A travel diary is one way to remember all the destinations we’ve visited. They are great for recreating the exciting events we’ve seen while away from home too. Do you keep one? Perhaps with some momentos from your adventures?
Our free-spirited travellers Dee and Graham visited a number of destinations in 2023. Including the holiday of their dreams! Post travels, they have shared extracts from their travel diary with us. Their travel diary for 2023 started with a trip around Devon…
February
‘We started holidaying in February with a week in Devon. Although it was a bit cold, we did manage to travel around a fair bit and especially enjoyed Castle Drogo.’ Castle Drogo is a 20th century family castle (the last to be constructed in England). It’s found in Drewsteignton on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.
March
As spring arrived in March, ‘we stayed in one of our very favourite barn conversions in Shropshire. The various species of birds and wildlife are phenomenal! We stayed there again in September.’
April
‘In April, it was yet another 12-night Western Mediterranean cruise. We do like these and always book our favourite suite. We stopped at Lisbon, Cartagena, Vigo, Gibraltar, Malaga and Cadiz but not in that order! All of which are super ports to stop, wander around and shop!’
May
‘May took us to a new destination – Croatia. Booking a much, much smaller cruise along the Dalmatian Coast was a completely different experience. Yet, Croatia is a beautiful country and Dubrovnik especially is full of history. It is a very popular tourist attraction.’ Below is a photo of Dee at the stone mason’s school in Croatia.
June
‘June was a special month, especially for me, as we celebrated my 70th birthday in Puglia. Such a gorgeous part of Southern Italy’. The immense number of olive groves, citrus fruit orchards and fig trees was paradise. Also seeing the amazing Trulli Houses and visiting towns like Matera with its ancient cave homes too. It was 40 °C!’.
July
‘July saw us in the Peak District and the Dales. England has so much to offer for scenery and history, and Derbyshire is one such place, Dovedale is stunning’. Dovedale is a picturesque valley within the Peak District. During a trip here you can follow lots of walking routes or plot your own during a rural staycation.
August
‘August is usually a quiet month for us but we made up for it later in the year!’
September
‘In September, we finally realised one of our absolute holiday dreams – Jordan! Obviously, not part of Europe. So, we did have to buy a separate travel insurance policy (a Free Spirit Single Trip Super Duper policy). It was costly but again without it, we would never have realised the dream.
Jordan was absolutely amazing. Not only were the people lovely. The abundance of enormous crops of fruit (especially figs and watermelons) sold by the roadside was lovely too! Petra was sheer magic and our hotel was literally at the entrance to the area. This was quite an emotional experience, never to be forgotten.
In the same month, we were back in Shropshire – for a rest!’
October
‘In October we visited Northern Cyprus somewhere we’d never been to before. Although very popular with new tourists, well worth the visit for ancient history and culture. Visiting Famagusta was quite a shock, due to the deterioration of all the buildings and homes. This was a result of the troubles between two countries. Sad.’
November
‘November has been somewhat crazy with two separate weeks again. We stayed in two of our favourite conversions in Somerset and Rutland. Both beautiful counties, which we do enjoy and try to get to relax in’.
Take Suitable Travel Insurance
Wherever you travel and whatever memories you’ll cherish in your travel diary find the appropriate travel insurance – as soon as you book (ASAYB) your trip.
Although Dee lives with a rare form of cancer called NETs (Neuroendocrine tumours and carcinoid syndrome) and requires regular treatment, scans and consultations to detect new tumours, the condition can be kept under control. Free Spirit has provided Dee and Graham with a suitable travel insurance policy for a number of years sine her dignosis. The policy includes emergency treatment, repatriation cover and more if/when its required.
Since 2017, Free Spirit has given Dee and Graham the ‘freedom to fulfil all their adventures’. Both in the UK and overseas. As Christmas approaches they’ll be getting ready to discuss their 2024 Free Spirit annual policy.
Get an instant quote or update your annual policy in time to travel, with confidence.