My Travel Toolkit: Polly's Dolomites Essentials

THE TRAVEL ESSENTIAL

One thing I've become more conscious of is making my everyday spending work harder for me. Whether I'm booking a hotel, sorting transport, buying hiking kit or picking up those last holiday essentials, I like knowing those purchases can contribute towards my next trip.

That's why the BA Amex® Premium Plus Card  has become part of my travel toolkit. It helps me collect Avios before I've even reached the airport, so the spending that goes into planning one holiday can help make the next one happen. Right now, eligible new Cardmembers***, who apply by 6 October,  can also collect 60,000 bonus Avios when they spend £6,000 in their first three months of Cardmembership making it a good time to start putting those future travel plans into action. That's enough for an off-peak return trip to New York or Toronto, or, if you want to travel in style, a Business Class trip to Mykonos****.

For me, travel isn't just about the big-ticket bookings. It's everything that happens before you leave – researching where to stay, sorting the transport, buying the right kit and getting excited about what you'll do when you arrive. Knowing I'm collecting Avios along the way makes those everyday purchases feel like part of the adventure too.

THE HOLIDAY

My perfect day in the Dolomites starts with breakfast on the hotel terrace, looking out at the mountains and eating enough to fuel a big day ahead. From there, it's straight onto the trails for three or four hours of hiking, with a long lunch somewhere beautiful before heading back to the hotel for a swim, sauna and steam.

The Adolf Munkel trail was the standout. It's a longer hike – around four hours or more – with a few challenging sections but it's generally manageable and the scenery makes every step worth it. The highlight was stopping at Geisleralm halfway round for lunch. Sitting on the terrace with an Aperol Spritz, looking out at the mountains after a morning of hiking, is pretty hard to beat. And you have to order the Kaiserschmarrn – a traditional chopped-up pancake with raisins that's simple but incredibly good.

One of the biggest surprises was just how easily the Dolomites combine an active holiday with proper relaxation. You can spend four hours hiking and, a few hours later, be back at the hotel in your swimsuit. Hotel Saltus was perfect for that. The modern, understated design was exactly my style, but it was the rooftop pool and extensive spa facilities that really made the difference. After a day on the trails, having somewhere beautiful to properly switch off made it feel like a holiday rather than simply a hiking trip.

I'd also recommend making time for Lago di Carezza. The water really is as brilliantly blue as it looks online. Go early or later in the day, though, otherwise you risk spending more time competing for the perfect photo than actually enjoying the view.

The main thing I'd say is not to try to cram everything in. There will always be another viewpoint, another trail or another mountain you've seen on Instagram that you feel you should tick off. Some of my favourite moments were simply hiking for a few hours, stopping for a long lunch and then heading back to the hotel for the pool and spa. The Dolomites are as much about slowing down as they are about exploring.