The Tales and Travels of Taylor Made PA – My Travel Bucket List

Published 21.10.2022 

Hello!

The Start of the Bucket List

I’ve been a Travel Agent on and off since 1991. I say it quickly! I cannot believe it has been over 30-years since I stepped foot in WH Smith Travel as a naïve 17 year old on a summer job!

I’d just come back from my first “adult” holiday with friends from college to Magaluf. And was keen to travel more. I’d studied some travel and tourism as part of my college course and I was definitely getting the travel bug.

Australia, specifically Melbourne was definitely top of the Bucket List at this time. I had family there. Cousin’s I had never met. And an uncle and aunt I hadn’t seen since I was 5 years old.

The List Grows!

After finishing my college course I started my first full time job in Travel working for the Co-op and my Travel Education took a sharp upward turn.

Within the first few months my first trip to Australia was booked so Melbourne was about to be a tick of the Bucket List. I was being joined by my Nan and her brother on the trip too.

Within that trip I was desperate to see the Penguin Parade on Philip Island which my Nan had told me about from her visit back in 1983.

AAT Kings gifted me 3 one day tours for the trip, so we also booked into see Sovereign Hill and Ballarat, home of the Gold Rush. Then we also booked to go to Echuka and Bendigo and a cruise on a Paddle Steamer.

But the more I learned and booked holidays the more I wanted to see of the places I was learning about.

Hawaii 5-0

So next up on the list was Hawaii. Originally my flight routing to Melbourne. Which was booked with United Airlines. Was routed so I could do a stop over in Hawaii, which I was very excited about. 

1 night at the Outrigger on Waikiki Beach was booked. And then the flight was rerouted and couldn’t go via Hawaii after all. Instead, it was a quick touchdown in Auckland instead. So, they got me in Melbourne a day earlier instead.

But Hawaii remains on the Bucket List. But now I definitely would want to go for longer and take in Maui and Kauai too.

Influenced by Books

Next to be added to the Bucket List for me was Vietnam. I read some Chick Lit style novels on holiday and one was based in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. But the descriptive about the sites and scenery and the smell of the food markets, made me want to go. And everyone I know that has been has told me that it is everything that you want and expect and so much more.

Another was set between Tanzania and Zanzibar and featured the stunning Tanzanite Jewel. But again the stunning descriptive about the Island of Zanzibar captured me and made me want to go. Outside of tourism, the best known information on Zanzibar is that it is the birthplace of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

The last one on my list from some of my Summer reads over the years is the Greek Island of Santorini. A story of someone spending the summer on the Island. Talking about the stunning sunsets in Oia. The scenery and blue roofs of the Churches and Building around the Capital, Fira. And the food!

Tempted by Training

The remaining items on my Bucket List is from some of the travel training I have undertaken over the years.

The Ghan train. I first sold a trip on this back in the early 90s. But some training I did in 2019 as I redid my Australian Specialist training made me re look at it and now a trip high on the list is a trip combining The Ghan with the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory and down to the Red Centre to Alice Springs and Uluru. Darwin is somewhere out of all of Australia that was low on my list. But since I started in travel over 30-years ago. It has developed into a cosmopolitan city with food influenced by its near neighbour, Asia.

There is a theme here, because next on the list is The Rocky Mountaineer in Canada. The service from Vancouver to Banff/Lake Louise. And I recently qualified as a Rocky Mountaineer Specialist. I had friends recently go and the photos are incredible. They look just like you see in the press and brochures. The colours are just amazing! 

Ready to book your Bucket List Trip? 

Email me on jules.taylor@premier-travel.co.uk or book in a time to talk here.

Until next time…

 Jules x