My Dad is a do-er. He wants each day to have a purpose. No matter where we are, he’ll fill up his time with excursions and activities.
My Mum, on the other hand, is a be-er. She wants to relax when she’s away. The less her day resembles its usual frenetic pace, the better.
To a certain extent, they’ve both got good points. When you’re taking valuable time off work, it’s important to recharge your batteries, but it’s equally important to make the most of your time away by exploring your destination.
I definitely take after my father. I have trouble sitting still on holiday. I always have a long list of things I want to do and I cram as much as I can into every day. It makes me quite an effective traveller, but I’m hopeless at relaxing.
And that’s why I found Naxos so tricky. I was sick for a while before leaving for Greece, and struggled my way around Athens. There’s plenty to do in Naxos, but I was too unwell. I had to make do sticking around the campsite, just being.
I’d love to say it afforded me a much-needed rest time, but I’d be lying. I was miserable the whole time and couldn’t wait to recover enough to eat and do again!