My Last Post...

This weblog was intended to chronicle my time in the United Kingdom. As my time in United Kingdom has come to a close, so to must this site...

As is the nature of blogs, the most recent posts are the first one's listed. I will not be writing any more posts, so even as lack-luster as it is, this post will forever have the privilege of owning top-spot!

That said, whether this is your first visit, or a return trip I urge you to take a look around--check out some of the older posts, and enjoy them for what they are--not an up date on where I am, but rather a glimpse into my time in the United Kingdom, 'spreading the good word of Planeterra'.

I sincerely hope that you enjoy the stories, pictures, and videos and I hope that you also understand a little better what STA Travel is doing to promote responsible tourism internally and externally. 

Finally, I would like to leave you with one final video; a short, simple thank you and good-bye to the wonderful crew that I worked with day in and day out in London. I had a wonderful month, and sincerely hope to see you all again very soon.  

For more information about Responsible Tourism, and Volunteer-vacations contact your local STA Travel agent or if you are an STA Travel agent, get in touch with your CSR Champion. As always, feel free to email me directly with any questions, concerns, or ideas! 

-Dan

My final act...

I was a busy boy on my last day as the Interim Responsible Tourism Manager--a meeting with Peter in the morning, then catching Hien up to speed, and then a full afternoon of Webinars!

My final act, before passing on the torch, was to award a FREE Planeterra trip to one of the participants of the Wright's Lane trainings. I made a video to share it with everyone, I hope you enjoy...



-Cheers,
Dan

Lets see if your contact centre is as cool as ours...

With my days in the United Kingdom dwindling I found myself moving faster than I had all month trying to fit everything in. Before I popped off to the US I had one final training trip and it would be my most ambitious yet! Sunday through Thursday of my final week I would be heading north to Manchester, home of the UK Contact Centre!

I had two long days of back-to-back small-group sessions at the Contact Centre, and one very large night session on Monday with loads of agents from the branches. The night session was particularly fun because it was followed by more than a few pints out on the town (hey, they were going out anyway, and I figured I should be there, you know, in case they had any lingering questions :] )

I had an wonderful time in Manchester and although this short video doesn't suggest so, I promise you, my visit was more work than play!!



Thanks for the great laughs Manchester!

Cheers,
-Dan

This is how I roll...

As my high-speed train zips swiftly through the provential English countryside en route from Manchester to London I think about all of the trips I've taken across the United Kingdom over the past four weeks and regret that this is the last time I'll be on a train for quite some time. It's really quite a nice way to travel...

Admittedly, my impression of train travel has be very positively influenced by the fact that I had the luxury of enjoying 1st class seating throughout my voyages.

Looking back at all my voyages I wonder to myself , what is my favorite part of riding 1st class? Is it the relaxed, quiet environment? the extra leg room? or the mature, intellectual company? Those are all nice, no doubt, but they're not my favorite parts... No, my favorite part of traveling first class, is the complementary wine and cheese!

What can I say, that's how I roll...

Cheers,
Dan

PS Thanks for the 1st class hook-up Ian!

~He shoots with his left!! He shoots with his right!!!~

Attended my first Premier League match this weekend--excellent good fun!!



Cheers,
-Dan

Last weekend!!

Seriously!?! My LAST weekend--are you kidding me! I JUST got here!!!

Alas, with a third and final check to my calendar any lingering hopes that I had made a mistake die, and I  accept the inevitable fact that all good things must come to and end, and the time for my flight back to the States is rapidly approaching...

All that said, I still have a few days left and I have every intention of making the most of each and everyone of them!!

Friday night, October 1st, the whole office was set to head to The Britannia after work to send off Dan H, Sarah, and Lou who were also saying goodbye to Wright's Lane and heading off in different directions. I considered it an informal goodbye for me as well, because although I had only been there a few weeks, I had definitely made some good friends with whom I would would shortly be saying goodbye! 

Dan H's send off well-wishes!

Thanks to the 2nd floor, he's now ready for ANY type of dinner party :)

After the 'gifts ceremony' it was off to the Pub! For any of the USA readers who are wondering how happy hour at Wright's lane compares to happy hour in Tempe, I'm happy to report that it's every bit as fun! I'm not much of a math guy, but last night reminded me of one of my favorite equations:

Lots-o-pints + wonderful people = good conversation + uproarious laughter + funny pictures

Here are a few of my favorite pictures, I hope you enjoy!!

Bottoms up!

Shit got serious for a second there!

DAN X 2!! On a side not, "I drank Kronenburg last night?!"

Ahhh, good times!!

Admittedly this morning I'm a touch of a headache (and am missing yet another cell phone), but last night was so much fun it was well worth the hangover!

Cheers,

Dan

Bristol, Cardiff and Bath--oh my!

September 29th I headed off to Bristol to do a training with the staff there, along with agents from Cardiff and Bath who came over for the session.

STA Travel - Bristol (formerly a bank)

The staff were super cool and aside from some pizza-ordering challenges the session went off without a hitch! There were definitely some future CSR champions in the group :)

University Road leads to the STA Travel store--how fitting. 

In keeping with my all-work and no-play makes me a dull boy mentality, I went for a long walk to explore the city a bit before the session. Bristol was definitely one of those cities where right from the first moment I got a good vibe, but it was really difficult to peg down exactly why I liked it.

Bristol Cathedral

Statue in front of Bristol Cathedral

Bristol Cathedral detail

Bristol reminded me a lot of Brussels, which I visited for about 23 hours last September. Everyone I ever talkto about Brussels seems to think it's nothing special. I don't get it, I loved Brussels! I would move to Brussels tomorrow if I had the opportunity. And Bristol reminded me very much of Brussels. I can foresee a conversation sometime in my near future where I'll be telling someone how much I like Bristol and they'll reply, "meh, it's nothing special." Who, knows.

I really loved the way the light bounced off all the buildings in the afternoon. The only other city I visited that had a comparable twilight effect was Manchester. 

I was sad to leave so soon, but I had to get back that night, for a had a very busy next couple days back in London!

Cheers,
-Dan

Playing around at a cafe across the street before the session :-]

PS - I can't believe I fly home in a week--yikes!

PPSS - Thanks again Helen (or was it Ellen? lol) for giving me a ride to the train station after the session!!

More on Bunhill

I put together a short video about Bunhill Cemetery in London. It's a really tranquil place...

Birmingham: England's 2nd City! (or so they say...)

This week I had some more visits to branch locations starting with Birmingham on Tuesday, September 28t. Everyone I met seemed quick to inform me that Birmingham was Englands Second City, and curiously, even quicker to clarify that the second city was not Manchester, as some might claim! I'll be in Manchester next week and you can be sure I'll be asking them which city is England's 'Second City'! ;-)

[St Martin Church]

[St Martin Church]

[St Martin Church Detail]

[STA Travel Birmingham]

[A most gracious staff!]

I had a really fun time in Birmingham. The training went well, the staff was awesome, and drinks afterwards was a blast (a little too much of blast as I was a touch hungover at work the next morning). I really hope I get the chance to go back some day.

Cheers,
Dan

the London time(s)...

As I leaf through the London Evening Standard on the tube ride home I chuckle as I read the weather... "a few spots of rain... Rather cloudy, with spells of rain... largly dry, with the risk of heavy rain..."

I can't help but laugh when I see something as simple as the weather be so, well... English!

A short moment later my smile fades to a frown as I realized that I have less than two weeks left in the UK--worse! I have less than ten days...

Soon I'll be back in Arizona where reading the weather is not only boring but downright depressing...

I knew my time in London would fly. Heck, even if I had been here for a year, I'm sure at the end of the 12 months I'd have been asking myself, 'where did the time go?' But it is what it is, right?

Rather than think about how fast the time went--or how little time I have left--for the next 10 days, I'm going to just enjoy the moment, and be grateful for the time I have!

Cheers,
-Dan

Reason I love London #10

It’s not surprising to be walking down a busy city street and chance upon something ancient and beautiful...

[Bunhill Cemetery]

I took this picture on my walk to the Morgate tube stop from my house one morning. The light in the morning is breathtaking...

Cheers,
-Dan

Durham (not the one in North Carolina!)

After spending the morning in Newcastle I headed off to the beautiful hamlet of Durham for an afternoon training session there.

Durham is almost painfully beautiful with the Wear river cutting through town and cathedrals tucked around every corner!

and more cathedrals...

And what better way to wash down another successful training session, than with a half-pint of proper ale at a pub named after aggravated fowl!

Yum!

Cheers,
-Dan

Howay the Lads!

Newcastle might not be on the top of everyone's list of favorite UK cities, but I have to say, it's darn near the top of mine!

With so little time in each place it's difficult for me to get a full impression of the places I see but with Newcastle I got a good feeling right from the start.

From the moment the last-train of the night arrived and I staggered off, exhausted from a full day of travel and training, and a group of freshers* behind me staggered off, drunk from a full day of drinking, I though to myself, this is my kind of town :)

[STA Travel Store - Newcastle]

It helped that the Newcastle branch staff were super cool, and the training session went really well. Also, the beautiful surroundings and perfect weather probably didn't hurt the impression!

[St Thomas Church - LITERALLY across the street from the STA Travel Store]

[How COOL is that!?!]

All work and no play make me a dull Dan, so before heading over to Durham for another training I stopped by St James Park, home to Newcastle United Football Club for a tour of the stadium!

Our tour guide Bob was fantastic. The tour lasted almost an hour and a half and took us all through the stadium from the top to the pitch!

As I said, the tour was great, but the best part? That would have to be getting signed on as Newcastle United's newest midfielder!

Cheers,
-Dan

*freshers or Freshmen were everywhere. I love college towns when school starts in the fall, they're always abuzz with activities, events, and good times :)

Edin-blur!

On September 21st I had my second regional training session. The agents from Edinburgh, along with some of the agents from Glasgow would be meeting up at the STA store in Edinburgh after close for pizza, beer, and of course, some good ol' fashion Planeterra training!

Much like the crew at Southampton, the team in Scotland was very excited about our Planeterra partnership. I'm excited to know that I can count on them to get the word out! 

[The Edinburgh/Glasgow staff showing their enthusiasm for the new brochure]

The only thing I didn't like about my trip to Edinburgh, was the duration. I took the 10:30 am train out of London's Kings Cross St. Pancreas and got into at Edinburgh Waverley train station shortly after 3:00 pm (that train ride was pretty cool btw; beautiful pastoral views, and free wifi do occupy me during the boring parts!). The arrival part was fine, it was the departure that was the problem... Just six hours after I arrived I had to be on the 9:00 pm train to Newcastle (I had a 9:00 am training in Newcastle the next morning and knowing myself, didn't think it would be a good idea to try to catch the six am train in the morning).

So I had approximately six hours to see Edinburgh, but to give a proper illustration of my time constraint you need to subtract the time I was busy from my total time designated for exploring the city. First, subtract the first and last hours which I needed to use for getting to and from the STA Travel store/train station. Then subtract an hour and a half for the presentation, questions, and the setting up breaking down of my projector and seating. Finally subtract another hour and a half spent in Starbucks reviewing and amending my presentation. What I'm left with a total of 60 minutes to explore one of Europe's finest cities.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not soliciting pity for poor ol' me, who only got one hour to explore Edinburgh on his free trip... I appreciate that I got to see it at all, but I will definitely have to make another visit because as it stands now, the entire city was little more than a wonderful blur of beautiful buildings, bagpipes music, last-minute-cramming, nervous-presentation-giving, pizza-eating, kilts, and beer (actually not too different than my memory of the College of Wooster!)

[One more pic of the Edinburgh/Glasgow crew. I hope they don't get too mad that I posted these!]

Cheers,

Dan

On the train to Edinburgh!

I'm on a train from London to Edinburgh right now and I decided that I should really throw a few of my personal 'volunteer vacation' photos into my slide show. These are a few of my personal favorites, let me know which photo(s) you like best with a comment at the bottom of the post. Which ever photo(s) you like best, I'll put in my powerpoint. :)

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

6.)

7.)

8.)

Cheers,
Dan

the Tour d'Uk begins at Southampton!

On Monday September, 20th I did my first regional branch training in Southampton! After boarding a southbound-train at London's Waterloo station I sat back in my comfortable 1st-class seat to relax a bit, review my training notes, and have a read through the Southampton chapter in my copy of Lonely Planet England.

Chapter is a generous word as the Lonely Planet dedicates a little under one page to the city, and with what press it does give Southampton, it's not particularly complementary. The first line reads: "Frankly, there isn't much to see or do in Southampton...". Admittedly it did go on to give some interesting details of Southampton's history and it's few claims to fame (most notably that it is where the Queen Mary and the Titanic were built--although I'm not sure you'd brag about your great achievement of building the Titanic, would you?)

Anyway, even with the lackluster picture painted by the Bible I noticed that as the train approached my destination I could hardly contain my excitement. A big part of the reason I was in the UK was to get face time with individuals and speak candidly and informally with them about Planeterra, our Partnership with the not-for-profit, and the new Travelling with Purpose brochure. Although I had already done a hand full of training sessions in London, this was my first time 'going on the road' and I was ready!

Although admittedly small and not terribly exciting, I found Southampton to be most enjoyable (I suppose might have changed my tune if I had more than a couple of hours to kill, but I didn't.) After spending sometime exploring the city I went to the STA store, put in an order for pizza for the staff, and went to pick up beer and wine.

The presentation went great, the staff was awesome, and I think everyone was really excited about Planeterra (Mission Accomplished!)

Immediately after the presentation I had to run to catch the 9 PM train back to London. The sooner I could get back to London the better because the next morning, I had a train to Edinburgh to catch!

Cheers,
Dan



Apologies for the poor footage (cutting my eyes off and instead centering the camera on my teeth and big nose). I'm pretty new at this :)

Do you mind?

[the gap]

It's a London thing
:)

Chalk Sidewalk Art? or City Code Violation!

I went for a long stroll yesterday and by chance made my way to Trafalgar Square.
On the weekends especially, the square is a magnet for tourists, protesters/demonstrators, and street performers.

On this particular visit I witnessed one street performer (who had just finished putting lots and los of work into her craft) only to learn that her display did not meet certain regulations!

Okay, okay, I must confess... I'm being bit cheeky here. The street-sweeper didn't really destroy her art, nor did he have any intention to do so (and street performers need to carry permits (not that I know of in any case)).

When I saw the artist chatting with her friend (the street sweeper) I though to myself that it would make for a funny picture if I asked him to pretend he was about to destroy the art work she spent so many hours creating. I requested their participation and although they weren't completely sold on the comedic value, they humored me. The picture didn't come out quite as well as I had pictured in my mind, but still kind of funny : )

Cheers,

-Dan