England Vacation – A Glimpse of What I am Working Towards (Ideal Life)

Yes, I know I have not posted for a couple of weeks. However, on July 16th I flew to England for a 2-week vacation. England is always amazing.

Back in 2020, when I was the commander of the Civil Air Patrol squadron here, it was during Covid and we partnered with a British Air Cadets squadron in Northeast England. We had numerous online video meetings and developed a strong bond. The Brits call it Twinning. From this Twinned relationship, their commander and administrative officer came here to Kentucky in April 2022 to meet our squadron and further our relationship. I enjoyed that so much that I visited their squadron in South Shields that October and absolutely loved both the squadron and Northern England. What started out as a professional relationship developed into a true friendship and I now have many good friends over the pond. I have since made vacationing in England a yearly event.

As a pilot I love to fly so an 8-9 hour trans-Atlantic flight was not a problem. Did I mention I love to fly? I arrived in Newcastle upon Tyne on the 17th and spent two days there. Newcastle is located in Northeast England on the North Sea coast, about two hours south of Scotland. Northern England is incredibly beautiful and truly historic. South Shields, just to the east, is where the Arbeia Roman garrison and supply base was located. Talk about history! We are talking BC and triple digit AD architecture. I’m also a fan of Newcastle United, the football team (that means soccer for us Americans) there.

On the 19th I took the train to London for the weekend to see a good friend. Ah London. What an iconic city! The capital of England. Such history and significance. We explored Harrods, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace and the British Natural History Museum.I was amazed at Kensington. The sheer size and population density of London is incredible, and the food and activities are second to none. Speaking of second to none, I absolutely love the European rail system. Unlike the horrifically pathetic train system in America, the European rail system interconnects everywhere. They know how to do it. You don’t need a car to explore Europe, just a Eurail pass. Convenient and comfortable. It was an amazing weekend.

On the 21st, my next stop was York (via train) to visit another good friend at the university there. The focal point of York is York Minster Cathedral. Built in 637 AD on the ruins of a Roman city it is truly breathtaking! York is also one of the most haunted cities in England. I loved how relatively small it was, such that you could walk along the entire city wall in a day and everywhere in the city was reachable on foot. It has a bit of a college town feel to it, since it has 11 colleges, including the University of York.

After a quick two days, I returned to Newcastle on the 23rd, just in time to celebrate my 63rd birthday a couple days later. I was treated to a visit to Holy Island (Lindisfarne), which is a small tidal island off the coast of Northumberland and is the center of English Christianity. You can only drive to the island on the narrow 2-lane road when the tide is out. Otherwise, forget it at high tide. We toured a lot of Northern England and had some incredible bakery goods. Of course, I enjoyed some Kraken and Lindisfarne Mead Dark rum as well. The weather was idyllic – sunny and high 70s. My British friends were dying in the high 70s temperature but after 90+ degree heat in Kentucky, it was awesome! All too quickly my vacation came to an end and I flew home on the 30th where my dogs were overjoyed to have me back.

I wanted to share my vacation with you as it was truly inspirational for me and I hope is motivational for you. If you recall from my April 15th post – What Is Your Number And Your Dream, I started my affiliate marketing business because I wanted be able to live my ideal dream life. My time on earth is finite and being 63, I am on the back side of life and want to enjoy every day God gives me. I also want to see this wonderful, beautiful planet He made. One of my dreams is to buy a vacation property in the South Tyneside/Newcastle area that I can spend a few months in the summer, and then a bit in fall or winter. Nothing lavish, just a 2 or 3 bedroom, detached home with garage in a nice area, that I can also rent out as an Air B&B when I’m not using it. Another dream is to take 2 to 3 international vacations per year so I can truly see and experience the beauty of this planet, learn and interact with different cultures and try all variety of foods and drinks (especially rums and whiskeys).

Having ideal life dreams like this can seem like an imaginary life in a netherworld in the future. It is hard to truly get a sense of what that dream would actually be like. For me, taking a yearly trip to England serves two purposes. It lets me experience England and the culture, food and feel of what it would be like to live there for several months at a time, as if I had a vacation home. It brings my ideal life goal to a tangible goal I can see myself living. It also allows me to make good friends and connections, truly get a sense of England and all of the wonderful cities and countryside, and start understanding the political and economic environment as it relates to buying a vacation property there and maintaining a residence. Some may see this as an extravagance. I see it as a way to bring my ideal life goals into perspective and get an actual feel of what it would be like achieving that goal. That is very motivational for me because I cannot afford a vacation property in England with my current retirement income. However, my business can make that a reality if I truly apply myself, trust the process and have the determination to succeed. I want to achieve my ideal life and I am on the path to doing so.

If you have been following my Blog from the beginning, or at least since April 15th, then you too thought about what your ideal dream life would be. Is one of your dreams to move to another country and live, or at least have a vacation home in another country? Or is it wanting to take several international trips per year with your family? Or both? If international destinations are part of your dream life, then I challenge you to bring those dream goals into a tangible go by taking a trip to a city of your dreams. London, Paris, Berlin, Athens, Rome, Madrid, Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Rio, Buenos Aires, etc. However, I realize such a trip might not be doable just yet, from a financial standpoint, which is why you are here.

Perhaps something closer to home and much less expensive like Mexico City, Acapulco, Costa Rica, Aruba, etc. I took a 5-day vacation to Mexico City this past January and it was wonderful, plus relatively inexpensive. It also brought my dream goal to a tangible goal of taking a vacation outside of the United States. It is more affordable than you think, if you pay attention to travel details, off peak dates, and when to book.

I came back from England knowing I want to achieve that dream goal. Partly living it for two weeks was very inspiring. Being successful in my business will not be easy, I know, but there is no doubt in my mind it will be worth it. One of the great things about living in another country and having my own business is that my business travels with me and I can run my business anywhere. True freedom. That truly is my final destination at the Top of the Sea.