The Date: Sunday, January 7, 2018
The Time: 8:17 p.m.
Confirmation #: ASJLID
The moment when I clicked on the confirm button on my laptop to book my flight to London England was a dream come true. A e-mail arrives with Confirmation Number and Info.
Now the panic set in.... "What have I done".
I can't do this, travel to England by myself for 22 days. I have to Cancel right away!
OK! OK! Take a deeeeeep breath, relax, you can do this.
NO I can't, YES you can, No I can't, Yeeeees you can!!!
Fast forward a year, March 15th, 2019.
Have you ever had that moment when you were sure you had thought every thing through and went ahead and booked a trip and then once you push the Confirm button you begin to second guess your self.
Well I second guessed myself. I'd been picturing this day for many years and finally I was going to get to take my dream (Bucket List) trip from April 24 to May 17th, 2018.
Now for those that don't know me, I do not travel well with out having a defined plan and Itinerary. So of course I had an idea of where and what I wanted to see but was the who I wanted to see, going to want to see a total stranger from Canada.
Several years ago I had published a book titled "Pott Family Journey, Before and After 1892" which was a culmination of years of research on my Great Great Grandfather John Pott, his ancestors and descendants. All the research was completed and well documented and all I had to do was come up with a trip itinerary. A itinerary of which places to visit and incorporate visits with extended relatives that resided in those areas. Sounds quite simple, right?
I had 107 days from clicking on the confirm button to board a plane to Toronto and then go on to Gatwick airport in London, England. That's how many days I had to come up with a full proof plan on maximizing every waking moment from the time of clicking confirm to boarding that plane.
First step was to tell family that I actually pulled the trigger and booked the flight. I had talked a long story about going one day, therefore, were friends and family going to believe me when I told them that I booked. To my delight everyone was thrilled that I was going and offered to help in any way they could. They offered up their choice of tourist attractions that I should visit and which hotels I should stay in and which trains and planes I should take to get around. The only problem was none of their suggestions were even remotely close to places I wanted to go and the people I wanted to see. Don't get me wrong I appreciated their offers but this was a very different type of trip . It was a pilgrimage, not a typical vacation that people think of when going to Europe.
There was a word I had not used before and it excited me, not only was I going to England but I was going to EUROPE! Sounds so much more glamorous and regal!
Okay, bring the nose down a little, I'm not the first person nor will I be the last person to go to England, or Europe.
Now the excitement was building, but the panic was still there, now I only had 106 days to plan.
Long story (104 days in total) made short, the planning continued to take shape as I prioritized my wants, needs, likes and can’t miss out on items. I would have 21 days on the ground traveling the ancestral country of my moms parents and Grandparents.I would also be taking a journey into Belgium and France to follow the footsteps of my dad’s father John Badgley who served in the Great War WW1. I had given my self 11 days to travel the country side of England and visit with distant family, 3 days relocation travel, 2 days in Belgium, 3 days in France and 2 days back in London before flying home.
Long story (104 days in total) made short, the planning continued to take shape as I prioritized my wants, needs, likes and can’t miss out on items. I would have 21 days on the ground traveling the ancestral country of my moms parents and Grandparents.I would also be taking a journey into Belgium and France to follow the footsteps of my dad’s father John Badgley who served in the Great War WW1. I had given my self 11 days to travel the country side of England and visit with distant family, 3 days relocation travel, 2 days in Belgium, 3 days in France and 2 days back in London before flying home.
The plan was to fly from Winnipeg to Toronto and then on to Gatwick International airport. From there I would board a train to Derby England. I would arrive mid afternoon in Derby and from that point on each day was planned out to where, what or who I would see each hour based on a 18 hour day. I only need 6 hours sleep at the most, but I new that I needed to stop and eat 😂.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | ||||||||
| 22nd | 23rd | APRIL | 24th | 25th | 26th | 27th | 28th | |||||||
| Derby | Derby | Derby | ||||||||||||
| 29th | 30th | MAY | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |||||||
| Derby | Derby | Yoxall Area | Yoxall Area | Yoxall Area | Yoxall Area | |||||||||
| 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | ||||||||
| Travel / Full Day | Poperinge Belgium | Poperinge Belgium | Travel 1/2 day | |||||||||||
| 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 20th | ||||||||
| Travel / Full Day | London | London | ||||||||||||
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