The Dead Sea is a land locked sea situated at the lowest point on earth. It is the most peculiar feeling ’sitting’ in this water, totally supported by the high level of salt you can’t help but float. It is completely comfortable to float in this water and read a book!

As you are floating effortlessly in the warm, mineral rich waters, you see people around the shoreline scooping handfuls of mud from the sea bed and smearing it over themselves before wading into the water. It is the most bizarre sight! There are two very lovely, luxury hotels situated on the Dead Sea that both take advantage of the minerals available and offer excellent spa facilities.

However, don’t leave it too long before visiting the Dead Sea - the water level of the Dead Sea is dropping by about a 30cm (1 foot) per year and Scientists predict that the sea may be dried up by the year 2050!

Jordan has been, for me, one of the places that was always on my ‘must see’ list and when I got the opportunity to visit in March, it lived up to all my expectations. Petra was the highlight of our trip. We arrived in this small but busy town about 6pm and after quickly donning some comfortable footwear, we walked to the entrance to Petra Site. Lit by hundreds of candles and the light of the moon, the walk through a small gap in an enormous rock, called The Siq, can be quite magical although I would suggest leaving a little while after the crowds have passed through so you can experience what it is like in the quiet.

Petra is an incredible place, so much more than the Treasury - its most famous building, and as you wonder freely through this ancient city you can still imagine what it may have been like in the times of the Nabeatean people two thousand years ago. Climb the 950 or so steps upto the Monastry for incredible views right across the Wadi Musa valley - its exhausting and takes around 45 minutes but so worth it! We only had a whole day here but left feeling that there was so much more to discover.

Sitting at the crossroads of ancient civilisations between Arabia and the Mediterranean Sea is the Kingdom of Jordan. A combination of stunning desert landscapes and ancient cities, beautiful beaches and, of course, the Dead Sea awaits the visitor. Jordan is an ideal short haul destination to somewhere completely different as Fiona and I are about to find out.

The latest destination to be added to Worldwide Holidays portfolio, Jordan offers a great deal from just a small country. During our visit, we will be visiting the rose city of Petra, camping overnight in the desert just like Lawrence of Arabia and checking out the healing properties of the Dead Sea - if I don’t return looking ten years younger, questions will be asked!

We both return on the 22nd March so check out our photos and blogs on our return.

2008 has seen a very busy start to our year. Fiona and myself off to Ecuador and The Galapagos for a special visit on the newest luxury cruise ship around the Galapagos Islands called: ‘La Pinta’ . With the new destination of Jordan coming on board in March it looks set for and exciting year here at Worldwide Holiday Direct.

I have just had another fantastic holiday to Costa Rica. I have been specialising in this amazing country for over 8 years & I can honestly say that I have never sold (in the 20 years I have worked in the travel industry) or travelled to a country as special & wonderful in every way as Costa Rica!

It is only twice the size of Scotland (another country very close to my heart!) but offers an unbelievable amount of diversity. All the scenery is stunning but within a few miles it dramatically changes. Yes there are jungles, volcanoes, cloud forests, wildlife & stunning beaches in other places in the world but how many countries can boast all of them??

Not only is Costa Rica a stunningly beautiful country with an abundance of nature, it is also home to the nicest, friendliest & warmest people, many of whom are now personal friends. A trip to Costa Rica can really re-affirm your faith in mankind, & nowadays we all need some of that!! Tico’s have a real passion for their country which drives them to do whatever they can to ensure that you also fall in love. It truly is not about the money they put themselves out so that visitors have the best experience possible.

Having said this there are areas of Costa Rica that have been allowed to develop for major tourism & I now avoid selling these areas. Why travel so far to experience something that you can have somewhere else in the world? Sounds crazy to me, but each to their own but I prefer to leave those companies selling charter holidays to it. I have faith that Costa Rica will always protect its wildlife areas & therefore mass tourism will not take over all the country.

So at the end of April Sam & I went to Costa Rica for our annual girlie holiday, leaving all the stresses behind us (yes I am married!!). We usually only go away for 1 week but to go to Costa Rica we managed to extend this to 9 nights. So as this was Sam’s 1st time to Costa Rica we needed to get a balance of her seeing some of the diversity but not trying to fit in too much.. So we went to 3 of my most favourite areas & hotels & it was a fantastic trip & felt like we had had 3 very different holidays because each area was very different. The itinerary order was not the best, but hey-ho even we are subject to availability!!

My top 3 areas have to be Arenal Volcano, Manuel Antonio & Corcovado in the Osa Peninsula. I count myself as being extremely lucky to have visited & stayed @ Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge 3 times. I think it is the most special place on earth & the national park has been deemed by the National Geographic Society as “biologically the most intense place on Earth” – so I am in good company! Sam & I also stayed here on our trip & it was again fabulous. On the boat trip to Cano Island we saw approx 60 dolphins & the snorkelling was great – I am proud to say that it was the first time I managed to use the sprouty bit to breath, although I did keep forgetting to breath!!

Manuel Antonio is the perfect combination of beach, relaxation, nature & wildlife. We stayed @ the superb El Parador hotel in a Premium room (the Premium Plus rooms have 1 king size bed only - we are friends but not that close!). We had dinner with the sales manager in the hotels La Galeria restaurant, which was wonderful, but there are lots of other restaurants a short taxi ride away. We also tried a local restaurant called El Avion, which was great value.

Every time I go to Costa Rica, whether on a personal holiday or for a work inspection trip I have to go to Arenal Volcano. To me it is the most awe-inspiring sight. When I managed to get my husband to take the long flight to Costa Rica he had heard so much about Arenal Volcano. I was so excited to go back & no doubt bored him to tears about it. When we arrived in the day time & I pointed it out to him he was so unimpressed that I would not speak to him.. Then as it got dark I was sat in my rocking chair on our hotel rooms balcony & called him out to see the orange lava flowing down.. I eventually went to bed whilst he stayed up most of the night filming the lava & continually waking me up to come & see all the activity!!

There are lots of hotels in this area now to suit all budgets, my favourites are Arenal Kioro, Arenal Springs & if you are on self-drive then Lost Iguana. With Sam we were lucky enough to stay @ the Kioro & it was wonderful, made even more so by the massages we had in the spa.

So that is it for another trip to Costa Rica & as always I was a bit emotional to be leaving. But I am sure I will be back, even my husband (he who hates flying & is married to me??!) is quite keen to take the journey again. I suppose in the meantime I will have to live vicariously through my clients & their trips to Costa Rica!

It has been a few years since my last trip to Peru, in fact it was long over due. It is really important for all our staff to keep up to date with their specialist countries as things do change, as is the case in Peru. This time I travelled with my colleague Alison, who will now also sell Peru.

I was delighted to see that Lima was a much cleaner city & looked a lot more prosperous. I stayed again @ the wonderful Country Club de Lima but the next day did all my hotel inspections & was pleasantly surprised with the Orient Express Hotel, the Miraflores Park, I think this may be my favourite now in Lima, the coastal view was stunning… Not that I recommend spending too much time in the city as outside Lima is where the adventure really starts.

This time I did something new (for me) & headed north to Chicalyo, visiting pre-Inca sites. This was a really long day as we then drove the 4 hours south to spend the night in Trujillo. I would not recommend that our clients do it this way as it is too tiring. A night @ the Grand Hotel in Chiclayo would be best & then drive down the next day, making stops en route. From Trujillo we visited Chan Chan, which was fascinating. As we were still @ sea level it seemed only right that we partook in some of our duty free gin, but in Trujillo tonic water seems to be a scarce commodity. It ended up us going in a taxi with the hotel’s concierge in search of tonic water. We had all but given up hope when in the 6th place we saw a lonely bottle in the window. That was a strange evening!

We then flew back to Lima for a night before heading off on the flight to Cusco. Cusco is the most amazing city in Peru & I love it. As we had a morning flight, we did not stay in Cusco but was met by Harvey, our guide, & we went straight out to the lower altitude of the Sacred Valley, stopping @ Pisaq market, had a fabulous buffet lunch en route before getting to the Sonesta Yucay Hotel for our 2 night stay. The next day we did our hotel inspections & my favourite is still the Sol y Luna, but it was full, which is the norm unfortunately!

I really think that 2 nights in the Sacred Valley is a great idea. This gives enough time to visit the tourist market, a local market, Ollantaytambo ruins as well as the Maras Saltpans & Moray. Then another advantage is that you can take the train for Machu Picchu from the Sacred Valley either having a later start or you can take the earlier Vallee train to get you there before the Cusco train.

The big advantage of having a private guide is that you can take the tour at your own pace but also the guide can change the order of the visits to avoid the groups.. This is what we did at Machu Picchu, rather than going straight to the top we started @ the bottom & worked our way to the top - going in the opposite direction to the groups. We spent the night @ the really lovely Machu Picchu Pueblo, which was wonderful. But I do think that staying at the Sanctuary Lodge, located right by the ruins, is such a logistically good place to stay. It is however extremely expensive but if your budget will stretch to include a stay here you can get out of bed & walk right into the ruins with no need to queue for the bus from Aguas Calientas etc. We did do the hotel inspections for all the different standard hotels available in Aguas Calientas so we can recommend the best option to suit your budget.

Aguas Calientas has vastly improved & to be honest it needed to! There are also new buses up to the ruins which are 100 times more comfortable than the ones I travelled on last time..

The train back to Cusco was long but we had a hoot when the fashion show started! We got off the train @ Poroy, before Cusco, as this saved more than 1 hour & by then we were keen to get off the train! It is also possible to get off @ Ollantaytambo & have a private transfer from there to Cusco, which is much quicker but a more expensive option. There is also the luxury Hiram Bingham train option, which is very comfortable & includes a 3 course meal.

So we are now in Cusco & it is as wonderful as it had been the first time I visited. The history & story of Cusco is fascinating & I was as impressed & awestruck by Sacsayhuaman as I was before.. the size of the perfectly fitted stones is mind blowing.

Before heading back to the UK I did all the Cusco hotel inspections & met up with our Inka Trail people. I would never have the time to walk the Inka Trail myself (phew!) so it is important for me to keep up to date with the operational guys etc. As time is always an issue on these trips I flew from Cusco to Lima the same day as my International departure. It does save having the final night in Lima but unless you are flying Business Class (which I unfortunately was not!) it can be a tiring journey back to the UK.

Alison stayed on @ went to Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon & Arequipa. I went there last time & someone had to get back to work!!

I’m off to Peru for two weeks on 18 May - my first trip and I am really excited about the fantastic places I am going to visit. Flying into Lima and after a couple of days acclimatisation flying to Chiclayo overnight visiting Tucume the Valley of the Pyramids, back to Lima for one night and then flying to Cusco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas which I hear is totally amazing and so much to see, I can’t wait to go to Macchu Picchu a place I’ve always wanted to visit and at the top of everyone’s list. From Cusco by train to Puno staying by Lake Titicaca. By Hydrofoil to the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca visiting Sun and Moon Islands - what a day its going to be. The following day Colca Canyon to see the giant condors - how great is this going to be. My last night is in Arequipa and then unfortunately back to Lima and a flight home.

When I get back I’ll update you on all the highs of my trip and the amazing things I got up to!

Many of our staff are off on trips to our specialist countries. Fiona and Sam are going to visit Fiona’s first love - Costa Rica - at the end of April. See Fiona’s blog on their return in early May for full details of their trip.

Alison and Fiona will re-visit Peru in May, this will be Alison first trip to Peru, which she is really looking forward to - Alison will help Fiona on the Peru desk on her return as Peru is such a popular destination for us.

Our team continue to grow and we are pleased to have Naomi as our admin manager, Naomi has a background studying Tourism Management - and has an interest in Ecuador and Madagascar.

Madagascar is really attracting so much interest since we launch this destination in Nov 06, it is such a special place that seems to be on everyone’s list - many of the hotels are very small and therefore availability can be limited - we recommend that if clients are interested it’s never too soon to start looking and the perfect tour to include the very best of Madagascar for you.

Helen

I regularly travel to our destinations, visiting hotels and attractions and most importantly talking with the local staff. This way we maintain a personal relationship with our local representatives, keeping up to date and ensuring we maintain the responsive, informed and personal touch that is so important to us.