View from the other side…the flip side of travelling in England

by Nancy Halverson, Feature Writer

Another summer coming on...the garden needs work and the evenings are long again. Our kids are off next week for their 'Spring half-term' holiday, and it's a long weekend coming up for us.

We've all still got too much to do to enjoy any nice weather that comes our way, but I try to get out with the sunshine when it's possible. Our ambitions always out-pace reality, but at least we never seem to be bored!

The South of England

Our next trip takes us down into the south of England—well, south of us anyway. We need to go to Bedford for interviews about the French exchange that we're hoping to do with our girls this fall. Since we'll be down in that part of the country, we're hoping to see some of the places on our list—Bath, Oxford, etc. Of course, I have to be at work on Monday, so it'll be a quick trip for me, but Ryan and the kids will be travelling around for another day or two.

The Price of Accommodations

A small note here about the price of accommodation on these little jaunts of ours. Although there are many ways to save money on hotels etc.—discount Web sites, camping, hostels and friends—you can't always find these when you need them. Many people who travel in England book their trips well in advance, and so many of the best deals are no longer available by the time we know when and where we're travelling. Charm costs money here—if it's a lovely little B&B, it could cost much more than you'd think. 

And don't forget that many hotels or B&B's charge 'Per person, per night' rather than by the room. It can cost a lot of money to stay in some places—for our trip to Bath for instance, we're choosing to stay at a hotel well away from Bath and saving a lot of money. There was a nice farm B&B in nearby Wiltshire that could take us, but my husband gagged at the price for all of us to stay (our family of four plus another room for my in-laws). The two rooms for two nights would have cost over $1000 Canadian. Like I said, charm costs. 

Make Mine a Double

Another little travel note—rooms may sound the same as in North America, but they're not. Ask for a 'double' in North America and you get something with two double or larger beds. A double here gets you one bed with room enough for two people. To accommodate families like ours, we have to look for specific 'family' rooms, which allow two adults and two children—the kids usually get a sofa bed to sleep on rather than a real double bed. Often though, I'll be almost through the booking process before I'm told that there's a limit of three people in total for a room. The things you have to check if you're planning on travelling around!

About Travelling Solo

I'll also be going to London for our STC annual general meeting (AGM) in June and, this year, the family's staying at home. I don't know if I'll know what to do with myself, in a hotel without having to take care of any appendages. I'll probably just end up shushing the furniture to keep in practice. (By the way, that room will cost me £80 or so per night, but it is right beside the venue.)

I'm really hoping to make it to at least one gallery on the Sunday, to make my trip worthwhile. Art without kids in tow will truly be an experience.

About the AGM

Our AGM is a day long event, with some socializing in the evening. Most of the day will be seminars, with the actual business part of the AGM taking just a few minutes.

The AGM this year is at the British Library, so I'm probably going to tour the British National Library. As collectors go, this country has a huge reputation, and according to my sources, the British Library building is about the only thing that Thatcher did right. Although I question the preservation of a lot of the buildings in this place, I'll never question the preservation of books and other information artifacts. However, I know that the English bureaucracy has buried more information about stuff than the rest of the world combined, and to give access to it all would mean finding another planet to contain it. I just hope that I don't react to all that dust. 

Our Next Council Year

It should be a big year ahead for our little chapter, as we're going to try to recharter this year. We're also hoping to increase our membership and create stronger ties to other associations. Plus, we'll attempt to get more events in and somehow publish our newsletter more regularly. It's going to be a fun ride!

Congratulations

I have to send my congratulations to the newsletter team— especially Debbie—for the great result in the competition. When Debbie asked me to write some articles about work and life in England, I knew that she was looking to expand the scope of the Quill. Aim high and keep to the path seems to be her motto. She brought the Quill forward in so many ways, and I'm really happy to have been able to contribute a little towards its success. You've raised the bar pretty high now Debbie...but I know there's always better stuff to come.

Have a great summer all.

About Nancy Halverson

Nancy grew up in Toronto, but has lived in Ottawa, Melbourne, Waterloo, and now Sheffield. She has travelled through the South Pacific, Australia and Indonesia, which is where she met her husband, Ryan Wilson (another Canadian), along the way.

A career switch introduced her to the STC in 1997. Her writing experience has included several contract positions and a position at Inscriber for several years. She has two daughters and has been living in England for over two years.