Author: bmcgoldrick299

Hiking the Cotswolds – Moreton in Marsh to Bourton on the Water

When we first booked this vacation, we were really excited.  When we were in England in 2006, we found a book on footpaths and followed a couple of the walks.  We were immediately hooked.  It was like our own little scavenger hunt through the fields of England.  Now comes the real test.  A full day of hiking (10.8 miles) through the English countryside.  It was tough, but we had a great time.

Say good bye to the comfortable Inn.
The start of the walk – only a little rain.
Markers for Monarch’s Way.
Trail goes right through someone’s field.
Stepping gates.

The beginning of the trail was pretty flat.  It was a good way to start out.  The hills were never very big but we did get some great views.

We also met some friends along the way. We were given a bit of a warning that if calves were in the field we shouldn’t try to get close. These ones were friendly but behind a fence.

It was a great day, but toward the end of the hike I was beat.  The aches and pains of 45 years were enhanced by 10 miles of walking.  We decided we were definitely carrying less with us for our next hike.  Back pack was just too heavy.

We hit our next B&B around 6pm and propped up our tired feet.  Then we got our dinner – yum!

The Ups and Downs of an Overnight Flight

As I’ve said before. Travel for me is both fun and frightening. I love to see new places and do new things but the getting there is a battle of anxiety and worry. This is for both the weekend away and the long international vacation.

But as you may know, the overnight flight can be especially dreadful. Here are some tips I’ve learned from experience:

1.  Get to the airport early. Nothing can ramp up anxiety like waiting in line at security as they call your flight to board. Ugh.

2.  Don’t travel with friends with more perks than you. What’s worse than waiting in a long TSA line? Waiting in a long TSA line while your friends are quickly rushed through the line giggling and waving as they pass. (Just kidding guys–we love you 😉).

3. Never sit by the bathroom. While this is convenient if you go a lot, it is a constant annoyance and sleep depriver as everyone else “goes” a lot.  This was especially true on our last flight on Norwegian. The bathroom door banged shut every time someone left it. You would just start to dose and, BANG!  Big UGH!

4. Buy an awesome pillow.  I did some quick research before we left and Amazoned me a pillow.  It worked pretty good and I probably would have slept if it had not been 105 degrees on the plane. (Seriously, I swear someone started a fire underneath my seat).

5. Try the earlier flight.  Our other overnight flights to Europe left the US around 9pm ET.  This one left around 6:30pm ET.  Dinner is at a normal time and you can do some normal night time entertainment before you try to start to sleep. We were a lot less stressed about how much sleep we should get because we were flying during the time we wouldn’t be sleeping right away anyway.

6. Fly British Airways. I must say I was impressed with his flight. Not only are you allowed a free checked bag with your ticket, you also get a carry on for free.  Service was great. The entertainment was abundant.  And wine was free with dinner YAY. (Yum chicken curry).

7. Try to relax.  Overnight flights are never much fun so just try to go with the flow.  But, before you know it you will arrive to other such travel pleasures like fighting customs and rental car lines. Then, finally, it will be on to enjoying your vacation.