MULTISOURCE ARTICLE

By Jamie-Paige Tucker

The tales from two travellers

Everybody loves a holiday, myself included. But what makes your dream holiday specific to you?What is it that makes us decide on what type of trip we want to take? Is it the history and culture of a city that makes it seem more appealing than a poolside holiday? Or is it the relaxing views from a luxury sun lounger that put people off walking around like tourists?

Jack Lavington is a 48-year-old Operations Manager from the Cambridgeshire company Ellgia. He is known by friends and family as a keen world traveller who has experienced many countries around the globe. When asked what he looks for in a trip, he gives an insightful view into what helps him make his travelling choices.

Jack said: “When I first started looking for holidays it was always the cheapest and nearest resort which had some nice weather. And now I see the world as such a small place, I like to travel to places further afield, so I look for long haul places I’ve never been to before. I look for new places with nice weather, nice hotels where I can relax and get luxury I don’t get at home.”

Jack touched upon was what he looks for when he’s booking a hotel: “5-star luxury, preferably with its own private beach. Definitely an adult only resort, if possible. A nice pool, a nice resort, preferably its own spa for relaxation. I like a hotel to be close to the city centre, were we can base ourselves for an evenings and excursions”

How many times a year do you travel, roughly? “Me and my wife take one large holiday a year, so for two weeks or more. Usually another week somewhere else. And then roughly 3 weekends away” which is a lot more than the average person takes.

Jack’s had many travelling experiences, but where his favourite and least favourite places he’s ever been? Thailand is his favourite because “the people were friendly, the scenery was beautiful, and the culture was fantastic. There is so much to see, there is so much history there. We got to see so much there from beaches, to time in the jungle visiting an elephant sanctuary, we spent time in the capital city of Bangkok. We had so many experiences in Thailand itself. It had fantastic weather, the food was amazing and value for money wise, it was pretty good”

Antigua, his least favourite, but only because he was left disappointed! “We had a cruise which in itself was a great experience. We docked in a few places in the Caribbean but by the time we’d got to Antigua it was a bit of a let-down. It was affected by the weather not being great, it was raining and overcast. The island itself is a bit depressed, outside of the resort it was a bit rundown, there wasn’t anywhere to venture to bars and restaurants, and you were much confided to the resort”

Jack is able to have seen so many amazing places because of his middle class, professional position in society. But do you need to have this position to be able to see these places successfully?

In contrast to this, Ellie French is a 21-year-old student from Nottingham Trent University. She has travelled and is currently studying abroad at the University of Barcelona, but what exactly sold the Spanish city to her as a prime location for learning?

When it comes to studying abroad, your university will give you as a student a lot of support. To help you make the best decision. Which Ellie says Nottingham Trent was no exception: “They put on fairs, where you could go around and speak to university reps from the countries that were offering placements. And when I had decided on Barcelona the support didn’t stop!”

When asked why she picked Barcelona, the focus point was the opportunities that are there. “It had the most to offer. I looked at Valencia, and other cities all around Europe, but Barcelona has so many universities to choose from. But also, has so much going on in the city every single day. I thought that as I only had 4 months wherever I picked, I should really make the most of it.”

Before starting her studies in 2017, Ellie and her boyfriend went travelling. She went to 8 countries and 27 different cities and was travelling for 3 months in total. During this time, she went to Thailand, but had a very different experience to Jack. “we stayed in hostels, anywhere cheap and accessible. We had budget for every day, which mainly went on our meals and we did struggle to stick to it. But we had to!”

During her travelling, she visited India, which is actually her favourite place she’s ever visited, “but you can’t explain it. It’s hard to describe to someone how amazing of an experience it is, It’s almost overwhelming. You would need to see it for yourself to understand. There is so much to see, and the culture is incredible. And I highly recommend visiting if you get given the chance.”

Ellie is still a keen traveller, and after her studies she doesn’t want to stop: “I’ve still got so many places I’d like to see, I’ve not even scratched the surface when it comes to seeing the world, and I can’t wait to continue exploring. Maybe as my situation changes, the way I travel will change too!”

What’s interesting about what Ellie had to say, is that she had very similar goals to Jack when it comes to travelling, and those were to just see the world. But Ellie’s isn’t as much about luxury and expense, but more about the experiences themselves. The contrast between the two is clear, but what’s more amazing is that you really can-do amazing things on any budget, you just need to plan ahead and not be afraid to skip a few luxury hotels along the way.