When we started to travel, our trips were in Ontario. Then we set out on our first big adventure to Quebec. Then there was COVID and the draconian rules forbidding even the smallest bit of happiness, which put the brakes on a lot of our newfound hobby. But after COVID was essentially done and people were tired of being cooped up, we got ourselves a passport and discovered the States. We still have much to explore in Ontario, Quebec and the rest of Canada, but adding the vast area of the USA has opened up more history, more culture, more everything. The best trips I plan include a bit of Canada and the USA.
Charlene has many travel destinations on her social media that occasionally pop up and catch her attention. She usually shares it with me, and I remember to include it on some future travels. Something popped up, and we even seriously considered doing a trip to Iceland. The thing that stopped me from exploring it any further was the language barrier, the costs and getting around the island. Our Icelandic dreams were packed away and not brought up again.
Both of us have seriously considered visiting Great Britain. There is no language barrier; we share many of the same cultural values, so there will be no surprises about how to behave in a foreign society. It is full of castles, not to mention the thousands and thousands of years of history. I had, for a brief moment, thought about Great Britain, but then the costs involved, much like Iceland’s, stopped any further exploration of the possibility.
Things changed.
Things changed in an unexpected and surprising way!
As I am researching what to do on my upcoming trip with Mom and sister, called Mom, Sis and Me, I accidentally discovered another reciprocal membership program. We belong to NARM, ROAM and AHS. These memberships give us access to hundreds of locations for free. Although the membership is a little steep, we get our money’s worth each and every time we travel. There is another program I learned about that includes hundreds of heritage sites in Canada and thousands, yes thousands, in Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Those four places comprise what we call Great Britain, and because of this, the big factor of admission is taken care of; visiting these sites, the very sites that we would enjoy visiting and seek out in our travels, will pay for itself after one visit to any one of the featured destinations!!!
Needless to say, I am rather excited for the planning phase of our largest, farthest, and bestest summer vacation ever. The question is affordability. As I said, admission will essentially be free at many places. I will need to come up with a budget for food, hotels, gas, and car rental, and find out things like cellphone usage, UK entry/exit procedures, and whatever else I need to know.
For now, I will map out the places to see. Then come up with an itinerary. Followed by a budget. And ultimately, get Charlene’s approval on the costs and time involved in this journey. From now until I have the plan made, I figure it’ll take a solid month of research. I love this kind of activity. It is almost as fun as going on the trip itself. After I plan everything, will the trip be in 2027 or 2028? That will be the biggest question.
