TOBY ANSTIS is a familiar voice to millions as the host of Heart Radio’s 10am to 1pm weekday show.
London-based Toby, 46, has also worked extensively on TV for the BBC, including co-hosting Children In Need.
Toby and his twin sister Katie feature on the new series of Channel 4’s A Place In The Sun on Monday, seeking a property in Ibiza.
THE reason I wanted to find a place in Ibiza is because I’ve been going there on holiday virtually every year.
The first time I went was when I was 23 and was working at the BBC – I got the bug from that very first visit.
There’s a smell and a tangible energy to the place. It’s a very liberal, happy place where you feel there are no barriers to having a good time.
You can still find beaches tucked away with just a couple of sunbeds and a fish restaurant in the cliff above.
And you have the likes of the Blue Marlin Beach Club if you want to dip your toe into that.
Then you have the quiet north and the Old Town which is like a mini Rio Carnival every night.
The island has the best clubs in the world and you have these colourful processions of people representing them.
And then there’s San Antonio where you go when you’re 18.
I’ve seen most of it and, having spent money renting places, I wanted to see if I could stretch to buying.
I think I got my real love of travel during my gap year when I went backpacking with my girlfriend at the time.
We got rail and boat tickets that let us hop on and off and we were away for about three months.
It was all done on an absolute shoestring, sleeping on beaches in the south of France for instance and finding places to stay for literally one pound a night.
When you’re trying to save every penny, you have to talk to your fellow travellers and get their tips and it’s a great way to meet and socialise.
You feel you get a better flavour of the country.
We got a ferry from the south of Spain to Tangier and Morocco and I remember thinking that it was a heck of a culture shock in just one hour.
You step on in one continent and step off in another.
We went to Marrakesh and Casablanca and it was such an eye-opening experience that has stuck with me all these years.
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