Published 28th Jun. 2021
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You know the moment on a holiday when you just think - 'THIS is what it's all about'. That moment when the stresses and strains of work and reality slip away and you truly feel you're away from it all?... We have chosen our favourite things from around the world.
Circumnavigating the globe
Well, we at Original Travel have spent the last nine years circumnavigating the globe finding and experiencing just those sensations for ourselves, and now we've put them together into our inaugural 'Around the World in Travel Stories' list. This is also proving a lovely opportunity to recognise some of the amazing destinations we know and love around the world. After all, we've (blush) won plenty of awards in our time, so now it's time to recognise some of the places that make our clients so darned happy.
Shamelessly subjective
As with any self-respecting list, there's absolutely no scientific basis to the choices we've made. It's all shamelessly subjective, but as a nod to list etiquette we have tried to break the Senses down into eight sub-categories, namely Sensations, Sounds, Smells, Sights, Tastes, Touches, People and finally Places, and we think these represent a pretty good collection of our favourite things from our extensive travels.
Winners announced at Xmas
We'll be listing this year's Travel Stories (in no particular order) between now and Christmas, so keep an eye out for new entries here on the blog and on our Twitter and Facebook pages. Come Christmas we'll announce the winners of the individual categories and the - suitably arbitrary - choice of our favourite Sense from around the world. And don't forget that we've experienced and enjoyed every one of these ourselves, and are on the end of the line to discuss how you can experience them all too.
Practical advice and inspiration for your next trip
When it comes to your holiday, a little planning goes a long way. Recently, we’ve noticed a pattern of both last-minute and long-term bookings, which we’ve named the Concertina Effect. But why are people booking so far in advance? Our co-founder, Tom Barber, thinks ‘anticication’ has something to do with it: ‘in uncertain times, planning something joyful far ahead becomes an act of hope’. Whether admiring cherry blossoms in Japan, celebrating the Holi festival in India, cruising down the Nile on the Steam Ship Sudan, or spotting gorillas in Uganda, some holidays require extra attention.
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Every year, the same story plays out: employees in the UK let holiday days go to waste. One recent survey found that 65% of UK workers don’t use up their allowance – and a whopping 17% leave five or more days unclaimed. Another source concurs: in 2023, 61% of workers reported not using all of their annual leave. This is all especially galling when you compare us to our European neighbours. Across the EU, the average entitlement (including public holidays) is about 34 days per year, whereas in the UK, many of us are left with just 28 days.
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Wedding anniversaries are all about celebrating love, and here at Original Travel, we believe the best way to do that is on holiday. We understand that every couple is different, so whether you two are after bucket-list adventures in Norway or total relaxation in South Africa, we’ve got you covered. Ready to mark the occasion? Read on for our comprehensive list of the best anniversary holidays… First Anniversary:
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