I have a trip coming up in the very near future! I will be going to England where I have not been for almost thirty years. It’s a special trip for several reasons and I will tell you why:
It’s a mother daughter trip.
In Paris, two years ago.
I have travelled with my daughter many times. Of course, when she was little the three of us (me, husband/Dad and daughter) took numerous vacations, long weekends, and family trips by car, train, plane and boat. Oh the places we went! She always loved the thrill of it. And so began her love of travel: like so many her age she has travelled to places I’ve never been….I’m thinking of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Finland etc.
Some people don’t like to travel: it makes them nervous and anxious; they would rather stay in familiar surroundings; they may have had a bad experience and don’t want to risk another. And, of course, there is the cost. Travel is not cheap. It can be done on a budget, of course, but still…it costs. Period. And so we segue into my upcoming trip.
I am actually able to use Award Miles for this trip. My American Airlines account had almost enough miles in it to do this. In the past ten years I think I have probably earned 4 or 5 round trips to Paris through my miles account. As you know, this is not an easy feat, and it gets more and more difficult as the years go by. Our move, four years ago, was a real bonus for my miles: movers, flights down here to check on the house, contractors (those that would take credit cards), utilities and more were a huge source of mileage awards.
Gardening
As you certainly know by now, gardening is one of my loves. I have developed and designed my garden up in the Hudson Valley and now here in North Carolina which are very different climates indeed. I am on the Board of our local Gardening Club and do all the social media and communications for them, aside from making such great friends with common interests. I really (REALLY) want to see some English gardens! And Sissinghurst is at the top of my list. I read “Portrait of a Marriage” by Nigel Nicolson many years ago and have read and studied the Bloomsbury Group in my design work.To say I am excited to go to Sissinghurst is an understatement!
Friendship Through Social Media
If you have followed my blog for some time you know that I was a partner in an e-commerce importing company, Provence Rugs. My business partner was Delana Nelsen. Delana and I met totally through our blogs. We would never have met if it hadn’t been for blogging and social media. In a very short time we developed our business plan, I went to Paris to meet her (she lives in Aix), we designed our on-line shop and opened for business! Although we closed the shop last December, we will always be friends. I can think of no better way to spend my time than in Aix, walking and talking with Delana.
I also take courses from Holly Becker at Blogging Your Way (BYW) where I have met so many new, wonderful, like-minded friends. One of my new(ish) friends lives in England and is (to put it mildly) a very talented gardener and photographer. I will reveal her name and site in the very near future! Anyway, through our on-line friendship she invited me to stay at her house when I am in England. I cannot wait! Really, it’s all like a dream come true.
On Wednesday, two days from now, I hope you will come back here for more details on our trip. I’ll show you some images of our trip to Paris five years ago and give you the general itinerary of our upcoming trip.
See you then!
I would love to hear your comments about traveling. Have you travelled with your daughter? To a new place?
