A-Z activities

A-Z countries

What's this blog all about?

Hi, I'm Nicola - welcome to a blog begun in 2012 about family travel around the world, without leaving the UK.

I love travel adventures, but to save cash and keep my family's carbon footprint lower, I dreamt up a unique stay-at-home travel experience. So far I've visited 110 countries... without leaving the UK. Join me exploring the next 86! Or have a look at the "countries" you can discover within the UK by scrolling the labels (below right). Here's to happy travel from our doorsteps.

Around 2018 I tried a new way of writing my family's and my own UK travel adventures. Britain is a brilliant place for a staycation, mini-break and day trips. It's also a fantastic place to explore so I've begun to write up reports of places that are easy to reach by public transport. And when they are not that easy to reach I'll offer some tips on how to get there.

See www.nicolabaird.com for info about the seven books I've written, a link to my other blog on thrifty, creative childcare (homemadekids.wordpress.com) or to contact me.

Wednesday 6 June 2007

Travel with us


Nicola, Pete, Lola and Nell want to travel the world with a difference. We hope to get a taste of loads of countries without adding to climate change (with needless emissions from aeroplanes) or having to waste hours of holiday time in aiport terminals. We hope our adventures inspire you to take a Grand Tour of your neighbourhood. This post is from Nicola.

Nell (6) has never flown, Lola (in the pic) and I haven’t been on a plane since 2000 (seven years!) and now we have three months to get around the world in a carbon lite way. We're doing this by staying in the UK pretending to be in other parts of the world from the Arctic to the Yemen. As the man at the Daily Telegraph newspaper's travel section said: "it's either mad or genius."

Staying in the UK is great for the local economy, and we will use local businesses and public transport whenever we can. But because accommodation can be pricey in the summer, especially in the Lake District, we are housesitting, houseswapping (more detail on this as we travel) and staying with friends. At times we will be camping, renting a cottage or using B&Bs… You can help us travel to 80 countries - just order mint tea in a Lebanese cafe, eat pizza in an Italian restaurant or go to the US by watching a baseball game - and then tell us about it.

If you haven't decided what to do for your summer holiday, or happen to be near us you can join the adventure. This is where we will be:

JUNE
8 June: Orient Express (plus a bit of Harry Potter) aka night train to Glasgow
9 June: New Zealand also known as (aka) YHA Rowardennan on Loch Lomond, Scotland
10-15 June: Arctic, aka village near Oban on the River Orchy
16-22 June: climbing Mt Everest (Nepal) via Skiddaw in the Lake District
23-24 June: Nigeria aka village near Skipton, north Yorks
25-26 June: North American Praires via a village near Bedale, north Yorks

JULY
27 June – 1 July: Yemen & Roman time travelling along Hadrian’s Wall in Newcastle (east end)
1-5 July: Canada & Chile, camping by Ullswater, Lake District
5-14 July: Germany & Baird family history around Aberdeenshire
15-16 July: Visiting the only polar bear in the UK, plus Edinburgh highlights
17-22 July: chance to be free spirits – where do you think we should go?
23-24 July: probably back to Hadrian’s Wall (west end).

AUGUST
25 July – 2 August: Roman time travelling along & Great Wall of China, aka Hexham
3-10 August: France via Devon & the plastic bag free town of Modbury
11-26 August: possibly Brighton, Hornby or Wakefield. Which place do you like best?

SEPTEMBER
27 August – 2 September: to the home counties (Herts) with a trip to Stansted airport’s bank holiday departure lounge
5 September: school starts

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does a trip to the Boleyn count as Iceland?

Anonymous said...

hi lola missing you and family!! thanks for the card. whats youre address. come back now ! send me another card please, love from ruby

Anonymous said...

Hi Lola, thanks for your card! Missing you and your family. What's your address and I'll send you a card. Lots of love from Ruby

Drayton Park Primary School, Highbury Fields Secondary School & The Green Living Centre said...

Ruby, we can't send you an address as we are travelling all round Britain. In about a week Lola will be at a house where she can give you a phone call! You can send her notes via this blog if you like, love Nicola