Read about my trip “In Seach of King Arthur” through South Western England in My Adventures. Pictures are in the Photo Gallery and can be viewed by clicking into the album through one of the photos posted or by visiting my Photos page.

Date of trip: September 2005

Will and I took a trip to England and went on a tour called “In Search of King Arthur” with Backroads Touring. We invited my parents as they had never before been to Europe and we thought it would be a great introduction for them.

I should probably mention that King Arthur is not a historical but mythical figure, that is, he may not have even existed. The word arthur was actually not a name but a title in the old language so it’s hard to say if there was a real Arthur. Our tour ended up being more about the western countryside than about Camelot, but we did see a few places connected to the legend.

Highlights:

-Winchester Castle in Winchester is a must see on an Arthur themed tour as it’s Great Hall houses the famous Round Table. Even if there was a real King Arthur, there’s no way this could have been his table as it is not old enough and actually belonged to Henry VIII in it’s present form. Still, it is beautiful and a piece of history none the less.

-What would a trip to England be without a visit to Stonehenge? Will may say it’s just a pile of rocks, but it is a striking sight. The rocks are huge and it’s literally in the middle of nowhere. Dated 2800 B.C. it is likely the oldest man made structure I have ever seen.

-Visiting the portrait gallery in Montacute House, an Elizabethan manor in Somerset is surreal. How crazy it is to see portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Henry VII that they actually sat for? Very.

-There’s nothing like driving through Dartmoor to make you realize your not in the USA anymore. Looking out over the rolling green hills at the wild ponies and sheep grazing I was shocked when our guide told us the entire park was, by law, open to the public. As national property, it belongs to the country and the people have a right to every inch of it…no ropes, no fences, no “stay on the trail” signs. We even stood on a stone postbridge built in the 13th century…before America was even discovered.

-England has a “Riviera” on it’s western coast. Britons flock to the beaches and the boardwalk during the warmer months. Here’s something I found amazing: on the beaches are built little huts the size of a child’s playhouse. They are tiny…you could maybe fit a small table and two chairs inside. They are so coveted they can fetch upwards of $65,000 when they change hands! Can you imagine????!!

-The Swannery in Abbotsbury has been a sanctuary for hundreds of swans for over 600 years. I don’t think you’ll find a place where you can get closer to a swan but beware…they can be a bit snappy.

-Another must on our tour was Cornwall as it is the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. Tintagel Castle is the star attraction there, but I should point out that it was built in 1233 by the Earl of Cornwall, when Arthur was already a tale. It is likely that he wished to associate himself with the legend and there is no evidence to support the idea that Arthur himself lived there. Although the castle is only ruins at this point, you get a pretty good idea of how magnificent it must have been. Built high on a mountain it offers dramatic ocean views and there are several caves off the water…could one be Merlin’s Cave? A trip to Cornwall would not be complete without tasting a Cornish pasty. It’s sort of like a pot pie, but it’s folded over so you can actually hold it while you eat it. They come in many varieties including vegetarian!

-Though most people stop in Bath to shop at the high end retailers that line the street, it’s been famous for it’s hot springs for thousands of years. Today you can visit the ruins of a Roman bath temple there. It’s the best preserved site of it’s kind. It was a place of worship for the Romans, but also a kind of social center as bathing was a communal activity back then. Not quite a modern spa, but not that far off either. Don’t drink or touch the water in the pools as it is full of algae, but do stop in the restaurant near the exit for a glass of purified hot springs water which is free if you present your admission ticket.

So…..final thoughts. Was there an Arthur? I don’t think it really matters. Every country has their legends and fairy tales and they are just as much a part of our history as what we know as fact. Some say Arthur died after being wounded in a battle on Salisbury Plain and was carried away by barge. Some think he died and some think he still lives today, waiting patiently for the day Great Britain needs him to once again lead as their king. Maybe that is the case, but I don’t think Charles looks too worried do you?

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

South Western England Links:
Backroads Touring (our guides)
Winchester Castle Great Hall and Round Table
Stonehenge
Montacute House
Dartmoor National Park
English Riviera Official Site
The Abbotsbury Swannery
Tintagel Castle
The Roman Baths in Bath

Of course you can pay for internet service at any airport in one of the business lounges, but if you have a wireless card in your laptop you can often catch a signal right outside the lounge for free. Try finding a a wi-fi hotspot in a seating area close to one of the clubs and maybe you can save your cash for your trip!

Ok…I know that cars and airplanes are not green, but in observance of Earth Day I will point you to some hotels that are. The Green Hotels Association keeps a list of accommodations in the United States with an environmental agenda that you can feel good about patronizing. In addition, their website offers plenty of eco-friendly trip tips to use so travellers of the future can enjoy this beautiful planet as much as we do!

Green Hotels Association

Did you know that five of the world’s biggest banks have agreements not to charge ATM fees to each other’s customers? Usually, your home bank will charge you a hefty fee when withdrawing money internationally and that is on top of the transaction charge by the bank you are getting the money from. The result is sometimes upwards of $10.00 in charges just for taking out some cash. If your bank is part of the Global ATM Alliance however, you can visit any participating banks and use their machines for free. Bank of America is the US partner and you can find a list of the other four banks involved on their website here:

Bank of America – Global ATM Alliance

Go ahead and laugh, but believe it or not, toilets are a culturally defining piece of architecture. Recently, a friend of mine scared me with tales of restrooms she encountered during a trip to China. Still, I think knowing what to expect is half the battle and you have to admit, toilet design offers a truly unique perspective into a foreign country.

If you are intrigued, check out the book “Toilets of the World” by Morna Gregory and Sian James available on Amazon for $11.53 here:

Toilets of the World

Source: National Geographic Traveler

Many of us women fiercely defend our independence and insist we can do anything a man can do. For the most part, that is true but when it comes to travelling, there are some places that just aren’t safe for a girl to visit alone. Of course, that doesn’t mean you need to travel with a man! Friends make great travel partners and supply the comfort of safety in numbers. For the girl with friends who would rather stay home, there are many women’s travel resources out there.

American Airlines just launched the airline industry’s first website for women. At journeywomen.com you can find over 100 articles offering advice on female travel. If you are looking for a women’s tour group or partner to travel with, the Women’s Travel Club has tours to over 40 destinations with 50% of the participants booking as singles. It has an annual fee of $35. At Adventure Women, which has no fee, you will find a great list of “women only” national and international tours and even Humanitours, adventures that focus on giving back to the people and culture you are visiting. The bottom line is, if you love to travel, don’t let anything get in your way and if you don’t want to go it alone, you don’t have to!

You can check out the sites I mentioned here:

American Airlines for Women
journeywoman.com
Women’s Travel Club
Adventure Women

Source: Girlfriend Getaways

Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine features a popular column called “20 Tips”. Every month, readers send in their advice and the best are chosen and published. What’s in it for the tipsters? A free one year subscription to the magazine and this year, as a bonus, their “Smart Traveler’s Passport” book. The book is a collection of the 399 best tips they’ve received to date. Not bad right?

If you have a good tip e-mail it to Tips@BudgetTravelOnline.com and don’t forget to include your mailing address.

Or mail it to:
20 Tips
Budget Travel
530 Seventh Ave., 2nd Fl.
New York, NY 10018

Did you know that there are cruise ship condos that you can buy and actually live in? At anywhere from $825K to $7 million plus maintenance fees, it’s not cheap, but imagine sailing the world in your own apartment, 365 days a year! The World, the first condo cruise ship began sailing in 2003. Since then, it has been circling the globe bringing its residents to events and locales all over the globe including Carnivale in Rio and the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Several other ships are currently in development including one from Four Seasons. Of course, for most of us, owning a cabin on The World is just a lottery win dream but the good news is that fractional ownership and short term vacation rentals are also offered so even if we can’t live on The World, we just might be able to visit. For more information please visit the official website:

The World