Our old friends at TUI, who know a thing or too about Irish foibles, bring us a study from Perspectus Globa on what the Irish bring on holiday.
And they reveal that 52 percent of respondents admit to packing tea bags, and 34 percent bring along coffee on their holidays.
Slipper time
A big of fluff: For your holidays
The survey also reveals that 36 percent can’t travel without their slippers… confession here, I always return with a pair.
And 22 percent insist on bringing their own pillow.
Additionally, 12 percent feel the need to have ketchup or sliced bread, and 11 percent won’t leave the country without their favourite cereal!
More than half (57 percent) confess to feeling homesick during their holidays (huh?).
The crunch: The favourite Tayto crisps
And 42 percent pack various items simply because they prefer to have familiar comforts around them to create a homely atmosphere while away.
One in four (24 percent) admit that they like to get their suitcases packed and sorted well in advance of their departure date.
With nearly a quarter (23 percent) always overpacking as they are trying to get as much as they can in, to be ‘on the safe side’!
Wrap up a blanket
Carousel: And relax
And a piece of advice here from a far better-travelled pal, my old Greystones mucker JP Thompson… pack half full to leave room for what you’ll bring home.
In fact, this passion for creature comforts has even resulted in one in ten (12 percent) finding space for their hot water bottle and favourite blanket (11 percent).
As well as Cheddar cheese (10 percent), their Kettle (8 percent) and their favourite mug (7 percent).
When it comes to the most stressful aspects of a holiday, 27 percent admit to feeling stressed about fitting everything into their bags.
While 21 percent experience pressure when checking if their bag meets the weight requirements.
Other stress-inducing factors include getting to the airport (25 percent), airport security (33 percent), sorting out insurance and currency (23 percent), and waiting around at the airport (21 percent).
More than half (58 percent) confess to exceeding luggage allowances, with individuals.
About a third (32 percent) willingly pay the additional cost.
Meanwhile, 16 percent go to the extent of discarding items to reduce weight, and 35 percent admit to wearing as many clothes as possible.
Half a suitcase
Hat’s the boy: On my travels
And this is where JP’s words rung true.
When I decamped from Washington DC off the bus in New York on the hottest day of the year
With two rucksacks on my shoulders, carting a suitcase behind me.
And wearing a bulky jacket and a cowboy hat.
Craig Morgan, head of Ireland for TUI, said: “This research shows how much Irish travellers love their home comforts while on holiday.
“That’s why we’re increasing our luggage allowance for TUI Airways to 20kg as standard, with an extra 5kg for guests staying at TUI BLUE, Holiday Village and A La Carte hotels.
“With all that extra weight to play around with guests will have plenty of room to take along loads of teabags, photos of their pets and even a loaf or two of bread.”
And here’s your top-ten must-haves with your Irish cup of tea bag abroad first in the, er, bag.
We were so grateful for the air steward’s unorthodox way of calming our screaming baby we thought it might make these plane TUI tips for flying toddlers.
You know, putting lukewarm teabags over your kiddie’s lugs to curb air pressure.
And at last they listened. To me, my English Canarian pal Mathew Hirtes and to the Tinerfinos and their cousins across the islands.
The Canaries are back on the UK exempt list, and I’m breaking out the Malmsey, the Canarian wine, much beloved by Shakespeare.
Part of the scenery: Jimmy, the Tinerfino
The Canaries, as I reported this week, have been returning rates of Covid infections way down on the UK.
And as Mathew has been telling us for months we’re safer over there than we would be here.
It’s also worth restating here how liberating this is for the Holiday Trinity that always infuses our sector… the holiday providers, the hosts and the holidaymaker.
And so without further ado…
Deal me in
My walking party
Jet2.com and Jet2Holidays, the UK’s largest operator to the Canaries, are recommencing flights.
To Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, from Friday from Glasgow and Edinburgh, Belfast and six other UK airports.
TUI holidaymakers haven’t seen the Canaries for 89 days but are already carrying their clients to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
There must be a plane waiting for me. And happen that my Tinerfino walking guide Eva is waiting for me to take me to Afur.
The holiday notes advise you wear flip-flops and you can walk around the Maldives island in just half an hour.
While if you run out of puff in the all-year round 30C heat you can pull up a lounger or have a dip in your own villa infinity pool.
All with a regulatory Strawberry Daiquiri, of course.
And again I know a man who is in Kuramathi right now… and another man in Ireland from Turkish Airlines who will get you there and look after your every need.
Was it you who took all the pasta from the supermarket shelves?
Who knew that that was our go-to food in time of crisis.
Italian Mammas, of course, have been serving pasta as a cure-all since Julius Caesar were a lad, with that special ingredient of love.
And with Bandanaman’s l’amore to Italia and to flag up our friends, the travel providers, who have taken us there for years www.topflight.ie, www.tuiholidays.ie and www.sunway.ie among others.
Here’s a dishy Italian treat…
Aperitivo
Now this one is the easiest of the lot with Prosecco or Campari as a kicker… or my choice the Venetian favourite, the Aperol Spritz: Prosecco, Aperol and soda water.
Antipasto
Bruschetta, Central Italy: Or maybe as far back as Classical Rome with the Latins’ verb ‘bruscare’ meaning ‘to roast over coals’.
But you knew that?
The bruschetta is what you make it, and you will have all this around your cucina.
Garlic-rubbed grilled bread, salt, pepper, tomatoes, basil leaves and oil.
Primo
Risi e Bisi, Padua: Now it’s always good to know that you have the Anthony Bourdain seal of approval.
I was also guided to Anthony’s fave Risi e Bisi by my hosts in Padua.
It looks easy too and in fact is so this is something you can rustle up in double jig time.
Now I’m reliably informed by Anthony that the peas and rice float in a vegetable broth made from a simple base of onion and pancetta — the fatty, cured-pork cut.
And that it was always served at the Doge’s Banquet on April 25 which sounds like a good idea for an Italian-themed night at home.
Now this is where I get confused… my Italian friends variably tell me this is a main course.
But my old Italian teacher Donata said that it’s a primo and that the secondo be chicken, meat or fish along with the contorno of vegetables.
Secondo
Chicken cacciatore, all across Italy: Should you decide a bistecca is not for you and object to, or just don’t like, veal then pass up on the Bistecca alla Fiorentina.., besides its serving suggestion isn’t well done enough for mio.
The simple to make (and most Italian dishes are) chicken cacciatore which involves frying chicken cuts with base ingredients of onion, garlic and tomato is something even I could cook.
Particularly as I’ve been shown my penne from my tagliatelle by my friend Catherine Fulvio at her Ballyknocken House & Cookery School https://ballyknocken.ie.
Dolce
Fragola Gelato, Rome: Now, you might be expecting a tiramisu here but I’m not a coffee, creamy signore… in fact the only cream I like is ice cream.
So dish me up a fragola (strawberry) gelato and you’ll not get a peep out of me (well, maybe!). See https://www.rome.net.
Caffe
And I’m going to deviate from the script here with una ciocolatta calda densa, a hot chocolate that is more of a thick chocolate pudding.
Digestivo
A Grappa perhaps, or a Limincello… and the latter has made it over in our move from Ireland to Scotland.
And returned to our freezer. And now that mia moglie has gone into the distilling business with her alcohol sanitiser then it’s a small step surely to making Limoncello.
Now we just need some lemon trees and a Mediterranean diet.
Vino
Of course a full Chianti or Valpolicella is usually what il dottore ordered.
But instead I’ll opt for a pinot grigio seeing that it’s a white meat dish.
And seeing that I want to evoke Rome and an al fresco family meal just outside the Pantheon.
Then I’m going to plump for due bottiglie di Lazio Pinot Grigot Cantina Gabriele.
And we’ll maybe slap on some Vivaldi and look up at our painting of the Castello Sant’Angelo in Rome and know that we’ll be back.
Because, of course, we threw some coins into the Trevi Fountain.
They are teasing us with the Caribbean. And I need little tickling.
Eleven nights self-catering (just buy a bottle of rum and pineapple juice) at the 3*+ Divi Southwards Beach Resort. Flights from Dublin, From €1599pps.
The twin challenges in Travel just now are facing down the Coronavirus and sustainability.
Who would bet against it being those clever South Africans at finding an antidote to the disease?
Particularly as they already have a handle on climate change with their magic plant, the spekboom, the answer to flight shame, flygskam, This plant can save the world.
Which is why I’m flagging up Cassidy Travel’s www.cassidytravel.ie six-night Cape Town escape from €819pps including flights from Dublin.
Explore the Winelands, the Garden Route and take in a Big Five Safari Tour.
You’ll be staying at the 4* The Hyde Hotel in the cosmopolitan Sea Point area.
It’s the Swap Shop (ask your Dad) question which cruise captains are invariably most often asked: ‘Where is your favourite port!’ And invariably the answer is Santorini.
The Greek island with its classic azure blue domed rooftops does stand out on the sea (I’m told). Hint!
Cassidy Travel agree. They are running a seven-night cruise Greek Odyssey from €817pps including flights from Dublin.
Old relics in Athens
Aboard the Norwegian Spirit you’ll leave from Athens (Piraeus) en route to Rhodes, Kusadasi in Turkey, Patmos, Mykanos, the sights of Agostoli, Corfu.
Most holidaymakers leave Majorca by air but for the best experience come in by ship.
Our friends at TUI www.tuiholidays.ie have Majorca from three Irish airports.
Save €300 by using the code MAY300.
Cork to Majorca: 2 May on Marella Discovery – Highlights of the Mediterranean, inside cabin, AI, seven nights from €939pps.
Dublin to Majorca: 19 May, Marella Dream: – Spanish Delights, inside cabin, AI, seven nights, from €979pps.
Shannon to Majorca: 16 May, Marella Discovery – Cosmopolitan Classics, inside cabin, AI, seven nights from €1149pps.
A prince and Princess
Real leadership
And because I’ve seen first hand how hard and how genuinely caring Princess Cruises ate about their guests.
Here picked up from the old Twittersphere a tribute from a First Officer to his captain.
They are few and far between and I’m still looking… a good boss.
Captain Arma was last to leave #DiamondPrincess. He is a hero in our eyes.
You want to know where they’re sailing?…
How about up to €450pp flight discount on select America-based sailings departing in 2020 and 2021. The deal runs from today – April 30, 2020.
The flight discount is available on over 120 voyages, ranging in length from seven – 28 days.
The sailings cover destinations across northern and central America including, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Panama Canal and South America.
Several sailings on the 3,660-guest Sky Princess, feature as part of the offer, as well as the 3,660-guest Enchanted Princess, which will be christened in Southampton at the end of June this year.
Voyages include: · A 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise onboard Royal Princess, departing October 10, 2020. Sailing roundtrip from Los Angeles, ports of call are Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Prices from €1495pp
He stood on the ship bridge, togged up to the nines, his hand shaking as h publicly reconfirmed his love to his wife. ‘I’ve got Parkinson’s,’ he said. ‘This is our 50th wedding anniversary. We really wanted to do this because I don’t know if we’ll see my 51st.’
The story was told to me on the first day of my mini-break on an Island Cruises jaunt around the west Mediterranean.
I had inquired as to what a lectern and a Bible under a glass case were doing at the heart of a control room.
Which I could only liken to my vague memories of sitting awestruck in an aeroplane cockpit as a boy.
I imagined the couple holding hands and looking out of the waves, letting their minds drift over their years together.
I hope they celebrated 51, 52, 53 years together and are still going strong. Because if any holiday can be life-reviving then that holiday is a cruise.
We took off from Toulon, halfway through the liner’s tour from Italy round to the Balearic Islands.
But although only on the mothership (its size must really experienced to be believed) for a few days it became my floating home from home.
Home that is if you enjoy the life of a country gent or a Beckham.
Life on board
But let me killl off some preconceptions straight away.
You’re stuck on it: Well, why would you want to get off when you’re in the middle of the sea. And you’ve got the sun beating down on you and you can look over the rails at the waves swishing comfortingly below.
The sea is always the same: Only if the weather remains the same, you’re stuck in the same spot and it’s always the middle of the day.
I was next up: Photo by Oliver Sjöström on Pexels.com
The sea is constantly changing and so are your surroundings, so much so that you’ll think that you’re wasting time by sleeping particularly if you can be taking in a breathtaking sunrise.
The onshore excursions are too short: Yes, if you just go to a plaza an sit drinking beer. But I would defy anyone not to get spring in their step whey they are awoken by the captain announcing you are in Barcelona.
And you look out for the first time on the statue of Columbus pointing to the US.
Las Ramblas is a shoppers’ paradise but personally I found the sea front more alluring and spectacular.
I was also put off by the market stall on the main thoroughfare where hens in cages are sold.
For the best way to see Barcelona, take advantage of the helicopter option. If you’ve never been in a chopper, don’t worry about noise.
You get earphones or turbulence because it’s like I imagined Aladdin felt on his magic carpet. Landing too is a skoosh like stepping off a stair.
Sports action
Sports mad? There seem to be more pools, football arenas and studio per square metre the any other city I’ve been to.
For the soccer-mad Briton a visit to the Nou Camp is awe-inspiring. The dilemma is deciding whether to ty to pack in more sights or to return to the liner to enjoy a few extra on-board activities.
Beautiful sunsets. Photo by Shawnna Donop on Pexels.com
Just don’t cut it too fin or they’ll leave without you.
Don’t imagine you will run out of things to do on board. You can swim, drink, eat, and of course, eat.
You’ll never be bored
The buffet is an eat-all-you-like when-you-like, what-you-like treat… that comes at a price!±
Out guide told us that on average people put on a stone a week during a cruise.
He said this while downing a large glass of water. He has come down from 25 stone to 18 with a plan which involves drinking litres and litres of H2).
You can also gamble on board in get ship’s casinos. Or having sampled foods from around the world in any of he exclusive restaurants you can burn it all off in the gym.
Have a go on the rowing machine while looking out over the swell or opt for a massage in the on-board health suite.
Or simply do nothing.
When do we ever really give ourselves that luxury,
Turn off the mobile phone and just relax by the pool.
Even if somebody wanted to see you you couldn’t get to them so you might as well ignore that phone.
In the evenings it’s sheer indulgence to be able to saunter on from your living room (read, the restaurant) to your lounge (read, the theatre) to enjoy West End-style shows.
Delights around every corner. On Majorca. Photo by Zach Besley on Pexels.com
Majorca adventures
But then the dy finally comes – damn, I’m only halfway down the cocktail list when we have to get off.
Thankfully though, it’s not Old Blighty yet. As part of our package we have a couple of nights stop-off in Palma, Majorca.
We stayed in Santa Ponsa, in a lovely secluded hotel called the Jardin del Sol Suites & Spa which is close enough if you want to be near the busier main village.
We used the hotel as base and what a luxurious base it was. A Jacuzzi bath and a shower with sprinklers.
You will get hot if you go to Majorca in high season but that’s great, it gives you the chance to have a bath and a shower.
And if you want a siesta, then you can sprawl out on the hotel’s triple beds!
Michael and Catherine
The balcony looks out on the swimming pool and the glistening sea.
Drag yourself away from it all though and get out into the north of the island, it’s the most picturesque part of Majorca. But don’t just take my word for it.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have a home there.
You’re in the high part of the island here and the views from the top of the passes are stunning.
The pick of the tourist attractions is the monastery at Valdemosa.
It would be interesting enough for its history, religious relics, position and scenery.
But it is all the more fascinating because of its association with Frederic Chopin, the composer and his lover George Sand.
Ostracised by the religious zealots in the village, the sickly Chopin was taken in by the monks and nursed by Sand.
You can still see his manuscripts and what is claimed to be his piano.
There’s only so much high culture you can take though, and any trip to Majorca would not be complete without some Spanish dancing.
The Son Amar show in a huge arena in the middle of the island crams it all in.
And that’s just the food which is shovelled on to plates and whisked away while you’ve still got your fork in your hand.
Still, there’s a show on.
Still not finished: La Sagradia Familia Photo by Enrico Perini on Pexels.com
The least said about the comic the better – maybe humour doesn’t always travel but the flamenco dancers and the magic art were well, magic.
But like the sun setting on the horizon over the Med on the liner, so it had to set on my cruise.
With my in-flight magazine on my lap and looking out on home soil again, I thought of circling Barcelona in a helicopter and the view at sunrise on my Island Cruise trip.
Reasons to cruise the Med
I’ll give that a go: Flamenco dancer. Photo by Mark Neal on Pexels.com
Watch the sunrise: You can watch the sunrise anywhere but you can’t watch it appear over the horizon with a cooling breeze around you on board a luxury cruise. Pure poetry!
Take in a cruise show: You can just watch while nursing a cocktail in your hand, or budding thespians can take part in one of the talent shows.
Step ashore in Barcelona: And then a take a flight over the city. It’ll be the smoothest flight you’ve ever had. Swirl over forests, haciendas, Las Ramblas, the specatacular seafront rebuilt for the Barcelona Olympics and the statue of Columbus.
Join the monks in Majorca: Visit the monastery that housed the hard-living hard-loving George Sand and her composer beau Frederic Chopin. Their short life together on Majorca could make a Hollywood blockbuster.
Learn flamenco in Spain: The La Mer Show is good old-fashioned Spain for the tourists, bu too less enjoyable for that.
El deal
She’s got the whole world in her hands. Arty Majorca. Photo by Tim Savage on Pexels.com
Operating out of Palma, Majorca, until October, Island Cruises offers 14-night cruise-and-stay packages from £675pp.
Comprising a seven-night cruise followed by a seven-night stay in one of 29 Majorcan hotels.
Cruise and stay packages at the Jardin del Sol Suites & Spa with accommodation on a half-board basis start from £965pp.
Flights are available from Glasgow and Edinburgh, supplements apply.
For more information and recruitments call Island Cruises on (08707) 500 414 or visit http://www.islandcruises.com.
*Since this article was published in The Scotsman in 2003 Island Cruises has gone through a number of changes with TUI now moving the previous brand forward with great success.Hence you being redirected to https://www.tui.co.uk
What do you mean I didn’t update Cruiseday Tuesday last week? I was away on a fact-finding mission on Tobago if you don’t mind.
Gratitude, that’s all I ask.
I only saw a TUI cruise ship when I was away…
In the dock at Scarborough where my fellow travel companion Anthony’s cousin just happened to be on board.
We ate in the Blue Crab restaurant in the town where myself and ‘Uncle Kenneth’ rustled up a chicken curry as you do as ‘Auntie Alison’ shared advice on the secret of her 50-year marriage.
Tobago’s spoils
One of the pearls of wisdom she shared is to make your underwear drawer the bottom drawer.
Auntie Alison is the ideal mine host which the couple who came in blindly off the ship on Kenneth and Alison’s day off will testify to.
Princess has a 14-night Baltic Heritage sailing on Crown Princess, departing May 30, with Linda on board.
The round trip from Southampton, calls at Kristiansand, Copenhagen, Tallinn, St Petersburg (overnight), Helsinki, Stockholm, Visby and Gdansk (Gdynia).
Prices from €1649pp with up to $250pp onboard spending money.
For more information or to book visit www.princess.com or speak to your local travel agent.
There will be more guest speakers announced soon and, of course, Princess has my details and you know how much I love my fans.
So a 45-minute talk with questions and answers, as well as a meet and greet session including photographs and books signings is something I’m only too happy to share with you Bandanafans.
And again…. sarong, but oh, so right
Bet you didn’t expect that: Copenhagen
