The kids are out of school, many businesses in Europe are closed, flights are packed in elbow-to-elbow…ah, it must be August. Late summer in the United Kingdom is a very rough time of year; I’ve just learned this lesson and the stress it caused trying to travel around the country on a backpacker budget was intense.
Tourists from the United States and from all over Europe head to Scotland from July through September; cheap accommodation is booked up quickly and tours and food are all at a premium.
There are five …

To finish up this series on the Lake District let’s go on a little tour of the region. The series this past week covered a few touristy things I did in the region – but there is just so much more to see if you can stay for more than three days!

I met some amazingly cool people at the hostel because all of the backpackers were similarly minded – this is not precisely the place to come for a good party but more so walking, hiking, and boating; we …

The Lake District in England is the perfect place for “just a bit of a wander” as all of the hostel owners and locals have called it. This quaint phrase is just one more example of the differences between the US and England…and I have to say, framing a walk with the idea of “having a bit of a wander” sets the mood entirely different than, say, “going for a walk;” even “out for a stroll” doesn’t have quite the same charm.
With the wandering mentality front and center as I …

The green sheep pastures of the Lake District in England were so stunning that they actually caused me to go into spontaneous dances of joy. I mean, if you know that you’re completely and truly alone with only a sheep as witness is there really anything else you could do?
I reckon not. I made a pact with myself at the beginning of the trip that I was going to teach myself a cartwheel by the end of this year of traveling. I still can’t do it (drats!) but I spent …

The sparkling lakes glistened with the setting sun as my train sped through the Lake District National Park in England; I couldn’t help but admire the spectacularly green rolling hills dotted with small white sheep that were in turn spotted with a dot of blue or red color to mark their owner.

After the hustle and bustle of London I chose to spend several days hiking, walking, and boating around the Lake District. This area made me instantly feel like I was entering a Jane Austen novel – truly! The lush …

Are there any three words that are more indicative of London than the phrase “mind the gap?” Surely you could name drop the major sites, Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, but for anyone who’s actually been to London the incessant chant of “mind the gap” from the anonymous overhead voice should bring you right back to the underground…at least it does for me!

Having already done the London touristy sites several years ago, I opted to instead go for a more local feel just like my time in Amsterdam. …