Sittin' at Gate 78, wastin' tiiiime

Manchester Airport Ceiling

 

And now, for our usual final post, Jeff and I write down our favorite parts of the trip. Our least favorite. Our observations. What would we do next time? What shouldn't we do next time? What did we pack that saved the trip? What should we pack next time? All this and more we ponder as we sit here at MCO for a 4 hour layover.

First off: what was our favorite part of the trip?

Angie: I think my favorite part was that first full day in London. The weather was perfect, the food was good, the bed was soft and I think I just really enjoy those Hop On Hop Off buses! York comes in as a close second and I think would overtake the #1 spot if we had more time there. We were very lucky with the weather. It was unseasonably warm (mid 50s, lower 60s the whole time) and we only had one rainy day. The rest of the time, if it rained during the day, it was quick and/or light.

Jeff: Aberystwyth, because it was calm, cold, and windy. Generally, the slower days where we got to just do a couple of things and spend time together. Basing out of a city and doing daytrips was a solid plan that we should definitely do again next time. Not having to worry about changing hotels every two days was a good time. 

How about the worst part of the trip?

Angie: Besides my stupid ankle rendering me lame and limping by the end of the day the last couple of days? And the fact the first day of our tour was canceled due to circumstances we had no control over? I think it was that Manchester and Liverpool were kinda grubby.

Jeff: I think I'll have to agree here. Liverpool was very much the Chicago of England, and I say that derisively. Also, I know that this was England, but the blandness of the food *cannot* be overstated. I once made plain mashed potatoes that I forgot to add seasoning to. It was more flavorful than about 1/3 the food I had on this trip. 

What should we do or not do next time?

Angie: Put more of the day trips toward the beginning of the vacation while we're still fresh and our legs and backs are not so worn out from all the walking. Also, we needed another laundry day, but we need to plan to do them early on a weekday. Also, Angie of the future, find TSA friendly scissors! You needed them more than once this trip! Also, stick to northern England, go back to York, check out Leeds, and then just make our way back up through Scotland again next time! Pre-buying train tickets right now is not the thing to do since trains are being canceled and there are strikes happening. Buying the day of, even less than an hour before the train arrived, worked just fine as it wasn't peak season or sold out. What we should do again next time is for sure booking a guided tour. We love our bus tours! All the bus tours! Always one-bagging for travel! Remember: if you are flying to Orlando, your flight is going to be full of children, vibrating with excitement for 8 hours, going to Disney World.

Jeff: Planning hotels near train stations was a great method. I think that, honestly, we need to schedule two or three days in (Scotland/York/Generally The North) to just... enjoy the scenery and read. Probably the last few days of the trip, so that we're able to keep ourselves from being stressed. If we're going to base ourselves out of a city, we should probably buy a 7 day Tram/Rail Card. It doesn't really save any money, but it would smooth out the first tram/rail trip of the day. Virgin Atlantic does seem to be the best airline for transatlantic flights. As far as laundry goes, I think we'll want to do a Drop Off service like we did in Edinburgh during our Scotland trip. 

GOAT items we packed:

Angie: My foldable Peak Design zippable shoulder bag. Perfect personal item on the plane and used it almost every day as a shopping bag to carry something back to the hotel. My Vessi shoes as they were super comfortable and completely waterproof. My Nomatic 40L travel bag because it's everything I wanted in a backpack for travel with the perfect pockets for organized packing. Travel cutlery. Tissue packets (had to use them as toilet paper a few times as they were out a few times in public toilets). Tee shirts, because I need to remember that they're always the most comfortable thing and I always run hot anyway. My own silk pillowcase because it brings a bit of home-smell comfort and is nice to my curls and skin. Last but not least, my travel diffuser (when the hotel actually offers a blow dryer and it is of a normal size).

Jeff: I brought two pairs of Columbia Hiking Pants as my daily wear and they were great. Wind resistant, water resistant, extremely light weight and low profile. The backpack I bought for our last trip (Tortuga Setout - 35L) was just about the right size for what I needed, if I'd've been more diligent about not bringing unnecessary stuff, it would've been perfect. My experience with Vessi shoes was much more negative, but I think that's because I bought the wrong model and the fact they were too tight. As always, my packable Tortuga packable daypack (the 2012 model, so... good luck finding it?) was the right size for carting around extra batteries, souvenirs, or Angie's coat when she inevitably got too warm on most days of the trip. [Cheeky.]

What should we remember to pack next time?

Angie: TSA friendly scissors. I like my crossbody purse, but my foldable day backpack would have been nice, but most of our trip was in the city, not much hiking or wilderness. We both brought our UNIQLO packable down coats but never used them. It was always in the low 60s and a light jacket or hoodie was more than enough to keep us warm. It's so hard to pack for weather these days! Stupid climate change.

Jeff: Another power adaptor. We only brought one this year, instead of the power strip we brought last time. While it worked, it wasn't convenient. Bringing an extra would be worth the extra weight. Overall, though, I need to pack for less What Ifs. What if it's really cold? What if it's really hot? What if I lose my shoes? The answer to all of those is, "I can just buy X at Uniqlo or TK Maxx or something. Calm down, dork.".