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The UK Travel Planning story: Q&A with founders Tracy and Doug Collins · UK Travel Planning

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Your host is the founder of the UK Travel Planning website, tracey Collins.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: In this podcast, tracey shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: So welcome to episode 69 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: This week is going to be a slightly different format in that I'm not going to be asking the questions Now.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: This week we have a guest who is going to be asking myself and, doug, can I friendly get to know you interview?
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: You called at Deborah, so I know, when we did an episode with Deborah episode 59, about her family trip around the UK, and after that episode, deb said you know what?
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: I'd really like to interview you guys, and so we thought, well, why not?
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: So Doug and I are here today.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: Hello With Deborah.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: So Deborah's I'm going to hand over to you.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Deborah, off you go introduce yourself and then you can start asking questions.
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: Well, my name is Deb Blazer, and I came about your podcast when we were planning our trip to the UK, and then I joined the Facebook group, and I think there are so many people that are grateful for what you guys do, so we'd like to know more about you.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: Okay, well, we're going to give you the floor.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: We do know the questions we have.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: We have all the questions, but yeah, feel free.
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: So I think, first of all, how did you and Doug meet and how did you get together?
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: Okay, so I'll answer this one.
• 2:00
  Speaker 4: Go for it.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we met in 2001.
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: We had a little bit of chat about that.
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: This morning we're going when was it we met?
• 2:07
  Speaker 4: 2001.
• 2:09
  Speaker 4: It's be momentous.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: We can't remember, yeah, no like oh, I know, and we actually met in a shop so my mum was kind of the receptionist manager of a double grazing shop actually in Burton on Trent.
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: My hometown.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: Where Doug's from, and I'd moved down there with my mum and my daughter, who at that point, I think Dominique was about two.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: No, she was older than that, she was being about four trying to think four or five at that point.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: That's right.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: So we had moved down there and mum got this a job in the shop and I happened to go in the shop one day and Doug was in the shop, and that's how we met Because I knew my mum in law longer than I've known Tracy and we got on well.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: Oh, wow.
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: So we used to chat and yeah.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: So and I asked Doug out.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: So, she approved.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: She did.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: Well, maybe she did.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: I asked Doug out on a date.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: I had an 18th birthday party for somebody, so at that point I was teaching, I was a teacher and I'd been invited to one of the daughters of one of the teachers that I worked with.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: It was her 18th birthday, so I was invited to the 18th, so I asked Doug if he'd go along with me.
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: What she really means is oh wow.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: What did you teach?
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Oh, I taught.
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: I taught history.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: I qualified as a history teacher, but I actually was a special needs teacher and then had a special needs for quite a few years and then then I became an advisor, but that's a whole different story.
• 3:32
  Speaker 4: She actually wanted somebody as a taxi driver so she could have a few drinks.
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: That's what she really wanted.
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: Possibly, possibly, we all.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: So then we got married four years later.
• 3:46
  Speaker 4: About four years later.
• 3:46
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah 2005.
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, we've been married ever since.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: We haven't been divorced and remarried.
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: We've just been married.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: Don't take time.
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: Congratulations.
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: So when did you begin the website, podcast and Facebook page?
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: How did that come about?
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: Okay, well, in I think it was about 20, late 2015.
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: I started because I've always traveled my entire life and I kind of I think I'd just come across I started to notice there were all these travel blogs on the internet and I thought you know what I could write one of those.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: But at that point I was just thinking let's just write about the things that I've done and where I've been.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: And so I started Tracy's travels in timecom, which is still not my favorite name for a website and I'd love to change it at some point, and we'll do it at some point in the future.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: But Tracy's travels in time because I kind of thought well, you know, when you start traveling, you travel in time literally because obviously you've got it.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: Whether you're doing a car journey or a plane journey or a train journey, it takes you the time to get there.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: But also you kind of travel, you experience history and culture and you get that.
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: So it was kind of that and because I suppose the history background has been a history teacher, it was kind of like going to places where, for me, some places in the world you go to, and it's like you can actually feel the past so strongly.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: So I guess that's where the name for that one came from.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: So I started that 2016.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: It was bobbin' along, kind of doing that, writing it, developing it, trying to make it better, learning all the time about SEO and how to write.
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: And then in 2019, beginning of 2020, we visited the UK and I thought, you know what, let me, we've got a lot of knowledge about UK travel, so let's put together a UK travel planning website, which is exactly what we called it.
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: We came back from the UK in January 2020 and, of course, then COVID hit, so a lot of travel bloggers obviously were hit because nobody was searching for travel, nobody could travel, and I think a few people thought it was crazy You're going to start this UK travel planning website but nobody's traveling anywhere.
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: During a time when no one's traveling Exactly.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: But to be honest, it gave me Obviously we were at home a lot, so it gave me a time to really focus and think about what it was that we wanted to do, who we wanted to write for, kind of, we're both over 50.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: I know we don't look it, but we're both over 50.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and we kind of wanted to.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: I think when you get older there are slightly different things when it comes to travel you have to think about and obviously when your kids have grown up and left home, you can do a little bit more, a little bit easier.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: I mean, we did travel with Dominique quite a lot and I traveled on my own with Dominique in my 30s.
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: So oh, I love my kids, but I can't wait.
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: I did a lot of travel in my 20s solo, so I traveled all around the world on my own.
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, I think, so we started that.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: And then 2022, I decided to start the podcast Because I felt that in this day and age, really you can't just have a website.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: I'd love to do YouTube and it's something we're looking at doing more video, but it's very time consuming and I'm a bit of a natural talker.
• 7:06
  Speaker 4: No, really.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: So kind of a podcast that's what we love about you.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: Podcasts seem to be the way to go, to be honest.
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: So I started that and it's been hugely successful.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: I have to thank every single listener, everybody out there who's listening to our podcast.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: Really, thank you so much.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: We can't believe how popular it is and how many downloads we get and how it's growing so rapidly.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: It's amazing.
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: I love it.
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: Our trip was in July and I'm still listening to it.
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: Oh brilliant, I'm happy to hear that.
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: I'm your next woman.
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: Exactly.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: So then we decided at the beginning of 2023 to do a London travel planning website so I could focus a little bit more on London, because there's a lot, obviously, that you can write about the UK.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: But I thought, oh, there's this opportunity there to focus on London.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: So that's what we did.
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: We started the London Travel Podcast in 2023.
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: And not podcast website and we've just recently, or in the next week or so, going to launch a brand new podcast but I will talk about that a bit later which is about global travel.
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: So has Doug always been a part of this, or did you bring him in later?
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: He, Doug, really came in for the UK travel plan, really didn't you?
• 8:22
  Speaker 4: I did.
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: Yeah, soon, as somebody mentioned, trains my ears pretty cool, but I think it was awesome.
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: I know a little bit about this, so that's how I sort of pushed myself forward and said and I think it was from correcting a few things Chase was saying I went actually no, actually this, this, this and this.
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: So it was more case of well, if you know someone, you write it you do it.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what I said.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: I was like well you can start writing articles and you can start coming on the podcast, and Doug was incredibly nervous.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: The first podcast, weren't you?
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: Yeah, trying to be a perfectionist and trying to get it absolutely, and after take 27, you know what?
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: Let's just leave that on.
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah so put them all, like with the trick.
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: The editors work magic.
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: Exactly Because every time you record the next one, it changes.
• 9:14
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and you have a book on train travel, correct?
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: That's right.
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: I've written a new book with all my experience.
• 9:23
  Speaker 4: It's like a user guide.
• 9:24
  Speaker 4: I hate the two idiots guide but you know, really, it is from first principles.
• 9:31
  Speaker 4: You know, this is this, this is this, this is how to do it and this is what you need to look for and this is how you know how to go about it.
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: So you know the way you transport in in the UK is so much more advanced than what we have here in the US.
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: So it was.
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: It was a little intimidating going into it and learning to use the different systems Absolutely.
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: That's it.
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: I mean the UK had a 100 years, you know, head start on the stage.
• 9:59
  Speaker 4: So it should be better, true.
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's quite the stage needs to catch up.
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: We knew that for a lot of people, the train travel in the UK is it.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: It stresses them out and it's confusing and they're not quite sure and they get intimidated.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: So it seemed we kind of sat down you know what?
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: Let's write an ebook and put it like the A to Z of train travel in the UK, like what do you need to know?
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: Like the importance stuff that you need to know, just to make it less stressful.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: And then also what we did as well, which we've had some really good feedback on.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: I've published a couple on the website.
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: We put together some train itineraries as well, because that tends to stump people, doesn't it?
• 10:40
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it can do, because the assumption is the UK is so tiny you can go everywhere within a few minutes.
• 10:47
  Speaker 4: Yes, the UK is tiny, but that doesn't mean you can get anywhere quickly, you know.
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: So you know what's obvious to us is not necessarily obvious to anybody visiting for the first time.
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah Right, one of our first things that we did was just map everything out, because we had no idea of the scale.
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: Sure.
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: And I remember we were so intimidated to use the tubes in London, but they were so easy.
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: It's like riding a bike, yeah.
• 11:18
  Speaker 4: It's difficult, all learning to drive.
• 11:20
  Speaker 4: It's very, very difficult, but when you've mastered it, it all makes sense.
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: It all makes sense, yeah absolutely.
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: So what's it like working together?
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: Do you, does somebody, does one of you focus on one part and somebody else I mean Doug, obviously does the train travel?
• 11:36
  Speaker 4: I just do as I'm told, and I know you do the tea rooms?
• 11:38
  Speaker 4: That's easy, that's so easily answered.
• 11:42
  Speaker 4: I do as I'm told and I make the tea there you go.
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, if I say absolutely one more time.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: But he's true, he does.
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: I guess I'm the overall manager, director, controller of everything that goes on for the.
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: Dictator For the business.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: So I kind of have the plan and what direction we're going in, so yeah, so I kind of, yeah, doug, kind of works for me with me, for me.
• 12:09
  Speaker 4: I guess I can summarize this.
• 12:10
  Speaker 4: I get it To summarize.
• 12:12
  Speaker 4: It's what my grandad used to say a ship's only got one captain, and there you go.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, you met my husband and we worked together and, yeah, as much as he likes to think he has an equal, say no, no, don't put that in there.
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, I'll be.
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: No, I love him and, honestly, it's great when you can work together like that and you're a team.
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: It brings a whole other dimension to your relationship.
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: Oh, absolutely.
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: And we now I mean we we learn so much from each other as well.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: Obviously, doug knows such a lot about train travel, so I mean I thought I knew a fair amount, but I certainly know a lot more now.
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: And kind of it's really because we both love the UK as well.
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: So, sitting and chatting about it and deciding where we're going to go, we're planning for our trip at Christmas at the moment.
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: So we're sitting yesterday and we're talking about where we're going to go and in London, and then after Christmas, january, we're looking at going to.
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: We're going to go to actually the Republic of Ireland, we're going to go to Wales, republic of Ireland, northern Ireland, then over to Scotland and then back down to London and then hopefully back up to Scotland again on the sleeper train.
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: So, and a lot of people would go, oh, my goodness, that's a lot of kind of travel as in, we're going on all these train travel, train travels, but it'll be really good, fun, oh it's always fun sitting on a train, not a problem.
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: We did the Caledonian sleeper train and it was.
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: It was a great experience to give the kids oh yeah, we're really looking forward to it.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: We're going to do it at least twice.
• 13:49
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, it is, it is, it's magical it doesn't?
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: matter how old you get the.
• 13:55
  Speaker 4: Caledonian sleeper.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: it's magical every time, yeah it's true, and that's what I just.
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: I wanted to make sure that our kids experience that, because we don't I don't think we have anything like that over here.
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: And just to be able to.
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: We drove, we rode from Scotland to London and to be able to fall asleep in Scotland and wake up in London the next day.
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: It's crazy.
• 14:16
  Speaker 4: It's really good, it's such a lot of fun.
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: We love it.
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: I do love that.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: My favorite is going from London up to Scotland and waking up, so you leave the city at night and then you wake up and you've got the beauty of Scotland.
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: It's like, oh, the winter as well, particularly.
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: It's just beautiful.
• 14:30
  Speaker 4: Well, yeah, just actually on that one.
• 14:32
  Speaker 4: And the old sleeper service used to have the you spell to open the windows.
• 14:38
  Speaker 4: So you catch the train at Houston and you get up in Vanessa or Fort William and you could see the wind and you got the smell of the pine trees.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: Oh, wow.
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: So you could actually lie there and or stand at the window, and it's just amazing.
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: Obviously you can't do now.
• 14:53
  Speaker 4: No, you can't.
• 14:53
  Speaker 4: Now.
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: It's something called air conditioning Safety, I would think as well.
• 14:57
  Speaker 4: Safety, yeah, yeah, you can't do that.
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: But it surprised me when we were over there how much, how much the the landscape changes.
• 15:07
  Speaker 4: Oh, definitely.
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: And, as we talked about, we did a driving trip and and from London clear up into Scotland it's just every day we were driving through a new atmosphere.
• 15:19
  Speaker 3: It was amazing.
• 15:19
  Speaker 4: That's right, and Scotland's got multiple different terrains as well.
• 15:23
  Speaker 4: The further you go up, it's quite flat and obviously you've got the national parks and it's yeah, I mean, it's stunning.
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: And if you go at the far, far northwest of Scotland from really I kind of like that from Glencoe up, it's just, it's like different landscape after different landscape Stepping back in time, I think.
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it didn't feel like.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: It doesn't feel like you're in the UK at some point.
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: You can't go really.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: This is just so far removed from some, from the rest of the country.
• 15:49
  Speaker 4: And I've got so many friends in Wales as well, I should say the Welsh terrain as well is equally beautiful.
• 15:53
  Speaker 3: Yes, yes and Cornwall.
• 15:55
  Speaker 4: And.
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: Cornwall that's on our list for our next time over.
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: We're going to Wales.
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: It's hard when you're planning because you want to go everywhere.
• 16:05
  Speaker 4: Oh we're no different, no different.
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: You have to narrow it down.
• 16:09
  Speaker 3: It's awful.
• 16:11
  Speaker 4: It comes down to the conversation, not not just where you want to go is where can we afford to leave out Because we wanted to?
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: do everything.
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: Yeah, Well, we're having the same problem.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: I mean I've just got back.
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: After being there I don't know three or four months.
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: I got back and we're planning now back in December and it's in January and it's the same thing.
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: It's like, okay, obviously you've got to think where's the best places to go for that time there, and London is always the for me.
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: I just adore London at Christmas and then going to York to the Christmas.
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: How I bet the decorations are amazing yeah exactly so York and Bath and hopefully Winchester.
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: we want to get to some of the Christmas markets and take lots of videos and photos of the Christmas lights.
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: So yeah, but lovely.
• 16:52
  Speaker 3: So when you're flying from Australia to the UK, how long of a flight is it?
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: A flying time that you're actually up in there is around about 21 hours.
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: Oh my gosh.
• 17:04
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, yeah it's long.
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: So we're actually about to embark on a bit of an epic trip.
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: So obviously we've got the new podcast coming out and for Tracy's travels I'm going to be adding new content for that.
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: So this time, instead of flying directly back to London, we're actually going to be going via some other destinations.
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: So we leave on the 19th of October and we're actually heading to Japan, then we go to South Korea, vietnam, cambodia, thailand and then fly from Thailand.
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: I know everybody's kind of going, oh.
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: Then we go from Thailand to the UK, so we land back on the 11th of December.
• 17:48
  Speaker 4: At Heathrow yeah.
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: Wow, very excited oh wow, we all need to see pictures oh you will.
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: There's going to be lots of pictures, there'll be lots of articles, there'll be the podcast to go with it as well, talking about our experiences, because really, what I want to do is inspire people.
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: Not only inspire people because we can always read things that inspire us to go to places, but also help people to actually turn that kind of dream of traveling to our destination into a right reality.
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: So, given kind of the, not only the will inspire it to go, but also the practical information and tips to get there, to how to plan it, because, that's ultimately the logistics.
• 18:27
  Speaker 3: That's honestly what people need, because I think a lot of people think, oh, I want to travel there, but it's so intimidating.
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and it's not where you start, sometimes Like oh yeah.
• 18:37
  Speaker 4: It presents challenges.
• 18:38
  Speaker 4: Along the way With your podcast.
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's where I started.
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: Listen to our podcast?
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely.
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: So on top of the podcast, the website and the Facebook group, you also give itinerary consultations.
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: We do, so what exactly does that evolve and how does that work, and why would you recommend that to somebody so?
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: we do itinerary reviews so we offer kind of an hour service with myself and dog to well, people can buy more than one hour but often purchase the first hour and we ask that people send us their itinerary.
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: So we expected itinerary to be put together so to have an idea of what you want to do when.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: And then we spend some time before the actual meeting and we go through that.
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: We set up a Google doc which we then share with the people we have the meeting with, and then we spend an hour.
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: We set up a Zoom meeting and we have an hour and we chat through the itinerary.
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: We answer any questions that they have.
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: So the main aim really is to review it, to try and look at ways that we can make it improve the itinerary, maybe help them save some money.
• 19:47
  Speaker 4: It reduces a lot of their anxiety as well, because, like you say, some people are very anxious about the trains, some people are anxious about the driving.
• 19:54
  Speaker 4: You know, whatever those anxieties can be and whatever the nature of the anxiety, we can do our best to alleviate that through answers, responses and sometimes just grouping things together.
• 20:06
  Speaker 4: And I mean quite often and it happens to everybody is you try and squeeze it in too much so you've got to step back and say ornament, you know yeah.
• 20:18
  Speaker 4: You might need to take a few of those off In some cases, most of that off we couldn't use to.
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: As wonderful as our family trip was, oh my gosh, I needed a vacation for my vacation, exactly so.
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: So we're not travel agents, we don't book anything.
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: We just literally will chat through and advise you and answer those questions.
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: You know, it's the same.
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: We're planning a trip, as I say, at the moment, and I've spoken to my friends who are experts on Vietnam.
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: I've got a friend who's an expert on Japan, so I've been asking them for those and you know something.
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: It's a little things that you think, oh, what sort of money do I take?
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: Should I take cash?
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: Can I get it out of the ATM?
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: How do I get from the airport?
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: You know, how do I get from Tokyo into Tokyo?
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: I need an airport into Tokyo.
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: It's those questions.
• 21:04
  Speaker 4: The same ones we get asked about the UK.
• 21:05
  Speaker 4: We also need to ask.
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: So you know, so chat to our friends about, okay.
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: So you know, what is it we need to know, and it's those basic kind of questions that just reduce your stress because you know, can I get, can I fit this in?
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: Can I go?
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: Is it worth going to this place?
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: That's another thing that's worth knowing as well.
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: Like, is it, you know, or how much time do we actually need to go to that place?
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: You know, so it's that sort of thing.
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: So we do that, and then, after the session, we send a the Google.
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: Well, we update the Google Google document with all the information we've talked through as well, and we're actually thinking about asking people if they will want it videoed as well.
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: We don't do video at the moment, but it was something we were talking about because obviously in an hour we talk about a lot of stuff.
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: Yes, so the new podcast you're starting, is it going to be called the Worldwide Travel?
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: Group.
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: No, it's going to be called well, since I have UK travel planning and London travel planning, it has to be global travel planning.
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: Oh, nice, yeah.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: So it will actually be on the Traces Travels in Timecom website and that's Tracy without any.
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: I will say Traces Travels in Timecom so it's going to be hosted on that website, but the podcast is going to be called Global Travel Planning, I guess with Traces Travels.
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: But hopefully ultimately it'll all kind of evolve into global travel planning.
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: So the trailer is actually out and available at the moment and I've just had notification.
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: It's been listed on quite a few of the podcast apps.
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: So the trailer's there it will.
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: The aim is that that will go live completely with three episodes on the 4th of October, so they are nearly ready to go, and then after that, because obviously the UK travel planning one is every week, which is a lot of work, it's going to be every two weeks to start with global travel planning with a hope that at some point next year that will go weekly.
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: I'm hoping that people that listen to the UK travel planning podcast will go wow, okay, let's hop over and and and I'll be there and listen on Global Travel Plan.
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: So obviously I've got loads and loads of amazing friends who are experts, who who travel a lot as well, so they'll be coming on and talking about their respective destinations, whether that's a city or whether that's a country, sharing their stories as well, and I'm hoping, when we travel, to actually talk to people as we, as we are moving around the world and bringing sort of local voices on as well, because I think that's really important.
• 23:38
  Speaker 3: Oh, that would be interesting, yeah, yeah.
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: So that's our, that's the aim.
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: As I said, it's just, it's just a baby, it's just starting out, but I just felt.
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: I just felt that it would be the next place for us to kind of to go, and also because I wanted to do something with Tracy's travels and time website as well, because it's the first one I started and I feel that there's lots of potential there to share knowledge about all over the world.
• 24:01
  Speaker 3: Do you think eventually you will start a global travel Facebook group like you have for the UK?
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: I could do.
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: I mean, at the moment I've got a, I've got a page for Tracy's travels and time and I potentially will start a group off that.
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: That's something that I will look at doing.
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: Definitely it's a little bit more difficult when it's global travel because obviously you're going to have questions from all over the world.
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: So but I think, yes, it'll be a good place to go, and even if it's just also pointing listeners in the direction of other people that I know who've got that level of expertise would be good as well.
• 24:37
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so you told me before that you've lived all over the world.
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: I have, so where?
• 24:43
  Speaker 3: Where was your favorite place to live, and why?
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's such a difficult question.
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: I'll quickly run through where I have lived, so I guess that'll help in terms of so, born in the UK, grew up in Southern Africa, between Southern Africa and the UK, my first major move was after university and I moved to France.
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: From France I moved to Canada, lived in Switzerland for a bit, was back actually in the UK, lived in London for a bit, lived in Botswana and then now obviously we're in Australia.
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: So I think it works out at seven countries.
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: Canada I lived in Canada as well.
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: I don't know if I mentioned Canada lived in Toronto.
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: So yeah, so seven countries at the moment Favorite.
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: It's really difficult.
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: My favorite really is truthfully, where I happen to be, where I'm living at the moment, because you have to embrace when you move, you have to embrace the country and culture and language and food and everything around the country that you're in.
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: I'm now Australian, proudly also Australian and British.
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: I have Australian citizenship.
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: I absolutely.
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: We love Australia, don't we?
• 25:47
  Speaker 4: Both love Australia Australia yeah, yeah.
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: In terms of what changed my life, I think, when it came to travel, it's probably France.
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: I moved to France I was 21,.
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: I'd finished uni and France completely opened my eyes to just culture and food and language and beauty.
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: I lived on the Lake Geneva, on the border with Switzerland.
• 26:08
  Speaker 2: I lived with a family who spoke French.
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: I learned French within six months I was actually fluent, which was yeah, rusty now, but it's not too bad when I'm back.
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: And I think it was that it was just it was living with a family who were French, so I immersed myself completely in the culture and that made a difference to me and that's why, when I travel, I like yes, I like going to see places, but I actually travel to meet people, so that's a huge thing for me and I've got friends all over the world.
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: We've got friends all over the world, don't we?
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: I definitely have.
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, that was hell.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: You don't say a poll vet.
• 26:42
  Speaker 4: I'd been telling him this stuff for the past 18 months, and he'd been Picasso himself.
• 26:45
  Speaker 3: So, doug, did you grow up in the UK or where did you spend most of your life?
• 26:49
  Speaker 4: I grew up in the UK, right in the middle of the UK, in a town called Burton on Trent, which was mentioned, and, yeah, I've traveled Around the UK.
• 27:01
  Speaker 4: Most things were evolved down trains, so worked on the VAR ways.
• 27:05
  Speaker 4: I travel by train everywhere in Europe.
• 27:08
  Speaker 4: Really most my traveling around was by train.
• 27:12
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and and yeah, so Bit boring really, I suppose, when you look back on it.
• 27:18
  Speaker 4: But it did give me a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge about how train networks Operate in different countries, because they are all a little bit different.
• 27:26
  Speaker 4: No matter where you go.
• 27:27
  Speaker 4: There's lots of little changes and little little tweaks that you need to sort of get your head around if you're advising people.
• 27:33
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so so are you gonna ride the bullet train in Japan?
• 27:37
  Speaker 4: almost definitely at least once.
• 27:38
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah but we've been reading upon that, you know.
• 27:42
  Speaker 4: There's again perfect example.
• 27:44
  Speaker 4: Little things are how the work.
• 27:46
  Speaker 4: How, where do you store your luggage?
• 27:47
  Speaker 4: How soon do you need to be there?
• 27:49
  Speaker 4: Yes, reserve in seats is all.
• 27:51
  Speaker 4: Those same questions appear wherever you're traveling by train.
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: Same was in the states when they're all a little different, like you said.
• 27:58
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you got to get your head around it and embrace the differences, not to say anyone's better than another, it's just different.
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I will say that when we first got married, the first two summers because I was a teacher so I had the time off and Doug worked with that were his shifts we we actually backpacked with them, with my daughter, around Europe by train.
• 28:18
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah.
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we did that two years and then the second year she went.
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: I'm rather doing that.
• 28:25
  Speaker 3: So have you hiked Tatarine's wall.
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: Oh no, I am not right.
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: I have to make this absolutely clear.
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: I'm not a hiker in any way, shape or form.
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: It's the one thing you know.
• 28:35
  Speaker 2: When you get in your 50s, you can kind of go Well, I just don't.
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: Well you, I know you haven't got your 50s yet.
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: Well, believe me, when you get into your 50s, I'm close, I'm close, you kind of get to the point where you're like you know what?
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: I, I don't this, things I don't want to do and I'm not gonna do them.
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, interesting because my daughter loves hiking.
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: We had a conversation in New Zealand last month because I just don't like hiking and there's a very famous hike in New Zealand called the Hooker Valley Trail, which is it Manhuk Eiraki, and we decided that we're gonna hike this.
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: So it's about what?
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: Three hour hike, 11 kilometers, something like that, and fairly flat bit of steps and and my daughter was like I don't think you'll do it.
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: I don't think you do it.
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: You know what?
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: Not only did I do it, I absolutely.
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: I totally got why people hike.
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: Doesn't mean I'm gonna do much more in the future.
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: But at the end, of this hike was the most beautiful.
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: Oh, it was.
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: I've never seen anything like it.
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: Honestly, it was New Zealand absolutely blew me away that it was so beautiful and I will put a picture in the show notes it looks amazing yeah fantastic, absolutely fantastic.
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: So so, so I did a hike.
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, so I'm not not a hiker, not a hiker, so I haven't hiked.
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: I've hiked in Hadreams.
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: Well, in fact, the last time we went, I went with my sister and and Doug and I actually did the Walk up from when I can't remember park.
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: Now you did the, you did the walk and I just watched steel rig steel rig car park and we walked a little bit and then they walked up the house.
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: I was like no, I'll just, I'll just video you climbing up that hill.
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: And that's what I did.
• 30:05
  Speaker 4: I'm a fine weather walker.
• 30:06
  Speaker 4: I walk for a few hours, but I'm not going to get soaking wet.
• 30:10
  Speaker 4: I'm not going to yes, you know, not going to get muddied up.
• 30:14
  Speaker 4: I'm a fine weather, smooth track walker.
• 30:17
  Speaker 3: My boys wanted to hike all over Glencoe when it was raining, yeah, and I was like, no, we're not doing that, don't have to wait to get a bit older.
• 30:25
  Speaker 4: I love you.
• 30:26
  Speaker 3: You can come back and do this some other time, yeah.
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: Absolutely absolutely.
• 30:31
  Speaker 3: So, doug, where's your favorite place to visit?
• 30:34
  Speaker 4: if, oh great, in Europe anywhere by train, just straightforward, where the trains run, I, because I do, I enjoy every single journey.
• 30:45
  Speaker 4: Um right, we're in Australia.
• 30:48
  Speaker 4: I absolutely thoroughly enjoy the road trips Um the outback.
• 30:52
  Speaker 4: We've had some fantastic journeys and every one of those has been special.
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: Oh, amazing, I love the outback.
• 30:58
  Speaker 4: We just learned.
• 30:59
  Speaker 2: Outback is something else, and we will be talking about that in the other podcast.
• 31:03
  Speaker 4: And actually the recent trip to New Zealand Blew us away.
• 31:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and in the UK yeah, in the.
• 31:08
  Speaker 4: UK.
• 31:08
  Speaker 4: I have special Preferences, you know.
• 31:12
  Speaker 4: Early in the year I was made so welcome the weather's beautiful went to north wales and I thoroughly enjoy every single second of it.
• 31:18
  Speaker 4: And fully enough, not a lot of trains other than steam trains and heritage railways, uh.
• 31:24
  Speaker 4: But I use public transport but everybody was so kind and friendly and helpful and but when we go back to scotland there's always a sense of Belonging.
• 31:34
  Speaker 4: When we get to Scotland yeah traces Um heritage is a Scottish base.
• 31:39
  Speaker 4: I don't think mine is, I'm not sure, but I worked a lot in Scotland and I always enjoyed every single time we were up there.
• 31:47
  Speaker 4: I've got some family and moved up there and not, not, not, not Scottish um, but every time I've been there it's always a sense of Comfort, if that makes any sense.
• 31:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we felt that too when we were there.
• 32:01
  Speaker 3: It was I.
• 32:02
  Speaker 3: I loved England.
• 32:03
  Speaker 3: England was gorgeous and amazing and the Yorkshire Dales and I mean it was.
• 32:10
  Speaker 3: It was a special place in its own.
• 32:12
  Speaker 3: But Scotland felt I don't know there's something about it.
• 32:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah there is, and I think, as much as anywhere else in the UK.
• 32:20
  Speaker 4: You feel part of history there.
• 32:22
  Speaker 4: Um, yes, you know there's a lots of places that you visit, all actually historical sites, which sort of adds to that feel, but you just seem to be part of it.
• 32:32
  Speaker 4: I don't know it's more embracing than I think, than some other parts, but um, the, the where we've driven the north coast 500 was very, very special.
• 32:42
  Speaker 3: Oh, I want to do that so badly.
• 32:44
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and the and the um everywhere by train, the great places to visit because obviously you've got great scenery.
• 32:52
  Speaker 3: Yeah, how long do you think would you suggest for somebody to take to drive that north route?
• 32:58
  Speaker 4: It depends what time of the year that you're doing it, because the daylight hours Okay and it's a difficult one to answer because Obviously stick within the speed limit, but some people want to stop off more often than others.
• 33:08
  Speaker 4: You know some sort of rest breaks people need more than others, that sort of thing.
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of things to see along the way, but there is, and we did it far too fast.
• 33:17
  Speaker 2: We said that afterwards.
• 33:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we do it far slower next time.
• 33:20
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I think you could easily spend a month doing it comfortably, even that's in the summer.
• 33:25
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I'd do it a lot slower last time.
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: I think, we did it in a few days, but I think really probably a week to two weeks you could do it in really.
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 33:33
  Speaker 2: Um and include um.
• 33:35
  Speaker 2: I mean, we went to Orkney, which I was just gonna say you could sort of step away from the track.
• 33:39
  Speaker 4: You can do a little bit of extra like the, the, the Orkneys or the Shetlands or wherever you wanted to go to yeah, if you really wanted to um, but it depends on your budget and time and you know, etc.
• 33:51
  Speaker 4: So etc.
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 33:53
  Speaker 3: So where's your favorite place to go?
• 33:54
  Speaker 3: To the to the in the uk together.
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: I think we were talking about this and it was, I would say, probably Scotland.
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: But it's really difficult to choose because we also had a love.
• 34:08
  Speaker 2: I mean we also love Cornwall, we love London.
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: There's, you know, the Peak District, derbyshire, yorkshire, northumberland.
• 34:15
  Speaker 2: Obviously we are from the Lake District.
• 34:18
  Speaker 2: I mean you can go on and on and on and on.
• 34:20
  Speaker 2: To be honest, wales.
• 34:21
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and I think it's different, different tenses to what's your favorite area to visit and what's your favorite single place.
• 34:29
  Speaker 4: You know, I'm from close to the the Peak District and there's something very Ancient about visiting those areas there and very, very English, like Chatsworth, you know that sort of area is just so quintessentially English.
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: I always think and we both love the Cotswolds yeah we both love the Cotswolds as well.
• 34:48
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah that's on our list for next time.
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 34:52
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 34:53
  Speaker 2: Cotswolds.
• 34:53
  Speaker 2: But yeah, well, I was insistent when we're done on our itinerary, that we would get to the Cotswolds in December.
• 35:00
  Speaker 4: So, overall, answer your question I love visiting York.
• 35:03
  Speaker 4: I I've worked in York as well and I've been so so many times.
• 35:08
  Speaker 4: I have pretty good road knowledge of York and you know areas to visit.
• 35:13
  Speaker 4: But it's different working somewhere to visit in it as a as a tourist.
• 35:17
  Speaker 4: It's in complete different.
• 35:19
  Speaker 4: But yeah, there's always a sense of warmth there because it's got the trade museum, which is also great for me National Bayou Museum, should I say you've got.
• 35:29
  Speaker 2: The thing is, you've got the coast, you've got there, you know.
• 35:35
  Speaker 3: You might say you've got a one-track mine, so is Doug going to also help with the global travel travel?
• 35:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he will be, and he's coming on this next trip With me because obviously there's a lot.
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: There'll be a lot of writing to do.
• 35:57
  Speaker 2: We'll be podcasting about it as well and taking video and photos.
• 36:02
  Speaker 2: So Doug will be coming along on Most of this trip.
• 36:05
  Speaker 2: He actually comes back to Australia before I do, because I'm planning a trip to India for February.
• 36:11
  Speaker 2: Oh, wow, yeah so, but I'll be going.
• 36:15
  Speaker 2: I'm actually hoping to meet another friend in India, and actually my my stepbrother in sister-in-law and family live in in India, so Going to visit them as well.
• 36:25
  Speaker 2: So that's hopefully gonna be.
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: February yeah.
• 36:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and then I'll be back to Back to Australia, because there'll be a lot of work to do, a lot of writing up to do and a lot of updating.
• 36:36
  Speaker 2: The thing is, you know, when you do something that you love as much as this, it doesn't feel like work and I'm very much preferred to.
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: I like to work for myself, I like to know what I'm doing and and Kind of Doug will probably laugh, but just just like to know what what you know make my own decisions and decide.
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: You know, this is what we're gonna do today.
• 37:02
  Speaker 4: Oh, this is what she likes to be in control.
• 37:07
  Speaker 2: I was gonna go around the houses to that, but yeah, that's what she means.
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: But a control of what we're doing.
• 37:12
  Speaker 3: But that makes good, that makes good business people.
• 37:14
  Speaker 3: So how long?
• 37:18
  Speaker 2: did you teach?
• 37:19
  Speaker 2: I Didn't actually teach in the classroom for a huge amount of time because when I qualified I I Always want to work with the kids with special needs and, in particular, actually the kids that have struggled in school in terms of, I guess, just coping with school.
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: So I kind of specialised in in kind of supporting those kids and then I would think I was probably about eight or nine years in school and then I worked for the local authorities and I was an advisor working supporting schools around With kids that were struggling to stay in school.
• 37:54
  Speaker 2: Effectively.
• 37:55
  Speaker 2: That's what I did and I absolutely loved that job.
• 37:57
  Speaker 2: It was, it was fantastic, with a lovely team and a fabulous County.
• 38:01
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, I did that.
• 38:04
  Speaker 2: But but you know, they get to point in life where you kind of go okay, I've done that for 20 odd years, I want to do something different and my mom always jokes that I'm gonna be in my 90s, I'll be still traveling around the world.
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: She's like you'll still never stop and she just said to me said it's about time you actually did something.
• 38:20
  Speaker 2: Then you know about the travel because I've been obsessed with it since I was really quite small.
• 38:25
  Speaker 2: So I used to go up to people when I was about three and say hi, my name's Tracy, what's yours?
• 38:30
  Speaker 2: So they wanted to meet.
• 38:31
  Speaker 3: People's always been, yeah, yeah do you think living in a number of different places kind of made you Feel braver about going out there and travel, traveling, yeah.
• 38:44
  Speaker 2: I think so.
• 38:44
  Speaker 2: I remember when I moved to France, bearing in mind I was 21, I'd finished uni and you know different continent to where being living, grown up.
• 38:52
  Speaker 2: So I I remember this is gonna sound really bizarre, but I remember when I moved to France, thinking, okay, I've probably, maybe I've got to meet about 10 people, that 10 new people.
• 39:00
  Speaker 2: It's only gonna be about 10 new people and then that'll be fine, that's all I need to know.
• 39:03
  Speaker 2: And obviously you meet people.
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: But that was the way that I kind of dealt with it mind-mind, because I just thought I, you know it's just gonna be me.
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: I don't know anybody at all.
• 39:12
  Speaker 2: But you know, I've always made friends really quickly and got on with people really quickly and, as I say, I Find out about people and how they live and you know just the nitty-gritty of how our lives.
• 39:25
  Speaker 2: We're all the same but we're all different and it's like how, how it is different, what it is, that you know that they Like, how they experience their life that's probably the best way to put it Right and and how we can all learn from that as well and share that about each other.
• 39:41
  Speaker 2: You know there's there's lots of horrible things that go on in the world and I think if there's a bit more understanding between people about that you know, we are ultimately all the same.
• 39:49
  Speaker 2: We may be different in the way that how we speak or how we live or what we eat or whatever it, but fundamentally we're all the same and we should all be.
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna sounds like a.
• 39:59
  Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying.
• 40:00
  Speaker 2: We should all get on.
• 40:01
  Speaker 2: That's what I would like.
• 40:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, fighting against you.
• 40:03
  Speaker 3: What's interesting?
• 40:04
  Speaker 3: It's interesting to travel and see that Everyone's core values are generally the same everywhere.
• 40:13
  Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, yeah, you know, everyone just wants to live a happy life and live and love their family and their neighbors and exactly, exactly and they help.
• 40:23
  Speaker 2: The kindness and help that you get from people around the world is is just amazing.
• 40:28
  Speaker 2: Oh, yes, you know, and, and, and I think I mean somebody said to me once you know that I come, I always look at the best, and people and I do I always, you know, expect and hope for the best, and in everybody, and I think that again is just from Traveling so much and meeting so many people Over teaches you tolerance.
• 40:49
  Speaker 2: Understanding and yeah, and that we're all to say we've all got a little quirks and differences, but full dimension, like you say, we all have the same values, we all want the same things, so you know.
• 41:01
  Speaker 2: So for me that's it.
• 41:03
  Speaker 2: You know that's that's that's go out and travel and Experience the world, but do it in a good, good way as well, in a thoughtful way.
• 41:10
  Speaker 2: So actually, the first episode of the global travel Podcaster interview chat with Amanda Kendall who, who podcast, is the thoughtful travel podcast them.
• 41:19
  Speaker 2: We talked with her.
• 41:20
  Speaker 2: I talked to her about how we can all become better, more thoughtful travelers, so that's a.
• 41:24
  Speaker 2: I thought that was the best way to kick off the entire series and that'll be out next week, so that'll be a really good one.
• 41:30
  Speaker 2: It's really thought for me, just think yeah, we can all do to just think, make it, make it better, be more thoughtful when we travel.
• 41:36
  Speaker 3: So yeah, we were when we went over.
• 41:40
  Speaker 3: Everyone was so kind in the UK, everyone was so helpful that just that blew us all away and I think that made us want to go back so much more, because everyone was so welcoming and so helpful.
• 41:55
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's good, it's always lovely here, yeah, so.
• 41:57
  Speaker 3: Is there anything else you want to?
• 42:01
  Speaker 2: touch on?
• 42:02
  Speaker 2: I don't think so.
• 42:04
  Speaker 2: I think you can.
• 42:04
  Speaker 2: Oh, I think Doug just did want to mention for anybody that's traveling by UK.
• 42:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.
• 42:12
  Speaker 4: We've got them normal Facebook group Travel planning, but it's also the UK train travel tips Facebook group, oh, which is quite new-ish, but that's obviously the focus on Train or station or ticketing or anything rail, they're related.
• 42:31
  Speaker 4: Yeah and so that's growing.
• 42:33
  Speaker 4: So that's UK train travel tips.
• 42:35
  Speaker 4: I.
• 42:36
  Speaker 3: Like we talked about, that can become very overwhelming very quickly, especially if you're not familiar with it.
• 42:41
  Speaker 3: Oh, I'm so I think it's valuable.
• 42:43
  Speaker 3: It's so valuable to read up and get as much knowledge as you can when you go.
• 42:48
  Speaker 4: It is.
• 42:48
  Speaker 4: I mean, I spent so many years working on the railway of many different sides of the industry and you know my train route.
• 42:56
  Speaker 4: Knowledge is by my own tool bit is quite good.
• 42:59
  Speaker 4: I'm not too bad at all.
• 43:00
  Speaker 4: I have traveled on every part of the track network in the UK at some point, sometimes twice.
• 43:06
  Speaker 4: Yeah, in my sort of younger days just travel by train every single weekend, from finishing work on a Friday till late Sunday night and then I went home to see my parents, that's the dinner and go to bed.
• 43:22
  Speaker 4: But I did, I used to just travel by train.
• 43:24
  Speaker 4: There's obviously being part of the industry is that something you've always loved?
• 43:28
  Speaker 4: well, my father worked on the railways for many years as well.
• 43:32
  Speaker 4: He didn't use his train travel very often, but soon, because I used to get travel through him.
• 43:40
  Speaker 4: So as soon as I was old enough, I Disappeared.
• 43:43
  Speaker 4: I just went Disappeared.
• 43:46
  Speaker 4: I don't use the term train spotting better my real enthusiasm.
• 43:49
  Speaker 4: So I used to go to various of the big stations is the Kings Cross, because you know that was a good place to go.
• 43:55
  Speaker 4: I like these sort of trains that ran on there.
• 43:58
  Speaker 4: I won't boy with the types, but I used to a fool, enjoy that and, believe it or not.
• 44:04
  Speaker 4: I used to talk to other people did the same thing and that was always good fun.
• 44:08
  Speaker 2: So and I have to say, deb, I love the fact that the last question you're gonna ask is the question that I always ask.
• 44:17
  Speaker 3: It's the question you always close with.
• 44:19
  Speaker 3: It is I had to I know, so, Yep.
• 44:25
  Speaker 3: So the last question what's your number one tip for people traveling to the UK?
• 44:32
  Speaker 2: Well, so I'll go for this one you go for them.
• 44:35
  Speaker 2: Use our resource UK travel planning calm.
• 44:37
  Speaker 2: London travel planning calm Ebooks.
• 44:40
  Speaker 2: So you've got our websites are ebooks of podcast, all our resources, the Facebook group.
• 44:46
  Speaker 2: We do have an Instagram Account as well.
• 44:49
  Speaker 2: We are on YouTube, which we are trying to try and build that up.
• 44:52
  Speaker 2: So there's everything so that if you're somebody who likes to read, you've got the, the websites.
• 44:57
  Speaker 2: If you like to listen, you've got the podcast if you like to watch.
• 45:00
  Speaker 2: Yes, we are gonna be building YouTube up and we do.
• 45:02
  Speaker 2: We are in Instagram and we have reels and things like that on there.
• 45:05
  Speaker 2: So we're trying to cover every type of learning style.
• 45:08
  Speaker 2: I guess that's the teacher of me.
• 45:09
  Speaker 2: So just use our resources.
• 45:11
  Speaker 2: They're all there, they're all free.
• 45:13
  Speaker 2: Obviously, we do sell a couple of some ebooks, but majority of it, 99% of it is it's there, it's accessible.
• 45:18
  Speaker 2: So you know, use it please.
• 45:22
  Speaker 3: Yes, I agree, I can vouch for that.
• 45:26
  Speaker 2: So um Deb, thank you so much.
• 45:31
  Speaker 4: I was just gonna say the wrong Good tip would be and face your own uniqueness for your own travel plans, because everybody's travel plans and expectations are so much different.
• 45:42
  Speaker 4: Okay, good so it was me.
• 45:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I will let you talk then, and so, deb, I guess I I should wrap up and say thank you to you to come on on to asking us the questions, oh no, thank you.
• 45:57
  Speaker 3: I think we're, I think, being part of your viewer and listening group.
• 46:02
  Speaker 3: We're all so grateful that it was nice to just learn a little bit more about you and how you form this whole community.
• 46:12
  Speaker 2: Oh well, it was just lovely to talk to you and, I'm sure, well, hopefully people listening, if you listen, and this is kind of answered some of the questions you might have about Austin and why we do what we do, and it was a lovely suggestion of yours, deb, to do it.
• 46:24
  Speaker 2: So you know, I really appreciate that you, that you came on and spent the time and come up with the questions and To chat to us today.
• 46:32
  Speaker 2: Thank you, it was great fun, oh, great.
• 46:35
  Speaker 2: So anyway, yes, so for listening.
• 46:36
  Speaker 2: So obviously we will have any links to some of the information that we've talked about in the show notes for this episode, which will be at uk travel planning comm.
• 46:45
  Speaker 2: So I just want to say I think we should all say it this week Because we have the at the end of a podcast.
• 46:50
  Speaker 2: We always say the same thing, so I think we should all say it.
• 46:52
  Speaker 2: So, from myself, from dog and from Deb, until next week.
• 47:00
  Speaker 3: Happy uk travel planning, thank you.
• 47:02
  Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you.
• 47:05
  Speaker 3: Thank.