Recent events have left us all shell-shocked. As I write, Belgium is in lockdown over a terror threat, Paris is still at the forefront of our minds and arrests are taking place across Europe and beyond as the security services try to get to grips with Isis.
It's all felt very close to home; very disquieting; very upsetting.
Paris was horrific and came on top of a Russian plane being downed en route from Egypt and the Tunisia beach massacre. One of my best friends worked with a woman slaughtered on the beach at the start of what should have been her annual break.
Shortly afterwards my lovely pal was due to travel to Turkey for a family holiday and was close to cancelling. She did, in fact, cancel a birthday trip to Paris last January due to the Charlie Hebdo attack. Her young son was too frightened to go after seeing the news.
Suddenly, holidays don't feel like a great idea at all. In fact just last week my neighbour (not a keen flyer at the best of times) said: "I don't think it's safe to fly anywhere."
But life can't stop. If we let terror and anxiety cripple our lives we would never leave the house, never enjoy intoxicating new experiences, see fresh places, make great friends...
Consequently, I already have two holidays booked for 2016, one in my beloved Portugal and one in Spain where we are meeting up with some German friends for tapas.
So, don't let fear destroy you. Carry on living and look for destinations which reduce stress levels. I went to both Tunisia and Turkey many years ago but vowed never to go back. When you go to a country battling extreme poverty as a (perceived to be) wealthy Westerner it is deeply uncomfortable. I remember being desperate to explore Tunisia but a kindly local begged me not to. After accompanying me and my friend on a local bus to a town nearby he said: "Please get on the next bus back, go straight to your hotel. You are not safe." I did just that.
As a 5ft 1in, 8st woman I recognise my limitations. Meanwhile, Turkey was superb in terms of food, sights and weather but you still felt that air of desperation on the streets as you were constantly approached by hawkers, one or two of whom became a tad aggressive when brushed away. Such was their desperation for money. Egypt I had never considered a good idea, due to its volatile political situation and geographical location.
One day, again many years ago, a hairdresser was telling me how much she loved holidays in Egypt.
"I've never fancied it due to the dangers in the country," I admitted.
"Oh, it's fine," she said. "You get a military escort from the airport!"
Mmmm... need I say more?
But, though there are places I choose to avoid, there are many places I would love to visit. I'll probably end up doing a gap year when I am 80! Sadly, spare time and finances severely limit me but I will continue to travel as much as I can. For the record, here are 10 places on my to-do or must-go-back-to list...
1. The Azores.... Portugal islands on the middle of nowhere. Gotta be bliss!
2. San Francisco, Alcatraz and California. Oh, to see much more of the good old US of A.
3. Las Vegas (again) to see the Mac King magic show (again). Forget the casinos, it's the world capital of magic....
4. Sardinia.... love islands...
5. Canada (again) Such lovely people.... that's me, top pic, on a jet ski in Newfoundland more than a decade ago. It was the press trip of a lifetime for me. I skied for the first time and saw icicles about as big as me... So grateful for that opportunity.
6. Malta.... because I have heard it's simply great.
8. Thailand (know someone there who will give me a VIP experience, long story...)
9. Japan .... because it will be so, so different...
10. China... the new world super power, mysterious...
But, wherever I go in the world, I will always return to Portugal's gloriously empty out-of-season beaches.....Peace on earth and goodwill to all men....
Parisians have been dancing on their city streets this week to show they're not afraid.
Follow their example....
Jill
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