By 
For TV presenter Laura Hamilton, travel isn’t just a job, it's a way of life. Having been one of the faces of Channel 4’s A Place in The Sun for the last decade, she’s visited destinations all over the world.
Outside of office hours, you’re likely to find her on the Spanish Costa Del Sol — where her family has a holiday home — or taking her kids, Rocco, eight, and Tahlia, six, on trips to the Maldives (‘I’m taking them at Easter to celebrate a milestone birthday of mine...’)
After years of incredible experiences — travelling everywhere from Cuba to Thailand — we asked Laura to share some of her most unforgettable trips and the holidays she can’t wait to book now that the world is opening back up again, with a little help from Cosmos and Globus tours.
Family time in Croatia
Just last year, Laura took Rocco and Tahlia to Croatia, where not only did they get some much-needed beach time, but she realised how much her children have developed their own sense of adventure.
‘It was only a three- or four-day trip, but we toured around Split and Hvar and managed to fit in a zip-wire excursion in the caves,’ she recalls. ‘We climbed up this rock face, and the kids obviously went down with an instructor, but they were fearless! It was about 200m long, and so high — they blew my mind!’
Exploring by foot in India
For Laura, part of travel is getting to know the local culture and people. ‘I stayed in some amazing places [in India], which I was very privileged to be doing, but when I go away, I don’t want to spend all my time in the hotel,’ she says. ‘I want to be out and about exploring, trying the local delicacies and getting to know the culture — I think part of travelling is getting to see a place for what it is.’
Travelling with an escorted tour operator such as Cosmos — which specialises in multi-destination trips — is perfect for an adventurer who ‘can't sit still’ like Laura. On the company’s eight-day India’s Golden Triangle tour, not only can tourists tick key things off their bucket list, such as seeing the Taj Mahal at sunset, but they can also enjoy authentic local experiences, such as travelling through the colourful Chandni Chowk bazaar in Delhi by rickshaw, guided by experienced tour directors.
COSMOS TRAVEL TIP: Explore vibrant local food markets on a walking tour of Jaipur and visit the ancient city of Kachhpura — both optional excursions on a Cosmos tour
Adventure-seeking in Costa Rica
As a devoted mum-of-two, finding family-friendly holidays the kids will love just as much as her is a high priority. Now that long-haul holidays are firmly back on the agenda, Laura can’t wait to take her children somewhere they’ll never forget, and Costa Rica — with its biodiverse Monteverde Cloud Forest and extraordinary array of tropical wildlife — is top of the list.
‘I’d love to take the kids there after hearing some amazing things [about it] through A Place In The Sun. My children will love the jungle, and my son, in particular, is obsessed with animals.’
Sightseeing in North America
Having travelled extensively through the US, key landmarks such as Yosemite National Park, the Grand Canyon and Alcatraz in San Francisco are all highlights for Laura, but what struck her the most during these travels, was how tiny some of the rural towns were, compared to the enormity of the cities and sights she’s visited. ‘I flew to San Francisco, visited Yosemite and then drove back out to the coast to Monterey,’ she recalls — all of which you can visit on the Globus nine-day Northern California’s Finest tour — ‘I remember seeing little signs as you travel past these off-the-beaten-track villages, saying, “Number of residents here: four” — you feel like you’re literally stepping back in time.’
GLOBUS TRAVEL TIP: For a local history lesson, join the one-hour narrated cruise that sails under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco — an optional excursion on a Globus tour
A surprise trip to Sri Lanka
After travelling to the Maldives in 2011, Laura found herself stuck in the honeymooners’ paradise due to an Icelandic ash cloud. But not one to dwell on the negatives, the travel expert decided to take advantage of her situation, hop on a 90-minute flight to Sri Lanka and ‘wing it’ on a two-week surprise adventure.
‘That was an amazing trip!’ she says. ‘We stayed in Colombo for a few days, then went on the Golden Triangle tour to Sigiriya Rock in Dambulla, before heading to Kandy and down to Galle,’ – none of which was planned. ‘Some of the best trips for me have been totally spontaneous,’ she admits. ‘[In Sri Lanka], we stayed in a boutique hotel for a couple of nights, then went off the beaten track and stayed somewhere more rustic, before ending up in a lovely hotel — having that mix of it all makes you really appreciate that luxury at the end.’
Discover your next unforgettable travel experience with Cosmos and Globus
