Why I love to travel

Going to different places and immersing myself in different cultures is probably my favourite thing to do in the world. At the moment I'm seeing the delights of Chicago - America really is such a dream! I seem to spend my whole life planning trips, pouring over Pinterest at gorgeous pictures and obsessively adding new places to my bucket list. There's no better feeling than discovering something in person that you've only ever seen in a picture. The world is such a big place and I'm dying to see every corner.

I love trying to live as a local and seeing how other people in different cultures live to it. That's why I prefer to rent an apartment rather than book a generic chain hotel. I find it so interesting to see how cultures differ. Not to mention trying all the incredible cuisines - as a massive foodie, I'm always in my element. The planning is by far the best part, I can easily get in a Trip Adviser black hole. I love that smug feeling of finding an incredible place off the beaten track and having the time of your life.

I never managed to have a gap year and travel the world. Looking back I don't really think I was cut out for the proper travelling lark. I like my luxury and think I'm enjoying seeing places a lot more now that I'm older. I can afford to splash out and stay in much nicer places. Don't get me wrong, I'm not staying in 5 star hotels but I'm not having to share a room with 6 other people. It's also nice to be able to do everything that you want to do rather than having to move around on a tight budget. I'm not very good at picking and choosing - I want to do it all!

There's still plenty of places on my never ending list but I have a whole lifetime to visit them. I've been very lucky with the places I've already managed to cross off.  Nowadays I'd much rather spend my money on a trip away rather than a wardrobe of hardly worn clothes. After all, travel is said to be the only thing that you spend money on that makes you richer.

Why do you love to travel? Any places I need to add to my travel list?

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Review: Tefal Optigrill

I love to cook - it's one of my favourite things to do. When Ideal World TV asked me if I wanted to road test a new gadget for Easter, I obviously said yes please. I opted for the Tefal Optigrill as I'm always trying my best to eat a bit healthier. Salmon is obviously the best choice for Good Friday!

I decided to grill salmon and an assortment of vegetables. The grill allows you to cook your meat, fish or veg exactly how you want it. If you're a rare steak kind of person, no problem. If you're a well done burger, no problem either. It gives such great flexibility. It's so simple to use too - a whole range of beeps let you know exactly what stage you're up too.

You first have to let it warm up before placing your food of choice on the grilling plates. Select what your cooking, then press ok and the machine is ready to work it's magic! I sprayed a couple of sprays of Frylight to help keep the fish moist. There's a special card in the box that lets you know exactly what they recommend for each food groups to help you cook.

I had to wait for the circle to turn red before I knew the fish was ready. The screen changed from yellow (rare) to orange (medium) to red (well done). Each time a new stage is done, it lets out a reassuring beep so you know when to remove your food. As Easter is always such a busy time, it frees you up so you can concentrate on other things. No need to keep turning over and keeping a beady eye on it. You don't even have to cut your meat to check it's cooked as it'll guaranteed to be cooked to perfection!

I can't wait to try out some more dishes in the summer on it. I'm thinking some grilled turkey burgers will be just the ticket.

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4 tips to help you stay on the healthy eating track

It can be hard to keep on track when you're following a healthy eating plan. That bag of crisps always looks more tempting. Here a few tips that work for me.

1. Knock caffeine on the head and opt for a fruit tea.
I'm the first to admit I'm not at all a tea drinker. But I have been recently trying to encourage myself to drink fruit tea. I'm a bit fed up of drinking squash all the time. Most of the time you're not actually hungry when you get pangs so opt for a drink. A fruit tea still feels like a sweet treat and is a lot healthier than a chocolate bar! I was sent Kromland Farm organic teas and have become quite partial to the berry flavour.

2. Keep healthy snacks in your bag.
When you're out and about and hunger strikes, it's all too easy to grab a Mars bar. But always be prepared! Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. I was sent these Nairns oat biscuits and some 9bars. They both come in individual packets which makes them easy to pop in your bag. The biscuits contain 40% less sugar than a normal biscuit - my favourite are the mixed berries ones. The mixed fruit 9bar snack bars still feel indulgent but you know your eating all the good stuff!

3. Learn to distract yourself
I don't know about you but I often raid the cookie jar when I'm bored at home. So in order to distract my hands I settle down with my kindle. Before long you'll find yourself engrossed in a book and will have forgotten all about feeding your face.

4.Keep a food diary
This old chestnut eh? Everyone encourages this and it's no wonder. Quite often I shove a digestive in my mouth and promptly forget all about it. Then I have another. And another. Once you look at exactly what you're eating written down, it makes you think twice. It's a great way to help keep yourself on track.

Have you got any pearls of wisdom to pass on?

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