Make the most of a holiday
Somewhere between lying in bed with a raging fever after Christmas, and falling asleep on the couch for yet another daytime nap, I asked myself why I had pinned my entire year’s worth of holidays on this little stretch between Christmas and New Year?
Falling ill on Christmas Day is as unfortunate a summer holiday as it gets, bringing me down for the duration of my time off, and wiping clear my plans for a summer of biking, kayaking and swimming.
Fortunately, I was staying with family, and I am ever so grateful to my big sister for bringing me cold flannels for my head and feeding me nourishing meals, and to my niece for her endless cups of tea deliveries.
But it got me thinking about how I plan my holidays each year.
I might take a few days here and there, but lately – and I blame the pandemic for this one – I rarely plan for a week off other than over the Christmas/New Year holiday period.
And if that is the main holiday of my year, then sickness (which as we all know, usually happens at the most inconvenient of times) can thwart that one and only time off.
So here is my 2023 resolution – to take more time out to travel. And I don’t mean for a work trip, I mean an actual holiday.
Whether it is a few more long weekends around New Zealand or across the ditch, or maybe a good week or two somewhere exotic, this year I am going to plan my holidays better.
If you want to do the same, then we have some inspiring travel stories to help you on your way.
There are plenty of exciting activities and attractions in New Zealand, such as new biking trails or stargazing tours.
See what tickles your fancy by heading to pages 32-33 for Siobhan Downes’ piece on the best new things to do this summer.
But if you want to go big this year, and I mean really big, then be inspired by what is set to become one of the world’s best hiking trails – the whopping 403km Trans-Bhutan Trail, which you can read about on pages 28-29.
If you are lucky enough to still be on holiday, take your time to enjoy flicking through our other travel inspiration pages. However, if you are already back at work – do what I am doing, and start planning for the year ahead.