keep the deck watch going. Meal times were a chance for chatter and getting to know each other – all strangers when we started. There was a wonderful companionship in eating together when we were exhausted, wet and cold. By Day Two I was not even aware that I was sleeping in the same space with nine other people – except when someone got the coughs. Luckily I had a supply of Strepsils – and it felt like being a Mummy again.
So am I looking forward to sailing again? – yes – as long as I come back in one piece. It’s not for the fainthearted or prudish, and don’t even think of washing in hot water – even if you could face peeling the layers of clothing off. There is not even a mirror in the toilet so forget what you look like – just stock up on silly jokes to while away the long night watches. And if you survive you will like yourself more than when you started. And that’s an achievement."

http://www.clipper-ventures.com/

Wild Swimming, and the urge to throw yourself into icy cold water...

2008-08-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well, those lovely chaps who published Cool Camping have done themselves proud and brought out a lovely book called Wild Swimming.

Yup, it does exactly what it says on the tin. Written by Daniel Start, it's packed full of glossy pictures and evocative text detailing 150 rivers, lakes and swimming holes that just, well, make you want to jump in a river.

Now here at GTC we'd hate to recommend anything we hadn't tried ourselves, so that's exactly what Becci did, with her two month old son Wilf and her poor dear mother watching on aghast from the river bank at Figheldean, "sort of near Stonehenge".

The icy pool was filled by the crystal clear chalk stream of the Avon, and was punctuated with tiny fish and the odd weed, waving in the current. Apparently, according to the book, it was always packed in the war with airmen from the local bases, and also Land Girls whose naked bathing was said by some to "distract the village from the war effort."

I imagine that if it had been a nice day it would have been quite a pleasant experience, but "brass monkeys" were the only words that Bex could choke out as she clambered back out, dripping wet and shaking slightly. Nor was she clad in a lovely polka-dotted two-piece with her locks neatly tied back, but a slightly tatty Citroen Saxo sweatshirt and a pair of her husband's shorts found in the boot of the car (that bogwitch from that Legend film with Tom Cruise springs to mind). "Marvellous fun," she choked through chattering teeth, drying herself off on a handy nappy, "the highlight of my summer."

Actually, weather apart, it was a wonderful location, as recommended on page 65 of the book. It's very well laid out, with map references, easy instructions and even a guide to water clarity for each site; the UK is divided into regions with maps showing all the swimming places for each area, and particular highlights. Next on Bex's list is the Silent Pool near Albury, having done Frensham Ponds (nice and warm, slightly squishy bottom.... actually, not unlike Bex herself.......).

Cool Camping France, a review by Tamsin Xerxes

2008-08-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

A comprehensive guide complete with its enticing glossy pictures depicting the exceptional, great, french outdoors. Written with humour and honesty with objective views on each campsite, this book is ideal for the more adventurous happy campers and those looking to get that extra bit more from camping.

Handy extras include options and details on travelling to France and useful tips, advice and french phrases to get you started. The 'Top 5' listed special campsites is particularly convenient for the impatient and indecisive travellers and the inclusion of an 'at a glance' section enables you to focus on the campsites relevant to your holiday requirements.

Each description also looks outside the immediate campsite to note the surrounding facilities and focal points. The campsite locator page acts as a good overview and visual identification however the reference numbers on the map do not refer to each campsite page which makes using the book as a quick reference rather more tricky. The photographs are artistic, quirky and informative; a reference to the images would be useful to provide some authenticity relating to the description. The 'useful info' section at the back is definitely worth a read and the emergency numbers are appreciated, although the lack of camping and general travel safety advice is disappointing and at least some tips on country customs and how to avoid incidents would have been appreciated.

A good size book with plenty of options to choose from. The inspiring pictures alone is enough to get you packing the tent up once again and heading across the pond.

GTC says "This is a lovely book to read while sitting in your chair with a cup of tea. Beautiful pictures really give you a feel for the sites and make you want to wander off the beaten track, away from all those big Eurocamp-type sites in search of something a little more special! Have a look at the Cool Camping website, it has a campsite of the month, as well as brilliant recipes for the outdoors and handy checklists. "

Life on the open wave in a modern-day Viking Ship

2008-08-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Sea Stallion......

Imagine a curved, snaking prow, slicing through the waves. Imagine a wooden ship, painstakingly built by craftsmen, open to the elements and at the mercy of the seas. Imagine a huge striped sail, and a bank of oars manned by strong, fit Scandinavians. Denmark, 987 AD?

Nope, Portsmouth harbour actually. Here at GTC we were absolutely delighted to be able to visit the Sea Stallion, or Havhingsten, an amazing recreation of a longship that was built in Dublin the 1040's, before eventually being scuttled in Roskilde, Denmark. The ship originally sailed from Roskilde, via Norway and the Orkneys to Ireland, and now is on its return journey with a crew drawn from ten nations, both male and female.

It is just amazing to be able to watch, day by day, the progress of the ship and crew on one of the best websites we've seen in a long time, so we thought it might be interesting to compare the rigours of travel from a millenia ago with the experiences we tend to have these days!

Louise Kaempe Henriksen, a 28 year old crew member from Denmark, has been kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

Where does your interest in the Vikings and sailing come from?

I was hired as a student help at the Viking Ship Museum in 2003. I had been sailing a little around Denmark as crew on moderns boats - but being able to sail traditional Norwegian, Farao and Danish boats at the museum, made me fall in love with wooden boats and single square sails. I already had an interest in Viking Age culture through my studies at University of Copenhagen and my thesis was about the use of Viking Age symbols in 1800 Danish Nationalism.

How hard was it to become a member of the crew?

For me no - at the time where I joined the crew there was big changes happening. The skipper on board had been replaced at the new one was trying to put together a crew for the Dublin voyage. To begin with I was a volunteer crew member like everyone else, but when becoming a curator i was given more responsiblity - especially in the midship, which is my section. I am now a part of the core group making decissions on how to organize sailing, crew and life on board.

The question you probably get asked the most, and what most people want to know is how do you use the toilet!?? And is it hard being such close proximity to so many men without any privacy?

The toilet is a simple installation - a bucket with a toiletseat behind a canvas. When finished you empty the bucket over the side. The canvas is there to create an illusion of privacy - but is is not there. Everyone can see who's at the toilet and conversations continues. But it is no problem - you quickly get use to not having any privacy and no other alternative. Having all the men around is no problem at all - we do not really think in terms of men/women. We all have to go and it is something quite natural. Therefore there's no comments or stares.

What is your most useful item you have with you? And are you allowed much personal gear?

We are allowed to bring two drybags - approx 60 - 80 litres. In there is all you need; sleeping bag, sleeping mat, waterproof gear, sea boots, sandals, woollen underwear, socks and hat, books, suntan lotion, music, mobile phone, etc. It is all about bringing enough warm clothes and pack that so it doesn't take up to much space. My favorite thing which has also proved to be most useful is a special pair of trousers. They are what the travelling carpenters from Germany called 'naver' use. Black cotton so thick, it looks like leather. They keep me warm, they are water resistent and you simply can't ruin them. Another great thing to bring is wet napkins - we cannot shower every day, so they come in handy and are used in the face and under the arms.

What has been the lowest point of your trip?

I haven't really had a lowest point - I don't become seasick and are ok with travelling under these conditions. I quickly adjust and find ways of washing clothes, getting a shower and sleep. When needed I try to get some alone time - being with at crew of 60 all the time can be though mentally, so when on land I sometimes find a quit little corner to read a book.I think the hardest thing on board is to keep varm at night, at after a few days of sailing and being cold you are out of energy. Sleeping and relaxing when on land therefore becomes really important.

What is the food like, and how is it cooked?

We have galley which consist of two wooden boxes - one with gas rings - and there's two cooks on board. We get hot porridge every morning and a hot meal - stew or soup - at night. Luch is typical Danish Rye bread with smoked sausages, canned fish and pate.I like to cook and somtimes volunteer to take over the pots for one night - so far I have cook and Thai curry, a Marrocan lamb stew and a Indian Dhal. The food is rich and with a lot of meat - hardy some would say, but we need that when sailing and being cold, wet and tired.We have boxes of goodies in each of the four sections containing the, coffee, peanuts, chocolate and bisquits - these are so the crew can always get a hot drink and some sugar. Do many of the crew suffer from seasickness, and do you have any tips to avoid it?? A few do - but not that offen. It has to do with it being an open boat where you can see the horizon and follow what is causing the movement. But when sailing from Wicklow, Ireland to Torquay, England more than half the crew was down with seasickness due to an opposite wind and current direction. That created massive swells and a very undsteady sailing.

We have nurse on board who takes care of the seasick. They get little patches to stick behind their ear with medicine, pills - but we also use ginger in the and acupuncture. How do you keep your spirits up when you are cold and wet and tired? We are great at looking after each other and taking care of people who are down. We tell jokes, sings - the humour on board can be quite bad.is is always good to make cold and wet crew members work - bilging the boat for example, so to get varm again. Do you play any games onboard (and if so, can we have the instructions!) We play a board game called Nefatavl - a viking version of chess. I do not have the instructions with me, but can send them once being back at the museum in august.

What is the memory you'll treasure most from the trip??

I think that this is once in a lifetime and the experiences with the crew on board and the sailing will always be a fond memory. You learn something about yourself - your tolerance, stamina, social skills and courage. What the 60 of us have to together few understand and that kind way of being together is very rewarding. Some of us are friends for life now, because we have been together in the extreme situations.

Photos courtesy of the Sea Stallion and Werner Karrasch, with thanks to Lars Normann and the Viking Ship Museum.

Christmas Markets in Budapest

2008-08-15T04:37:00.001-07:00

Ah, Budapest.......... city of culture, architecture, bloodshed, history and er, dentistry??? It's something of a tradition that we always take a romantic winter city break, exploring a European Christmas market, doing a little shopping, and most importantly, drinking mulled wine and eating some form of unidentifiable fried snack.

This year I decided on Budapest, having found a very good deal on the internet which included flights and bed and breakfast at the four-star Hotel Gellert, perched right on the banks of the Danube. Built in 1918, it is known as the grand-dame of the city, a triumph of Art Nouveau with beautiful stonework, stained glass, glittering lights, and most importantly, a coffee shop that does the most amazing sachertorte.

The other great draw of the Gellert is its famous spa. The city is sited over more than one hundred thermal springs, and waters from these are pumped up from below ground to a number of spas on both sides of the river. Their healing properties have been known and utilised for the last 2000 years; the Romans founded their settlement Aquincum here, referring to the waters, and some of the spas built by the Turkish occupiers of the city in the 16th and 17th centuries are still in use. The Gellert is one of the grandest, with fabulous mosaics, treatment rooms and thirteen pools and baths.

We didn't have to leave the front door of the hotel to enter the Gellert spa, however; bathrobes were provided in our room, so we clambered into our swimstuff and robes and padded along the corridor to the ancient spa lift.

This is provided solely for the use of the hotel guests, its sliding metal grilles manipulated by smiling old ladies who seem to have been employed on the basis of the shorter their stature, the less room they take up in the tiny lift.

We nodded and smiled a lot, they nodded and smiled a lot, we both exhausted our four words of Hungarian then looked politely at the ceiling. The lift ground down into the bowels of the spa, depositing us at a turnstile for guests; another was provided for vistors, as apparently doctors prescribe treatments for their patients here, who can have everything from the relaxing (a mud wrap) to the frankly terrifying-sounding (electrotherapy treatment) or even a gum jet massage in the calcified waters, whatever that is.

Thought I'd rather have a hot chocolate in the atrium instead. Whilst wandering the various floors and investigating the different treatments on offer, we spotted a sign depicting a giant tooth. How intriguing, we thought, especially as even as we walked around lumps of enamel were dropping off my beloved's poorly maintained fangs.

Back in the UK he'd been quoted about four grand to fix his teeth (think of that head orc from The Lord of the Rings and you'd be fairly close to the mark...), so without even making an appointment he was shown into the dentist's chair, given a reassuring Magyar smile by a very pretty dentist and told to open wide....

Poor girl went white with fear and called in the practice manager. Who also went white and got out a pencil and notebook and started making a long and involved list of urgent work, (the dental equivalent of resurfacing junctions 8-14 of the M1). Three days and fifteen hours of dental work later he now has a smile of average beauty; no Tippexed Hollywood rictus here, just nice, clean and much more, ahem, solid teeth.

And of course, the real beauty is in the price and the charming service. The hotel and flights cost around £450 for the two of us, then for the dental work, (consisting of one root canal, two crowns, three standard fillings and four cosmetic ones), about £750. It wasn't quite the romantic break I'd been expecting, but while I was waiting I did read three novels, have some wonderful walks around the city and loll about in the mineral water of the spa like a small pregnant whale.

And the Christmas market? Lovely, one of the better ones I reckon, the quality of the crafts was far superior to many of the others, and the mulled wine was delicious. Sadly my husband was unable to partake of any of the sausages, pastries or other delicacies on offer as he was on a ration of soup for a couple of days..........