Category Archives: Stories

It Will Have to Do

Travelling the Alaskan Interior is a real thrill. This truly is the last frontier and there is a wild and remote feel to every region which I simply haven’t experienced anywhere else. There is something amazing around every corner and when I toured the state I was constantly marvelling at how different life is for the people of the remote communities that I visited. This was certainly the case in Chitina, an isolated outpost in the Wrangell St Elias National Park. Continue reading

Dreaming of a Christmas Holiday

It was only recently that I realised that virtually every year of my adult life I had wanted to take a holiday over the Christmas period but in an epic fail had never actually managed to leave the country! As the so called festive period approached I always found that I felt somewhat less than festive and was dreading the inevitability of so much that happens at Christmas. Continue reading

Help My Hotel Is On Fire

If you travel regularly the occasional drama will befall you and it always seems to be in the most unlikely places. When I was relaxing in my hotel in Germany after a busy day at the nearby theme park the last thing I expected was to be evacuated from my room. This could be why my reactions weren’t quite as quick as they might have been.  Continue reading

Concorde

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Looking at today’s news headlines I was reminded that it is exactly ten years since Concorde last graced our skies and the campaign to get her flying again is still raging. Many people were extremely angry about the way this iconic plane was retired and are still fighting for a resurrection. I would certainly love to see a triumphal return but I really don’t think it is going to happen. Continue reading

Good and Bad In Las Vegas

I like to travel light for my holidays. As I am generally hiking in the mountains or riding roller coasters at theme parks I have never seen the sense in dragging a massive amount of luggage around and so I rarely holiday with many, if any, smart clothes. This is generally not a problem as most establishments in tourist destinations don’t seem to care about your appearance but occasionally you stumble across some narrow minded people who decide to look down on you from a very great height. When I enter a hotel or restaurant I think I have a right to expect some decent service as I spend my hard earned cash but some places simply aren’t that nice. Continue reading

Holiday Reading

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I love reading but rarely have the time to snatch more than a few minutes with my treasured books unless I am on holiday. Holidays present all sorts of opportunities to spend quality time relaxing with a book but also throw up other issues not the least of which has always been how to cram enough reading matter into my luggage! Continue reading

An Accidental Naturist

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The weather at the weekend was so lovely that I thought a trip to the beach was in order! My partner and best friend were in agreement and so we set off for Dorset looking forward to a lovely day in the sun. The traffic was predictably terrible and by the time we arrived at Studland Bay the car parks were full and we were forced to park on the road half way along the beach. We had a ten minute walk to reach the sand and it wasn’t until we were almost there that I realised we were approaching the naturist section of Studland. Continue reading

A Magnificent Day on Horseback

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The Julian Alps of Slovenia are the perfect destination for anyone who relishes time in the great outdoors. The scenery is stunning with the majestic peaks dissected by the shimmering blue threads of pristine alpine rivers. The region is the perfect place to go hiking and also boasts the opportunity to participate in several exciting activities courtesy of the local sports agencies which cater for experts and beginners in white water rafting, kayaking, quad biking and Horse Riding. Continue reading

The Smiler

Last month, after many false starts and a great deal of anticipation, I took my first ride on the Smiler at Alton Towers. I set out for the park full of dread in the wake of numerous reports regarding enormous queues and frequent breakdowns. I am not a person blessed with great patience and really do not relish lengthy waits for rides no matter how good they may turn out to be. In the event, thanks to the advice of my friend, things worked out rather well. Continue reading

A Disastrous Skier

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To say that my best friend is not sporty would be to drastically understate the matter. He does not do sport, he does not do exercise and he has two left feet. It was, therefore, something of a surprise when he decided to join me in taking up skiing and on our first trip I discovered just how perilous the sport can be and I don’t just mean on the piste! Continue reading