In March, I'm going on safari in Africa.
It's odd how holiday destinations can come about. Some places simply capture our imagination. Zanzibar - just the sound of the name is so wonderful and exotic. It's quite possible being able to tell people, 'I'm going to Zanzibar', is part of the appeal! ;)
Some trips are the result of circumstance, like my first ever holiday overseas. My high school was organising a trip to Italy, I was studying Italian and my parents asked if I wanted to go. (Yep - I was incredibly lucky!) Same with my last trip, my Gratuitous Holiday, when I met up with friends at the end of their longer travels. It was the opportunity that dictated the trip, rather than a destination of my particular choosing.
My trip to India was inspired by a photo, then encouraged with the thought of markets.
Photo by Warren Lansley.
I couldn't wait to see it - Hawa Mahal, The Palace of the Winds. (Another great name.)
It wasn't until I did that I realised I'd got my palaces mixed up and the building from the photo was actually 3 cities ago! ;)
Going on safari was Boyf's idea. I'm not so keen on animals (and REALLY not keen on anything with feathers, donkeys and monkeys) but he tells me that tourists used to go and shoot animals, and now safaris are about going and shooting photos of animals. That's how he convinced me. Who would have thought I'd like to take photos? The promise of finishing the trip at the gorgeous beaches and turquoise waters of the island of Zanzibar didn't hurt either. ;)
We're also going to Paris. We thought, with Tanzania being a former French colony, it would be easy to fly between the two. As it turns out, our recollection of history might just be abysmal (ummm.... hello British!) and there are no flights. But, by that time I'd fallen in love with the idea of Paris and I wasn't letting go.
So, in a few weeks I'm heading off for two distinct holidays in one - the stately European cities of London and Paris, in winter, and the heat of the Tanzanian great outdoors. It makes for some interesting packing conundrums.
What has inspired your travel destinations?
