Travel Lightbulb

The clocks have gone back, the weather is getting colder, and I'm sitting here dreaming of far flung places with endless sunshine and a bit of heat! The Maldives has been in the news a lot recently - partly because the country has kept corona virus rates low throughout the pandemic having made the decision to close its borders early.  Of course, it helps that many of the 1,200 islands are isolated, and that's probably why the country has now made it onto the UK Foreign Office's safe list. That means travellers from the UK can now visit without invalidating their travel insurance.  I went to this stunning country about ten years ago, and always promised I'd return. It was the perfect place to relax and get away from it all. The resort I stayed in, Veligandu, had a "no news, no shoes" policy, and I can assure you that wearing no shoes for two weeks helps with the relaxing experience! The only thing you need as a visitor is to have a negative Covid-19 test before...

Having just celebrated my wedding anniversary, I thought today's photo could be part the first of a new feature on my blog - Flashback Friday....a new photo and a flashback to a former post on Travel Lightbulb. This photo was taken on my honeymoon in the Maldives. The photo says it all, and is the picture postcard view I think we all have of that part of the world. Simply stunning, and I've never seen water that clear or blue anywhere else - and I've travelled a lot! If you want to read more about where we stayed, and my review of the resort, click to read about  Perfection in the Maldives .

If you've ever visited the Maldives, today's photo may be familiar to you! Depending on where you are staying, this colourful little sea plane may take you to your chosen island, and it's such a fun trip. I had never experienced anything like this before, and was surprised that the landing was so smooth. Maybe we just got lucky with out pilot....who flew the plane barefoot! Island style to the extreme - ha ha! If you have a photo you'd like to see featured on Travel Lightbulb, please send it to me at the email address on my contact page. Have a great weekend!

I try to make Travel Lightbulb accessible to everyone, whether you can afford a luxury holiday, or a budget backpacking experience. I hope everyone finds something that suits them. However, I also want to feature places we all dream about, and decided to blog about one of the most exotic places I've been to...the Maldives. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in the Indian Ocean islands back in September 2010, and it was totally stunning. We stayed at Veligandu Island Resort, and were lucky enough to be upgraded to a jacuzzi water villa - on stilts above the ocean - it was complete paradise!  I spent a long time researching various resorts in that part of the world, but this one stuck out a mile because it was a small island, and also because of the rave reviews it had received. While our weather was unusually wet for that time of year, it didn't spoil our trip, and the staff could not have been more helpful. There is a 'no news, no shoes' policy at Veli...