Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the sun has made an appearance and decided to deliver the UK its hottest week this year. When temperatures rise above 10 degrees the country celebrates, so the late teens to mid-twenties has definitely got me reminiscing on previous summer memories as well as dreaming of my next one.
I am fortunate enough that travelling is a luxury my parents have treated my siblings and I to throughout my life. My earliest memories of summer holidays are cottages in the quaint Devon towns or spending a week or two in my grandparent’s caravan in Whitstable and crab fishing with my dad. However, around the age of six or seven after narrowly missing some of the worst floods recorded, my parents decided that holidaying in the UK was too weather risky and instead turned to flying abroad.
Along with my two siblings, the whole aspect of getting to the airport, checking in our luggage and taking off on a plane to step out and feel the warmth of the exotic country that we would call our home for the next two weeks, was one of the best and most exciting feelings. Eagerly, I would count down the days until the summer holidays began and go shopping for evening outfits that I’d otherwise freeze in if I were to stay home.
Once we had arrived, our days would be spent by the pool, playing games with a football (a passion shared across all of my family but mostly my mum and brother) or having competitions that required balancing on an inflatable. I remember being doused daily in sun cream by my parents which gave me a ghostly sheen and having those multipack cereal boxes for breakfast, which to this day continue to fill me with holiday memories. Over the two weeks we were away, and without fail, we would hunt down a local waterpark and laugh away at the struggle we all faced at keeping afloat in the wave pool or our entries into the water on the doughnut slides. My parents also loved booking a boat trip that would take us out on the clear blue waters of the local island. Once the boat had parked, we would jump off into the water before frantically swimming back for fear of a Jaws remake!
Come the evenings, we would all get dolled up in one of our many summery outfits packed, and head in to the local town for dinner. Having visited Turkey or Greece for the majority of our holidays, the cuisine was always deliciously fresh and always accompanied by the best bread I have ever tasted.
If we hadn’t yet been hit by exhaustion, we moved on to another restaurant or bar along one of the idyllic beaches and sip on mocktails or Lipton Ice Tea whilst reminiscing on our day.
One of my most memorable holidays was Phuket, Thailand. My mum’s friend had a place out there and invited us to visit for her birthday celebrations. Whilst there, we travelled to the most picturesque island I had ever stepped foot upon named Chuckdee. It occupied a four-tabled restaurant and a few sunbeds for visitors, whilst the rest was compiled of rocks and a gorgeous sandy beach (only to be revealed when the tide was out).
Another holiday I’ll always remember was a trip to Dalyan, Turkey. We stayed in a gorgeous apartment by a river that led to the beach with access to the apartment’s boat. During our stay we booked a jeep safari with a four by four that drove us all through the mountain forestry. At every petrol station they would pull in and hose us down with the ones used to washed cars. I was unlucky enough to be the main target for our jeep and got absolutely drenched every time! The journey took us to the top of the mountain where our guide cut a fresh watermelon for us to feast on whilst enjoying the views of the white-sanded beach below. It was an amazing sight, emphasised by the height at which we were viewing it all. A highlight to that day was the turtle sanctuary that had been set up on the beach below. It housed injured turtles that local fisherman had found on the beach or in the water as well as baby turtles that had struggled to hatch or reach the sea, aiming to nourish them until fit for release back into the ocean. It was such a unique experience and I cannot wait to be going back this August.
An alternative to the sun soaked holidays we often had was Disney World Florida. We had previously visited Disney Land Paris for a few days but it was our first time in America and what an experience! My family were joined by our friends and my auntie and uncle and we shared a villa half an hour away from the Disney bubble. With a ticket allowing entry to eight parks, our two weeks were packed with a variety of rides, interactive shows, parades and waterslides. At Universal Studios, we went on a 4D Spider-man ride, that required sitting in a car whilst holographic images and stimulation exported us into another reality. Having never witnessed anything like it before, we were all mesmorised.
Harry Potter World, also in Universal, had another unique ride that flew you through different parts of the movie. It just so happened that one of those was inspired by the spider scene. The ‘swing-like’ seat flung us into huge spider models entangled in webs. Being a massive phobia of mine, the combination of the props, the darkness and the horrible crawling sensation caused me to screamed my lungs off, driving my brother and mum into hysterics. It was definitely a memorable ride. SeaWorld is one of the most popular parks in Florida and is known for the interactive shows they produce with live sea creatures. Before flying to America we had watched a documentary on the controversy surrounding the performances and the number of attacks that had occurred since the parks opened. Watching the dolphins and whales ‘wave’ at the audience and swim around in the relatively small pool was somewhat sad and uncomfortable, knowing it wasn’t natural. However, as with the rest of the audience, seeing the enormous creatures do the acrobatic stunts so close was definitely astonishing.
Each and every one of these adventures have installed a desire to explore further and continue travelling. I feel most at ease when I am away and have created some of my best memories through being away. It is something I would recommend everyone do, regardless of whether it’s the UK or abroad.
By Lindsay Cain
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