When you’ve travelled the world as much as Anthea Turner, it’s important to have a system. The TV presenter, who once fronted holiday programme ‘Wish You Were Here…?’, has a suitcase permanently laid out with basic items which she tops up depending on the trip.

But that doesn’t mean she holds back on packing.

“I don’t believe in it,” confesses the radiant 65-year-old, still glowing after returning from a recent trip along the Danube. “I don’t get light packing. What’s the point? We’ve got wheels, we’ve got a suitcase. There’s 23 kilograms – fill it! I love clothes. I like to dress up.”

Turner had plenty of opportunities to showcase her summer wardrobe on a river cruise with fiancée Mark Armstrong. Sailing through Hungary, Slovakia and Austria on TUI’s premium vessel Skyla, she found the perfect balance between intrepid exploration and relaxing with home comforts.

“Skyla has everything you ever wanted,” she enthuses, now back in her London home contending with a mound of washing. “How gorgeous to be floating down the Danube in your gorgeous room, stopping to see sites without having to use Google Maps, then returning to find all the things you’ve known and loved for the past few days. As humans we nest quite quickly.”

She’s not alone. According to research by TUI, 75% of Brits crave familiarity while travelling abroad, listing teabags and cherished toiletries as essential packing items, and praising friendly, smiley staff for making them feel most at home.

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River cruise

Despite having filmed on ocean liners in the past, this was Turner’s first river cruise. The feel of a small ship – sailing with 150 fellow passengers and 40 staff – was a big draw.

“You feel like you have seen everybody on board. It’s just like a big wedding, really, isn’t it?” she says, laughing.

“There’s always something to do and there’s always something to look at. Unlike an ocean cruise, you never have days at sea with endless horizons.”

The food was also a big attraction – although with so many options available, Turner admits she had to exercise some discipline.

“My biggest downfall was actually the biscuit station,” she sighs. “I had to walk past it going to different locations and every time I stopped for a cup of tea, those biscuits were looking at me. And they’re not just any old biscuits – they’re homemade biscuits.”

But the petite presenter, who favours sensible eating over fad diets, has discovered a sure-fire solution for avoiding weight gain on holiday.

“Quit the bread basket,” she advises. “We don’t have one at home, do we? I learned to do that a long time ago. We all know the bread basket is dangerous!”

Lots of walking during excursions and occasional trips to the onboard gym also helped the active fitness enthusiast stay in shape. One stand-out memory was joining a morning yoga class on the top deck.

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“Surreal”

“It was a surreal moment,” she recalls. “There I was floating along the Danube doing yoga. How beautiful is that? And the lovely thing was there were lots of people aged 50 and upwards who’d never been to a yoga class in their life.”

More meaningful than ticking off bucket list attractions, it’s these sorts of experiences which have come to define the way she travels. Having seen the good and the not so good, she now has a deeper appreciation for what really matters.

“Because I’ve travelled a lot, I cherish good moments,” she admits. “When I find something that I have that genuine love for, I want to tell my friends all about it.”

Three more of Anthea’s favourite travel adventures…

Serengeti, Tanzania

Turner recently celebrated her 65th birthday with a trip around Tanzania. As part of the adventure, she took a trip with Serengeti Balloon Safaris and stayed at Serengeti Bushtops, where she trialled their new luxury vehicle with a pop-up rooftop tent, nicknamed ‘The Beast’.

“It was unreal. You pull out what looks like the number plate, and it’s a whole barbecue kitchen there. We had a bush breakfast just there, looking at the river where eight hippos were basking. It was off the scale.”

She also ended up in an authentic Maasai market on an impromptu drive from Kilimanjaro.

“It was where they go to sell cattle and hens and everything else. We were the only tourists there. We went to the side of the road, bought corn, and really dug into the local culture.

“The lovely thing about Tanzania is that Tanzanians are running it. It’s very different to the set-up in South Africa and it’s very stable.”

Santorini, Greece

When it comes to a tried and trusted summer holiday in Europe, Turner says the Greek Isles are hard to beat.

“We are big fans of Greece. We’ve been back to Santorini four or five times, but every time we go, we find a different restaurant. We always hire a car to explore. Mark does most of the driving because he’s happy driving on the other side of the road. We do all the boat trips, and I love the volcanic beaches.

“Greece welcomes British tourists, and we fit in quite easily.”

Antarctica

“I’ve always wanted to go there. It’s on my list! But I live with somebody who complains about the cold. So that might have to be a trip that I take on my own, or with friends. I could probably take my dad. He’s 92 and geology is his thing!”