The true cost of an All Inclusive holiday

A number of years ago I lived and worked on a small Greek Island called Kos. I had, without a doubt, some of the best times of my life there.

The island is small, but beautiful, the people were so friendly and the air was thick with people having a great time. Tavernas were bustling with locals and tourists alike, beaches were packed with families showing their children how to build sandcastles or paddling in the sea as further out speedboats zoomed around giving the more adventurous tourist an adrenaline fuelled watersport adventure.
You could see in some of the quieter areas, there was construction going on, huge sprawling hotels that looked about the size of small villages.

Fast forward a few years, I (now all grown up), decide to take my family back to the place we all loved so much for a holiday.

We arrive at the airport and get a cab to the hotel, on the journey we all excitedly look out of the car window of the view that is whizzing by and I get the strangest feeling. The place is almost empty. There are almost no people browsing in the shops or sitting in the little bars/restaurants/tavernas, quite a lot of the shops are closed. Something seems very wrong. After all its only 7pm.

The following day, as we set out to explore the island and try to recapture some memories, I feel almost a sadness come over me. We set out to Tigaki for the day to enjoy the glorious beach and relax in one of the many tavernas and I can honestly say, there was not a soul in the 'high street' and the beach was almost empty...In August. A few places were closed and looking pretty desolate.

However, when you drove/cycled/walked past any of the huge All Inclusive hotels that had sprung up you could hear the sound of loud music and lots of people. So many people all hiding away, holidaying overseas but seeing none of the country they are in.

It followed pretty much the same pattern for the rest of our holiday, and, even though I really enjoyed my holiday (the place is still beautiful and the people are still amazingly friendly), I left with a heavy heart. I felt like I had gone to visit a beloved aunt only to discover she was seriously ill.

Now, I have been on All Inclusive holidays, and they are pretty dire. Maybe I just don't understand the concept. I just don't understand why you would choose a beautiful place to visit and then sit inside the same four walls with someone else telling you when you can eat, what you can eat, what you can do and when you can do it? Why go somewhere with stunning scenery and beautiful beaches and old squares and harbour towns and not see any of it? Why go somewhere with some of the most delicious and freshly prepared food served by friendly, hospitable people and choose to eat mass catered cliche's of local food served up in a glorified school canteen? Why go somewhere with a diverse and vibrant nightlife offer and sit playing bingo and drinking wine that tastes like turps all night? Most All Inclusive hotels run to a spend of 3.5 euros per night, so what on earth are they actually giving you!

The truth is, as we see that times are hard All Inclusive holidays seem like a better option, after all you can "leave your wallet at home". But at what cost? You go away and experience nothing, and to be completely honest, eating out and drinking in most countries is not really that expensive so realistically you are not saving much (if any). The only REAL cost of an All Inclusive holiday is to the many towns all over Europe that are being turned into ghost towns by the increasing number of sprawling AI hotels. Where local businesses are having to reduce staff, reduce wages and eventually close. All Inclusive fans could argue that they contribute to the economy with employment and using local suppliers, what they seem to miss out, is that their staff are often paid 500-750 euros a month for extraordinarily long hours, most supppliers are paid in six month blocks, meaning they dont get paid for up to 6 months at a time which leaves the rent unpaid, the children un-fed and the stress level's high.

All you have to do is do a bit of research before you go. There are so many things to see and do that do not cost the earth and you would still be able to go away, eat, drink, explore, have a great time, make some great friends and help the local economy. After all the destiny of local communities shouldn't be left to profit-driven companies.

So go on, get out there and explore. Show the world that Europe is still open for business!

My family, the internet

My family, the internet.

Eight years ago I made the decision to move “up north” with my now husband, 150 miles (give or take), from my family. Now, I suppose that I haven’t really lived with my family for a few years before this, after spending a few years getting drunk working around Greece and Cyprus. This move just felt more permanent, there would be no more coming home for the winter with a new tan a few kilos lost and a hundred and one stories to tell, just me, my man and my house.

Now that we are a family, people often ask me what it is like raising a family so far away from my own.

I do sometimes regret that my son will never have the close relationship with his cousins that I had with mine, however I suppose there is no guarantee that would happen even if we all lived in the same street. Although I suppose it will spare him the trauma of being hit in the face with a cricket bat by a cruel relative who was less than helpful in assisting me where to stand now that I was “wicketkeeper”.

To be completely honest, sometimes it does feel a little isolating, but then, I realise, actually, I may be geographically far from everyone, but, they are never really far from me.

My mum is always on the end of the phone if I need her, and then you have the medium of social media. There is nothing to put a smile on my face quite like seeing what my family are up to, seeing smiling pictures of their children after school plays, dance rehearsals, footie games.....Feeling like you are reconnecting with your family and friends again, realising that you have the same sense of humour as a cousin in Australia you have not seen since you were 16, being able to show support instantly to the people you care about or joking around with someone you haven’t seen, in person since you were drunk, in the back of their car, singing along to Lady Marmalade whilst waiting for them to finish work.

Now, since the advent of smartphones, it’s so much easier to keep in touch, whether it’s a long phone call or a 140 character snippet. So, I suppose now, when people ask if I miss my family I can always smile and say not really, we are always in each others pockets.

Today I have made a decision

Today I have decided I am going to lose weight.

I took the day off yesterday as my son had his 2 year development check yesterday morning (he’s a genius, but that’s a whole other blog entry.......). Once he had been dropped off at the childminder, I decided to set about doing all the little tasks that I have never really got round to, such as cleaning the house (I am sure next doors missing cat in there somewhere), clearing my pile of laundry (or maybe the cat is in there) and cleaning the windows, after all we are due to get some sun soon, would be nice to see some of it.

Little did I know of the horror that laid out in front of me........

Once I had finished swirling through the house like a whirlwind, I looked around at my handywork and felt a sudden rush of pride (or maybe exhaustion), at what I had accomplished, and a thought crossed my mind. I had done a lot of work, and felt knackered. I suddenly felt inspired to try and shift some of my excess lard weight and made plans now the weather is better to try and cycle to work more, do more exercise.

Now, I am nothing if not scientific, and I knew, that if I were to measure the success of exercising more/eating better, I would need a starting point. So, I dug out my digital weight watchers scales, wiped the dust from them and checked the battery still worked. I slowly stepped on them (sounds dramatic, but to be fair, I do everything quite slowly), and then it happened. The numbers flashed up and I saw how much I weighed. Not how much I thought I weighed or my dress size, my actual weight.

I almost fell through the floor. Which considering how much I weigh is now an actual real danger.

I may not have found next door’s cat in all the piles of house stuff that needed sorting, but I am expecting old moggy to fall, out of a fold on my gut somewhere, gasping for breath onto the floor in front of me.

I will let you know if we find him.

So, here I am......

So here it is, my first blog....nervous much? Bit of an introduction.......
Now, when I decide whether or not to buy a book or read a magazine article I always read the first few sentences first to get a flavour for whether or not I am going to like it.
So, here is hoping that the readers of this blog dont apply the same method.

So I am a (cough) 33 (cough) year old married woman with a two year old son and an arse the size of a small African country.

I will be using this blog to share my random thoughts and opinions and hopefully reach out to others and help them raise a smile.

Still with me?