From Botswana to Brazil – My Dream 2016 Holiday

‘I travel not to go anywhere but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move’ – Robert Louis Stevenson

I often count my blessings for growing up as an Army brat and how it’s enabled me to travel around Europe, live in different countries and experience different cultures. I’m also lucky to have married someone who shares my passion for travel and Dave and I have been to some amazing places together; New York, New Zealand, Newcastle upon Tyne…

The problem is, the world is a massive place, and being two lowly NHS workers means that while the passion is there, bank account often says no. I’ve always maintained that when it comes to travel for me it’s less about ‘where I want to go’ and more about ‘what I want to see’ so when Icelolly.com set the challenge of writing about my dream travel destination for 2016, I thought it the perfect opportunity to write about the two ‘things’ in the world I’ve always, ALWAYS wanted to see:

Animals in the wild in Bostwana:
When you think about going on Safari, you often think about Kenya, but actually, Botswana is apparently ‘where it’s at’ in terms of seeing animals in their natural habitat. I’m obsessed with animals. Unfortunately due to hubby’s allergies, having a family pet is a no-no so whenever we go on holiday you an get your bottom dollar I’ll be scoping out the nearest zoo (San Diego zoo was a highlight of our trip to southern California in 2009).

I can imagine seeing animals in their natural surroundings is something you can only dream about. Although not part of the ‘big five’ in southern Africa, my favourite safari animal with without a doubt the Giraffe. Those gorgeous long eyelashes, legs Whitney Port would be jealous of, their placid nature, i’m fascinated by them and seeing them up close in the wild would just be a lifetime made.

I’ve never been one for the great outdoors, I’m the epitome of a city girl, however the thought of staying in a safari lodge is the exception that proves the rule and sounds like absolute bliss, sleeping under the warm Africa stars, drinking champagne with the man I love whilst listening wild animals roam free all around you – I don’t think it could get much better than that!

Meeting of Waters in Brazil:
The meeting of waters n Brazil is something that’s fascinated me since I was a child, it’s where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon River but due to the different densities and temperatures of the rivers, they never mix. Seriously, how cool is that?

Brazil is a place I’ve always wanted to visit anyway to be honest, I’m not in anyway religious but I imagine seeing the statue of Christ the Redeemer up close is probably pretty awe inspiring. You can see the Meeting of the Waters via various Amazon boat trips, and I can imagine it makes some some pretty spectacular photo opportunities!

Of course it wouldn’t be a Newman holiday without incorporating some animals into the mix and whilst we were lucky enough to swim with dolphins in Cuba in 2011, they were held in captivity so being able to swim with dolphins in the Amazon, right next to a natural phenomenon that has blown my mind for years, would take that experience to a whole new level!

Maybe one day we’ll get the opportunity to visit some of these fantastic places, it’s always nice to have something to aspire to. Until then though we’ll still continue to travel, albeit a little closer to home for now!