Jess

Top 5 Places I Want to See…

I like to think I’m fairly well travelled; I’ve back-packed, flash-packed and even lived a few weeks of luxury, but I’ve found out that the more you see, the more you realise there is to see. My travel wish list is therefore growing longer and longer with every new edition of every travel magazine, each travel Tweet and more particularly when I listen with mounting jealousy to my friends telling tales of amazing times in far-flung locations. So, this is my personal wish list – I’ll get to them all, one day…

1. Antarctica

Before Antarctica is developed beyond a gift shop on the South Pole (true story), I intend to visit this pristine wilderness for its spectacular beauty and outstanding wildlife. For now, I’ll have to be content with Google Street View…

Antartica

2. Israel

With a list of historically, culturally and religiously significant sites as long as your arm, from Jerusalem and the Dead Sea to Bethlehem, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee (plus the apparently buzzing nightlife of Tel Aviv), the ‘land of milk & honey’ holds endless fascination for me.

Wailing Wall - Israel

3. South America

Strictly speaking this is really a combination of rather a lot of places, but since I haven’t been to any of them and can’t decide where I would visit first (Carnival in Rio? Hiking in Machu Picchu? The Amazon? Angel Falls? The Galapagos? A restaurant serving steak and red wine anywhere in Argentina?), South America gets its own special place on my list.

Rio de Janeiro in Brazil

4. Atlanta & the Deep South

Ever since falling in love with Rhett Butler when I read Gone with the Wind as a teenager, Atlanta has held its own in my top five places to visit – yes, the history of the Civil War might be interesting, but it will take second place to seeing the costumes from the film and even Tara’s front door!

5. Zimbabwe

Adventure, superb game viewing, affordable – and now safe.

Meerkats in Zimbabwe

That’s my Top 5 – it took a lot of thought to drill it down as there are so many more places to see! Where are yours?

How to travel with children on family holidays & stay sane!

Family holidays can be a lot of fun, but would you like to know how to combat the cries of  “are we nearly there yet?” echoing from the back seat of the car on the way to the airport, on the plane and then during the transfer to your resort?

Never fear – read on for my top travel tips for keeping the kids entertained and your sanity intact on you luxury family holidays with some tried and tested games that will make even long haul travel seem like a breeze.

PICTURE PERFECT

Ideal entertainment for flights; create crazy monsters, weird animals or bizarre people by folding a sheet of paper into three. One person draws a face of their choice in the top section and folds down the paper so the next person can’t see it. The second person draws a body, folds down the paper, and passes it to the third person, who draws the legs. Unfold the paper and hilarity will ensue!

THUMB WARS

If you need something a little more active, declare a thumb war. Two people sitting next to each other hook the fingers of their right hands together so both of their thumbs are pointing upwards. Try and pin down your opponent’s thumb using your right thumb – you’ve won if you manage to count to 10 while holding down their thumb. Not as easy as it sounds!

CHINESE WHISPERS – WITH A TWIST

A good game for families seated in a row on a plane, the first person, on one end, thinks of a word. The person next to them closes his or her eyes and holds out an arm, and Player 1 ‘writes’ the word on Player 2’s arm using their finger. Like Chinese Whispers, pass the word down the row and even across the aisle until it reaches the last person in your family (or indeed, anyone else who wants to join in!). The last person says what they think the word is, and Player 1 says the original word – more often than not, it’s something completely different! Switch seats and start again.

WORD UP

Give everyone a pencil and a sheet of paper, pick a letter and start a minute’s time on the clock. Everyone writes as many words as they can which start with that letter. At the end of the minute, whoever has the most (real) words wins. To make it more fun, write a sentence using all of the words you’ve written down.

THE CLASSIC

I spy. Hours of fun on any family holiday.

What’s your favourite travel game and way of keeping the children entertained?