Katie seeing Amsterdam the Dutch way.
What a treat today! Our guest is the innovative South African-born designer Katie Smith. Yes!
Katie has been living in London since 2007, currently living in South West London. After graduating in Media & Communications, Marketing and Interior Design, Katie worked in Interior Design, ladies fashion design and Public Relations, until she decided to follow her dream. Katie has recently started her own business, home-sown, making and creating her own handmade products, which I can tell you, are beyond fabulous. And you can see them all at: www.home-sown.com
ES: So, here we go with the usual questions: Where did you spend your last holiday and why did you choose to go there?
KS: The last holiday I went on was to Agadir, Morocco where my brother and I went surfing in Taghazout. The actual area is very remote, rustic and rather broken to so speak but it is an epic place to surf – not for the faint hearted – but it attracts wave riders from all over the world. I will never forget driving through Banana Village (that is what it’s called) as it’s full of roadside shacks selling bananas. Blink and you might miss it all together but it’s one to remember. There were also plenty of donkey-drawn carts that were the locals primary transport. We spent many an evening on the deck overlooking uninterrupted views of the ocean watching the fishermen bob up and down on their boats, wondering what they were sitting thinking about looking back at land? In the mornings we saw them on the shaw, laidened with their catch ready to sell to passersby. It was a great trip, the surf was as epic as I had been told it would be and I would certainly return.
ES: What’s your favourite type of holiday? And your least favourite?
KS: In my books a holiday is a holiday and if you are lucky enough to find yourself on one, then I don’t mind the destination. Growing up in South Africa, I loved beach holiday and still do. I love to don my cozzie, flip flops, sun hat and sun dress and enjoy a relaxed time away getting a healthy dose of vitamin D. Having lived in London for some years now and explored some of the incredible European cities that are so accessible, I have developed an appreciation for history, architecture and of course the cuisine! In terms of a least favourite, I think I would struggle with a museum focused holiday. My max is about 1hour, then I have to find the coffee shop!
ES: Shouldn’t say this, but I know what you mean! Where did you spend your best ever holiday and what made it so memorable?
KS: That would have to be the trip my brother and I took to Australia in 2008. I had only been in the UK for a year and the thought of travelling to such a far flung part of the world was so exciting. First stop was a visit to friends in Singapore for a few days, then onto Perth for Christmas to stay with family friends and meet up with some French friends of ours who were also travelling Auz. We then headed to Sydney for a big New Year’s Eve which we spent on a boat lulling in the harbour right in front of the bridge for the fireworks display as the clocks struck midnight. It was great as we had friends living and working in the city but we did all the touristy things as well as enjoying some local hangouts. The beaches on offer in Auz are to die for and I can see myself holidaying there plenty more in the future.
ES: Any holiday or travel disasters?
KS: YES. Last year (Christmas 2013) our parents beckoned the kids to return home from the UK and spend the festive season with them at home for the first time in 6 years. I know – terrible kids right! Anyway, as flights are crazy money over Christmas, especially to SA, we flew via Dubai direct to Durban but got caught in those horrific winds on the 23rd December. Flights were cancelled, we were shipped out to a hotel in Crawley with the other 1000’s or so passengers spent a night only to return to Gatwick early the next morning to find total chaos. The airport was strewn with people lying around thanks to the backlog of cancelled flights and more passengers arriving to find all planes grounded and nothing leaving. On top of that the airport had flooded due to all the rain, including the basement storage so the shops and restaurants started to run out of food and water. People started to panic and it was just horrific. After standing in a queue for 7 hours we finally boarded a flight to Dubai. We were delayed there too as had missed our connecting flight the night before, spent Christmas day in Dubai airport with a meal voucher and napped on the floor as all the chairs were taken. Miserable does not begin to describe it. We finally arrived in South Africa, poor Mum and Dad has spent Christmas alone again despite our efforts to be home with them. Never again!
ES: Nightmare!! Tell us about a place you long to visit and the reasons why.
KS: I would love to take 6 months to a year and travel the length of Africa in a Land rover. I know that might seem like rather a strange, and potentially dangerous, thing to want to do, especially when I could say, lie on a beach in Sri Lanka, but I think it would be an adventure of a life time and the people I would meet and places I would see would change my perception of myself and the world around me.
ES: Who’s your favourite travelling companion(s) or do you prefer your own company?
KS: I love to travel with my boyfriend Gavin. He has an adventurous spirit, is curious about the world around him and is such fun to be with. I have also done quite a bit of travelling with my brother and we are a good match in that sense, being family is easy and we have plenty of friends abroad who we love to visit.
ES: Ever had a holiday romance? Details, please!
KS: I’ve never had a holiday romance I’m afraid… no juicy details to share. (ES: that’s what they nearly all say! Grr!). But, I don’t mind travelling on my own and on a solo trip to the Canary Islands for a winter sun escape I had to resort to buying a cheap ‘bling’ ring and wearing it on my wedding finger to deter over-eager waiters and barmen who kept asking me out. I had to politely say that my husband would not like that idea very much!
ES: Ha! Ha! Ha! Love it! How would you spend your dream twenty-four hours if you could travel to multiple, worldwide destinations with no travel restrictions?
KS: Well, 24hrs would not be enough to cram in everything I would want to do if there were no travel restrictions. However, I would like to head west and make it a whirlwind visit State-side stopping in at NYC again, then onto San Francisco, Santa Barbra and over to Hawaii. Why not!
ES: What tip or piece of advice would you give to holidaymakers and/or travellers?
KS: Everyone should go on a holiday alone at least once in their life, there is nothing to fear and you might learn something about yourself. Go on, live a little!
Consider your travel plans flying abroad very carefully over Christmas… once bitten, twice shy.
Always carry wet-wipes and a change of clothes in your hand luggage. It is essential.
Always ask for extra eye masks and ear plugs from your airline, such handy little items for when travelling, in transit, or stuck somewhere you’d rather not be!
Fab advice, Katie! Thank you so much, and I’m checking out your site again soon for some early Christmas prezzies!
