As the world began to get back to normal after Covid, we decided to have a look at some of the islands of the Caribbean, leaving the port of Bridgetown in Barbados on the Grandeur of the Seas.

Checking in required us to travel 200m by bus from the terminal to the testing facility where we had to do a lateral flow Covid test and then wait for the results.

There was supposed to be Wi-Fi so that we could get the email regarding the test results, but it was a little patchy so we ended up going up to the desk after 25 minutes and they pulled up our results, allowing us to proceed.

The Grandeur of the Seas was just outside the testing station, tantalisingly close while we were waiting for the results…

And then we were allowed on board. Our room cards were in an envelope on the door. Our cabin was the cheapest they had: on the second floor, with no windows. The mirrors were partly to make the room appear larger!

Having said that, the room did have a couch. Which was the perfect size for Ange.

My favourite was Channel 3 which featured a feed from the camera on the bridge looking out over the front right of the ship. Handy for figuring out whether we’d docked yet. The feed rotated through maps of where we were including such data as our depth, course, speed, time of sunrise and sunset etc.

There was a compulsory safety briefing which meant we had to go up to our muster station and check in.

But that was it – time to explore the ship! The top level featured a running track.

A big screen TV for watching movies. Sounds great. But the soundtrack for the movies would cut out randomly for 30-60 seconds every 5-10 minutes, replaced with random music. Nothing ruins immersion quicker!

The view down to the Windjammer buffet restaurant.

The Solarium was an adults only area under glass with a deep pool (and lifeguard) and two Jacuzzis.

The main restaurant was Art Deco’s finest Great Gatsby.

The Centrum was a central atrium with live music at the base of the elevators. Which was a terrible design as the Customer Service desk, Next Cruise desk and Excursions desks were all on the fifth floor, so the music drowned out any attempts at communications.

A climbing wall was at the stern of the ship. Looking down from the top would be 200ft from the water’s surface.

There was a slight shifting of our destinations due to Covid but we ended up going to:

Kingstown in St Vincent and the Grenadines

Basseterre in St Kitts and Nevis

Philipsburg in Sint Maarten

St John’s in Antigua

St George’s in Grenada

before returning to Bridgetown in Barbados.

The post Royal Caribbean Cruise: Grandeur of the Seas appeared first on etrip.tips.

Having such a change to your lifestyle certainly allowed you to see where your self-identity lay – to see what was important. While people contracted the virus and died in their thousands, and others furloughed or got laid off and joined the ranks of the millions unemployed, I, a travel blogger, waited for word on when we could travel again.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m grateful that I have my job, if a little jealous of furloughed people publishing accounts of all the skills and projects they were undertaking. I’m also incredibly grateful to have my health, and doing my bit to make sure I’m not an inadvertent vector of transmission (mask? no problem! social distancing? I’m your man).

The tatters of the plans for travel in 2020 look at me accusationally. Will we just slide them all to 2021, or will a year make a difference to the things we want to go and see and do? Will we get all the refunds for everything or will certain airlines need the threat of civil proceedings before they release undeserved cash from their grasping little hands?

Pre-Corona I added a widget to the site to show the upcoming locations we’d planned on visiting. Something to allow others to share the anticipation of the trips, but life, it laughs at the planning of mortals, so I’ve removed that widget.

The plans are dead, so here are their eulogies…

The Baltics

In April we were going to head to the Baltics, taking in the current capitals of Finland (Helsinki), Estonia (Tallinn) and Latvia (Riga), plus the old capital of Russia (St Petersburg).

The medieval old towns and diverse backgrounds would have made a fascinating opportunity to contrast the different cities – especially given their connection to the Hanseatic League.

Normandy

Early May was going to be spent visiting the Normandy beaches, away from the bustle accompanying the D-Day celebrations in June, and accompanied by a trip to the abbey at Mont Saint Michel.

Cornwall

In late May we were to walk the Cornish coast from St Ives to Penzance. Just a snippet of the walk described in The Salt Path _{(not an affiliate link)}, it would have taken a little over a week of between 5 and 10 mile daily hikes.

Staying in AirBnBs, and featuring Lands End, the Wizard of Oz performed in the open air Minack Theatre and ending with a trip to St Michael’s Mount, it was going to require a level of fitness we were well on the way to achieving before the ‘Rona.

Český Krumlov

In June we were going to go to the Five Petalled Rose Celebrations in Český Krumlov. This sleepy bohemian Czech Republic town comes alive as everyone wears period costumes and celebrates their history with a weekend of medieval feasting and fireworks.

The heat of June was going to be alleviated by a leisurely river rafting experience. This is getting taken an hour upriver of town and placed in an inner tube with a box of beer and letting the current take you home as inebriation intensifies.

Manchester & Liverpool

In July we were going to go for a quick trip to Manchester and Liverpool to take in the homes of the Industrial Revolution and the Beatles respectively. Oh and attend a Crowded House concert, as you do!

Africa

In August and September we were planning to go on our first African safari to see the wildlife in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, ending up at Victoria Falls.

Trying to pack in the Dali-esque Namib Dessert, the Diamond coast, as well as the National Parks and Game Reserves was going to be a challenge, but the prospect of seeing lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes and other wildlife would have made for a once in a lifetime experience. And at those prices they would be once in a lifetime!

New Zealand

And then we would have been heading home to New Zealand for Christmas. We’re still hopeful for that to come off, but nothing is guaranteed. We are, after all, living in unprecedented times.

The post Unprecedented: 2020 Travel Plans Dashed! appeared first on etrip.tips.

• Ballooning over Albuquerque. Pure magic.
• Grand Canyon. Awe Inspiring.
• Antelope Canyon. Stunning colours and a great adventure.

So what did we do on our trip?

London (stopover)

The trip started with a visit to the Aspire Lounge in London Gatwick.

New York

Radisson at JFK

Cambria Hotel

Three Days in NYC

Washington DC

DC on a weekend

Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill

Albuquerque

Howard Johnson in Albuquerque

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque, New Mexico: Breaking Bad Tour Highlight

Flagstaff (overnight stopover)

Residence Inn Flagstaff

Grand Canyon

Yavapai Lodge, Grand Canyon

The Biggest Hole: Grand Canyon South Rim

Grand Canyon to Page Road Trip

Page

Page, Arizona: Antelope Canyon Highlight

Clarion Inn

Travelodge by Wyndham

Las Vegas

Bellagio Hotel

Luxor Hotel

Venetian Resort

What Happens in Vegas….

Calgary (stopover)

Aspire Lounge Calgary

WestJet Calgary to London

The post USA! USA! USA! appeared first on etrip.tips.

For two weeks in April 2018 etrip.tips headed to Sydney and Brisbane in Australia and reviewed the hotels and destinations we stayed in along the way. This is the handy collection of the blogposts:

Sydney

• Sydney
• Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Sydney
• Novotel Norwest Sydney
• Vulcan Hotel
• Hotel Palisade
• North Sydney Habourview
• Simpsons Potts Point
• Holiday Inn Potts Point

Brisbane

• Brisbane
• Adina Apartment Hotel
• Holiday Inn
• Il Mondo
• Ibis Styles Elizabeth Street
• Plaza Premium Lounge

The post Trip: Sydney & Brisbane, Australia 2018 appeared first on etrip.tips.

After a good solid three months on the continent on our Summer 2017: UNESCO tour, Angela decided to do a month in the UK, with Chris training it from London to join her in the weekend in various towns. Here are the blog posts for our trip around the UK.

Lake District

• Country Hotel, Kendal
• Royal Oak Inn
• Bowness-on-Windermere

Nottingham

• Hotel Ibis, Nottingham Centre

Norwich

• Central Hotel, Norwich
• Hill House
• Norwich

Leicester

• Hotel Ibis, Leicester City

Cheltenham

• Alice Guest House, Cheltenham
• White Lodge
• Chapel Spa
• Cheltenham Spa and Bourton-on-the-Water

Weymouth

• Arcadia Guest House, Weymouth

Winchester

• King Alfred Pub
• Winchester/Chawton

The post Trip: UK 2017 appeared first on etrip.tips.

The post Trip: Summer 2017 UNESCO appeared first on etrip.tips.

• Beijing which included
  • Walking the Great Wall at Mutianyu
  • Temple of Heaven, Hutongs, Summer Palace
• Xi’an
• Shanghai

India

• New Delhi
• Agra
• Chand Baori
• Fatehpur Sikri
• Ranthambore
• Jaipur

The post Trip: Pollution & Tigers appeared first on etrip.tips.

Israel

• Jerusalem (1000), which includes:
  • King Solomon’s Hotel (140)
  • Masada & Dead Sea (670)
  • Old City Tour of Jerusalem (640)
• Crossing the border at Eilat (3640)

Jordan

• Petra (1580), which includes:
  • Movenpick Petra (200)
• Amman, which includes:
  • Petra to Amman (2050)
  • Day trip to Jerash (930)

Egypt

•  Sharm el Sheikh, which includes:
  • Rixos (870)

Is It Safe?

My trip took place in late July 2015. In the interest of total honesty:

I was going to go to Kerak Castle, and didn’t end up going. In December 2016 four gunmen took hostages and at least nine people were killed.

In January 2017 four Israeli soldiers were killed when a truck was driven into a group of soldiers in Jerusalem.

In October 2015, 224 people died when their flight leaving Sharm blew up after an IED detonated. There is still a travel advisory in place.

But by the same token, on mainland Europe there have been terrorist attacks as well. I guess what I’m saying is that nowhere is 100% safe.

The post Trip: The Holy Land appeared first on etrip.tips.

Gardens, Surf & Wind and stayed at Tregarth House

Catania

Catania, stayed at the Four Points and climbed Mt Etna. Hop On Hop Off bus too.

The post Trip: Cornwall and Catania appeared first on etrip.tips.

Athens

Athens: The cradle of civilisation and we stayed in the shadow of the Acropolis

Oia on Santorini

Sunsets & Sunbathing in Oia, Santorini staying at Casa Francesca & Musses Studios

Western Crete

Exploring the Beaches and Towns of West Crete

The post Trip: Sunsets in Greece appeared first on etrip.tips.