A Holiday For One

So after writing about maybe taking a holiday to get away from it all, I browsed the windows of the travel agents in town for any tantalising late deals. Only one leapt out though, a holiday in Malta for £215. Not bad, except that price was based on 2 people sharing, and thus a single holidaymaker taking that holiday would have to pay a substantial extra fee. So not really an option. I came home and after talking to a friend online decided to try some websites and search those for last minute deals.

So I browsed sites like lastminute.com, ryanair.com, easyjet.com and a couple of the high street travel agents websites also. I found a holiday to Crete for £129! "Great", I thought, Crete has tonnes of ancient history, I'd love to go there and that was a fantastic price... which turned out to be too good to be true. Again, as a single holidaymaker I get punished by the way travel agencies work, and it turns out the company running that holiday deal do not take single holidaymakers. I visited a site especially for singles (I think it was called justyou.com or something like that), but their prices were too high.

Almost in despair and about to give up, I tried thompson.com, again a high street travel agent and entered the search details... and struck gold! A week long holiday to Malta, taking off from the local Exeter airport at 10:10am this coming Tuesday for £324.99, well within my budget. I didn't umm or ahh over this, I booked the sodding thing there and then before I could talk myself out of it. So now either I'm going, or I'm throwing over three hundred quid down the drain.

I'm both thrilled and terrified at the idea of this. I've never been on holiday by myself before (apart from a weekend to Denmark in summer 1998, and then I was going to spend that time with many friends at a convention, not really the same thing), and I've not been on holiday at all since 1998. Still I'm a Capricorn, and we are nothing if not a practical starsign. So this morning I composed a list of what I needed to buy, to make up the gaps in what I'll be taking with me. The list read as follows:

1. Suitcase - I don't own one, and the ones I could borrow from my parents are all a bit big and cumbersome for my tastes. Luckily I have been spared the cost of buying one of these as my good friend Richard Adams has offered to lend me his. Cheers Rich!
2. Travel Guide to Malta - Still need to pick this up, will likely drop by WHSmiths on my way home from work tomorrow and grab it.
3. Money - Obvious really. Malta's currency is the Maltese lira (they don't change to the Euro until January 2008). I got £120 worth earlier today and if I need more while I'm there, I will be taking my Maestro card.
4. Sun Lotion - After reading a newspaper article this week about how it is best not to rub lotion into the skin (unless it is both UVA & UVB lotion) and instead leave it as a white layer on top, I definately wanted one that I could rub in. So I grabbed a bottle of Factor 25 lotion from work, and a bottle of Aloe Vera hydrating after sun gel also (because my Mum was forever nagging me as a kid to put after sun on, I figured better safe than sorry).
5. Goggles - Chlorine plays havoc with my eyes, so if I want to swim in the hotel pool (and boy do I!), goggles are a must. Luckily I found my old pair in one of my drawers.
6. Swimming Trunks/Shorts - Almost certainly it will be shorts, I have an old pair but they are not a good fit. I'll go shopping for some new ones on Sunday or Monday.
7. Sandals - Comfy open shoes for by the pool basically. Bought a nice pair for £9.99 from Shoe Zone on my way home today.
8. Shaving Kit - Not going to bother taking my electric razor with me (it doesn't work well on damp skin anyway), so I bought a cheap can of shaving foam and some disposable razors at work today).
9. Towels - I have a couple bath towels already, but they are very old and a bit tatty in places. I bought a nice pack of a couple new big blue towels from work.

I think I have pretty much everything else. Need to do a lot of laundry on Sunday, so that everything is clean and ready to pack on Monday. Main thing I really need to get sorted out now is a lift down to the airport on Tuesday morning and one back in the evening of Tuesday 1st August. Thankfully my parents and my friends have said they will see what they can do to help out in this regard. Muchly appreciated people.

The hotel is 4 star rated, and boasts two pools (the indoor one is saltwater oddly enough), a gym, free sauna, and a cyber cafe. So I might well post an update or two to this blog from Malta (with any luck complete with photos), most likely around noon (as it strikes me as a good way to stay out of the sun at that time of day). My accomodation is on a Bed & Breakfast basis, so I'll be heading out to sample local cuisine in the evenings, likely just grab a sandwich for lunch most days, or if I'm in the hotel, get something from the all day Bistro. My room is en-suite and has a balcony, so I'll take a couple books to read while I'm there (a good way to pass time and relax that doesn't cost me money).

So in just over 3 days time I'm jetting off to an island with lots of history and sun, for a week away from everything. I'm 30.5 years old, it's about time I had an adventure!