An Ode to the Holidays We’re About to Have Again

We’re relishing the return of overseas travel and all that it promises. Here are the simple pleasures we’re craving now that the world is slowly lifting its shutters and beckoning us to adventure again.

Long-haul flights

Arriving at the airport with hours to spare, knowing full each one will dissipate in a haze of duty free browsing and breakfast bucks fizz. Stacks of books or magazines, most of which will be inevitably cast aside in favour of the inflight entertainment. Hours stretching ahead of you, totally undisturbed. The promise that your holiday is hours away. The excitement of seeing the ship against a backdrop so exotic that home becomes a distant memory for weeks, not hours.That spritz as you open the first mini can of tonic to your gin. Surprise snacks appearing like magic mid-way through a movie…

‘This is your Captain speaking’. 

The thrill of last-minute holidays

There’s a naughtiness that comes with booking a last minute cruise, the relief of saying ‘I’m tired, let’s get away’ sitting side-by-side with the spontaneity of saying ‘let’s do it’. Within weeks or even days you’re at the airport, case packed with the holiday clothes you thought you’d wear last year, passport finally – firmly – in hand. That toast to the holiday ahead never having felt quite so good as it does this time around.

Seafood by the seaside

Octopus tentacles in chilli oil. Mussels heaped into dishes bigger than our heads, accessorised with slabs of crusty bread and salty butter. Meaty fish hidden in reams of lemony pasta, and crisp calamari rings by the bowl full. There is no greater pleasure than seafood eaten with a sea view. With the waves lapping, the sky blue and the sun high, the anticipation of mealtimes reaches new heights. In Greek tavernas and Majorcan coves, at ramshackle huts on Caribbean beaches and on rustic New England waterfronts, seafood by the seaside reins supreme.

No signal

No news, no little red circles appearing hour-by-hour beside your apps. No emails and no Teams chats. No WhatsApp groups. Just switching off. Bliss.

Three-course breakfasts

Herein lies an OJ and coffee toast to the three-course breakfast, a feast of fresh flaky pastries, eggs how you like them and fruit for good measure. Silver trays left with a light tap at the door signal that it’s perfectly fine to linger longer in those white sheets and robes, the day will wait until you’re ready to join it. Balconies beckon with sea views that invigorate with the potency of a hundred espressos; restaurants tempt the early risers with the promise of decadent devourables delivered with a rousing call of ‘good mornings’ from an ever-cheery crew.

Did we mention the Caribbean is open for business with P&O Cruises this winter? Time to tick some of the holiday experiences you’ve missed off the list. Find out more here.