Ideally ones that are untouched or natural . Galapagos would be top of the dream.

Places that are pretty, that have history and culture and somewhere I have not been before.
I like to explore "behind the scenes" - little streets where the average tourist doesn't go. Places truly native.

I found crising is an ideal way to visit many different places that I would probably never have gone too for a land based holiday but would definitely return to some for longer stays. However the World is a big place and such a lot still to see and time is getting shorter.

Val- when you go to Bali- take a guide and car for the day and you will see a beautiful place and friendly people. Just go off the beaten track.

Nick- I havent done a cruise but would actually like to try one stopping off at various places in Russia.

Fiona

I did a Russian river cruise a couple of years ago. St. Petersburg to Moscow 12 nights I think it was, we stopped at some really interesting places. We were in St. Petersburg in June when it was light for almost 24 hours, it's called the White Nights. I really liked St.Petersburg though it was very crowded as there were many cruise boats docked at the time. Wasn't sure what I would think of Moscow but I enjoyed my few days there. I have a couple of pictures of the trip posted in the Gallery.

The main thing that puts me off of cruises is that I have seen a place completely change when the cruise ships come in. I was hoping the cities wouldn't be so bad,

Hi Fiona

We had a guide last time called Putris who picked us up from the airport, took us to the hotel and also even the currency exchange and gave us tips to look out for so we would not get ripped off as 2 notes look very similar.

We are hoping we can get him again so we can have a couple of days exploring the "real" bits.

We also did this when we were in Havana a few years ago and Baramos was fantastic, we learnt so much from him and he took us places tourists do not normally go. We even were witness to when the police stopped him and tried to make him pay a back hander to be allowed on his way. Luckily, all his paperwork was in order and they could not touch him.

We had the police stop our guide in Bali. Money exchanged hands- widescale there.

"We also did this when we were in Havana a few years ago and Baramos was fantastic, we learnt so much from him and he took us places tourists do not normally go. We even were witness to when the police stopped him and tried to make him pay a back hander to be allowed on his way. Luckily, all his paperwork was in order and they could not touch him."

How long ago was that Val? I ask because on my first trip to Cuba in 2005, I stayed for a week in a Casa in Havana Vieja for a week after being in Santiago for a fortnight. One night after being out to Miramar to the Casa de Musica there, our taxi driver was stopped by the police after going the wrong way down a one way street when taking us home. Those of you who know the old centre of Havana will know that the one-way system through the narrow streets of the colonial old town is a nightmare! I said that if there was a 'fine' to pay then it was only fair that we pay it and our driver went nuts, telling us to be quiet and leave it to him. It turned out when he explained to us after they'd gone, that he was terrified that the police might interpret it as us trying to bribe them and that would get him into even more trouble than going the wrong way down a one-way street! They checked his ID card and driving licence, gave him a ticket and made him do a U turn. He wouldn't tell us what the fine would be and insisted that such fines where just an occupational hazard! We did give him a good tip though and hoped that would cover it :-)

We went to Cuba in 2013. We had 3 days in Havana at the Parque Central ( loved Havana) and then we had 11 days in Varadero which was not so good. I wish we had stayed in Havana!

As soon as we set foot outside our hotel in Havana, we used to get pounced on by every man and his dog trying to get us to have rides in the pink cadillac or on the horse and cart..really pushy..but we spotted Baramos, quietly tending to his horses and noticed that he was the only one who was keeping his horses out of the sun and was feeding and watering them, tending to them inbetween fares and was not pushy, so we approached him. He is also the only one with white horses.
He gave us the usual standard tour but we enjoyed it very much because he was so knowledgeable and so we asked him if we could book him again and for him to take us on a more detailed tour to see the "real" Havana. He picked us up the next day and for 3 hours took us all over the place including the "voodoo" quarter which was really menacing and intimidating but we felt very safe with him. I took my favourite photo of the entire holiday in that area. He was well worth the fee and the generous tip we gave him and the time spent with him was the highlight of the Cuba holiday for me.

It's great reading little stories like these 👍👍