The Perfect Holiday

If money was no object where would you travel? That's the question we asked our Tripsters. No one suggested the moon but most would make a long, long journey as though the expense of the trip was less of a financial constraint than the time to make it.

The sentiment was captured by one Tripster who dreamed they would travel forever.

Colleen Hodges, of Greenlane, said: "We would travel (anywhere) for two or three months, come home briefly to see family/friends then go off again and keep doing that. What a wonderful thought."

Miriam Dunningham, of Glendowie, would "go to England, the United States or Europe, rent a house in a beautiful location and stay for an extended period."

While Tripster Dorothy Derrick dreamed of living for a year in Europe in a permanent base and taking week or month-long trips from there.

"There are so many interesting places to discover - it would be great to have the time and money to do it thoroughly without rushing and trying to make the most of it in a short time."

By far the most common dream of our Tripster panel is to visit Antarctica. Some 17 per cent want to visit the frozen continent, and not just from afar.

"I want to walk on the ice," said Jill Lundmark, of Greenhithe.

A world cruise features highly as the dream trip for 10 per cent of our Tripsters.

"If time and money were no object I'd be off on a world cruise," said many.

Others pick cruises in specific destinations, such as "a very long cruise on a luxury liner around the Greek Islands."

Cruises around the Pacific, in the Caribbean or on a floating hotel on the Nile, are also chosen.

Rail travel features in several Tripsters' dreams. One wants to travel on the trans-Siberian, another on the Orient Express through Europe.

Several Tripsters seek the wild, unspoilt regions of the world to go trekking.

"My dream trip is the snowman trek in Bhutan, billed as one of the world's hardest treks," said Trish Batchelor.

"I would cycle and trek through the National Parks in Canada and the United States," said Susan Brooker.

Other choices are Tibet, Argentina and Alaska.

Luxury is more appealing for another Tripster. "A round-the-world cruise and/or a first class round-the-world air trip staying at the finest hotels in the world," suggested Michael Sinclair, of Ellerslie.

Rayna Knighton, of Tauranga, "would take a world cruise on the most elegant cruise ship available and stay in the most luxurious stateroom available."

Overland travel features highly, too.

Says Holly Trillo, of Grey Lynn: "On the road experience for one to two years following some of the great navigators/explorers' early routes, using bus, train, plane, auotmobile or camel."

By road from Cape Town to Cairo, the Silk Road through Europe to Asia, from London to Singapore through Russia and China, are other choices.

More than one Tripster wanted to rent a villa in Italy and stay several months.

One Tripster's dream has been shattered. It was to fly on Concorde but now it has been changed to the Orient Express.

The nicest of dreams though was this from Catherine Smith, mother of children aged 9 and 11.

"Take the children out of school for 12 months, take a boat to United States' West Coast through the Hawaiian Islands and Alaska, buy a beautiful RV (the ones with the luxury seats and cool kitchens) and some fun motor scooters and travel across America, up and down the West Coast, all through the mountains and prairies, the great Mid-west cities and the little towns and national parks, through New Orleans and Texas (money really no object, then a side trip to the Caribbean) and up the East Coast, climaxing, of course in New York and all the New England States. Maybe we'd have the energy to do the same through England, Ireland and Europe the following year."