The streets in Bulgaria were littered with rubbish, some roads could be compared to a landfill site, I chose not to publish those photos. Being in a car was terrifying and the majority of people certainly knew how to use a horn. Road lanes, signs and signals really need not be there, in fact on our way to the airport we passed three cars driving at full speed the wrong way down the motorway!

We stayed in the heart of the city and it seemed just being English was a bonus in many places. Not only did we get the best, comfiest seats in any bar we walked into, freshly prepared fruit and snacks were only moments away as soon as we sat down. Coupled with the average price of ninety pence per pint, this was certainly a holiday to remember, or not as the case may be! Our first meal out which included bread, olives, starter, main course, dessert, shots and two pints each for six people cost just £35!

Not one to miss an opportunity, we drove out of town to a shooting range on our second day where upon arrival we were asked if we would need any help operating the guns. On displaying our British passports the attendant laughed and guessed that we would! A quick two minute demonstration and three of us stood looking at each other holding loaded handguns ready to shoot down range Rambo style! I was a natural, although I do have experience!

I saw some truly shocking sites in Bulgaria, I prefer not to go into detail but we also met some very friendly and interesting people. Sofia is an intriguing city but one that I probably wouldn’t return too although I am sure there are other parts of the country that I may visit in the future. As with all of these strange and bizarre destinations, it’s always worth going at least once.

I booked a two hour, sixty lap go karting session for me and eight friends at the Rayleigh Indoor Karting stadium. We took part in the ‘Sprint’ event which was split into three sections. A fifteen lap practice, fifteen lap qualifying race and a thirty lap final. My fastest lap time in the qualifying race placed me sixth on the grid for the final race in which I came fifth overall making up one place.

It was a very enjoyable event and one I would do again if it wasn’t for the muscle ache I had in my arms, back and legs the following morning!

Away from the busy streets of Edinburgh, Glasgow and other large cities, Scotland is a beautiful and extremely quiet place. We stayed in a tiny town called Feshiebridge a few miles from Aviemore.

When we weren’t walking through the Scotish highlands or cooking dinner in the log cabin we took the oppurtunity to take part in a few tourist activities including quad biking, horse riding, a tree climbing assault course and hiking up the mountains to feed and walk among a herd of wild reindeer.

The scenery was beautiful and Scotland really is a tranquil place and although it rained on the day we arrived it wasn’t anywhere near as wet or cold as I thought it was going to be! It was an unexpected yet brilliant holiday!

Ibiza has a huge reputation around the world as being the clubbers destination. It wasn’t until the island cropped up in my search for a holiday as a relatively cheap destination to fly to that I looked into it a bit further. I soon discovered that there are parts of the island that remain completely untouched by the noise and drunken antics that are synonymous with the clubbing scene.

We stayed in a small town on the east coast of the island called Cala Llonga. Our apartment was just a few meters from the white sandy beach and the warm, crystal clear Mediterranean water, paradise.

A river boat set off from a jetty on the opposite side of the bay to our apartment every day which we took up shore to Santa Eulalia and the old Ibiza Town to soak up some culture. We also booked a jeep safari which took us on a journey through the Ibiza countryside to the northern coast and the beautiful views across the Mediterranean to the island of Majorca.

This trip really showed me that Ibiza is a beautiful island that isn’t just for clubbing and lads holidays. Steer clear of San Antonio and you can soak up the sun and relax in the quiet, Mediterranean atmosphere of the Ibiza east coast.

Needless to say this didn’t stop us making the most of our trip so I thought I would share some of my favourite photos here. On the first day we toured Bratislava in the pouring rain, an excellent excuse to dive into every open bar, sit back and order an ice cold Slovakian brew.

On day two we decided to take a train across the border to Austria. Every building we saw in Vienna was more ornate than the last and the attention to architectural detail was extraordinary. We stumbled across a festival outside the town hall, bought a beer, sat down and soaked up the atmosphere.

On the third day we managed to speak with Ryanair but the earliest flight home was not for over a week. It would have meant spending another 8 days in Slovakia providing there was no more volcanic activity! We all agreed that this would cost far too much so on our sixth day we managed to book seats on a bus that ran from Bratislava to London Victoria bus station the following day.

On Tuesday, two days later than expected we departed on an epic journey home. It took us over 26 hours, travelling over 1570km using 2 buses, 2 trains, 1 ferry, 1 car and no planes through 6 countries including Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, France and England. It’s certainly one trip I will never forget.

The tour lasted about an hour and included access to the Manchester United museum that is also on site. The museum hosts a huge array of Manchester United memorabilia from the clubs 132 years of football.

To break up the journey north we drove through Warick to do some sight seeing. Originally we had planned to visit Warick Castle but in the end decided it was getting too late in the day so found a quaint, old fashioned tea room instead and had a late lunch that included homemade sandwiches, traditional lemonade and a huge slice of cake. Delicious!

I booked our tickets to Cadbury World on the Intenet in advance and was glad I did. It was very busy when we got there and even busier when we left! The tour began with some historical facts about the origins of cocoa beans, the history of John Cadbury himself and how he founded the business which has remained in the family ever since! An interactive show on the chocolate making process followed and then a walk through the packing plant gave an insight into the technology they use to cut, wrap and box their chocolate bars. It was fascinating to watch the chocolate whizzing around different conveyor belts in various stages of the packing process.  

It was a very enjoyable experience if not a little disjointed. The actual attraction is housed at the Cadbury factory and many of the areas are not designed for purpose but rather, cobbled together to fit the need. I was also a little disappointed by the lack of tasters, I think it would make for a more enjoyable experience if you could try different chocolates on your journey around the factory.

On our final day we headed back south and stopped off in Milton Keynes to take a look round the MK Centre, a huge shopping complex. Gemma was in her element and spent plenty of her hard earned cash on shoes, clothes and accessories!

We had an excellent time relaxing, eating and drinking but for me the most enjoyable part of our time away was simply being together with no worries and no interruptions, after all the best things in life really are free.

On our first outing we were a little disappointed at the lack of ‘local’ restaurants, that was until we walked to the ‘old town’ which turned out to be the crown jewel of the area. Although heavily focused on tourism, Albufeira old town was teeming with life during the day and a hot spot of activity, street performers and a real feel good feeling at night.

During the week we stumbled on a pair of artists who had constructed an entire Asterix and Obelix cartoon scene out of sand. I’ve added a couple of pictures but I don’t think they really do it justice as the detail was quite extraordinary. At night, the mojitos flowed and the food was excellent in every restaurant we visited. Everybody we met was extremely friendly and having the freedom of a self catering holiday was far better than being tied down to a specific breakfast, lunch and dinner routine.   

Although Albufeira as a whole has become a huge tourist destination, there are regulations in place that prevent any new buildings from being more than three stories high, so at no point do you have to put up with muti-storey hotel complexes ruining the view as you do in many other mediterranean countries. I would definitely recommend this as a destination for any young couple looking to get away to scorching hot weather and a busy night life. ‘Excelente‘

The weather on the day couldn’t have been better, it was hot and sunny yet the zoo was relatively quiet which meant we could take our time to watch the fantastic array of different animals. It didn’t feel like a traditional zoo, the animals had acres of space and if zoos and conservation parks are a necessity then Whipsande should set the standard.

All of the animals were a pleasure to watch and we had an excellent time. Aside from the usual overpriced food and drink, a hurdle we side stepped by taking our own, I would certainly recommend you visit Whipsnade Zoo if you are anywhere near Dunstable.

The day began with a short safety briefing and a few pointers on how best to drive around the track. The weather couldn’t have been better, it was bright and sunny for the entire day. The first car I drove was a Subaru Impreza WRX STI. It was excellent fun, you very rarely get a passenger sitting beside you urging you to accelerate harder and drive faster.

After the Subaru drive there was a short minibus ride to another track. I then had the opportunity to power slide a rally style Peugeot 106 around a gravel track performing handbrake turns at every corner.

Then it got serious. The next car up was a Ferrari 360 Spider. It was amazing driving such a powerful car around a track with a professional driver telling you when to turn in, when to turn out and more importantly when to put the pedal to the metal and floor it.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared on the final straight when the instructor was shouting at me to give it more power when fast approaching in the distance I could see a Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin DB9, Audi R8 and numerous other supercars parked up and ready to be taken on the track. Still, I paid the insurance waiver so I needn’t have worried!

I had an absolutely fantastic day and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants fast, fun fuelled adrenaline and most of all, speed!