Your travel ideas

Nicola, Pete, Lola and Nell set off for their travels with a difference on 8 June. We hope to get a taste of many countries without adding to climate change (with needless emissions from aeroplanes) or having to waste hours of holiday time in airport terminals. We hope our adventures inspire you to take a Grand Tour of your neighbourhood. Already you've sent us loads of ideas about where to go & what to do. Here are some:

1) FROM JAPAN
Wow. You found Vancouver in London. Can you find Japan in England? I am sure
you can find a nice Japanese garden somewhere over there. Cheers,
Stacy & Motoki Kurokawa (Nicola's Canadian cousin)

2) FROM PERTH, AUSTRALIA
Well done gaining a reprieve for those trees! The Council cut a nice tree down from the verge outside my place earlier in the year, it was overhanging the footpath, but wasn't a danger 2 anyone, and I really liked the tree. They have planted another tree now tho.
Pam XXXX (Pete's Australian sister)

3) FROM OUR NEIGHBOUR, LONDON
Have a wonderful low carbon time. Perhaps you can count this as balancing my hyper carbon time! Love, Stephen

4) FROM A FARM NEAR MONMOUTH, WALES
Come & stay? Test our new compost toilet? Sleep in the woods? We will cook too! It all sounds exciting & wonderfully bonkers. :) I'm envious... Ruth

5) FROM THE MAN OVER THE ROAD - GO TO FRANCE
Monet's garden in Dorset at http://www.waterlily.co.uk
French style wine estate in Surrey at http://www.denbiesvineyard.co.uk
French chateau in Buckinghamshire at http://www.waddesdon.org.uk
French abbey with a tomb of a real French emperor (Napoleon III) in Hampshire at http://www.farnboroughabbey.org/home.php , from Greg

6) FROM A UNIVERSITY TOWN, CAMBRIDGE
Hey! Pls do come and see us in Cambridge, we can fit you all in and I love the idea of not having to cook a meal, although the kids can now do BBQs. You have been on my mind for yonks. let me know when you will be Down our way. Dotx

7) FROM GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Don't forget Venice (Birmingham - has more canals ;) on your travels. And Ayres Rock (Malvern- pre-Cambian rocks, more than 500 million years old ;). I am now living in Geneva (since Nov 2006) and have been doing some exploring myself.... By bicycle :)Have also visited the smoke of London a couple of times (boooooo.... Nasty carbon Iknow!) so was planning to make contact sometime. Bon voyage, Barry x

8) FROM TUNBRIDGE WELLS
If you find yourself in Kent in your travels come and stay. Hurstmonceaux is just down the road - couldn't sound more French and has a fab observatory. Think the blog looks great and good on you guys for doing something positive. Have fun, Diana x

9) BIGGING UP OXFORD
Britain exotic ?? How could that be? Surely you could fit the oxford botanic gardens and puunting through mesopotamia with the goddess Isis into your itinerary. You could even camp in our back garden - although we do have room to fit all of you (just about) in the house if it gets rainy. hope you Keep those midges at bay in scotland - midge malaria, never heard of it. Great news about west ham too. xx Lucy

10) GO TO A FOLK FESTIVAL BY THE SEASIDE
First week in August - be there and be square! The festival's smaller than it was a few years ago, so focussing more on British music but there should still be plenty of international stuff there to add to your world tour: a Brazilian samba troupe, Romanian dance ensemble, le Bebert Orchestra from Quebec, the Bollywood Brass Band (from London!) and so on.We've been a few times, and don't really bother doing many of the formal concerts as there is just low key music and dance stuff happening all over the place - pub beer gardens, town square, along the prom, .... - as well as children's and family activities every day (and a beach and ice creams). Maybe see you there bon voyage, Andrew