Tuesday 24 January 2012

Week 4: Indie Travel Challenge

When the weather gets cold, do you prefer to head to sunnier locales or do you love the outdoor adventures or off-season prices of winter? Warm or cold, what’s your dream winter travel destination, and do you have any travel plans for the coming months? 

I look forward to winter. Being born in Northern England, fair headed and without doubt of Viking descent it's easy to see why the summer and in particular the sun is not always something for me to look forward to. Sure I can lounge on a beach, under the cover of a wide umbrella and with the company of a good book. I enjoy a good summer festival whether it's revelling or stewarding so long as there is a bit of a cover for me to duck into - preferably the local ale tent.

But winter is me, it's in the blood I'm sure of it. Autumn is like a teaser, with leaves starting to disappear and the temperature creeping slowly downwards. Then boom, the frost is here. Suddenly you're scraping your car every morning, searching for the scarf that you haven't worn for ten months and praying, yes praying for the first signs of snow.

Snow is that great you can feel it coming in the temperature outside, almost taste it in the air. I'm by no means an accomplished skier or boarder but getting pummelled into the snow all day safe in the knowledge that what awaits you just outside your location in Chamonix is apres-ski with friends and the locals is a winter comfort in itself.

I've no concrete plans to get away for this winter period but if I could it would be to the mountains or the slopes. The Highlands, Alps, Dolomites, Sierra Nevada, Cascades....The list could go on but mountains were made for winter, even if all you can do is stand under them and gaze at their lofty summits.

Dream location for winter? Vegas. Nah, I'm only joking! I'd love to go back to Yosemite and be allowed behind the scenes winter access, I can only dream how that would play out. Finally, food can be indicative of winter wherever you travel. For me at home, I can smell Scotch Broth being cooked by my dad. Comfort food for any time of the year but for me it will always signify the best season we have. Winter is here.

Wednesday 4 January 2012

My 2012 Indie Travel list

This is week one and the first challenge from the BootsnAll team is here. For linking purposes and for any would be bloggers who are debating whether to get involved check it out here.

Well, where to start? On a lasting note of positivity with inspired notions of world travel to exotic destinations and life changing experiences? Sorry, afraid not. Possibly not in keeping with the true spirit of the blog but there you go. 2012 will see me complete my long overdue degree and so a significant portion of time and resources will have to be dedicated to that. So this is the grand travel dreams, micro style but definitely my style.

My current location is Eastbourne, UK.

- Improve and refine my hiking skills.
- Hike more sections of the South Downs Way Trail.
- Commit to saving a higher amount of my monthly wages for future travel projects.
- Visit and camp in the Lake District by the end of summer (this will be one more off the bucket list!).
- Learn to Kayak at the Seven Sisters Country Park.
- Get a free weekend at Cornbury festival by stewarding.
- Spend a weekend in the amazing Sheffield to watch the even more amazing snooker world championships.
- Complete my level one football coaching course to add a useful skill to my travel related CV.
- Attend an Olympic event....yes I do have a ticket!
- Meet old friends and new at Oktoberfest to celebrate the end of my studies.
- Spend Christmas with my family but be separated by at least two time zones by new years eve.
- Wake up on 1 January 2013 on  a beach in the Southern hemisphere.

So there it is. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but if I achieve all of these which is certainly possible then by this time next year I'll be all the better for it. 2012, the year for putting the past to bed, blogging and micro list dreams. Lets be having you!

BootsnAll Indie travel challenge

Awesome indie travel site www.bootsnall.com have released details of their weekly challenge for 2012. They are going to be sending out prompts, questions and general musings in all things travel related every week for the whole of 2012. Participants can then respond to the prompts via their own blog (you can see where this is going) and could potentially be featured on BNA's blog/website/social media channels!

Now I know that those of you who can read a date will scoff at the frequency of my posts on this particular blog but I've been busy...honest...and well it is the new year and in the spirit of resolutions maybe it's time to take up this challenge. I think it's going to be quite a nice distraction from my other volume of work for this coming year which you can read about at www.talking-balls.co.uk. Well ok, you will be able to read about it shortly. I mean one blog at a time and all that.