Self drive OR Organised tour

In our short five years of attempting to travel the world “while we are still young” we have tried both organised tours and self drive holidays. Which works best for you? Here are the reasons we like each option...

Self drive:

• You have more freedom with regards to your itinerary – where you want to go and when; deciding to stay longer or leave earlier; making stops along the way or taking a different route.
• You can decide who you travel with and don’t have to pretend to get along with the people in your vehicle.
• You have control over the cost of your accommodation – you can do proper research and choose the ideal place to stay, ticking all your boxes and falling within your price range.
• You have control over the menu – some people prefer having three meals a day included in a package deal, but many find that they don’t eat as much on holiday and prefer to eat smaller snacks more often, which might also work out more affordable.
• You have the opportunity to experience a destination yourself, get lost and come across the most incredible places, accidentally!

Organised tour:

• An organised tour is much less stress and hassle. There is a tour guide that tells you everything you need to know and a driver that takes you everywhere you need to be. You don’t have to plan out every detail of the trip, you can just enjoy the journey.
• In most cases, an organised tour would work out more affordable than a self drive tour, as the tour operator gets excellent discounts for booking tours for that many people at the same destinations over and over again.
• An organised tour is based on the best places to visit at any destination. You don’t have to do as much research to try and decide which places to visit, just pick a tour where all the research have already been done.
• You don’t have to worry about directions, fuel, opening times of attractions, getting information on the attractions you are visiting or the standard of the accommodation that you booked through the internet.
• You have the opportunity to meet like-minded travelers, experience new destinations together and build lasting friendships.

When trying to decide which is the best option, I experience a bit of a catch 22. To me, the most valuable benefit of using an organised tour is the relax-factor. You have much less to worry about and get excellent value for money. When doing a self drive tour, you have all the freedom. But with all the freedom... comes all the responsibility! I also feel that you can’t afford to do a self drive tour without intensive planning, making sure you make the most of each day and plan out every detail of the trip optimally.

Our ideal is putting together the perfect combination of the two. Try integrating the perks of both by exploring one area yourself and relaxing with an organised tour in another area.

Public transport or self-drive

Should you rather travel with the general public or take the wheel yourself in a rental?

We have tried a little bit of both on our travels so far. Both have benefits, depending on the type of trip you are on, the place you are visiting and the budget.

Public transport:

• Most big cities and larger towns have extensive public transport infrastructures in place including bus routes, trains and many even subways. This should allow you to get around the city without having your own vehicle or using more expensive taxi services.
• Most subway systems are very well designed and easy to understand.
• Most trains and subway systems allow for quicker travel than vehicles, especially in peak traffic.
• In most cases, public transport will be more affordable than renting a car.
• You don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot in a busy area.
• You don’t have the responsibility of taking care of a vehicle that doesn’t belong to you, being careful of scratching it or getting into an accident.
• You don’t have to worry about the car breaking down. If a train or bus breaks down, it is not your responsibility. You can simply wait for it to be fixed or catch the next one.
• You don’t have to worry about getting speeding fines.
• If you are not born with a built in GPS (like my husband), you don’t have to worry about getting lost. You just have to make sure you are on the right place at the right time and then you can sit down and relax all the way; even take a nap.
• It might be difficult to get around large, busy cities or historical old towns with a rental car, especially if you are used to driving on the other side of the road.

Rental Car:

• Renting a car and driving around the smaller streets is certainly the best way to get to know a place and its unique culture in depth.
• Driving around with a rental car gives you freedom of choice with regards to the places you can visit, as not all towns have a variety of public transport options in place.
• It also allows you freedom of choice with regards to the times you want to travel. You are not dependent on public transport schedules, hurrying to catch a train or waiting at a station for the train to arrive. You can stay longer if you want to and leave when you prefer.
• Having a rental car makes it easier to get around with your luggage, as you can leave it in the car wherever you go. If you have ever tried to get a 20 kg suitcase on to a subway train before the doors close, you would understand!
• A rental car allows more privacy – hygiene, control over the air-conditioning and radio and control over stops along the way.

In order to choose the right option, one must decide on the objective of the trip. Exploring a big city calls for public transport while getting to know the countryside is much easier with a rental car. We found that with some detailed planning, a little bit of both might be the perfect solution. 

The ins OR outs of the Kruger National Park

Is it better to stay inside the Kruger National Park or outside?

One of our favourite places to visit is the Kruger National Park. We have quite a lot of experience with both staying inside the park at the rest camps, as well as staying outside the park at some of the surrounding resorts.

Inside Experience:

• There is a certain romanticism about staying inside one of the greatest game reserves in the world.
• Staying at the rest camps makes you feel part of the eco-system, especially when you are lucky enough to hear nocturnal sounds, a Pearl Spotted owl calling in a tree, a Black Backed Jackal howling or perhaps a lion asserting his dominance with a deafening roar.
• The atmosphere in the rest camps provides a camaraderie with fellow nature lovers.
• Staying inside the reserve makes the picnic sites easily accessible.
• Visiting a rest camp allows you to explore different areas of the park from a central location, instead of wasting time driving to and from the reserve every day.
• Eliminating the travel in to and out of the park allows for a more relaxed experience, perhaps even an afternoon nap here and there.
• Staying inside the park also offers the option of camping, which is always exciting and of course very affordable.
• For the less price sensitive, there is a variety of world class lodges scattered across the park, offering the ultimate game reserve experience.

Outside Experience:

• There are many accommodation options, many of which might be more luxurious than the traditional Kruger Park rest camp huts.
• Many of these options include services like satellite television, wifi or housekeeping, allowing a more restful holiday.
• Most resorts offer a variety of activities which is especially nice for holidays with kids, including tennis, golf, swimming pools, and spa’s for the grown ups.
• Resorts outside the park is easily accessible for visitors staying a few hours away from the park at any time of day; while the park has a specific gate closing time, by which you need to be checked in at the rest camp.
• Staying at a resort in the area might be more affordable in certain cases, for example through time share.

If you are, like us, regular Kruger visitors, the rest camps makes you feel at home and the true nature experience makes it that little bit more special to stay inside the park, rather than outside. Our top selling feature: when you stay inside the park, at any stage, you can look around you only to find unspoiled vistas as far as the eye can see, for 360 degrees. 

The necessity of weekend breakaways

Never underestimate the power of a weekend away.

So many people think that in order to take a break and relax, they need a vacation, and that it needs to be at least a week long to ‘count’! This is actually one of the most common travel myths going around and I wish people would realise that they don’t have to plan big, expensive holidays in order to take a break and recharge the batteries. Week-long vacations cost money you might not always have, leave you might not have and planning you might not want to do. People then end up not going on vacation at all, or only once a year in December when it is long overdue.

A weekend away can work wonders! It is obviously ideal if you can take one or two days leave before or after the weekend, but this is not always possible. So why not explore the travel possibilities in your area and take a break nearby? Just being away from home and out of your routine for a night or two can make the world’s difference!

Some awesome weekend breakaways we had this year:

Sabie 

We attended a wedding in Sabie earlier this year. While we do always try to “make a weekend of it”, this time we decided to just have a one-night-away breather. We left Saturday morning after breakfast and drove to Sabie with friends. We stopped at one or two “bush bars” on the way and had a pub lunch, after which we went to the venue where we booked accommodation and got dressed up for the wedding. We had such a great time at a beautiful wedding at Kavinga Guest House & Zest Restaurant and only got home in the early morning hours. Sunday we slept in a little bit and then a couple of friends drove home together in a konfooi. We stopped at Milly’s for a delicious brunch and headed home for a much needed afternoon nap. Even though it was only a quick getaway, it was lovely to explore the area a bit and relax with friends.

Clarens

We booked accommodation at Kiara Resort just outside Clarens for a quick getaway-for-no-good-reason with friends of ours. The package included accommodation for three nights, so we decided to leave Pretoria as soon as we could all get away from the office on Friday afternoon, and get an early, early start on Monday morning, driving back before the first meeting for the day. We didn’t need to put in any leave, but we were able to relax properly by adding another night to our breakaway. We were able to braai more than once and have a few meals in the quint town of Clarens (we tried the Clarens Brewery and Clementines); we played some board games; we went for a short hike, had a picnic and went for a game drive in the Golden Gate National Park; and we enjoyed the creative stores and artwork scattered all over town. Just over three hours away from the city, Clarens is the ideal spot for a weekend breakaway.

Lesotho

We were invited to another wedding just outside Lesotho, at the foot of the Sani pass and decided to turn it into a proper long weekend.  The wedding was on Saturday so we drove through on Friday just after lunch time. It was a bit of a stretch, about 7 hours to get there, but we were able to join some of the guests for a braai the night before the wedding. The next morning we explored the beautiful town of Underberg and the surrounding area, including its magnificent mountain views. We loved the location of the wedding, set in between the mountains next to a breath-taking lake at Sani Valley Lodge, and had a lovely time with good friends. The next morning we drove Sani pass for the first time and it did not disappoint! It is definitely worth taking on the hairpin turns and steep climbs to reach the top and enjoy the view – together with a beer at the Highest Pub in Africa! We carried on over countless passes and explored the Mountain Kingdom up close, spending the night at the Katse Dam, which is certainly worth visiting. The next day we viewed the dam from the other side and marvelled at the engineering that went into completing this hydro-electric gem, and headed back home. It felt like we were gone for weeks! 

Where will you go on your next breakaway weekend? 

Our favourite spots for date night

Even though the EatOut Awards do not seem to appreciate the Pretoria restaurants as much, we can’t get enough!

Our favourite spots for date night, or a celebratory dinner with the family, are listed below together with links to Tripadvisor to allow you to check if our reviews are on par.

Brasserie De Paris

This is definitely one of the top fine dining restaurants in Pretoria and has been since 1994. It is located in Waterkloof in Pretoria in a quiet, residential area and has a cosy but rustic feel. They offer a traditional al la carte menu but the pleasure in dining at Brasserie de Paris lies in the degustation menus, offering 5 magnificent courses, with or without a wine pairing. Each course is made with so much care and the flavours complement each other so well that you will be waiting on the edge of your seat for the Masterchefs to come out of the kitchen afterwards. Perfect for any special occasion and definitely one of the best meals we have had so far!

Kream

Kream always works well for a special occasion, be it a romantic dinner, a celebration with the family or a professional business meeting. The atmosphere is luxurious and rich, and it is difficult not to feel like royalty when dining there. The menu is versatile and changes frequently, keeping up to date with industry trends. The quality of the food is outstanding – every starter, main and desert we have ordered, has been incredible and the serving sizes are very reasonable for a fine dining restaurant.

La Madeleine

This is certainly a more intimate, small scale fine dining restaurant where the owner chef prepares a selective new menu every day. They only cater for a few guests each night, but offers exquisite French dishes second to none. The atmosphere is cosy and romantic and I will gladly try out the new menu on any special occasion.

Pachas

Pachas is a top class fine dining restaurant with a traditional steakhouse atmosphere. They offer excellent quality food, big portions and great service. The owners are in the kitchen and on the floor every day, ensuring consistent high level quality. The menu offers a wide selection of incredible dishes and the daily specials keep it exciting. It is always a great choice for a special occasion if you want to make sure that the food is amazing.

Black Bamboo

This is a beautiful restaurant located in Pretoria at the Menlyn Boutique Hotel. They offer fine dining, a great variety of quality wines and a classy atmosphere. Not only is every bite delicious, but every place is a small work of art. They offer an exciting menu with non-traditional flavour combinations that will amaze you and the service is excellent, no matter what the occasion.

Looking forward to our next date night! 

Why all-inclusive is a must on a tropical island

In 2011 friends of ours had a thought – let’s visit a tropical island! We had been dating for a few months by that time, and we were keen on travelling the world from the start, so we had no choice but to agree to join them. As soon as they identified a good deal, we booked our vacation. Destination: Zanzibar!

We designed some fun team t-shirts, packed our bags and arrived at the small, chaotic building the locals call the airport... much room for improvement there, especially in the airconditioning department! Zanzibar is extremely hot, mostly because of the humidity. The average temperature on the island is 28ºC and we visited the island in April, at the beginning of the monsoon season with an average of 401 mm of rain in the form of sudden showers, passing by in as little as 15 minutes. While a cloud-burst sounds like a mood-killer in many instances, especially when on vacation, it actually had a relieving effect on us, providing a quick break from the heat and humidity. It cools you down quickly and then leaves you to go ahead with your day of relaxation in the sun.

While the airport and the taxi drivers leave much room for improvement, we couldn’t find any faults at the resort we stayed at. Sea Cliff Resort & Spa is an oasis on the brim of a rural island with very little development and a lot of potential. A beautiful resort built on the cliffs bordering the turquoise waters of the Indian ocean. There is a strong Moroccan influence in the decor creating a rich, warm atmosphere and the staff, clearly part of a very friendly and hospitable nation, went out of their way to ensure that we are happy at all times. The hotel offers so many activities to keep you busy: relaxing by an infinity pool with a 180 degree view over the ocean; relaxing on the jetty 20 meters into the ocean; relaxing on the beach with an exclusive bar allowing you to only walk 10 steps to order another cocktail; relaxing at the hotel spa; canoeing on the hotel’s canoes; going for a bike ride in the area on the hotel’s bicycles; snorkeling with the hotel’s gear and eating way too much of the hotel’s incredible food!

The island also offers a variety of excursions, including boat trips to beaches in the area; dolphin watching and if you are lucky, swimming with dolphins; visiting a spice farm; searching for Red Colobus Monkeys endemic to the island; exploring the mangroves and so much more.

In spite of the incredible hotel we stayed at and the exciting excursions we were lucky enough to experience, the heat is a real factor to consider. When you walk out of the air-conditioned room, the humidity hits you as if you are walking into a wall. Being out of the ocean or swimming pool for too long gets pretty uncomfortable pretty quickly. Drinking a lot of water, icy drinks and cocktails is a good solution, but it is much easier to do if you are on an all-inclusive package. Add an amazing variety of good food to that, and I am all in!

Why you don’t need luxuries to have an incredible time in the Kgalagadi

A friend of ours always said that he wants to spend his 30^th birthday somewhere deep in the African bush with a few close friends. When he started planning the trip, we were the first to commit to joining them for a 10 day vacation camping in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park covering 38 000 km² across the border between South Africa and Botswana.

There is much more admin going into a camping vacation than say an all-inclusive island breakaway. A lot of planning, comparing notes and even a trial camping weekend were necessary to prepare four couples and one toddler for a hard core camping trip. On the trial camping weekend we visited the Pilanesberg National Park located in the North West province of South Africa. Here we tested all our camping equipment, made sure we had all we needed between the four couples and got a bit of a temperature scare. While the temperature is usually quite warm in this area, the Kgalagadi is a dessert, known for extreme temperature fluctuations. Coincidentally, the weekend spent camping in Pilanesberg was significantly cold and we quickly realised that we needed to be better prepared to face the cold dessert temperatures a month later.

Finally the day arrived and we travelled 999km in 12 hours and spent the night at the Molopo Lodge a few kilometres outside the park. We eased into the camping expedition, staying at the Kalahari Tented Camp the first night. Thereafter we spent 3 nights camping at Rooiputs, a campsite on the Botswana side of the park, with absolutely no fences, no electricity, warm water or ablution facilities. In spite of this, we had the best time! We then took a break from the intense camping and camped at Nossob for two nights, a rest camp with some more luxuries including electricity and a small shop. After that, we roughed it again at Polentswa, which not only has no warm water, it has no water whatsoever! Here we had such a fun time figuring out how much water is needed for a shower and wondering if we would have enough for the three night stay! The group then split up and the two of us visited the Augrabies Falls National Park for two nights where we stayed at the incredible gorge cottage, followed by a night at Mokala National Park in Mosu Lodge, Sanparks camp of the year.

In spite of what some people would call inconveniences, this humble camping trip turned out to be one of the best trips of our lives! We will not hesitate to do this again with friends as there is no better way to relax completely and have an awesome time together than being so close to nature. 

Why holidays with close friends are a great idea

At the end of 2014, friends of ours phoned my husband and asked – completely out of the blue – if we would be interested in joining them and two other couples on a Mauritius breakaway. He came across a good offer at one of our local travel agents and convinced them to give us some extra discount and benefits, if he makes sure that we are a group of 8 people… and all pay within 24 hours! So I only heard one side of the conversation, and all I could gather was “Something-something-Mauritius” and “Yes, that sounds great, we are in!”

That leads me to one of the best pieces of travel advice that I could give: always say yes and commit as soon as possible!

Without thinking about it too much, we committed and made our booking. And six short months later we arrived at the airport, all dressed up in island-themed outfits!

The group included three newly married couples and one couple who actually got engaged while we were there! It was the first time we were all on holiday together and it is always a bit of a risk because you never know what to expect. Will everybody get along? Will there be issues because one person wants to do this and another wants to do that? Will we work on each other’s nerves and cause damage to the relationships?

We found that the secret is to make it clear at the beginning of the vacation that while we want to spend time together and take part in group activities, it is important that everybody knows they are allowed to do their own thing. If someone is not keen to join the others, they can break away from the group for a while and meet up later.

We ended up spending a lot of time together as a group and it was so much fun. We had all our meals together including a special seafood dinner instead of the normal buffet. We booked two excursions, one catamaran day trip to the exquisite Ile aux Cerf and one trip to Port Louis, the capital, where we explored the old fort and the markets. We spent a lot of time together relaxing on the beach and working through the list of cocktails available on the menu. We had game night more than once where we played card games and board games and laughed way too much.

But still every person did what they wanted to, when they wanted to. My husband and I tried out all the activities offered by the hotel, including snorkeling, glass bottom boat rides, paragliding, walks on the beach, canoeing and spa treatments. Others preferred to work on their tan and relax on the beach more. We respected each other’s preferences and had an incredible time together being spoiled by incredible staff in such a beautiful spot.

Vacationing with friends can work and can turn out to be incredible, as long as you respect one another and always be considerate. Choose your vacation partners wisely. A weekend away is one thing, but planning a big expensive trip with friends for a week or longer and only realising that you are not compatible when on vacation, could spoil the whole trip.

Why you need to do a Contiki tour before turning 35

Because that is the rule, you can only book a Contiki tour between the ages of 18 and 35.

Loophole – if you are married to someone under 35 and travelling with them, you will still be allowed to join even if you are a little bit over 35 already!

My husband and I went on a Contiki tour in 2013 as a couple, and returned with the most beautiful ring on my finger! We had both been to Europe before, but wanted to see it together.

Contiki offers tours to 6 continents, including Europe, USA & Canada, Asia, Latin America, New Zealand and Australia. You can choose the type of tour as well as the pace, which could be an overview type tour, visiting many destinations in a short period of time to allow you to enjoy all the highlights, or an in-depth tour, visiting fewer destinations over a longer period of time to allow you to get to know the culture properly. You can choose to stay in more luxurious hotels, less luxurious hotels, camp or cruise. You can choose between extensive tours or short stays or tours based on festivals.

It was difficult to pick the ideal tour from all these options, but we were very happy with the one we picked. We decided for our first big overseas holiday together, we would prefer visiting more places, even if only for a short period of time. This way we could get a feel of each country and decide what we like most, and return later to explore the culture in depth.

We chose the European Discovery, including 9 countries in 12 days: England, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Vatican City, Switzerland and France. We were lucky enough to have family staying just outside London, so since the tour departs from London, we decided to stay there for a few days and explored on our own. While this was extreme fun, we were so relieved to get on that Contiki bus after four days of intense planning and scrambling to tick all the boxes off our list without wasting too much time getting lost! It was wonderful exploring ourselves, but Contiki just makes everything so much easier!! They arrange all the accommodation and most meals and of course, all the transport. In the bus, they go through the schedule for the next few hours, highlighting the must-see places and advising us on where to go for what type of experience, exclusive, budget, secret local experience or touristy attractions. You hardly have to think – you just get on the bus when they tell you to and enjoy the ride!

When we first got on the bus, we met our tour manager, Emmo, bus driver, Sandro, and 49 other keen travellers. There were people from all over, including 9 South Africans, Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, Australians, New Zealanders, Brazilians, one Brit and one Portuguese. Singles, couples, married couples, friends, a little bit of everything. A bit overwhelming at first, but throw all of that into a bus visiting the most incredible places across Europe and it is impossible not to become close friends super quickly!

We travelled 4582 km in total, saw the most incredible places and met amazing people who we will never forget. 

Do yourself a favour and book a Contiki holiday as soon as you can! You will not regret it. #noregrets 

Why the Serengeti belongs on your bucket list

For most people, a Serengeti Safari is one of the items on their bucket list. 

For us, it was our ultimate holiday up until now for two reasons. Firstly, it's undoubtedly  a nature destination second to none. With nature so close to our hearts, it was incredible to experience the Serengeti plains, the great Rift Valley and the Ngorongoro crater in one holiday. Secondly, we were lucky enough to spend our honeymoon there - and what a romantic setting it is!

Serengeti, translated from the Masai language as Endless Plains, gave us exactly what we were looking for in a honeymoon: royal treatment, adventure and relaxation. On a vacation in the Serengeti, you are provided with a personal guide that drives you around every day according to your personal preferances. He organises all your extra excursions like walks or massages and meals, whether it is in the hotel or out in the field, and of course acts as a tour guide. Most guides have game vehicles with a roof that can open up, allowing passengers to stand up straight in the vehicle and turn around 360 degrees, allowing for great game viewing opportunities.

The lodges in the Serengeti are frequently ranked as some of the best in the world, and we now know why. The service and food is excellent and the locations provide magnificent views of the landscape. We stayed at the Lake Manyara Serena Hotel on the way to the Serengeti. Then we spent a night at the Serengeti Sopa Lodge and two nights at Elewana Pioneer camp close to the Seronera valley. We then travelled to the Western Corridor of the Serengeti where we stayed at the Serena Kirawira camp. We then left the Serengeti behind to spend two nights on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater at Serena Ngorongoro Lodge. We ended off the vacation with one last night at the Mount Meru hotel in Arusha. 

Our typical day in the Serengeti started off with an early wake up call to enjoy the sunrise with a cup of coffee, followed by a hearty breakfast. Our driver, Freddy, would then pick us up for our daily game drive across the Serengeti National Park. With his keen eye, we did not miss a thing and he showed us all the most beautiful spots to have lunch. We preferred to spend most of the day exploring the plains and the kopjes (Maasai, Simba, Moru). In the Serengeti it is not uncommon to come across many Wildebeest herds of a few thousand strong more than once a day. We enjoyed standing at the edge of the herd, seeing it stretch as far as the eye can see. Other notable sightings we were lucky enough to see is a lion kill, a beautiful leopard on Maasai kopjes and a majestic elephant Tusker in the Ngoronogoro crater.

The perfect end to our honeymoon was witnessing the amazing views over the crater and I challenge anybody to name a more beautiful view anywhere in the world. We have been to a few island destinationss that are usually most people's first choice for a honeymoon, but the Serengeti was the perfect choice for ours.

The Serengeti will no doubt see us again. Many people have the idea to visit the Serengeti at the age of 50 or 60 as a retirement vacation. We feel that you can’t go soon enough! It is so much fun to be able to hop around in the game viewer to ensure the best view of whichever amazing creatures you see. Make sure that a Serengeti safari is not only on your bucket list, but that you tick it off as soon as possible.

#theluckytravellers

Favourite Moments

Just as a teaser for the upcoming posts, here are some of our favourite moments on some of our favourite vacations!

Our first official trip - when the Zanzibar Quattro explored the birthplace of Freddy Mercury, the tropical island, Zanzibar! 

Our engagement Contiki - to top off an incredible, eventful holiday full of highlights, we got engaged on a gondola in Venice! 

Our Serengeti honeymoon - the most wonderful way to relax after planning a wedding and start our life together!

Our delicious Mauritius getaway - a great idea to get friends together and have an awesome night, six nights in a row! 

Our hard-core camping adventure - camping in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with a few close friends and very few luxuries definitely makes for a great holiday! 

More on each of these incredible journeys to follow soon! 

Married Life

We have been lucky to be able to enjoy some incredible vacations since we got married. The highlights:

The Umbabat

Our ultimate favourite vacation spot is located in a game reserve right next to the Kruger National Park. As most of you know, the Kruger National Park is one of the most visited destinations in South Africa. What you might not know is that there is about 180 000 hectares of land around the Kruger National Park, which forms part of the Greater Kruger. This area used to be privately owned land, but in the late 90’s, the owners agreed to create additional Nature Reserves by dropping all their fences in order to increase the size of the Kruger National Park and allow animals to roam free in a larger area. One of these Nature Reserves is known as the Umbabat, bordering the Timbavati and Klaserie as well as the Kruger National Park. This means that you are staying on a private area where only a selected number of visitors are allowed, but you have the possibility of seeing all the animals that you might have seen while staying in the Kruger National Park. We love visiting the Umbabat and try to do so as often as possible!

Thailand

After our tropical breakaway in Zanzibar, we decided that 2015 would be a good time to explore Thailand. We were psyched when we arrived at the airport just in time for check in, ran to the boarding gate just to find out that our flight had been delayed. Five long hours of waiting later, they announced that our flight was cancelled! We couldn’t believe it, after such a long wait our vacation might be cancelled! The next fifteen minutes was a bit of a blur, but some way, somehow, we managed to get on the only other flight leaving on the same airline within the following 24 hours. Vacation back on! We first visited the city Chiang Mai with its colourful temples and elephant rides, then visited the Big Buddha in Phuket, explored hundreds of islands in Koh Samui and ended off in getting lost between thousands of tiny stores in Bangkok. On the way back, we stopped over in Qatar for a quick overview of the contrast between the dunes and the city, before heading home.

Mauritius

In June 2015 we were one of 4 couples who shook up the Solana Beach hotel on the beautiful island off the eastern coast of Africa, Mauritius. This was our second all inclusive island holiday and we can certainly recommend upgrading! Relaxing on the beach sipping cocktails, catamaran cruising, air gliding, snorkelling, glass bottom boats, way too much food and great friends. Nothing wrong with that!

Catalunya

At the beginning of 2016, we visited friends staying in Europe and explored a few new places while we were there. We had the most amazing time exploring the French Riviera and the land of the Catalans! We started in Barcelona where we spent New Year’s Eve, then travelled across the French Riviera all the way to Monaco and back. On the way back, we chose smaller roads directly next to the scenic coastline and then drove from the one winery to the next, tasting here and there. We then passed through the winter wonderland Andorra where we got to play around in layers of snow for the first time. We then moved on to sunnier skies in Madrid in Spain followed by Porto and Lisbon in Portugal, ending off back in Barcelona. While we were there in January, the weather was not too cold at all and it was nice that there were not too many tourists. It was an incredible holiday full of history and stunning scenery!

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

In June 2016 we were one of 4 couples camping hard core in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on the border of South Africa and Botswana. We travelled 999km to the park and stayed for 10 days. Half the vacation was spent on the South African side of the park in fenced off campsites with running water, and the other half spent on the Botswana side… no fences or running water, but much more exciting and we can’t wait to go back! On the way back, we popped in at the Augrabies Falls National Park to view the waterfall and river raft and Mokala National Park where we enjoyed staying at the campsite of the year, Mosu Lodge. It definitely turned out to be one of our favourite holidays!