This is The Guardian.

White sands and turquoise waters, hidden gems and new horizons.

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This message was paid for by American Express.

Bonjour, this is Julia Bradbury, and I've just been uncovering Normandy's hidden gems with Brittany Ferries.

After one bite of the fresh French-themed cuisine on board, my holiday had started.

On land, there were retro sidecar tours, barefoot hikes across shifting quicksands, and even a visit to a bee farm.

So with adventures like these waiting, why settle for any old holiday?

Uncover the Uncommon with Brittany Ferries.

And discover more at Guardian.com forward slash uncommon holidays. This message was paid for by Brittany Ferries. And discover more at Guardian.com forward slash uncommon holidays.

This message was paid for by Brittany Ferries.

There are innumerable joys of travelling, new landscapes, cuisines and culture.

But there is always that excruciating moment when you have to attempt speaking in another language.

Then again, after a couple of glasses of Belgian beer, Italian wine, or perhaps a few

shots of Mexican tequila, the embarrassment of bad pronunciation and lack of vocab

seem to evaporate.

You find yourself having a lovely chat with the waiter.

...