ALISON Hammond has admitted her brand new travel show is inspired by her late mum.
The This Morning star, 49, has headed to sunny Florida for her new series on BBC Two and has been joined by her son, Aidan.
In the show, the duo will show viewers how they can take on Florida on a budget – something she used to do as a child with her own mum.
Alison opened up to The Sun’s TV Mag about her travels with her mother Maria, who passed away in 2020, and the reason as to why travel has always been in their DNA.
In an exclusive interview, she said: “For years, I worked as a tour rep, following in the footsteps of my dear, lovely mum – a hard-working, no-nonsense travel agent. Travel’s in my blood.
“Thanks to Mum’s money-saving tips, we managed to budget our way to a place that totally captured our heart – Florida.
“What you experience as a child, you naturally want to pass on to your own children, and Florida was such a big part of my life, so of course I want to share that with Aidan.
“We’ve always been together and travelled together. Usually when we go to Orlando, it’s theme parks or bust, but this time we’re doing things a little differently…”
Across the 10-part series, viewers will see Alison and Aidan hitting the road and exploring the sunshine state on a shoestring budget, visiting beautiful parks and making priceless memories by taking part in activities such as canoeing and paragliding.
“This trip was eye-opening,” smiles Alison. “We visited some stunning, historical places that I never knew existed. And the natural beauty is unbelievable.
“As we were canoeing through the natural springs, we saw monkeys and all sorts of wildlife.
“My mum wasn’t there this time, so that was sad, but it was still lovely because we could reminisce about the things we used to do together.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Watch the moment Alison Hammond demands water and stumbles on her words after drinking alcohol in Bake Off New Year Special” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6366665195112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“Both Aidan and I have so many memories with my mum, and this trip was a beautiful time spent with my son.”
Even though many teenage boys might think it’s uncool to holiday with their mum, Alison insists that she’s Aidan’s number one travel buddy.
“He absolutely loves it. He’s always asking: ‘Can I come?’” she smiles.
“The other day, he was saying how much fun we have together – I bring the LOLs, I am the life and soul, and he realises that. He’s been on plenty of trips with his friends, but he always says he has the best time with me!”
