Celebrating 100 Episodes: A Special Edition of UK Travel Planning Podcast

Welcome to the 100th episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast!

In this celebratory episode, host Tracy Collins is joined by a lineup of special guests from around the world. Listeners share their favourite episodes and how the podcast has influenced their travel planning, showcasing the impact of the show.

From inspiring trips to providing practical tips, the podcast has become a valuable resource for travellers. Join us as we reflect on the growth of the podcast and hear from dedicated listeners about their experiences and feedback.

📝  Show Notes - Episode 100

Listen to these episodes next:

• Episode 29 - Stay in George Harrison Beatles home 
• Episode 11- Tripiamo for learning to drive in the UK
• Episode 3 - Visiting York

Our UK Itinerary Consultation service is now open for limited bookings. Whether you need help with a general UK itinerary, UK train travel, or a London-focused plan, we’ve got you covered. Benefit from personalized advice to make your trip seamless and memorable.

Visit our website to learn more and book your consultation today:
UK Travel Planning Consultation
Global Travel Planning Podcast is filled with travel inspiration, itinerary ideas, real life adventures, practical tips and insights to fuel your wanderlust and help you make your travel dreams a reality.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi and welcome to episode 100 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast. I can't believe I'm saying those words. I can't believe that I've made it to 100. So this is a very special episode. I want to thank every single one of you. I want to thank you so much for tuning in and listening to our podcast. We can't believe how much it has grown and the numbers of downloads that we are receiving every week just astounds me. So thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

Speaker 1: 0:32

This was a really special episode for me to record and edit. I actually loved editing it and just listening to the beautiful words that we have received from some of you guys who listen to and love our podcast, words that we have received from some of you guys who listen to and love our podcast. So, basically, how I approached this episode is I wanted some of you on it to tell us what it is that you love about the podcast, your favorite podcasts, and just tell us a little bit about where you are in the world, because we have listeners all over the globe. We have listeners in America, in Germany, all over the globe. We have listeners in America, in Germany, in South Africa, in Australia, in New Zealand, in Japan, all over. So it's a big hello from me.

Speaker 1: 1:16

Unfortunately, I couldn't have every single one of you on the podcast Wouldn't that have been amazing? But I did manage to interview seven different people from around the world and ask them what it is that they love about the podcast. So sit back, enjoy this episode. I'd love to hear your feedback on this. What are your favorite episodes? You can actually send us a text message now, or you can send me an email the email address is in the show notes because I'd love to hear from you guys what is it that you love about our podcast? What keeps you coming back week after week to listen to me talking about the UK and Doug chatting about the UK? Let us know. I start by asking everybody I chatted to to introduce themselves and just tell us where in the world they are, and so you'll get a feel, as you go through and listen, that you'll find there's very different responses and you all love different episodes and you all love different aspects of the podcast. So sit back and enjoy, and thanks again. So much for listening.

Speaker 2: 2:17

I am Robin Wright and I live in Auburn, California.

Speaker 1: 2:21

And we met last year when you were on your trip over to the UK.

Speaker 2: 2:25

We did. I tell everybody my. In fact I just told a friend I'm doing a podcast with my friend Tracy from the UK, so everybody knows now I don't even have to say with UK travel planning, you're just my friend.

Speaker 1: 2:40

Oh, that is so lovely. Well, it was so lovely to meet you guys it really was when you were in London, and we had a really nice time together didn't we. I know you're a big supporter of our podcast, so it's the 100th episode which I'm really happy about, and very, very happy about actually shouting it from the treetops, so I thought you have to come on and tell us what is that you love about the UK Travel Planet podcast.

Speaker 2: 3:00

It's very informative. You learn a lot. When we were planning our trip, I knew, you know, we were going to go to England and I wanted to go to London and then I needed to you know research some different places to go. Then I landed on your website and your podcast and that's how we planned the trip. I heard Sinead in York, so York went on there and heard Victoria and the Cotswolds, and so the Cotswolds went on there and you know that's that's just how I did it and it's super, super entertaining but also just so informative.

Speaker 2: 3:38

I particularly like the ones where it's people that live there, Like you did, the one in Portsmouth with your cousins, and I feel like that, even if the locations are not someplace that we will go, just because simply we could do so many trips to England. I know we won't be able to see everything, so even if we don't get to go to some of those locations, I feel kind of like I've had a part of that. You know I visited it through the conversations that you're having with the different people that you have on.

Speaker 1: 4:16

Oh, that's amazing, and do you think it makes a difference for you, robbie, when it comes to choosing, for example, a tour that you're going to go on? Do you think it makes a difference when you choosing, for example, a tour that you're going to go on? Do you think it makes a difference when you hear on the podcast me talking to people like Victoria or Andy or Oz or Ollie, because I think, personally, it's something that I love having our partners on to talk about what they do, and I know it makes a difference when people hear that what they do, and I know it makes a difference when people hear that Definitely it does.

Speaker 2: 4:52

We did something that we would never do before and that is we booked tours, and it was simply because you had them on. We visited with Victoria on a live that you did for Facebook, I think, and then we booked that, had a fabulous day, you know, spending the day with her. And then we made another one with where was it? Oh, tower of London. And that totally made that, in fact, for Glenn. He enjoyed that the most, he enjoyed the Tower of London the most, and it was because of the tour.

Speaker 2: 5:31

We did, the Beefeaters tour when they first opened. And then we did things that we didn't have a tour. For instance, we went to Westminster Cathedral and we didn't have a tour. For instance, we went to Westminster Cathedral and we didn't have a tour. So we were walking around in there just seeing things and you know, I mean it's pretty, but you don't know what you're looking at, right? So then we went to Bath and we just happened on a tour going around the cathedral there in Bath and then we were like, okay, if you don't do a tour, you just walk around and look at stuff you don't hear the history and you don't get to. There's nobody to ask questions and they'll say you know, this is this or this is the story behind something, and then you can ask questions about that that you wouldn't have thought to ask before you know, and that's true about anything you know.

Speaker 2: 6:34

But because of the podcast, because listening to the people you bring on that do the different tours, and because of the experience that we had there, it is something we will now always add to our trips.

Speaker 1: 6:48

Oh, that's fantastic to hear, Robbie. So what are your favorite episodes? I'm going to say episodes because I know there's a few.

Speaker 2: 6:55

I know, from a very educational standpoint. I always tell people about Trippiamo. That totally made it so much easier to drive in England. I showed the video to Glenn before we took off in the car and he was just like this really, really helps. And the part that's so helpful about it is that there is all the part you know where you go through and it's a slideshow and you learn about all the signs and the different laws that you have to keep.

Speaker 2: 7:29

But then he has like a GoPro or something and he's actually driving the streets and so then he circles the sign and he says you know, so, here's this sign, this is what it means. Here's this marking, this is what it means in the sign. And he says you know, so here's this sign, this is what it means. Here's this marking, this is what it means in the road. And then after that he says now I'm going to drive and I'm not going to show you anything so that your brain can. So I mean it's quite extensive. It's not just like a handbook, you know, it's really quite extensive. I just love that. And then, of course, um, listening to Sinead in York, that was just so much fun. I really enjoyed that. Of course, victoria, you know, absolutely loved that. And I mentioned your cousins in Portsmouth, oh, there's so many.

Speaker 1: 8:21

There's so many. Honestly, when we, when we sit and think ahead of what we're going to do podcast episodes on, and obviously sometimes we'll ask in the Facebook group as well and say, what particular topics would you like covered? Yeah, so we're always looking for ideas as well, and there is a way now, through the show notes, that you can actually, as a listener, text us, which is really cool. So that's a brand new thing that's come out with my podcast host. So if you're listening now and you're thinking, oh, I've got a really fantastic idea for a podcast that I'd like Tracy and Doug to cover, you can send us a message. So it will be in the link to the show notes. So that's going to be cool.

Speaker 2: 8:59

I will totally be doing that, because I'm already talking to you while I'm listening to it and I'm thinking, oh, and Tracy this, and Tracy that.

Speaker 1: 9:07

Yeah, you can send us a message about the episode. I'm going to love that and I love putting the publicity on as well, and you know I love it when people leave us reviews and I'm going to do try and do more shout outs. We do try to record the podcast ahead of time because you never know if you're going to get sick or we're away traveling. So I do try to. But this is my pledge that if people leave reviews, I will start reading those out again and you will get a shout out on the podcast. So I'll put a link to that into the show notes as well. But, Robbie, thanks so much for coming on and giving us that lovely feedback about the podcast.

Speaker 5: 9:39

No, you're welcome.

Speaker 6: 9:42

Hi, I'm Lauren. I am in a little regional not so little regional town in Victoria in Australia, near Ballarat, and yeah, we've only just gotten back from our trip. We went in March of 2024.

Speaker 1: 9:58

Yeah, and you're going to come and do a trip report. You've just agreed to do that, haven't you Lauren? Yes, it's very exciting. Yeah, I'm really excited to have you on, and it's lovely to hear from one of our Australian fans. So what do you enjoy most about the show, Lauren?

Speaker 6: 10:13

I think, just you and Doug being so friendly and approachable. You're very real and you feel very accessible. On top of that, I would say, everything's super practical and detailed and you really target your topics. So you get really into the detail, talk about if spots, maybes, you know around the train travel around, you know the good old oyster card versus contactless payments and, um, it's just really easy to find and I want to find out about this particular topic and there's a podcast about it which has just been so brilliant. I think also, too, the length of the podcast has been really accessible and doable.

Speaker 1: 10:53

Okay, yeah, we try to keep them really ideally up to about 30 minutes. Obviously, some will go longer than that, depending If it's a long trip report they tend to be longer, but we kind of do think probably 20, 20 to 30 minutes seems to be kind of a sweet spot for podcasts, that's for sure. How did the podcast help you to plan your trip? I think it's.

Speaker 6: 11:14

it's difficult to say how it didn't help me. Um, I found the podcast, probably not too long after you'd started it. We started planning almost two years out from our actual trip. There was five of us. It took us a little while to save up and I found the podcast not long after we started planning. So you and Doug were influencing my decision-making right from the beginning. Obviously, your Facebook group and website resources were invaluable as well, but it's difficult to think about a section of the trip that I planned or a decision that I made where I didn't hear your voice or Doug's voice influencing what I was doing to be perfectly honest, oh, that's so funny, yeah, and talking to you now and actually being able to see your face as well, which is really lovely.

Speaker 1: 12:00

It's because when you record a podcast, you don't know who out there in the world. I kind of can tell you where in the world people are listening, but but it's you just don't know who. You can't imagine who the people are and and it you know. So obviously some people join the facebook group and then we'll have emails from some people will say that about the podcast. But we just know that there are thousands of people out there that we may never meet, but we're hopefully and this is having a lovely influence on their holiday and making, which is exactly what we started for to make everybody, make it easier for everybody to plan their UK trip. So that's lovely to hear. So do you have a favourite episode or episodes?

Speaker 6: 12:39

Probably where I started, which was episode four, visiting London top tips for first-time visitors. That really set the stage for me to be able to really dig in. I'm a massive planner, I've discovered about myself. I did have three preteens and my mum, who is about to turn 70, with us, so I really felt that I had the responsibility to have all the detail sorted, really felt that I had the responsibility to have all the detail sorted.

Speaker 6: 13:09

Um, and that initial podcast really sort of got me in and and told me that I was going to find the detail that I needed with with you and Doug. Um, and it was a lovely little overview things for me to be thinking about really early on in our planning. And then I was, you know I just started plowing my way through what was existing and then waiting every week for them to come out. Where are they going to this week? What are they talking about? Um, what notes? And I had a note. I'm so sad I had a notes folder on my phone and I would stop and make add notes. Um, and you know little tips that I picked up from the podcast. And you know Tracy and Doug are now household names for us.

Speaker 1: 13:46

Oh, that's so lovely. That's so sweet. I'll have to come and visit you and just say hello if I come down to your part of the world. You don't have to say it, Tracey, For sure. Hello, oh no that's so lovely.

Speaker 1: 14:00

So lovely. Well, obviously you're going to come on and do a full podcast and give us a full trip report, because it was a multi-generational trip as well. So that's always exciting. If to find out about how that went and planning for children and planning when we're taking our you know older relatives is we've got to think about it. I know I've got my mom coming out to australia next week and she's 82 when it's. You have to think about things slightly differently. So, uh, yeah, that'll be exciting. But thanks so much for giving us your feedback about the podcast, lauren no worries at all.

Speaker 1: 14:31

Thanks, tracy so, tina, it's really good to talk to you for the 100th episode of the podcast. You are one of our sponsors, so a huge thank you from myself and Doug for that, and if anybody listening would like to sponsor the podcast, we would really love you if you did. We really appreciate it. So, tina, would you like to tell us where in the world you are at the moment?

Speaker 7: 14:51

I am in Meridian Idaho, which is in Southern Idaho in the United.

Speaker 1: 14:56

States Brilliant, and you've been listening to the podcast for quite a long time now, haven't you? Since the first episode. So tell us what is it that you most enjoy about the show, tina, and why do you like being a sponsor for us?

Speaker 7: 15:10

Well, I, as you know, traveled to the UK a couple times now, and I like listening to the local tips from people who live there and some of your tour guides, and then I also enjoy hearing what other people did on their trips so that on my next trip I can add some things in and is there a particular type of episode that you really like or particular episodes that you kind of go.

Speaker 7: 15:43

Oh yeah, I really enjoyed those episodes well, my, I think my favorite is still, oddly enough, the york episode, which I think is number three. It is, um, because I like having a local, uh, kind of give you tips and and tricks, and um, I also like the one with the cotswolds, with, I think, your name's, victoria right, that's right, that's right.

Speaker 1: 16:09

And uh, recently we just had, um, my, it's actually my mom's cousin, kevin, and his wife pauline who came on to talk about, uh, portsmouth, which is where they live, and I know that's been another very popular episode because so people you know, like you, you enjoy listening to, kind of, the locals sharing all their little tidbits and information about what to do, what to see exactly, and I went to York after listening to the podcast and used quite a bit of the information that she shared on it oh, perfect, I was actually going to ask you.

Speaker 1: 16:42

That was. My next question is like how has it helped you plan your trip? But obviously you've been in the UK now a few times, so for example, going to New York. You listened to the episode and it gave you some inspiration for some of the places to go to.

Speaker 7: 16:53

Yes, it did. And, um, every time I go, you know, I try to go to new places and sometimes I go back to places where I didn't see everything or hear something on the podcast. I'm like I didn't even know that was there, and so you want to go back and see it, and so it does keep it fresh, I think, because you're like, oh, you know, that's something I haven't done, yet Perfect.

Speaker 1: 17:19

Is there any particular requests that you have for any future episodes that you'd like to hear?

Speaker 7: 17:25

Yeah, oh, so many. That is a good question, I guess. More Scotland, let's hear some more Scotland stuff.

Speaker 1: 17:35

Okay, perfect, well, I'm hopefully doing a podcast with Charlotte from the Edinburgh Black Cab tour company, all about Outlander. She's really busy at the moment so I'm trying to get her back on the podcast because she did an absolutely fantastic episode all about Greyfriars, kirkyard in Edinburgh, which has been very, very popular. It was very specific what we talked about, but what a really good episode that was. And obviously we've got the episodes with Sally-Anne about far north Scotland, which are really really good as well. But yes, absolutely I'd love to have more content on about Scotland. Well, I can't wait. Thanks so much, tina, for coming and giving us your feedback for the 100th episode. We're very proud to have reached this point.

Speaker 7: 18:15

I'm honored and it's been fun to watch the podcast grow. You have a lot of downloads.

Speaker 1: 18:21

I hear Every episode gets well over a thousand within a few days, so it's growing really really well, which we're very, very proud of.

Speaker 7: 18:30

Well, I think it's a fabulous tool if you're planning a trip to the UK. Oh, brilliant. Thanks, Tina.

Speaker 8: 18:37

You're welcome. My name is Laura Norton and I live in Grand Rapids, michigan, with my husband. We've been married, it'll be 29 years this summer and we have four very spoiled cats that are our children and then we have two goddaughters who are 10 and 7.

Speaker 1: 18:55

Oh, lovely. So we've just been chatting before we started recording. So you're a big fan of the podcast and I was just saying how lovely it is that I get to actually put some faces to our listeners. So it's just so lovely to meet you, laura, can you say what it is that you really enjoy about the podcast?

Speaker 8: 19:11

I just love the vast knowledge that you and Doug share with everybody. We have never traveled internationally, so when we go next year to celebrate our 30th anniversary, this will be the first time that we've traveled. So having all of this information together and absorb has been amazing. I love the planning process. That's half the fun of a trip for me and so listening to everything, taking notes, getting the information from people on the Facebook page, looking things up that I've never heard of before, and trying to put our itinerary together has just been a lot of fun, and I still have a little over a year to go, so I still have time.

Speaker 1: 19:46

So have you been getting lots of ideas, new ideas about places to go.

Speaker 8: 19:50

Yes, just when I think I might have kind of our itinerary set of what we want to do in Oregon, then something else pops up. I'm like, no wait, I want to do that. And I know we can't do it all, we understand that. But so, yeah, it's been fun to plug things in. I'm trying to keep my husband involved. He's a huge history buff. He was a history major in college, so World War II is a specialty that he loves. So trying to make sure I pull things in that are going to be interesting for him as well.

Speaker 1: 20:15

Oh well, that's given me a great idea for a podcast. Actually, then, laura, I think because Doug and I were talking about doing that one about World War II sites in London and around London, so that that would be a good one to do, because we've had a lot of interest in Bletchley park recently and we love visiting Bletchley. It's fantastic. So it was something that we were talking about, so I'll add that to our to record list. I would look forward to it. Obviously, you're finding it help with the planning, so is there any particular episodes that you kind of go oh this is I like that better, or I just I just I just I enjoy all of them, yeah, yeah, I like it.

Speaker 8: 20:52

It's kind of hard to pinpoint. I think I kind of categorize any of them that have to do with London specifically, because right now that's pretty much where we're going to base out of um, which is, with the time we have. Um, we are going to spend a couple days in Liverpool because, again, my husband is a huge Beatles fan, um, so I would say then, the one podcast that really excited me was the one that how I learned about the George Harrison home being an Airbnb, because we're going to stay there. That's our plan, so that my husband's very excited, very much looking forward to that.

Speaker 8: 21:21

And then Doug's all of Doug's expertise from a train. Again, being from the United States, we don't have this kind of, you know, mass public trip shape. We have Amttrak, but it's limited um, you know type of a thing. So, not being very familiar, we've been to new york city once, so a little bit of experience with subway, tube type thing. But, um, that information is going to be real helpful because we are going to rely on public transportation and train travel the entire time we're there that's perfect, because we're just about to do it.

Speaker 1: 21:48

I think it's going to going to be a two partner on easy day trips by train from London, which will be perfect if you're going to base yourself there as well, so that will work really well. Yeah, exactly, excellent. Thank you so much, laura, for agreeing to come on to episode 100 of the podcast. It's our celebratory episode and to share in what it is that you love about the podcast and, as I say, I just I'm so loving meeting so many of you guys. It's been fantastic.

Speaker 8: 22:13

Oh no, this has been wonderful. I was very honored when you reached out and asked me to do this.

Speaker 3: 22:18

Hi, I'm Debbie Harsin and I live in Pennsylvania in the United States. I'm in the very northwest corner, closest to Niagara Falls, which people would probably recognize that particular area, and I have traveled Kes with both of my daughters, an oldest daughter and then my youngest child. They live in Atlanta, georgia and Las Vegas, nevada. So we've shared experiences from all over the US to the UK.

Speaker 1: 22:44

So, debra, what do you enjoy most about the UK Travel Fund and podcast?

Speaker 3: 23:24

What do you enjoy most about the UK Travel Fund and podcast? What I enjoy most is the variety of people that you've had on, from professionals like Dami John England, Victoria Cotswolds, and then you have people like me who've traveled there and just want to share experiences and I love those family trips and their reports and just the variety of things people do. And I think it's because I personally can't talk about my trips enough and everybody around me is done listening to me talk about them. So it's so much fun to hear others share their experiences your expertise in areas, Doug's expertise with trains, Hi Doug and just to hear from all of the different guides or the different services offered and what they offer and how personable and kind they are, and I think the whole atmosphere is like sitting down having a cup of tea with friends and just chatting.

Speaker 3: 24:24

I love the podcast, my favorite and I was hooked with number three. The minute you went to York, which has captivated me since the first time I went, I was in. I was in and I know your first couple of podcasts were introductory podcasts, introducing yourself and the idea, and they were well done. But the minute you talked about York, I was so completely in, so that just bought me into the whole idea of listening to everything that you put out on the podcast. I just enjoy them so much from that point.

Speaker 1: 25:00

So would you say that you have a favorite episode, Deb?

Speaker 3: 25:04

I do, I do. York is my sentimental favorite because it brought me to the podcast I absolutely loved. I think it was episode 16 when you first introduced Dami from Scalene Studios, something about her personality, and just the way the two of you were chatting, I said I have to meet her and wow, am I glad I did. And then, of course, like I mentioned, I love the other family trips too, but the recent ones you did about Christmas in London, oh, those were just magical. That's next on my wishlist. And and boy did you make that come alive. That was amazing. So those are my favorite and that was probably episode. I know episode 70, 71 was the most recent Christmas. Thank you so much, deb, with your trip reports, my pleasure.

Speaker 1: 26:06

Trip reports are very popular, very, very popular. So how did the UK Travel Planning Podcast help you to plan your trip?

Speaker 3: 26:13

Honestly what helped beyond, for example, meeting Dami and working with her and hearing some of the local guides talk about places to see, restaurants to eat, your experiences with having lived there and then traveling to different areas. Last year you went to Cornwall, which the travel, the traffic getting there, places to see, places to eat, just enjoying those were just so instrumental in helping us plan and carry out our trip as well too. And then the family reports are always fun, always hearing what went according to plan and what didn't, because obviously not going according to plan sometimes merits the most amazing experience, and that seems to be what comes out with all of those family trip reports too. So I enjoy that.

Speaker 5: 27:15

I'm Heather Welday, I'm from Southern California and about a year ago July, I'd say I really started thinking seriously about this trip. That's kind of been a dream. Originally I started Googling and first found the website. From that I found the podcast. Actually, about last August I was redoing both of my kids' bedrooms. I had it on in the background as I was working. Initially I kind of cherry-picked a little bit the episodes. I thought that would be the most helpful and then as I listened I just enjoyed it so much I went back from the beginning and listened straight through and I'm kind of a re-listener. So the episodes I really like I've listened to multiple times.

Speaker 1: 28:01

Oh, that's fantastic. So what do you particularly enjoy about the show Heather?

Speaker 5: 28:05

Oh goodness, oh, that's fantastic. So what do you particularly enjoy about the show heather? Oh goodness, um, I think. For me, really, it it's like a conversation with your friends, but it's something I'm learning from because obviously I'm not an active participant, but, um, just to listen to that very relational um type of podcast, but also very informative. So I kind of like both of those pieces. Oh, that's brilliant.

Speaker 5: 28:30

And how did the, how has the podcast helped you to plan your trip? Well, I think, as many people have said, you don't know what you don't know. So I think part of it has been just the informational bits. Like the thought of it never occurred to me when people have talked about the look right, look left painted on the ground. So I think just those little tidbits of information like, oh yes, I mean it makes sense. Why didn't I never think of that? And then I think the step past that is to hear other people's trips and the exciting things they've done. It really stirs the imagination and it really I mean there are places I've heard of and have been an exciting dream, and then places I'm like, oh, I did not know that existed, how did I not know this? And so just to glean a little bit from that and to help that build my itinerary, my excitement, things that I want to show my own kids, things that I want to see for myself. I think there's just that, the practical part and the dreamy part. I think both.

Speaker 1: 29:29

Oh, that's perfect. That's perfect. So do you have favorite?

Speaker 5: 29:32

episodes I do. So I have ones that I like and ones that I love. So the ones that I like, I like the really practical episodes. I mean the informational ones. Here's the top 10 things to do or like. Here's how you step out of the train station and turn left to get the bus to Harry Potter. I mean those things I really like. But I would say the ones that I love are the trip reports. I think there's just something about hearing about what people did, their excitement. Again, it generates ideas. But I think some of the people you listen to and you're just they have such a positive energy that I feel almost like you know, you think I could be friends with that person you know, or even listening to you, it's like wow, I think they have a friendship. That sounds just something that's very appealing. So I think, just again, that relational piece has I've really enjoyed and it kind of keeps me coming back.

Speaker 1: 30:28

Okay, that's perfect. So you're going to be traveling to the UK this year. We just helped you last week with your itinerary. With that on the itinerary consult. So obviously, the next thing that I'm going to ask you and I'm going to ask you this now is you're definitely going to come on the podcast and do a trip report about your trip, aren't you?

Speaker 5: 30:46

oh, I would love to. Yes, that's uh. I kind of have always thought in the back of my mind if I did a trip report, what would I talk about? So it was kind of exciting to be asked um, and I'm looking forward to it and I'm excited that I'll have something to report back I hope something new and fresh for someone. But even if it's just like my excitement for what we did and saw, I hope that really inspires someone.

Speaker 1: 31:09

So that would be brilliant. I can't wait to talk to you after your trip, heather. Thanks very much for giving us your feedback about the podcast, because this is celebrating our 100th episode, which is so exciting for us, you know, to get to that point. I didn't think when I started it I'd ever reach 100.

Speaker 5: 31:24

Well, it's a joy I love. Every Tuesday I look forward to seeing what's going to pop up in my podcast app. So thank you for your hard work. We really appreciate it.

Speaker 4: 31:34

So I'm Leanne McCarg and basically I'm a mum first and I live in Glen Innes, new South Wales, in Northern New South Wales, so we're probably about seven hours from Sydney and four hours from Brisbane. So we tend to spend most of our time probably in Queensland because it's closer, plus my son's up there at university so that makes it a bit easier.

Speaker 1: 32:32

I'm a bookkeeper by trade, generally and general travel enthusiast and a royal obsessed person Lovely, and you were just saying that you also follow on our global travel planning podcast, which I was very excited that you had found, which is brilliant. But I need to ask you how did you find the UK Travel Planning Podcast and how did it help you plan your trip?

Speaker 4: 32:57

I actually think I just Googled UK travel planning. I think it was initially how it did, because we'd planned to go to the UK and a couple of spots in Europe and I thought, well, I don't know where to start. How do I work out where we stay, where do we get off, what transport do we use? So I think that's how I did and then I discovered the podcast and started listening to the podcast and that initial episode I think it was episode two where you talked about intro to UK train travel.

Speaker 1: 33:32

Yes.

Speaker 4: 33:33

That was the first one I actually listened to and I went, yep, this is what we're going to do. So that's where it all started, basically. And then, yeah, I just the kids got sick of listening to your voice in the car. They're like mum, have you got this one again?

Speaker 1: 33:47

Yes, that's so funny. That's so funny. I apologise to your kids. I was talking to somebody yesterday who said to me she said you know, if I mention the names Tracy and Doug at my house, everybody knows exactly who I'm talking about. It just made me smile. I was like oh dear.

Speaker 4: 34:06

I played in the kitchen while I'm cooking and doing that and they come out. Oh, I thought you'd already listened to that one. Yeah, I have, but I actually like it, so I want to listen to it again that's so funny.

Speaker 1: 34:16

And we started out those first kind of 10 months when I started the podcast. We just did it every other week and then and then we went weekly. I think probably about oh, 15, 16 months ago. We went weekly and then the podcast exploded actually once we started doing it weekly. It's a lot of work and sometimes like I sit and think, oh, I'm gonna do another podcast, I'm gonna get ahead of myself, especially when I'm traveling. But, um, but it's always lovely because I, when I because obviously I was like I do the podcast I don't know who's listening. So it's lovely when, when I hear and I can actually see people who enjoy the podcast and listening to me rambling on every week. So, do you have a favourite episode, or?

Speaker 4: 34:57

episodes, leanne. I sat down yesterday and started going through them just to think, right, what is my favourite? And I actually realised Episode 7, the 14 Things you Never Knew About England. I really loved that and I'd forgotten. I really listened to it yesterday and I went oh yes, I did actually really love this one because I loved your explanation of we're not british, we're scottish, we're welsh, we're irish, like it was just, and I thought that really does explain it.

Speaker 1: 35:29

Oh good, a lot of people don't get it good, because I tell you what, even even english people I'm english, british we also have to think. Sometimes it's like, okay, let's get this right uk, great britain, british isles, england, scotland, wales, ah. So I totally understand. And when it came to actually naming the website and naming the podcast, it was like like, well, what do I call it? Do I go UK? Do I just call it United Kingdom? Do I call it Great Britain? Do I call it British? So I had to really think about it, because people all around the world use the different terms.

Speaker 4: 36:03

So I'm glad that was helpful. It was very good and the pronunciation tips. You know, like Berwick and Leicester.

Speaker 1: 36:11

Yes, and especially in Australia, where I have to laugh every time I go somewhere to buy some bedding and they go to me oh, it was actually curtains I bought and they went, oh yeah, that's a Leicester range. And I was like, okay, oh, leicester, it's a Leicester range. No, no, it's the Leicester range. Okay, yeah, no, it's the Leicester range. Okay, yeah, that's how you pronounce it in Australia. I was like, don't go to the UK and pronounce it that way. It's Leicester, but yeah, leicester's. Fine, I'll go with that, but yeah that did make me smile.

Speaker 4: 36:39

I do love it. We're only two hours from Tamworth and there's a place there Gunniganoo ganu ganu, but it's pronounced ganaganu.

Speaker 1: 36:55

Oh, that's right. When I moved here, when I've been in australia I think seven years now it took me about two years to actually pronounce mulula by right, because I used to say mulula by all the time, all the time, and I actually sat in the car. When we're driving up there one day going, I'm going to pronounce this correctly, but it's. There's so many here as well. Yeah, you have to hear it, and I often will use google and say right, how do I actually pronounce this, you know? But I mean even even where I come from. In the UK, my mom, I think I've said, mentioned in that podcast. There's a place called um chemist, but it's spelt c-a-m-b-o-i-s. Well, I used to live in France, so to me that's's Cambois and that's how I said it. Totally wrong. And my mum laughed her head off.

Speaker 4: 37:34

Honestly, she thought it was hilarious. Yeah, no, I really enjoyed that. And then you were talking about the coffee and I did have a bit of a laugh about that. There's those coffee snobs and they really. And I only had a discussion with a couple of friends at basketball the other night and one of them had been to New Zealand and said the coffee was terrible, it was all burnt. And then she discovered this little shop where the barista was actually Australian. So she went in and every time they just kept going back there because it was like having it at home. But if it wasn't that guy, it was terrible.

Speaker 1: 38:12

See, as somebody who doesn't drink coffee, I can never appreciate this, because to me it's all terrible, including Australian coffee. So apologies to all the Australian listeners out there, but I think your coffee sucks, sorry.

Speaker 4: 38:25

Because I don't like coffee. And I get that because I had a cup of tea last night and I was actually thinking if I was having my cup of tea, because I'll have both. But I didn't really drink much coffee when we were over there, but the one I did have that I remembered was a little van outside of the Tower of London. It was the best cup of coffee. I don't know if it's because we were all freezing, the kids had hot chocolate and my husband doesn't drink tea or coffee so he couldn't care less, but it was a really nice cup of coffee.

Speaker 1: 38:53

Oh, that's good. It's good to hear that you got something that you could enjoy to drink. I'd say it's a big chocolate drinker, yeah. But yeah, coffee, we both avoid coffee, which is quite useful that we both don't like it, I think.

Speaker 4: 39:11

I think one of the highlights. I went, did a tour, you know, in my early 20s and we went to Kirkberg in Austria and I had the best hot chocolate I've ever had and I've never been able to top it since then. So, if you're ever in Kirkberg, it was beautiful A Café Klaus. It might not even be there anymore, but I still remember it to this day.

Speaker 1: 39:28

It was so good, so you get global travel planning tips from the UK Travel Planning Podcast. You see they just sneak in, don't they? Well, Leanne, thank you so much for giving us some feedback about what you love about the UK Travel Planning Podcast. Keep listening. Every week we keep churning out the episodes. Is there anything in particular you would like to hear in an episode?

Speaker 4: 39:54

Well, as I said, we're planning our next trip to, uh, the north coast 500, so I've been going through and trying to glean whatever is out there at the moment on your podcast when are you doing that? When are you doing that?

Speaker 1: 40:05

um, I think we're looking at september 2026 oh because we are looking looking at September 2025 to do that very because we've done it once and we want to do it again.

Speaker 4: 40:17

Yeah, well, I sent the one with Chris and his motorhome. I sent that to my husband. He listened to that while he was driving the other day. So he went oh, because we've got a friend that's done it before. And he kept saying you need to do this.

Speaker 1: 40:32

Oh, absolutely. And listen to North Coast Explorers as well. S We've got a friend that's done it before and he kept saying you need to do this. Oh, absolutely. And listen to North Coast Explorers as well, sally Ann, because they run a tour company upon that north coast and she talks a lot about their favourite spots as well. So those are three episodes that I did with Sally Ann. They're great ones to listen to.

Speaker 4: 40:47

Yeah, we totally love Scotland and we did a day tour when we were up there out to Glencoe and Loch Lomond and all of that, and we said we just want to come back and explore more. That was probably the highlight and it was my daughter's highlight.

Speaker 1: 41:01

Oh, I don't blame you, I don't blame her. Actually we're planning next year and we'll be there probably March and April and do probably more southern England, wales. But I said to Toga I said we are going back to Scotland and we're not just going back to Scotland for three weeks this time I want to go back for at least five and I want to really spend time doing that North Coast 500. Because we did it quite quickly last time and go to Orkney. I would highly recommend you go to Orkney.

Speaker 4: 41:29

Yes, actually it must have been. You did Facebook Live or something when you were in Orkney. I did yes, and I did see that and I'm like, oh, we've got to add that to it. But the more I listen to, the more I want to add to our trip, because we sort of want to do a week, we want to do another week based in London and then do day trips.

Speaker 4: 41:52

So I listened to the Portsmouth, oh, yes, portsmouth, yeah, the other yep, and I went. Oh, I didn't realize it was only like an hour or so by train so we could do that because I'd like to do the Isle of Wight yeah, easily.

Speaker 1: 42:02

Well, doug's got an episode about the Isle of Wight because I sent him over there last year when I went to.

Speaker 4: 42:05

Paris for the day.

Speaker 1: 42:07

I listened to that one.

Speaker 4: 42:08

Yeah, okay, perfect, and I listened to your Paris one too, because we actually last year flew into Zurich, stayed with my brother-in-law, trained to Paris, and then trained to London and had a week in London and then we had another four days in Scotland and then we finished off in Dublin for five days brilliant, so that sounds like a really good trip.

Speaker 1: 42:29

we should have had you on to talk about your trip report, leanne. Yes, maybe we should.

Speaker 4: 42:35

Yeah, that would be great because I loved it.

Speaker 1: 42:40

Yeah, we had a great time. Oh, I loved this episode, I have to say, and thank you so much to Robbie, Tina, Laura Leanne, Lauren Heather and Deborah for coming on to this episode and giving us this feedback. Maybe I'll do it again when we get to episode 200. Who knows, If you want to find out anything from today's episode, do check over onto the show notes at uktravelplanetcom. Forward slash episode 100. Episode 100? I'm so happy. As usual, I'm going to leave the podcast for this week with the words that I always say and I can kind of hear around the world. You guys all know what I'm about to say, so join in and say happy UK travel planning. Bye.