A Writer’s Tour of the UK
A few thoughts on my Story Map release
April 3, 2020
by Kate Forrest
It has been a long journey to see this project off the ground and its launch is in no small part to my husband. I cannot thank him enough for being the architect of all of this. He took my content and our data and created this incredible visual world. It highlights one of things I have always valued about our relationship and that is our ability to partner on projects and collaborate. I hope during these difficult circumstances, the world will see more collaborations and projects from everyone—whether they can work together at home like us or must collaborate remotely. Let this be a time to create.
As a writer, it is in my blood to create for the purpose of telling a story. In everything I share—whether it is images or words—there is a story there. For much of this map, the meaning to the story is very simple: how to travel on a dime and find economical amusements that provide immersive experiences without the burden of high costs. Originally, I wanted this to more of a travel journal, but it evolved into a story of how-to because I wanted to share that knowledge and experience with people that perhaps thought international travel was always beyond their budget. My travel is based on simple pleasures—not thrills (though I’d argue seeing the Bodnant Garden’s Laburnum Arch in peak bloom was a thrill of a lifetime). I think now more than ever, we should focus on simple joys as we try to stay healthy and happy in the face of a pandemic that has dramatically altered our normal everyday lives.
I spoke to my father a while ago about simple joys, like the smell of coffee brewing in the morning, and our current circumstances have me thinking often of that conversation. Much of happiness in life is owed to the simple things—the smell of fresh cut grass, the way the light filters through a suncatcher, the feel of the warm sun on your face on a cool spring day. Such simple moments are scattered throughout my travel experiences, like enjoying a crisp cold pint of ale after walking the Avebury stone circles on a hot summer day. I hope do more companion articles on my blog to highlight these moments from my travel experiences, but I think some are clear in my map content beginning with our very first day in England where I met a woman named Iris at the car rental.
In addition to reinforcing that mentality of “simple joys,” I want the map to be a helpful tool for trip planning. I know most trips will have been canceled or postponed indefinitely for this year, so I am looking to 2021 and already starting to plan our next trip to England. As travel host Samantha Brown said recently, “…the act of planning travel puts us in the same psychological happy place as being in a destination.” I’m going to look for inspiration and research the places I want to visit and find joy in doing so. I can’t book anything for 2021 yet, but when we can make plans this winter, I’ll be ready. I hope you can use the map to inspire your future travels and give you sites to research and explore as you build your own plans because, to quote Samantha Brown one last time, “Travel comes back.”
Stay safe,
