Travelodge in the UK

My co-worker Jen is a wealth of England info that I hadn't thought about resourcing until today. See, I forgot that she was married to a Brit for 18 years, and she lived over there for 5 months and visited several other times while she was married. Today we were talking, and she has some great suggestions she share with me, and I think she will be a wealth of information in the months to come, too.

She suggested that we stay in at least one B&B or manor home to get the ambience and feel for it. In other words, we need to experience it at least once. However, she stressed that the true savings can be had by staying in a Travelodge in the UK. It is more comparable to what we are used to here in the States--comfy rooms with TVs, bathroom in our suite, etc. A country B&B is nice, but having to share a bathroom with 12 other guests down the hall and stand in queue for a shower could get old...

So we will have to investigate further and see if any of the Travelodge locations would be beneficial to us.

Process of Elimination? It's going to be a struggle!

I got a 2005 version of Hudsons Historic Houses & Gardens book from Half Price Books, and I'm struggling with picking and choosing what homes to see. I knew there were a lot of estates in England, but I had no idea how many we were talking about. Let me just say, I am enraptured...

I guess the Landmark Trust and a couple of other entities stepped in a few years ago and saved some of these homes, but there were many that were beyond repair or were destroyed before the trust could get to them. They talk of the losses to the national heritage because of it, but I'm just amazed at how much they still have left! There are thousands of these buildings to see in England in comparison to our few national landmarks and trust buildings.

Here in the States, we have some preservation and some trust organizations around the country that are working at conserving our heritage for future generations, but nothing like they do in England. And our old buildings are still relative babies in comparison to some of the manors, castles and halls of Great Britain.

So now you see my dilemna...how can I eliminate them? I mean, it's not like I can take a year-long sabbatical to see every home in England. And even then, I am probably being overly energetic and optimistic. It must take a host of writers to visit all these homes every year! HA!

More and more, I'm just thinking that I need to contact somebody (not sure who) and let them know that I would love to work on a book like this. I need to find out how to get this job! To be able to travel and visit these homes, to write about them and talk them up, to share the beauty and mystery of these magical places, and invite others to do the same -- I know I could do that. I want to do it. It would be like a dream come true...

I don't need to live in a home like that. This small-town girl doesn't need a lot, and my small one-bedroom flat will continue to do me fine. Thank you very much! But I do enjoy visiting places of beauty and history, which is why I am pining to visit England so very much.

I'm 33 years old...

And I've never been out of North America. I've seen a lot of the USA. Well, maybe not A LOT, but I've done a moderate amount of traveling--actually quite a bit for a Midwesterner. I love my home country, and I enjoy exploring it immensely. I've also visited several of the Canadian provinces, and in particular, fell in love with Prince Edward Island.

But now, I think it's time to spread my wings and cross the Atlantic. [Wait! It is the Atlantic Ocean, right? You know what they say about Americans and their geography skills! I'd hate to plan to cross the wrong ocean...that would not be good. AHEM!] All right, so it is the Atlantic...I checked.

Now let's get planning.