Christmas In South Africa (Duration 15:15)

When: December 14-21, 2007.

We flew into Cape Town, where we spent the first six days; we visited vineyards (KWV and Ruperts & Rothchild), various beaches (Clifton, Camps Bay, Houts Bay), the historic capes of Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope.

Later on, we took a cheap internal flight with Kulula to Pretoria where we spent time with dear friends before visiting Sun City, Pilanesburg Safari Park, Randburg Lion Park (on Christmas day, believe it or not?!) followed by three wonderful days at Kruger National Park.

As a destination: Unforgettable. A destination with history, culture and unsurpassed hospitality, South Africa gets a keen thumbs up from me and five stars!

Roasting Rome (Duration: 5:20)

When: July 2007

It All North: Finland & Norway (Duration 4:40)

When: July 2007

Midsummer In Koli (Duration: 3:35)

When: June 21-24, 2007

After living in Finland for more than five years, this trip took me on travels that took in the major cities/towns of Kotka, Hamina, Lappeenranta, Imatra and Joensuu. Our home for the next three nights would be Koli, which rests on the shores of Lake Pielinen, Finland's fifth largest lake covering an area of some 894km².

The next three days where spent trekking around the local area, going to the sauna and eating lot’s of sausages with mustard! On one of the sunny days, we took a ferry trip to the small, deserted town of Lieksa before driving north to Nurmes where we saw the Bomba house, an impressive 25m x 10m wooden structure, built way back in 1855.

Upon leaving Koli, we headed back towards Helsinki via the town of Savonlinna, which features a medieval castle dating back to 1475!

As a destination: Finland isn't really a 'destination' for me, it is my home. But it’s always good to see how the others live. The weather held up well and sometimes it’s hard to believe that the Russians live so close to us!

Nature In Madeira (Duration: 11:15)

When: May 2007

Madeira, a Portugese island, was an astonishing surprise to me: even in May, it was quite warm and, with the onset of Spring, the nature had come 'alive'. Everywhere you looked there were seas of vegetation and colour-rich flora. Although the land has been - and is still - heavily harvested and the island seems to be a patchwork of tunnels (which are very useful for getting around the island quicker), the place is a paradise for nature lovers.

After a flight on a Boeing 757 with just 11 passengers (bizarre, but the service was good!), we spent the next eight days driving all over the island, taking long walks along the levadas (small canals which channel water from the peaks around the island), which help to make Madeira the strikingly green place that it is today.

As a destination: Madeira is tourist-dependent, and the locals are very friendly and welcoming. The towns are very much like the tourist resorts typical of Spain, but Madeira has much more culture and nature, largely due to its history. If you go, don't forget to taste the incredibly sweet Madeiran wine - you would never believe it contains booze!

Cruising Croatia (Duration: 4:26)

When: July 2006

Eye-opening Italy (5:05)

When: July 2005

Wild In South Africa (Duration: 5:50)

When: February 2005

It was an opportunity to meet up with an old friend of the family. I flew into Johannesburg and we travelled more than 5,000kms, including visits to the Randberg Lion Park and Kruger National Park, followed by the long drive to Durban and Port Elizabeth.

As we got closer to Cape Town, where I spent the last two days, we cruised along the Garden Route, taking in scenic wonders such as Knysna, George and Mossel Bay. Other notable places included the Addo Elephant Park and Jeffrey's Bay. Cape Town was a very surprising contrast with evidence of interwined Dutch and British influence.

As a destination: A country of contrasts. Where else can you see fantastic wildlife, colourful nature, countless waterfalls and fantastic weather in such abundance?

Scotland (Duration: 3:40)

Fun & Sun in Florida (Duration: 3:58)

When: April 2004