This is a guest post by Ben Colclough, founder of adventure travel web site Tourdust. Tourdust arranges tours and treks with small local operators around the world usually at rates far below the big adventure tour operator’s prices.

Where I’d rather be: Queen Charlotte Trail, New Zealand

My Monday mornings are a whole lot better than they used to be since I’ve been working for myself. Unfortunately, I still spend most of them in front of a computer screen, so pretty much anywhere is the easiest answer to this question. I’d swap my middle England location (which appropriately is grey and freezing right now) for somewhere, anywhere, that offered even the briefest moment of warm sun and wilderness.

So many places appeal given the comparatively dire state of the alternative Monday in a freezing office. A simple beach hut on Kho Phangan, or better the Pehrentian Islands in Malaysia (no alcohol-so no hangover…) immediately spring to mind, but I’m not sure they would quite cut it.

You see on a Monday morning, it is important you hit the week running with a little forward momentum, a day lounging by a beach would leave me feeling a little too lethargic for this early stage of a new week. Instead, a rich blast of exertion and fresh outdoors would be just the ticket. Picture it, you’ve woken in your tent on the second day of Queen Charlotte’s Trail in New Zealand. The camp-site looks down on a small stony bay. After a quick brew on your camp stove and a breakfast of slightly stale bread (no matter you are hungry) you set off on one of the most beautiful coastal trails in the world. Your reward at the end of a further two days of hiking and camping is some quality time exploring the wonderful vineyards of Marlborough. This more hedonistic pursuit will then fall in the latter half of the week when your intrinsic psychological conditioning will be far more comfortable with wasted afternoons awash with Sauvignon Blanc.

To feel really smug about your place in the world, you do need to be doing something a little bit worthy and I can think of nothing better than striding out on a crisp Monday morning up out of the bay, miles of coastline in view, full of the smugness of the outdoors and healthy pursuits, whilst I picture my friends and colleagues back in their cubicles.

Where would you rather be? Answer in the comments below or on Twitter using the hashtag #WIRBMonday.

Previous Where I’d Rather Be on Mondays:

The Amazon by Ed Stafford
Anywhere! By Al Humphreys
Dolalghat, Nepal by Dan Martin