People often ask me what my favourite destination is. In fact, everyone keeps asking me what it is.
The truth is that after a lifetime of travelling, I’ve discovered that travel isn’t really about ticking countries off a list. It isn’t about collecting passport stamps or racing from one attraction to the next. Although I have filled passports up with stamps before new E-gates came around! More on this another time!
Travel has taught me something far more valuable.
It has taught me how to slow down.
Where It All Began
My love of travel started long before airports and long-haul flights became a regular part of my life.
My parents introduced me to the joy of exploring from a young age. Some of my earliest memories are not of exotic destinations, but of discovering the incredible variety found within the United Kingdom. I say this, but in the sunshine some parts of the United Kingdom do indeed rival the best parts of the world. Some of the clearest waters I have ever seen are in Cornwall, some of the best hills in Yorkshire and some of the best countryside in Sussex.
Each journey felt like an adventure.
Devon’s dramatic coastline. Cornwall’s hidden coves. The rolling countryside of Sussex. The rugged landscapes of Scotland. The villages, moors and coastline of Yorkshire.
As the years passed, those family holidays expanded beyond Britain. The Spanish islands opened my eyes to Mediterranean culture, and eventually the world became my classroom.
Looking back, I realise those early trips gave me something far more important than photographs.
They gave me curiosity.
The Place That Shaped My Childhood
If I had to choose one place that defined my childhood, it would be Carbis Bay in Cornwall.
Every year, my family would return to the Carbis Bay Hotel, often staying for two or three weeks at a time.
For a child, it felt like paradise.
The sound of the sea drifting through an open window. Long days on the beach. Exploring the coastline. Watching the colours change across the bay as the sun began to set.
Even now, returning there feels like opening a treasured photograph album.
Some places become part of your story, and Carbis Bay will always be one of mine.
Falling In Love With The Ocean
One of the most significant chapters of my travels began beneath the surface.
While visiting Menorca, I completed my Open Water Diver qualification with SSI through Blue Island Diving in Cala Galdana.
What started as a simple holiday activity quickly became a passion.
The underwater world fascinated me.
There is something extraordinary about descending beneath the waves and entering an environment where everything moves differently. The noise of everyday life disappears. Time slows. Every breath becomes deliberate.
The more I dived, the more I wanted to learn.
Eventually, that passion led me to become a Divemaster.
What began as curiosity became one of the defining experiences of my life.
Diving taught me patience, awareness and respect for the natural world in ways I never expected. I used to fear very deep water, now I lay on the bottom of Oceans with my dive buddies.
Learning To Slow Down
Travel has changed the way I see time.
When we’re young, we often feel an urgency to move constantly. To see more. Do more. Tick off another attraction. Visit another destination.
Somewhere along the way, I realised I was missing the point.
Why rush somewhere else when you’re already standing somewhere beautiful?
Some of my favourite travel memories involve doing very little at all.
Watching the waves roll into a beach.
Sitting outside a small café as a city wakes up around me.
Sharing a bottle of wine with friends while the afternoon slowly becomes evening.
Travel taught me that moments matter far more than itineraries.
A World Of Different Cultures
One of the greatest gifts travel offers is perspective.
Every destination teaches something different.
I’ve shared meals with people whose lives look completely different to my own. I’ve explored cities where I couldn’t understand the language yet somehow felt completely welcome.
Food has become one of my favourite ways to understand a destination.
Whether it’s fresh seafood on the Cornish coast, tapas in Spain, traditional Polish dishes in Kraków or elegant French cuisine in Paris, every meal tells part of a place’s story. My favourite memory of food is eating goat curry off a banana leaf in a families home in Mauritius.
The more I’ve travelled, the more I’ve realised how much we all have in common. And its not just alcoholic drinks before you ask!
Places That Never Leave You
Certain destinations remain with you long after you’ve returned home.
New York City is my favourite city in the world.
Its energy is impossible to describe properly. Every street feels alive. Every neighbourhood feels like its own world. No matter how many times I visit, I never stop being fascinated by it.
Edinburgh has a completely different magic.
Few places give me goosebumps quite like wandering through the historic streets beneath the shadow of the castle. The city feels almost cinematic, particularly on a cold autumn evening.
Kraków is another place I could happily lose myself for days. Some of my favourite moments there have come from abandoning maps entirely and simply exploring wherever a random street happened to lead. Who would ever believe they would come across their favourite Italian restaurant, In a Polish city?
Then there is Paris.
Some people visit Paris to see famous landmarks.
I could happily spend an afternoon sitting outside a wine bar, watching the city move around me with a glass of wine in hand. In fact I have spent many afternoons doing just this.
Sometimes the simplest moments become the most memorable.
Nature’s Quiet Lessons
Travel has also deepened my appreciation for nature.
One of my favourite memories comes from Boca Grande in Florida.
Sitting quietly on the beach beside tortoises, listening to the waves and feeling completely connected to the natural world.
It was one of those rare moments where nothing needed improving.
No plans.
No schedule.
No destination.
Just complete contentment.
My favourite beach in the world creates a similar feeling.
Cala Turqueta in Menorca remains the most beautiful beach I have ever visited. Its impossibly clear turquoise water and untouched surroundings create the kind of scene that reminds you just how extraordinary our planet really is.
The Journey Matters Too
Travel isn’t always about the destination.
Sometimes the journey becomes the highlight.
One of my favourite travel experiences anywhere in the world is the historic train journey from Palma to Sóller in Mallorca.
Watching the landscape unfold through the carriage windows as the train climbs through the mountains feels like stepping into another era.
The slower pace is exactly what makes it so memorable.
Finding Beauty Close To Home
One lesson travel has taught me is that extraordinary experiences don’t always require long-haul flights.
Some of my happiest days have been simple day trips.
A walk along the seafront in Whitstable.
Fresh seafood beside the harbour.
Exploring a town I’ve visited before but noticing something completely new.
Travel isn’t measured by distance.
It’s measured by curiosity.
Why I Continue To Travel
After all these years, I don’t travel to collect destinations.
I travel because every journey teaches me something.
Sometimes it’s a lesson about a culture.
Sometimes it’s a lesson about nature.
And sometimes it’s a lesson about myself.
Travel has taught me patience.
It has taught me gratitude.
It has taught me to slow down.
Most importantly, it has taught me that the world is far more interesting when you stop rushing through it.
And perhaps that’s the greatest souvenir any traveller can bring home.
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