Inside The Head

Samantha Price, principal of the prestigious Benenden School, shares her favourite holiday and travel pastimes with Abode2

The place that keeps drawing me back

Pembrokeshire in Wales, because of the beauty of the area, the opportunity to do cold sea swimming, Welsh cakes and the fact that, because it’s so far away from Kent, nobody recognises me.

Perfect soundtrack when I’m on the move

Long drives provide me with the opportunity to listen to some of the Benenden pupil-made soundtracks, Stabat Mater and Make We Merry. The girls’ voices get me through the traffic on the M4 and then as I’m driving into Wales, for that last hour or so, more often than not I’ll start listening to Now4. It features songs including What’s Love Got To Do With It and Together in Electric Dreams – classic pop.

Luxury villa or swanky boutique hotel

My preference is the boutique hotel because you don't have to do anything yourself, it’s a bit like being in a private house but without having to host guests so you get a real holiday.

When I travel, I’m never without

Something to read. I’ve always got the Spectator and The Week with me; to be honest you’re covered if you’ve got those two. I also read a lot of books about supporting teenagers to flourish, as well as political biographies, especially recently retired PM biographies.

The best souvenirs I’ve brought home

We do have a habit of buying drying-up cloths whenever we go on a family holiday – we’ve got them from places including Argentina and Brazil and it’s a reminder of our holiday. I’m also very fortunate that I get to travel frequently with work, to Hong Kong in particular, and I’m lucky to be given lovely presents by parents who host us; my husband always looks forward to me going on these trips because I tend to be given a bottle of Japanese whisky for him.