BUSHMAN tips: Affordable and warm spring holidays

Without a travel agent, just go by yourself!

Like to travel on your own? I love the freedom and it's a great experience for us. I like to say that you travel three times: once when you plan your trip, then when you’re on the spot and thirdly when you sort your photos. Plus -compared to tours with a tour operator, we’ve got absolute flexibility: we can quickly change the parameters of our trip if something unexpected happens, likd the weather or the mood goes wrong. Our family is also very fond of "Don’t hang arounds" …we don't tend to spend too much time in any given country in only
one place. 

I adjust our itinerary according to our crew. There are five of us: 2 teenagers, 1 little girl, me - an active athlete - and a man who has had long-term knee problems. So it's always a challenge to come up with a vacation that interests everyone!

So I choose destinations that:

• are close so we don't spend half our vacation on a plane,
• tickets that are relatively cheap to buy, even when multiplied by five,
• offer a mix of culture and nature,
• are not too vast so we see more than we spend time in the car,
• the climate is pleasant, i.e. a T-shirt during the day, a sweatshirt in the evening at sunset, and even a jacket,
• offers a variety of exercise options – but nothing too extreme - short walks, surfing, snorkelling, bike hire etc.,
• has a mountain to escape to at least on one of those days 😊!

The planning schedule is therefore simple:

• I'll find out if the political situation in the country is okay, that's a priority, especially when traveling with kids.
• I'll buy plane tickets.
• I'll do online research on local attractions, which will be used to book a car (also online) at that destination.
• I then research each attraction and gradually link them into a realistic circuit so that the trip is varied and alternates between nature and culture.
• I find accommodation for the summer through booking.com - usually only the first night and the last night before departure, the rest we usually keep open... 
• At the airport, at least one of us will get a local SIM card so that we can be sure of data across the country 24 hours a day.

What we must have with us:

• Comfortable clothes - we travel light; we try to have max 3 sets of things and only one top layer, usable for both city and countryside. We choose clothes that combine well.
• Luggage that is lightweight and practical.
• Car chargers, power banks, cables, possibly a local outlet (I find this out in advance).
• Snacks for the road - bars, nuts, etc.  
• A knife - a problem if you only have luggage on board - in this case we buy a simple local one. It’s essential for us for cutting up snacks, peeling fruit etc. 
• An appliance or tablets to sterilise the water I consider essential.
• Good travel insurance.

OUR BUSHMAN TIPS for travel: 
KINDU knife with flint and 1.3m cord 
LUNCH thermos and lunchbox set
ODIEL Foldable waterproof cosmetic bag 
BOLSA backpack with 10 pockets, integrated raincoat and 40 litre capacity

Our tradition of going away for spring breaks has been going on for 10 years and here are those destinations I can highly recommend:

Morocco or Oman (formerly also Jordan and Israel)

Both of these countries fascinated the kids and us, mainly because of the dunes, which offer romantic sunrises and sunsets, camel riding, quad biking and snowboarding. Our teens appreciated the endless possibilities for taking great photos (both on the dunes and in the towns that offer unusual architecture - castles, mosques, marketplaces). The local cuisine is so different that the conservative part of the family may have spent most of the trip on Nutella pancakes, but the rest of us really enjoyed the oriental dishes. The people here are different too, and the kids pick up on this temperament and enjoy it. 
It's all crowned with beautiful nature inland - wadis, gorges, mountains - but also there’s a coastline where you can surf or snorkel.

Marseille and surroundings, Sicily, Southern Spain

These and other European destinations may not be as exotic, but again you can combine sightseeing with nature. There's the beautiful Calanques National Park within an hour's drive of Marseille and the famous Verdon Canyon 5 hours from the city. We had a lovely walk there, but also rode pedalos in it, or gazed at it from the top of a nice cafe. Sicily offers both great cuisine and beautiful views from around Mount Etna, but while you're there, be sure to take a speedboat to the Aeolian Islands, climb a volcano (1 hour from the sea, anyone can do it), take a dip in the mud, or just laze on the local black beaches.
 

Tenerife

We only visited Tenerife, but Gran Canaria is said to offer a similar mix of experiences. Again, we rented a car for 7 days and drove around the whole island. We mixed coastal cliff walks with windsurfing, visiting zoos and exploring volcanic hills. The people are pleasant, the traffic is minimal, the beaches are beautiful and the food is amazing!


I'm sure there are many other places where the temperature is around 20 degrees in February, the accommodation is plentiful and the scenery is beautiful…. So enjoy discovering them. Have a safe trip!


Jana Lenkova
Sales and Marketing Director BUSHMAN