I'd been entering competitions for months and not won anything, then one day I received an email to say I'd won 5 nights at the Carlton Ritz hotel in Singapore for two people. My mum, in her 50s had never shown any interest in going abroad, had never had a passport, and never stayed in a hotel, yet she seemed a bit put out when I was discussing who to take. I asked her if she wanted to come and she jumped at the chance. So, her first holiday abroad involved a 14 hour flight with champagne, tropical weather and a 5 star skyscraper hotel. We've been abroad together several times since, but I was worried that the budget holidays to Europe that I can afford wouldn't compare. Luckily she's caught the travel bug and doesn't mind. I've won a few small prizes since, but nothing so exciting!
