Why you should spend more time, thinking about Travel

Good Afternoon Readers,

What sends people out onto a Road to nowhere, or somewhere? For me, travel has been my way of life since, well, a long time. I spent my youth and let's say early adulthood travelling the world. If you can guess my previous life’s occupation, then you would know I was a Flight Attendant for 30 years.

So, what urges us to travel. Is it to open our minds and step beyond the familiar pace of home? Was it by chance the Romans visited Athens or Marco Polo who set off on his journey to the east? Wherever we go, or how long we stay depends on our circumstances. But it changes us. Our ideas, our thoughts of preconception and widens our horizons. No one can convince me, that travel is not beneficiary. Our children learn more from travelling to destinations outside their classroom learning capacity than ever before.

In this blog, I have chosen destinations for your enjoyment. Now, if you’re a movie lover, these are for you. I’ve picked two. Both different, both exciting. The first one – NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. An old favourite. James Bond. 1983 Locations – Bahamas, Spain, France, (Bedfordshire & Buckinghamshire) the UK. Shrublands, the health club where ‘M’ sends Bond to eliminate the ‘free radicals.’ Is LUTON HOO. Now open to the public. From their website, I quote; ‘The traditional brick buildings of the historic Home Farm complex and the stately Lime Tree Avenue that stretches for nearly a mile are two features that make Luton Hoo Estate a successful filming venue. In recent years the Estate has hosted many productions for both TV and the big screen including, Empire of the Sun, Gosford Park, Oliver, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Desperate Romantics, War Horse, Call the Midwife and The World’s End.’ If you would like to visit here is the website. http://www.lutonhooestate.co.uk

The second film- an oldie but a goodie. INDIANA JONES and the LAST CRUSADE. 1989. The third in the series begins in Moab in Utah. In the spectacular Arches National Park is Seven Mile Canyon. Then magically, the fantastic rock formations are replaced by grassy plains. We are now on the Cumbras and Toltec Railroad in Southern Colorado. You can ride this train. Their website:www.cumbrestoltec.com Operated by steam train from May until October. When Indy searches for the grail, we find ourselves in Venice where he discovers a clue in the Church of San Barnaba, south of Rio di San Barnaba off the Grande Canal. If you want to see the interior, the 1749 church is open daily from 07.30am until noon. The waterfront starts out as real, but then we are soon back in England, chasing around Tilbury Docks in Essex. Most viewers of this movie will recognise the rock city of Petra in the Edom Mountains where the Grail resides. A three-hour drive from Amman in Jordan. For travellers with films in mind, there is plenty to see. And, when you next see the movie, you can shout. ‘been there, done that.’ Images - Arches National Park - Utah. The rock city of Petra, Jordan.