Margaret Martin, Director of Women's Aid
Your earliest holiday memory?
Squashed in the back of an old Volkswagen Beetle travelling along rainy old bog roads in Donegal. My dear old dad would drive to the top of yet another little hill and switch off the engine, and then we would have the excitement of seeing whether we could make it to the top of the next hill without switching the engine back on . . . oh, and the cheers of the gang of us when we did.
What was your worst holiday? Lowest point ever was last summer when, in the midst of a thunderstorm in France, an ambulance arrived to take my daughter to hospital after being extremely ill for two days. I learned a lot about how clean and efficient French hospitals were, though.
Your best holiday?
The absolute exhilaration of sleeping under the stars in the Sinai Desert on a Women's Aid fundraising trek. The desert was magical: big open spaces, amazing skies and incredible changes of scenery. I never felt so free or so safe. And the thrill of the chase as our Bedouin guides raced each other, driving with consummate skill through the desert.
If budget or work was no restriction, what would be your dream holiday?
I'd start off with a major stay in Namibia. It has one of the oldest deserts in the world. It's still pretty much untouched by any human influence, despite native tribes having lived there for over 2,000 years. Then I'd move on to Botswana and South Africa, before deciding where to next, and who knows if I'd ever come back?
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday?
That cute little man I married years ago - he's still great craic.
Your favourite place in Ireland?
An early morning swim in the 40 Foot, in Sandycove in south Dublin, on a lovely hot summer's day. It clears the head and gives you a great appetite for life and for breakfast.
What book would you recommend to read on holiday?
Great holiday reads were The Poisonwood Bibleby Barbara Kingsolver and A Fine Balanceby Rohinton Ministry. I love to read something set in the country that I'm visiting.
Where will you spend your next holiday?
Costa Brava, in Spain, to chill out completely.