Not lazing but LEARNING

Three women explain the joys of taking study courses on holiday

- GILLIAN HARVEY

It's enriched broadened my life and my horizons'

Jennifer Young, 52, is the founder of Beauty Despite Cancer and Lives in Cheshire with her husband Martin, 48. The smell of spices floods my senses as I crush pods and seeds with a pestle and mortar. I glance over at my husband Martin and grin. What a great way to beat the jet lag!

I love to travel, but I’m not someone who can sit still by the side of a pool. Luckily Martin isn’t either, and our three children, now in their late teens and 20s, are just the same.

I met Martin in 1998 at a photography evening class, and from our first holiday – a three-day break in 1999 – we did so much! Starting in Nice, we drove to the Alps for my first skiing lesson and popped into Monaco.

I’ve learnt so much on holidays over the years. In June 2019, Martin and I went to Nepal and, to keep awake while we adjusted to the seven-hour time difference, we took a cookery class on arrival.

Recently, I’ve taken an oriental fragrance course in Singapore and visited South Africa, where I learnt to cook snoek pâté. I’ve also taken a powerboating course with the whole family in south Staffordshire.

Last August, I enjoyed a perfume-making break in the New Forest.

My learning never goes to waste. Friends have been treated to Singaporean carrot cake, Nepalese ‘pizza’, and a fish curry I first tried in the Philippines in 2019.

Skincare and perfume courses help me with formulating the specialist skincare products for my company Beauty Despite Cancer, which can combat some of the side effects of cancer treatment.