A few years ago my son was involved in a motorbike accident in India. He was out there on his own, so I flew out to support him.
My son loves to travel, and once we’d arranged his flight home, he suggested I head up to Munnar, in the mountains, where he’d been staying. So I did, and spent a few days up there.
Then he told me about a deal with Qatar Airways: you can stop off in Qatar for a few days on the way back, and it costs hardly any more than flying straight from India to the UK. So that’s what I did.
That was my first taste of travelling differently, not the usual hotels or beach holidays I’d done for years, but actually getting out and exploring. It was the start of my Blithe in… journey, and I got hooked.
Two important lessons
That trip left me with two important lessons. The first my son taught me: travel. Try something different, and enjoy it. The second he didn’t so much teach me as drum home: always have travel insurance.
See more stills from my travels on my Photography page.