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| Picture taken at the new Terminal 3 at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas! |
In approximately three
months, I will be traveling to England for this year’s annual adventures! I’m so
excited to visit Lymington and for the wonderful experiences ahead as Di and I
continue the tradition we started so many years ago. I absolutely cherish the
special tradition we have managed to maintain regardless of time and the
5,500-mile distance from each other.
I consider Lymington my
second home and I look forward to seeing Di and her wonderful husband Phil-he
has been so supportive of our holidays! I can’t wait to spend time with their
beautiful son and my Godson, Alfie, visit with their wonderful families, and
just enjoy being around great friends. After spending a few days in Di’s
hometown, we will venture off to the Isle of Wight for a relaxing girly
holiday. Read more about our
adventure in the Isle of Wight in a future post!
Di and Phil are expecting
their second beautiful baby in early November, so she isn’t able to travel by
plane. I wish she could join me as I venture beyond England, but since we are
just a Whattsapp message or Facetime call away from each other, it will be as
though she’s there!
After a week in the UK, I
will head to Holland to meet friends in Amsterdam and then travel to France for
a new experience. I thought it would be fun to try a completely different activity
from previous trips abroad-but I am not too keen on traveling by myself, its
much more fun to travel with friends!!
The first step was to
research any existing organized options for solo travelers, safety is an
absolute key and my biggest concern. As I began to research group holidays for solo
travelers, I did a simple Google search using the key words: “solo travel” and
“group travels for singles’, I came across a very resourceful article from The Telegraph. The article below provides
a very helpful directory and I hope you are able to use this link in the
future!
I began looking through
the suggested vendors and holidays- the site is organized by categories,
under the Activity section the
description for Go Learn To caught my eye. Its listed as follows:
Go Learn To (020 8144 5990; golearnto.com)
A big choice of activity holidays that attract couples and singles from all
over the world, some booking direct with the provider as well as through Go
Learn To.
Options range from photography, cookery and
painting courses to yoga, riding, surfing and scuba diving weeks. For dedicated
singles departures there is no single supplement for a private room. Surfing
and yoga holidays attract those in their thirties; creative options mostly
attract the 40-65 age group. There is also a big choice of shorter breaks.
I went to the Go Learn To
site and was immediately drawn to the different holiday packages they offered.
First, I searched to see which holidays would be offered during my time in
Europe. I came across a 4 day cooking holiday in France, near Bordeaux.
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| Photo Credit: Go To Learn website, picture of the Lot-et-Garonne Farmhouse |
Here is a description
from the Go Learn To site “Stay in a restored 19th century farmhouse in the
beautiful Lot-et-Garonne (the Garden
of France) which is nestled between the sunflower fields and the beautiful pine
forests of the Landes de Gascogne just one
hour drive south east from Bordeaux. Learn to cook traditional French
dishes and pastries with the fun and friendly chef Marlène, who is passionate
about French cooking and welcomes you to her home for a cookery holiday with a difference.”
Link for the extensive slide show and more info visit the links below:
More info
Slide show
I contacted Go To Learn and corresponded with one of their representative's named Becky. She was extremly knowledgeable and helpful, after a few days of exchanging e mails I was ready to book my holiday and secured my reservation! Thank you to Becky for being so great!
I chose this holiday for the appeal of staying outside of a larger city and for the desire to experience something out of my comfort zone.
As a bonus, there isn't an extra charge for single travelers and there will be up to six students participating. Perfect!
Since this was a new experience, I wanted to share some tip and thoughts on the upcoming cooking holiday.
5 Tips for Researching and Booking a Solo Traveler
Holiday
·
Find a
reputable company
·
E mail the
representative or if possible the owner directly
·
Search for
any reviews of the holiday
·
Especially
for a cooking holiday, be sure to alert the company of any dietary restrictions
or allergies
·
Read the
small details, i.e. I had to request a train station return at the time of my
reservation
What I Look Forward to Most
·
Meeting new
people
·
Learning how
to create some French Cuisines
·
Exploring a
new place in France
·
Relaxing
environment
·
Trying
something out of my element
I look forward to blogging from the
Farmhouse during my stay in October
and to sharing the experiences with you!
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