Passing Along the Tradition

In 1990, when I was 11 years old, my mom took me on a 10 day trip to the United Kingdom. It was life-changing. I was able to see all of the things I had read about or seen in movies, in real life; right there in front of me. The world opened up to me in ways that I’m still realizing as an adult, when I compare my perception of life on earth to others I know, who haven’t had the privilege to travel. Recently, I was being interviewed for a podcast and I brought the trip up as an example of what propelled me into a career in arts and culture. The trip was so pivotal to my future growth that I swore when my first child reached 11, I would do the same. I would take them on a 10 day trip to the UK. This summer was that year; the year I would be able to share that experience with my first born.

I wasn’t really sure if it was going to take place or not. We had some money saved up for a trip, but as of January of this year, nothing was really planned, and our savings account wasn’t as full as we had hoped it would be. But then, one day my husband forwarded an offer he got via email, that we could get double miles and essentially fly the family to London and back for $600 out of pocket. What!? Heck, yeah! The answer is a resounding yes! So we booked the tickets for a June, 2022 trip and I spent February up to the day we left, planning, what I hoped, would be an amazing experience for the whole family, myself, my husband, my 11 year old son and my 10 year old daughter.

Besides this being purely a chance for me to share a virtual slideshow of my family vacation, I do want to set out with some clear intentions for my Vocal readers.

• Intention 1: Compare and Contrast - The world has changed in the last 32 years and that includes the UK. I will be pointing out particular comparisons and contrasts to my time in 1990 to what things look like in 2022. I hope this comes off as somewhat objective as I've also changed as a person over 32 years, so much of the observable changes could just be perception.

• Intention 2: You too can have a great time in the UK with your family! Find some helpful hints scattered throughout this article.

My first insight is that it is far easier to plan for two people with similar inclinations (such as my mom and myself) than for four, very different people with very different likes and dislikes as is the brilliant dysfunction inherent in my amazing family. So, I started with what we all love: Harry Potter! (Well, most of us)

When I was in England in 1990, Harry Potter had just been conceived in the mind of JK Rowling. My magical connection to the rolling countryside was via Tolkien, Lewis and Carroll and their fantastical tales of hobbits, wardrobes, white witches, dragons, jabberwockies, talking flowers, elves, mad-hatters and little white rabbits with pocket-watches and waistcoats. But for my children, who were ripe for their Hogwarts registration letters at 10 and 11, Harry Potter was the way to go. So, we went all-in.

Saving so much on our airfare, we were able to afford a pretty amazing infusion of Harry Potter experiences throughout our trip. Of course our first step was to travel through Platform 9 ¾ in Kings Cross Station, London. Having lived for many years in Southern California and visited Disneyland more than any human should, we were expecting a magically long line. However, as we arrived squarely in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, in early June (before British schools are out for summer, wink, wink) we were able to quickly get in line for our induction into Harry Potter’s England, each proudly wearing our house colors; mine and my husband being Slytherin and both children being Gryffindor, of course.

One of the things I am happy we did, though not everyone was on the same page with me, was purchase travel backpacks rather than luggage for the family. It made hopping on and off trains and in and out of VRBOs quicker and easier overall. It also required us to pack as minimally as possible. Both my husband and I, having traveled to Europe at other times, knew that there was absolutely no point in bringing more than a few changes of clothes for 10 days. Especially when we were using VRBOs with easy access to washers and dryers. So, we each had just what we needed and could fit into our backpacks. The best part of this, was that first day, fully laden with heavy backpacks, straight from the airport, and walking towards our destination Platform 9 ¾ in Kings Cross, my husband and I experienced our own Tolkien magic, when a woman called out to us with a lovely accent, “Looks, like you’re going on an adventure!” Harkening to our favorite meme from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit movie.

(At this pace, I feel I'm going to have to make this into a two-or three-parter! I’m only on day one!)

Have you caught my family travel tips so far? If not, here’s the Cliffs Notes:

• Choose a theme (or multiple themes) to travel by (makes it fun for everyone)
• If you can, try to travel as much in an “off” season as possible. We were right on the cusp, arriving in early June. We didn’t have the massive crowds, but we also missed some of the cool peak season events
• Book VRBOs or Airbnbs instead of hotels. “Family” rooms are few and far between in the UK and even so, are often just one big King bed. Staying in a home can be both cheaper and more convenient. All of the ones we stayed in were glorious and because we booked early, we were able to choose some top notch locations
• Use travel backpacks. Some people might not like this because it puts the “American tourist” stamp on your back. But it was so very convenient and we didn’t have to check any baggage on the way there or back.

In the spirit of compare and contrast and following the Harry Potter vs Tolkien/Lewis & Carroll theme, I’m going to skip to the end and take us to Oxford and then wind back up to the top again in Part 2.

In 1990, my mom and I stayed mainly in the Cotswolds', as that’s where her childhood friend lived. We were centered in Banbury, and would take day trips via train into London and all around. One of our favorite days was spent in Oxford, where we had bangers and mash at the Eagle and Child pub, where, in the early 20th century, Tolkien and Lewis would gather with other writers and thinkers to devise their fantasies and share their stories of elf kings and alternative realities. It was one of our favorite memories; sharing the space that was once used by our favorite authors to come up with some of our favorite stories.

In 2022, the Eagle and Child is now closed. My hope and understanding is that there are plans to reopen, but for our visit, I was unable to relive one of my cherished memories with my children, leaving that experience a special one between my mother and me. That doesn’t mean that Oxford was in any way a disappointment! I’m sure most of you, except maybe a few muggles, are fully aware that Oxford is quite an inspiration for Hogwarts. In fact, my children nearly lost their sweet minds when we took the audio tour through Christ Church College and the Great Hall. From the huge portraits of past school masters, kings, queens and knights hung all over the dark wood paneled walls, to the huge stained glass windows (with a full window dedicated to hidden Alice in Wonderland characters!), the long tables, benches, the candelabras and chandeliers, this was clearly where they filmed and what inspired the Great Hall images and descriptions in the Harry Potter books and film series. As a special bonus, we were in Oxford during final examinations for the students and were able to see graduates in their full robed glory running throughout the town celebrating their success, while we sipped coffee at the oldest coffee shop in Europe. On our last night, we had fish & chips at a pub in Oxford across from a very old, medieval, leaning, fachwerk, building that housed a hat store that could have been described as somewhat…mad(?).

Part 2 coming soon! I’ll be climbing out of the rabbit hole, finishing the Harry Potter tour of England, and setting up for Part 3: Winter is Coming - Scotland and the dark-side of York.

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