Ore and Portia Oduba on favourite trips abroad, holiday mishaps and travelling with kids

They say that in every relationship there’s the one who makes the spreadsheets, and the one who benefits from them. For Ore and Portia Oduba, Ore is most definitely the planner and spreadsheet-maker, especially when they go on holiday.

“I love it,” Ore, 36, confesses. “In another life, I probably would be a travel agent – the only problem is, I’d arrange the travel, then sack off the customers and go myself.

“I really like having a full itinerary. I love a map when we get there. I love knowing exactly the distance from the hotel to the airport. I love having the days mapped out with our options. I get too excited.”

Ore has been starring in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and is in a panto in Kent later this year.

Blogger Portia, 34, says: “Ore is one of those people who literally knows the local area better than the locals, because he’s done that much research before we’ve gone. I love it, because it means I don’t have to plan or do anything.”

The Odubas have been together for 11 years, and even though their holidays might have changed, their love of travel remains – and they plan their adventures around food.

The couple reminisce about one of the rare times Portia took charge of a holiday – but it “didn’t turn out that well”, she says with a laugh. “It wasn’t the fault of you booking the holiday, it was actually the fault of me eating too much on holiday,” Ore jumps in.

“We went to Egypt. We had a lovely week in Sharm el Sheikh, and I had – let’s call it a tummy bug. So we associate it with the time that Portia tried to organise a holiday… but actually, the issue was I ate too much chocolate cake.”

But even with his upset stomach, Ore was determined to try to enjoy the trip. “I kept trying to have fun on holiday,” he says. “You’ve not seen an image like me having trouble with my tummy, on a speedboat going out snorkelling on the coral reef.”

Portia can’t contain her giggles when remembering this incident, saying: “It was one of – if not the – funniest things ever.”

The couple have started travelling with their two children, Roman, four, and Genie, who was born in October 2021. “Our children always seem to have a nappy explosion on the plane as well, so that’s always a nice one,” says Portia.

“You do it all for the kids,” she says. “We all went on holiday as a family of four to Dubai, which is a place we like to go quite often. It was Roman’s first holiday that he could really remember – getting on the plane, the meal, the endless amounts of TV – he literally had the best holiday, it was so lovely.”

Ore continues: “It made it even more special, because something we’ve always loved doing as a pair is something that is even more important to us as a family now.

“I look back at some of the pictures and the reels and go, oh my gosh – I remember being that boy at four or five, going with my family on trips abroad, and it being really special.

“But now having kids of your own, it’s incredible. The only downside is you get less time together as mum and dad – at nine o’clock, you’re so pooped you’re going straight to bed.”

When it comes to food, travel and companionship, Ore can’t help but think about their honeymoon in Thailand. “We went to Phuket – I’d been a few times, and I was dying to take Portia there. I mean, Thai food – there’s not much else to say, it was absolutely spectacular.”

It might have been their honeymoon, but they weren’t entirely alone – on the penultimate day they were gatecrashed by one of Ore’s mates. “I have this vision of one of my longest, oldest best friends in the world turning up at the hotel and spending the day with us,” he says. “You might think what on earth are you doing? But actually, it made it even more amazing.”

Ore and Portia Oduba have partnered with the British Airways American Express® Cards to celebrate the Companion Voucher, which provides a second seat on the same British Airways flight for a companion, when they make a Reward Flight booking. For more information, search BA Amex.