Today's guest is truly beloved figure in British television - someone who many of us feel we already know so well - Monty Don.

For over two decades, Monty has been the heart and soul of BBC’s Gardeners’ World, inspiring millions to embrace the joys and therapeutic benefits of gardening. His connection to nature has taken him all over the globe, all in search of the profound ways that different cultures engage with the land.

Alongside Gardeners’ World, Monty has brought us stunning travel series like Around the World in 80 Gardens, Monty Don’s Italian Gardens, Adriatic Gardens and most recently, Spanish Gardens. This latest series, which is accompanied by a beautiful book, delves into the country’s breathtaking historic and contemporary landscapes, from Moorish-inspired patios to vibrant urban greens paces, revealing the depth and diversity of Spanish garden design.

It was also fascinating to hear about Monty’s journey to TV stardom, and how he had a completely different and hugely successful career in the fashion world, before, somewhat by chance, getting a new break into gardening and TV.

From the gardens that stole his heart to the wild landscapes that left a lasting impression, here are Monty's travel diaries.

Destination Recap:

• Leominster, Herefordshire, England
• The Black Mountains, Wales
• Hydra, Greece
• Budleigh Salterton, Devon, England
• Mevagissey, Cornwall
• Provence, France
• London, England
• Annapurna, Nepal
• Native Tree Fern Forests, New Zealand
• The Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
• Iran
• Chile
• Japan
• Summer Palace, Beijing, China
• Galicia, Spain
• Ninfa Gardens, Italy
• Wollerton Hall, Shropshire, England
• Finland through Eastern Europe to Trieste

Spanish Gardens by Monty Don and Derry Moore, BBC Books, £39.99 out now.

*COMPETITION* Head to my Instagram, @hollyrubenstein, for a chance to win a 3 night full board stay at one of the Maldives’ most luxurious hotels, Kuda Villingili. Good Luck!

With thanks to Skyscanner - The full travel trends 2025 report is available on Skyscanner app/site and of course you can always look for your 2025 trip whether it’s flights, hotels or car hire on Skyscanner too.

And to Airbnb - Your home could be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.co.uk/host.

Thanks so much for listening today. If you'd like to hear more from the podcast don’t forget to hit subscribe, or if you use Apple Podcasts to press follow so that a new episode lands in your podcast app each week. If you want to be the first find out who is joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram I’m @hollyrubenstein, and you’ll also find me on TikTok - I’d love to hear from you.

And if you can't want until then remember there’s the first 12 seasons to catch up on, that's over 125 episodes to keep you busy there. Don't forget that all the destinations mentioned by my guests are included in the episode show notes here on your podcast app, and listed on my website, thetraveldiariespodcast.com

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Welcome to this season's Family Travel Special. Having been thrust into the world of family travel a couple of years with the arrival of my daughter, I quickly realised that it’s an area that there could be a lot more helpful information about, it’s a huge market and I was scouring the internet for destinations and hotels that weren’t your typical all inclusive family resorts, and I really struggled. So I decided to integrate these into the travel diaries podcast lineup, to hopefully give you some travel inspiration, destination ideas, tips and tricks for travelling with children.

And today, I’m joined by a very special guest who knows a thing or two about that. Olivia Hammond and I first met in our antenatal bump and baby group in South West London, and we were very lucky, we had such a lovely group and we became friends. When her gorgeous boy, Beau, arrived in November 2022, Olivia began documenting her daily life and travels on TikTok and Instagram, and almost immediately her honest and relatable videos led her to become one of the uk’s leading content creators in her field, with videos amassing hundreds of millions of views. It has been an astonishingly fast ascent to mum-fluencer stardom, but it’s no surprise to me because I think everyone can relate to her videos, they’re so watchable.

So when thinking about who would be a good guest for this episode, Olivia was the obvious choice. She has been far more intrepid than me when it comes to travelling as a family. You’ll hear she flew to the other side of the world when Beau was just a month old, she’s flown with him countless times to Europe, the Caribbean, taken him travelling all around Sri Lanka and even camped with him at Glastonbury. And now, since we recorded this episode, beau has a beautiful little sister, called Lila, and Lila is about to embark on her first trip abroad, at only a few weeks old too.

I hope this episode shows you that whatever age or stage, travel is not off limits with a family.

Olivia's Destination Recap:

• Costa Rica
• Algarve, Portugal

Holly:

• Vila Vita Parc, Algarve, Portugal

Olivia

• Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
• Kandy, Sri Lanka
• Ella, Sri Lanka
• Udawalawa, Sri Lanka
• Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka
• Antonio’s, Algarve, Portugal
• Sr Frango’s, Algarve, Portugal
• Olhão, Algarve, Portugal
• Ilha do Farol, Algarve, Portugal
• Ilha Deserta, Algarve, Portugal
• Ilha Armona, Algarve, Portugal
• Fuerteventura, Spain
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Nicaragua

You can follow all of Olivia’s adventures on her Instagram which is Olivia_Hammond and her TikTok is OliviaClaireM.

Thanks so much for listening today. If you'd like to hear more from the podcast don’t forget to hit subscribe so that a new episode lands in your podcast app each week. If you want to be the first find out who is joining me on next week’s episode, follow me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein, and you’ll also find me on TikTok. If you can't want until then remember there’s the first 12 seasons to catch up on. Don't forget that all the destinations mentioned by my guests are listed on my website, thetraveldiariespodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re uncovering one of the most awe-inspiring destinations on the planet - Orlando, Florida. Orlando is the most visited destination in the USA, and after listening to this episode, you’ll understand why.

It’s the theme park capital of the world, home to seven of the world’s top theme parks. From Magic Kingdom to Universal Studios, there's something for everyone.

And there’s a brand new theme park opening in May 2025, Universal’s Epic Universe. It’s set to feature over 50 attractions, entirely new lands, including the much-anticipated Super Nintendo World, where guests can step into the world of Mario Kart and Yoshi’s Adventure.

My first guest today knows a thing or two about these parks - Katie Ellison is a content creator who has visited Orlando countless times with her three children. She’ll take us on a whirlwind through her top picks of Disney’s parks. She’ll also share her favourite places to chill after a busy day at the parks - because as you’ll hear, Orlando isn’t just about the theme parks. It’s got beautiful green spaces, cute neighbourhoods, a really burgeoning food scene…and that’s where our next guests come in - travel content creators Ryan and Jade from Live the Dash. They recently took a trip to Orlando where they skipped the theme parks entirely, and focussed on everything else the city has to offer.

They’ll show us just how diverse Orlando is as a destination, whether it’s zooming across the headwaters on an airboat ride or kayaking down crystal clear rivers, they tell us how they fell in love with Orlando’s natural beauty.

So, whether you're planning a theme park-packed family trip or looking to discover the hidden gems of Orlando, this episode will shine a light on everything you need to know.

Katie’s Destination Recap:

• Magic Kingdom Park
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Disney’s Boardwalk
• Disney Springs
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Universal Islands of Adventure
• Universal Studios Florida
• Universal CityWalk
• Universal Volcano Bay
• Winter Park
• Celebration
• WonderWorks

Ryan & Jade’s:

• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• Courtyard Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Marriott Village
• Dezerland Park
• Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards
• Boggy Creek Airboat Rides
• Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
• Orlando Eye at ICON Park
• The Ravenous Pig, Winter Park
• The Greenery Creamery

If you’re inspired to explore more, head over to VisitOrlando.com where you’ll find all the travel tips, deals, and information you need to plan the perfect Orlando holiday. You can also make an appointment with an Orlando Vacation Planner for free, personalised holiday planning suggestions, via phone, email or Whatsapp.

And if you’d like to hear even more about Orlando, tune in to my Fantastic Florida Destination Special from a couple of seasons back, where Orlando is a big focus too.

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