Don’t be Lazy on Holiday – DTour Inspiration
This might, to many, sound like an oxymoron. Holidays are for relaxing, for chilling, for recharging your batteries. Quite simply they are for being lazy.
However I dare you to do the opposite, to wake up earlier, to plan your days and to do, see and experience as much as you can in your chosen holiday destination. Don’t get me wrong, you should always factor in some time for catching up on lost sleep or for going with the flow in a new city. However if you are on holiday to see and experience a new place, then plan it and experience it and do as much as you can with your time there.
It defies belief how much I have achieved in less than three days in The United Arab Emirates and it has given me a new found love for making the most of every minute. It is worth that pre holiday research and planning time to make sure you are doing as much as your time, budget and energy allows.
Here is a snapshot of what I have done in the last 62 hours.
I arrived into Dubai at 7am on Sunday morning (3am UK time) and was whizzed straight to the hotel for check in before starting my busy itinerary. No time for jetlag or napping on this trip.
Day one in Dubai and after a brief look around the Double Tree by Hilton hotel and the Hilton Resort and Spa and a yummy buffet lunch, I was ready for some water sports, but then… it started to rain! RAIN! In the desert!? Apparently I brought the British weather with me so a quick change around and I headed off to visit the National museum before spending the evening in the hotel spa. (Still time to relax and enjoy hotel’s little luxuries)
Day two I was up early for breakfast before heading back to the Hilton Resort for some water sports. Parasailing, donut riding and a quick sail around on the speedboat, all in under two hours and what an awesome way to wake up. Next it was a quick dash for lunch then on to the other side of Ras Al-Khaimah (RAK) for a snapshot Seawings flight over RAK, it really was snapshot and we were up and down again before I had chance to take any photos (too busy trying to film and work my Go Pro).
We ended the day in the desert with a falconry show at The Banyan Tree Al Wadi. Erin who ran the show knew the birds so well and I had Google and Yahoo the Owls and Selma the hawk stood on my arm while they ate quail. Though birds of prey aren’t indigenous to UAE, their history in the country goes back 2000 years when they were caught and trained to gather food for the bedouins living in the desert. They certainly seemed friendly but I am told all they care about is getting their grub!
Birds of Prey Fact of the Day
When mating, the female (always two thirds larger than males) may kill the male if she decides she does not like him. Birds of prey in captivity are often artificially inseminated to avoid any sudden deaths of expensive male birds when mating.
Day 3. I was again up at the crack of dawn to depart for a cruise along the Oman Fjords in Musandam. I have even been to another country, popping across the boarder and back again to see dolphins and colourful fish and enjoy a day looking out over the natural fjords in Oman. It is a brilliant day out and you get to tick a new country off the list.
It is now midnight and my eyes are slowly shutting, it has been a busy few days, but looking back on all the things I have done, the people I have met, the food I have tried and the wildlife I have seen it is worth these sleepy moments. I’m sure if I had laid by the pool all day I would still be feeling tired and wouldn’t have anywhere near as many stories to share with you.
The first few days of my #DTour have been a blast and I can’t wait to share more details of some of my trips above with you and even better some video footage.
If the busy holiday life isn’t for you then never fear, sit back, grab a pina colada and you can just read about what could have been you on my blog instead. But I promise by the end of this trip you will be booking the holiday of a lifetime filled with new adventures every day.
The tan will fade away but the stories are here to stay!
Here is a little video made by Nidhi at the Double Tree by Hilton Ras Al-Khaimah Hotel of the first three days of my DTour.
My #DTour is sponsored by Double Tree by Hilton. Though I have been asked to write blogs about my trip it is 100% my decision what I write about and I will be writing my personal opinions on the hotels, excursions and restaurants. Promise!
