Travel in your thirties
On my recent trip to Slovenia one of the things I recognised was how travel in your thirties is very different to travel in your twenties.
Adventures in my twenties
Parking as close to the terminal with as little stress as possible (forget transfer buses) or even stay the night before at a hotel, depending on the airport and the flight time
Getting to the airport in plenty of time so you can get a decent meal at a restaurant, whatever time of day
Enjoying a pre-holiday drink, except now it's not in Wetherspoons (not always anyway) and it's more likely to be a Prosecco than a pint!
Ok you still normally travel on a budget airline and join the queue with everyone else to board but at least you get an allocated seat these days
Hungry or thirsty on the flight? You're suddenly willing to pay for the overpriced food and drink because you want it, especially that in-flight drink
Arriving at your destination… you're no longer scrabbling around to find out what bus or train you need to get to the city centre or resort (unless you're determined you are still in full travelling mode), instead there's a man holding up a piece of crumpled A4 paper with your name on
The hotels - before you travelled you read every review possible to help make your decision, you looked at ratings, googled ‘best hotels in …’ and checked Condé Nast recent articles before you booked, or you took the easy option and went with Secret Escapes best hotel
During your stay you scour the streets, the Internet and the guide books for the best places to eat and drink. You want to experience the local cuisine and wine and you want to go to the best place in town for it. Failing that you want an amazing location or view that you can Instagram like crazy and check in on Facebook so everyone at work knows you're having a really good time
You're also no longer the last people in the bar barely able to stand, you're tipsy and tired and need to get back to the hotel for your beauty sleep ahead of a new day exploring, or sitting on the beach or fresh faced (behind the sunglasses) by the pool
Finally your return home; you're early for everything, you've allowed time to get to the airport, you've factored in for delays and you even have some cash left to enjoy an airport coffee and something to eat.
An easy recipe using casarecce pasta, combining the sweetness and freshness of cherry tomatoes, the heat of chilli and balanced with tangy feta and basil