August 26, 2025 • 29 mins
Michael Goldsmith shares his deeply personal journey across the UK, inspired by his family's connection to the Titanic, and fulfilled through a carefully planned itinerary that combines ship, rail, and coach travel. He explains how research and personalised travel advice helped him create a meaningful trip that connected him with family history and distant relatives.
• Taking the Queen Mary II across the Atlantic in honour of ancestors who boarded the Titanic
• Visiting Southampton, Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Rochester to explore historical sites and family connections
• Meeting previously unknown relatives from his great-grandfather's family in Rochester
• Experiencing London through a specialised "Discover Real London" cab tour
• Navigating unexpected train cancellations with flexibility and assistance from pre-trip planning
• Exploring Inverness and Loch Ness despite travel disruptions
• Receiving VIP treatment in Belfast, including finding his great-grandfather's name on the Titanic memorial
• Staying at the Titanic Hotel in Belfast and touring the dry dock where the ship was built
• Planning a return visit to spend more time in favourite locations like Rochester and Belfast
Looking to plan your own UK adventure? Check out the show notes (link below), plus our Guide to UK train travel ebook, and details about our itinerary consultations.
⭐️ Guest - Michael Goldsmith
📝 Show Notes - Episode 164
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- Episode #124 - 3-day itinerary for Belfast
- Episode #138 – Exploring London’s Iconic Sights with Discover Real London’s Black Cab Tours
- Episode #86 – London Like a Local: Unmissable Black Cab Tours with Discover Real London
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this special episode, doug chats with Michael
Goldsmith from Ohio, who sharesthe emotional journey behind
his UK trip, inspired by a deepfamily connection to the Titanic
.
From crossing the Atlantic onthe Queen Mary II to
reconnecting with long-lostrelatives and navigating the UK
by rail, michael's story isfilled with meaning, history and
thoughtful planning.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK Travel Planning website,
Tracey Collins.
In this podcast, Tracey sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
To help you plan your perfectUK vacation, Join us as we
(00:44):
explore the UK from cosmopolitancities to quaint villages, from
historic castles to beautifulislands and from the picturesque
countryside to seaside towns.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Hi and welcome to this week's episode of the UK
Travel Planet Podcast.
Today I'm handing over thereins to Doug, who's chatting
with Michael Goldsmith from Ohio.
But first a quick thank you toone of our podcast supporters,
tina Liu Lang, for her ongoingsupport of the show.
Thank you so much, tina.
If you'd like to support thepodcast and help us keep it
(01:23):
running each week, you can do sofrom as little as three US
dollars a month.
Just check in with the link inthe show notes and we truly
appreciate you and you could geta shout out in a forthcoming
episode.
Now anyway, hello, doug, you'rehere for this episode.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Hi everyone, Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So now, michael recently returned from an
unforgettable trip to the UK,and it wasn't just any holiday.
This journey was inspired byhis powerful family connection
to the Titanic.
Was inspired by his powerfulfamily connection to the Titanic
, so he and his wife startedwith a transatlantic crossing on
the Queen Mary II and went onto explore places like
Southampton, rochester, london,inverness and Belfast.
So in this episode, you'll hearhow Michael used our e-book
(01:55):
podcast and a one-to-oneitinerary consultation with Doug
to help plan a meaningful andmemorable UK trip filled with
personal discoveries, surprisemoments and a few unexpected
challenges that he handled likea pro.
So let's get started Over toyou, doug.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Welcome, Michael.
Can you start by introducingyourself where you're from and a
bit about who you travelledwith?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Hi, I'm Michael.
I'm from Ohio in the USA and Itook my wife to the UK.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So your trip has such a meaningful story behind it.
Can you tell us a bit moreabout your family connection
with the famous Titanic and howthat influenced your travel
plans?
Speaker 4 (02:33):
And his family boarded Titanic at Southampton.
Originally they were from Kent,a little town called just
across Manchester, so we go totake and visit you and Titanic
to their order and so trip onand we landed at Southampton and
we went from there.
Wow, that's certainly a longtime in making what made 2025
(02:56):
the right time to go well, lastyear I found out that the Queen
Mary 2 is the only ocean minorthat is still making the
crossing across the Atlantic and, researching that, I found out
she is 20 years into her servicelife.
My wife and I are in our late50s and we're healthy enough to
do a lot of walking, so I justthought the time is now, if
(03:20):
we're going to go by ship, andso I booked passage.
As you know, um in the processof paying that off is when I
discovered your podcast and setup the consult with you and
tracy and did all the researchas far as where we wanted to go,
how we were going to get there,and, again, utilizing your
(03:42):
ebook for rail travel, I plan todiscover and utilize all the
different forms oftransportation Ship, rail coach
service called the hand coach,and then, of course, flying home
.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
So literally, I suppose you could say, using
English expression, all yourducks were in a row for 2025.
Everything just sort of cametogether.
You saw this, you saw, saw thatyou had this plan, you did that
.
And it just literally cametogether in, you know, and just
seemed right for 2025 to be thetime to go.
And I'm glad you mentioned thatabout your health as well,
because that's an importantfactor, because these types of
(04:16):
trips can be pretty tiring andpretty draining, can't they?
Speaker 4 (04:19):
yes, they can.
We were lucky.
We didn't over plan anything.
We planned travel time, whichcame in handy, and I'll tell you
about that later, but weplanned days of travel, we
played relax time, we did do twotours that we planned.
My friend in belfast had plansof her own and I'll tell you
(04:39):
about that as well that's reallygood.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
So, yeah, you mentioned the itinerary console,
which we both thoroughlyenjoyed as well, because you and
I hit it off first time we met,didn't we really?
And we were in contact quiteoften as well, which, again, I
will mention that later as well.
But what were you hoping toactually achieve from the
console, and did you achievethat?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
number one.
I wanted to advice on railtravel because I know you.
You worked with rail servicefor many years, so gaining
insight on a one-on-one basiswas a need that I can't get from
an e-book or from just doingresearch, because questions
might come up, such as the needof travel, how to plan in case
(05:20):
something goes wrong, which didhappen.
Something goes wrong, which didhappen.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I pretty much had our itinerary kind of set, but I
didn't have the expertise toovercome any obstacles so it's
just a question of tweaking whatyou had in place and really
it's a good advert for needingthe personal touch.
So with electronic devices andelectronic information and I'm
going down the AI route hereYou're proving the point that
the personal touch is stillneeded and there's still a place
(05:50):
for it out there.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Yeah, exactly, I'm a firm believer in personal touch,
as you've seen since ourconsole, keeping not only that
personal touch going but lettingyou know how it was going as we
went through our trip, so thatyou could see the results of
your efforts not only in theebook but consultation and your
podcast.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
oh, thank you for that.
What were the key things youfound most confusing or
challenging when it came to ukrail travel before the consult?
Speaker 4 (06:20):
if you can just remember exactly the details on
that, because it's a while agosince we actually did the
consult- well, for for me, beingthat I had spent time in berlin
for three years, the railtravel came kind of easy.
I didn't know which route totake that would be best to suit
my need, and that's where theconsult came in handy, because
you gave me three differentchoices a backup plan I'm a firm
(06:44):
believer in having a backupplan and you helped with that as
well.
You mentioned getting atwo-together rail card, and for
us we weren't constantly on themove but we had planned travel
dates, and with the two-togetherrail card it allowed us to get
a lower fee and it gave us timeto where we weren't rushing in
the morning, to go catch a trainbefore rush hour, and we didn't
(07:06):
really have fight crowds theone time we did have to use a
tube for one stop.
And even the console and yourrail guide helped with that,
because you told me what apps Ineed put on my phone and what to
expect really, and it just fellinto place.
You know, even when a bumphappened, it was like, okay, I
knew where to go.
And it turns out that, as we'llsee later, I actually helped
(07:29):
another american couple that'sgood to know.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
I mean that, that's life.
You learn something, then youpass that knowledge on.
So I'm all in favor of that one.
So on to the next question.
Let's talk about yourdestinations, your roots now.
So you arrived by sea aboardthe queen mary too.
What was that experience like?
Speaker 4 (07:45):
well, uh, given my family history with
transatlantic travel, it wasvery, very, very emotional for
me, and as well my wife too,when we first saw the ship and
we boarded in in brooklyn it was.
It was just indescribable, thefeeling that we're going through
.
I actually took pictures of myfamily that were on Titanic and
(08:07):
I had them set up on my desk inmy room.
I don't know if I showed youthat picture or not.
If I didn't, I would send it toyou.
So it was like they weretraveling with me.
And the funny part is I think Islept through when we were near
the Titanic site.
We passed about 102 miles northof the office pole but I never
saw it come up on the screen.
(08:27):
I guess I was sleeping duringthat time period, but
emotionally it was like thecircle had been completed.
And then we arrived inSouthampton and we went to
Stonehenge, salisbury, passedthrough London to go to
Rochester and then back toLondon, to Inverness and Belfast
, before flying home from Dublin.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
That's really good.
So you say Southampton,stonehenge, salisbury, just a
quick overview of theexperiences of those places.
Did you enjoy it?
I mean, southampton wasobviously a starter, but you've
got a friend there as well,which makes it nice and
welcoming when you get off theboat as well.
So Stonehenge and Salisbury,just a quick overview of those.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Well, my friends picked us up at our hotel in
Southampton the first day.
They showed us aroundSouthampton all the Titanic
sites and the Mayflower site.
There's more of the Mayflowerin Southampton as well.
Then the next day we checkedout of our hotel and they took
us to Salisbury, to the NewForest.
My friend's husband was a taxidriver so he knows all the back
(09:27):
ways in and out of every how toget there.
So we had a durable drivethrough the new forest, saw, uh,
cottages with that, roads andso forth.
Uh, stonehenge was very busy butthe way we went, uh, we went
kind of the back roads so weencountered very little traffic
on our ways.
And it was very impressivebecause when you first get to
(09:49):
Stonehenge the main buildingthere and it's like a little
museum to tell you the history,the known history of the site,
and then you go through that andyou go outside to a mock of
what a village would look likeback then and if you want, you
can try and move the stone theway they think they moved the
stones back then.
Then you get on a bus thattakes you about a mile up the
(10:10):
hill to the Stonehead site asyou look out across the plains
around it.
You can see the burial moundsof the people that probably
built the site.
You just see small humps andthey're actually burial mounds.
And then from there we went toSalisbury Cathedral.
I wanted to see Magna Carta.
Now inside the cathedral you'vegot a reflective pool right as
(10:32):
you look at the altar, down themain part of the hallway, and so
I ducked down and I gotpictures of the blue glass blue
stained glass behind the altar,looking off that pool, that
little pool.
It looks like a table, but it'sactually a fountain.
That was very cool, very nice.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Well, thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
We'd spent two nights in Rochester and so I visited
Rochester Castle.
I have a postcard that mygrandfather gave me and I'll
send you a picture of it, so Igot updated photos.
The picture on the postcard wastaken about 1920 or so, and then
I have an updated photo of ourvisit, and I took some in the
evening when the sun was hittingit just right, and I went back
(11:12):
in the morning, and the morningone is a colored photo but it
looks black and white because ofthe shadow, the sun coming from
the opposite direction, andwhile we were there we met
cousins of mine from mygreat-grandfather's side of the
family.
It was supposed to be, but threegenerations showed up, so we
all had plants and then laterthat evening we went to see the
(11:35):
home where my grandfather lived,and I was able to see that
because there's a picture of myfamily that I thought was taken
out from the street view, but itwas actually taken in the back
garden and we discovered thatwhen we visited the street and
the house and I actually spoketo the neighbors who knew my
family's story because herdaughter had lived there and had
(11:56):
researched it I said, yeah, I'm, I'm the grandson, so that that
was very interesting.
We got pictures the street andthen we went and had another
pint with my cousins at aworking man's house and that was
a hospital where my grandfatherwas probably born at the time.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Wow, that's amazing.
Yeah, you made special memories, you know, meeting up with the
family down in Rochester.
You know that's just such apersonal story there and I thank
you for sharing.
It must have been great andreally emotional to meet all the
family with the connection toRochester as well.
I can only imagine how that was.
We left Rochester and went upto meet all the family with the
connection to Rochester as well.
I can only imagine how that was.
(12:35):
We left.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Rochester and went up to London and we took a
Discover Real London cab tour wehad Mark Ollie was great during
the process.
Mark was fantastic.
He showed us a lot of Titanicstuff.
We went into the Fitzroy Hoteland Fitzroy Dole did the
(12:56):
architecture of the hotel.
His designs were on Titanic andOlympic and their assistant
pretend there's a dragon in thathotel and his name is Lucky
George.
Unlucky George is still downwith Titanic.
That's why he's unlucky andLucky George is in the hotel.
So that was a surprise.
I didn't even know anythingabout that hotel.
But Fitzroy Dole is where theexpression all doled up comes
(13:20):
from, because he was very fancyin his design.
So next time you go to London,look up Fitzroy Hotel.
It's a very, very posh hotel,but we were allowed access to
certain areas.
He also showed us where theChurchill war rooms are.
He showed us where the courtsare.
He showed us a Roman wall, oneof the original portions of the
(13:43):
Roman wall that surroundedLondon when it was under Roman
control.
And then that night we hopped onthe Caledonian Sleeper.
We only made it to Birminghambecause there was a storm had
come through and lines were downand my wife woke me up and said
we're stopped and I'm like,okay, it's probably for a
freight train.
And I went back to sleep and Iwoke up and I looked at my phone
(14:05):
we're back in London.
And I was like what?
And something garbled came overthe loudspeaker.
So I went and found a crewmember and she said, yeah, we
had to come back to London, butwe have transportation for you
to go to Inverness on a trainover Kings Cross.
I think we're supposed to getgetting on a train, but we end
up on a Zumo train that wasleaving just as we got there.
(14:28):
The funny part is I mentioned anAmerican couple that I helped
there.
The funny part is I mentioned aan american couple that I
helped.
I had navigated not just mywife and I, but that american
couple that we met on the train.
We actually had drinks withthem the night before on on a
caledonian sleeper, but I gotall four of us to the train.
The wife from the couple thatwe met found found a train going
(14:52):
to Inverness, so we all hoppedon that.
It was a Lumo train, so we wereonly.
We missed maybe six hours oftime in Inverness, but we got
there in plenty of time becausethat was a travel day.
We did not plan anything thatday.
We had a tour planned for thenext day.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
So just backtrack a slight All those places you've
got to visit on your next, uh,your next excursion to the uk,
or newcastle and york and annickin london as well, um, discover
real london is really good, andanybody listening who wants
information on that, the detailsare on our website and there
will be in the show notes aswell.
So, yes, I know about the, thecaledonian sleep experience you
(15:32):
had because we were in contactduring that time.
The storm that came in um, yeah, it's bordeaux head, lying down
a tree fell onto the line, sothat took quite a while to get
it sorted as well.
So you found out how quickly itis to walk up the euston road
to king's cross, and the azumaservice is run by LNER, it's one
(15:54):
of their flagship services.
So, but proves your flexibilitythough, michael, you know you
went with it.
You had the, the apps that wesuggested and you knew exactly
how to modify your plans.
But you know I'm sure this isreflects you as a person is the
fact that you know you didn'tpanic.
You just went with the flow.
You looked at all the otherresources, you had the consult.
So we know you didn't panic,you just went with the flow.
You looked at all the resources.
You had the consult, so we giveyou some sort of information as
(16:17):
to, uh, what to do as a backup,as you say you do like a backup
plan as well.
That's the military side of you, I'm sure.
Um, so it's quite an experience.
So you, you find your way intoscotland and all the way up into
Inverness.
So tell me about Inverness.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
We stayed in Inverness.
Okay, we stayed at Glencairn.
It's a property that's on theother side of the river, from
the train station, up the streetfrom the I think it's the
Inverness Cathedral.
It's in a quiet neighborhood.
It's a few minutes from theguest house down where we were
meeting our tour.
(16:54):
The next day, and we met thetour, we did a tour around Loch
Ness.
We flew to Fort Castle, a boatride on the loch.
It was kind of a tour, but itwasn't a tour.
It was more like, oh, just giveme a ride up the loch.
But that was great.
The weather was a littlechillier and a little wetter
than what we thought, but we gotto see some amazing things.
(17:16):
Um, we got to see a waterfallthat you had to hike into and
hike out back.
Um, I have a picture of thesign.
I can't remember the name of it.
But then, like I said, we wewent to york court castle.
We met Stephen the Nessiehunter.
He's got a little place righton the beach, so we bought a
(17:37):
souvenir from him and then wewent to the Nessie Museum, or
whatever they call it.
We had lunch there at arestaurant right next to it and
then toured that and then gotback on the bus.
And the Rebby's tour was neatbecause there was only 16 people
on the bus and it was basicallyan all-day excursion.
You got back about five o'clockand you went to Joe Fox's and
(17:59):
then the next day was a travelday.
We traveled down to Glasgow andspent the night and then the
next day we caught the HenryKirk from Belfast.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
And finally, your journey ended in Northern
Ireland.
So how did you find travelingto Belfast and then tell me
about you know what you got upto there?
Considering all of yourplanning, it must have been
quite a moment to arrive.
Speaker 4 (18:20):
Well, we left Glasgow on the Hannon coach.
I wanted to get to Morning Runbut I couldn't, so we left at
noon, which put us a little lategetting to Belfast.
But plenty of time, because Ijust let the hotel know ahead of
time that I need to change mydinner reservation.
Um, so we got on the hand coachand took us on the ferry and,
as we're crossing the irish sea,getting ready to go into
(18:43):
belfast low, I got a picture ofa whale from the ferry.
So that that was awesome.
Uh, just one single whale justhappened to come up fairly close
to the ferry and I justhappened to be out there with my
camera and I was like, oh,maybe I can get it.
And sure enough, I did get it.
Then we landed port in Belfastand, emotionally, I knew that
(19:06):
those were the waters that theTitanic had had, or she trailed
on, and that she had gone in andout of Belfast Low before
arriving in Southampton.
So I was excited and it wasvery emotional because you had
been there and you had sharedsome things that was on my, that
(19:27):
were on my itineraries.
That is, the Belfast MemorialGardens at City Hall.
But the short version is westayed at the Titanic Hotel in
Belfast, which was our mostheadquarters and that is where
Titanic was designed.
Unfortunately they put us inone of the new rooms so we
didn't get to stay in theoriginal building itself, but
(19:51):
where we stayed overlooks whereTitanic was built.
The slipways are there, butthey're outlined in light so
they light up at night.
And then right there as well isthe Titanic attraction.
People tend to call it a museum, but it's really just an
attraction to tell you a littlebit about the history of Belfast
as far as the industries thatwere there and shipbuilding and
(20:16):
Titanic.
So it's not really solely basedon Titanic, but it is based on
Belfast as a whole, the peoplethat worked the shipyards, the
people that worked the textilemills, the whiskey making and so
forth.
So all that is included in thathistory.
It's like a small history ofBelfast, but I have a friend in
(20:36):
Belfast as well and she set upan itinerary the next day that
she kept secret from me, and itturns out that he took us to the
city hall and we toured thememorial gardens outside there.
We found my great grandfather'sname on the memorial, as you
did, and then the surprise washe was the High Sheriff of
Belfast and a personal tour ofthe of the council chambers
(21:01):
upstairs that the tourists don'tget to see on their tours.
So we got to see the HighSheriff's private little
bathroom, sort of toilet and itis set up the way a first-class
room would have been on theTitanic Same woodwork everything
same pattern and carpet, verybeautiful.
We got some photos in there andthen the high sheriff was
(21:24):
telling us the history and alittle bit of this and that,
just to tell them along the wayhow they would share my family's
story and my family'sconnection to Titanic with her.
Her name is Fiona.
She's very, very nice.
And then following that, therewas a tour guide that was
dedicated to my wife and I andmy friend who was there with us,
and then later that day we hada personal tour of the Titanic
(21:47):
attraction.
It was already set up for meand we were able to go down into
the dry dock and stand thereand say, wow, you could tell how
long Titanic was once you werein there, and I have pictures
from that too.
Our last night in Belfast westayed in Travelodge and the
next day was another travel day,and that's where the second
hump happened On my phone.
(22:09):
We had tickets for a busservice from Belfast to Dublin
to catch our flight, but it kepttaking me to the new bus
station.
So I ended up scratching offthat and buying a ticket for a
TransLink bus and we made it toDublin and flew home no problem.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
So, overall, looking at the trip now, sort of tips
and reflections sort of section,if you like.
What was it like travelingacross the UK?
Any surprises other than thefact that you've mentioned
anything good or bad?
Speaker 4 (22:38):
It was very, very easy and I think that's purely
through research and my ownexperiences in the past.
I lived in Washington DC forfour and a half years.
I lived in Berlin for threeyears.
It felt like home really morethan you would think Because
neither my wife nor I had beenthere.
But we both felt like homereally more than you would think
Because neither my wife nor Ihad been there, but we both felt
(22:59):
like home and I really don'tthink I had a bad experience.
I mean, everything was even theCaledonian Sleeper.
They refunded our entire farealmost right away 45 minutes at
the most and they made sure wewere good to go all the way
where we were going.
(23:20):
So that's all good.
As far as the experience, Idon't think there was anything
bad about it.
I really don't.
We got to see a lot.
We didn't get to see everythingwe wanted.
She wanted to see the Kelpiesand, like you mentioned, I
wanted to see the wood fromiesand, like you mentioned, I
wanted to see the wood from theIronman's Olympia.
We were generally surprised byour time with Mark in London,
(23:42):
the four hours that we were ableto spend with Mark.
We got to see Lord Nelson'sstatuary at Trafalgar Square.
We got to see what used to bethe White Star offices at
oceanic house.
I don't think we had a badexperience.
I really don't.
Anyone we encountered were morethan happy to help us if we
(24:03):
need help that.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
That's really cool to hear.
I know you and I were incontact quite often,
particularly around the thecaledonian sleeper experience
there, and I was honestly Ithink I said this to you more
than once I felt.
I felt at times I was therewith you.
I know you kept your ownrecords as well as like a diary
as you're going through.
But, looking back on your trip,is there any one specific sort
(24:29):
of meaningful or memorablemoment on your journey?
Well, there, were.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
There were several.
The most memorable, I guess,would be meeting distant
relatives I didn't know I had inthe camp.
One of the first memorablemoments was when we left New
York by ship.
We met a lovely couple namedAmy and Jeff on the ship and we
ended up spending a lot of timewith them at different points
(24:54):
during our seven days at sea.
I was able to let them know hey, when we leave New York we go
right underneath the BarrazanoBridge and there's very little
clearance, so we got to sharethat with them.
But I knew that throughresearch.
So the next memorable thingwould be me friends in
Southampton and being shownaround very personal Meeting my
(25:18):
family in Rochester.
That held a deep meaning.
That is different than, say,meeting friends and then, as you
noted, being honored at a VIPin Belfast.
Those are the most specialmemories that anyone could ever
ask for oh, that's brilliant.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
thank you, michael.
So is there anything you'd dodifferently if you're planning a
similar trip or your next trip?
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Hopefully have more time for the different places.
That would be very different.
Like we're planning on goingback in a couple years but we're
going to be more selective.
Like we want to spend more timein Rochester, where we met my
family.
My wife loves that town.
Rochester is also where CharlesDickens wrote A Christmas Carol
(26:06):
and he has a Swiss chalet therethat I hope to see refurbished.
So my wife Rochester Belfast aswell as well oh, that's
brilliant.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Thank you so much.
So that sort of wraps up allthe questions, and thank you so
much for sharing all yourpersonal experiences there.
One final question what is yourone tip for someone visiting
the uk for the first time?
Speaker 4 (26:32):
research, top of the line research.
The second along with that Iwould say get a consult with you
and Tracy, because then youhave personal experience to say
maybe you should do it this wayinstead doing it that way.
It'll be easier on.
That's top two tips.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
I could ever do.
Well, that's wonderful.
Thank you so much, michael, forbeing on this episode of our
podcast.
It's been an absolute pleasureto meet you.
It's been a pleasure to be intouch with you throughout your
trip and it's been a pleasure todo a podcast with you.
So thank you very much I mean, Ireally enjoyed it thanks so
much to michael for joining meand sharing his incredible
(27:08):
journey, from honoring histitanic family legacy to
navigating the uk withconfidence and even helping
fellow travellers along the way.
It's been a real pleasure tohear how meaningful this trip
was.
If you'd like to plan your ownUK adventure, like Michael,
don't forget to check the shownotes at uktravelplanningcom.
Slash episode 164 for links toour UK train travel ebook and
(27:32):
details about our itineraryconsultations.
Thanks for listening and for meand tracy happy uk travel
planning.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the
uk travel planning podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanningcom.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
We love to hear from you andyou never know.
You may receive a shout out ina future episode.
But, as always, that justleaves me to say until next week
(28:05):
.
Happy UK travel planning.
In this special episode, doug chats with Michael
Goldsmith from Ohio, who sharesthe emotional journey behind
his UK trip, inspired by a deepfamily connection to the Titanic
.
From crossing the Atlantic onthe Queen Mary II to
reconnecting with long-lostrelatives and navigating the UK
by rail, michael's story isfilled with meaning, history and
thoughtful planning.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
Your host is the founder of theUK Travel Planning website,
Tracey Collins.
In this podcast, Tracey sharesdestination guides, travel tips
and itinerary ideas, as well asinterviews with a variety of
guests who share their knowledgeand experience of UK travel to
help you plan your perfect UKvacation.
To help you plan your perfectUK vacation, Join us as we
(00:44):
explore the UK from cosmopolitancities to quaint villages, from
historic castles to beautifulislands and from the picturesque
countryside to seaside towns.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Hi and welcome to this week's episode of the UK
Travel Planet Podcast.
Today I'm handing over thereins to Doug, who's chatting
with Michael Goldsmith from Ohio.
But first a quick thank you toone of our podcast supporters,
tina Liu Lang, for her ongoingsupport of the show.
Thank you so much, tina.
If you'd like to support thepodcast and help us keep it
(01:23):
running each week, you can do sofrom as little as three US
dollars a month.
Just check in with the link inthe show notes and we truly
appreciate you and you could geta shout out in a forthcoming
episode.
Now anyway, hello, doug, you'rehere for this episode.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Hi everyone, Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So now, michael recently returned from an
unforgettable trip to the UK,and it wasn't just any holiday.
This journey was inspired byhis powerful family connection
to the Titanic.
Was inspired by his powerfulfamily connection to the Titanic
, so he and his wife startedwith a transatlantic crossing on
the Queen Mary II and went onto explore places like
Southampton, rochester, london,inverness and Belfast.
So in this episode, you'll hearhow Michael used our e-book
(01:55):
podcast and a one-to-oneitinerary consultation with Doug
to help plan a meaningful andmemorable UK trip filled with
personal discoveries, surprisemoments and a few unexpected
challenges that he handled likea pro.
So let's get started Over toyou, doug.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Welcome, Michael.
Can you start by introducingyourself where you're from and a
bit about who you travelledwith?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Hi, I'm Michael.
I'm from Ohio in the USA and Itook my wife to the UK.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So your trip has such a meaningful story behind it.
Can you tell us a bit moreabout your family connection
with the famous Titanic and howthat influenced your travel
plans?
Speaker 4 (02:33):
And his family boarded Titanic at Southampton.
Originally they were from Kent,a little town called just
across Manchester, so we go totake and visit you and Titanic
to their order and so trip onand we landed at Southampton and
we went from there.
Wow, that's certainly a longtime in making what made 2025
(02:56):
the right time to go well, lastyear I found out that the Queen
Mary 2 is the only ocean minorthat is still making the
crossing across the Atlantic and, researching that, I found out
she is 20 years into her servicelife.
My wife and I are in our late50s and we're healthy enough to
do a lot of walking, so I justthought the time is now, if
(03:20):
we're going to go by ship, andso I booked passage.
As you know, um in the processof paying that off is when I
discovered your podcast and setup the consult with you and
tracy and did all the researchas far as where we wanted to go,
how we were going to get there,and, again, utilizing your
(03:42):
ebook for rail travel, I plan todiscover and utilize all the
different forms oftransportation Ship, rail coach
service called the hand coach,and then, of course, flying home
.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
So literally, I suppose you could say, using
English expression, all yourducks were in a row for 2025.
Everything just sort of cametogether.
You saw this, you saw, saw thatyou had this plan, you did that
.
And it just literally cametogether in, you know, and just
seemed right for 2025 to be thetime to go.
And I'm glad you mentioned thatabout your health as well,
because that's an importantfactor, because these types of
(04:16):
trips can be pretty tiring andpretty draining, can't they?
Speaker 4 (04:19):
yes, they can.
We were lucky.
We didn't over plan anything.
We planned travel time, whichcame in handy, and I'll tell you
about that later, but weplanned days of travel, we
played relax time, we did do twotours that we planned.
My friend in belfast had plansof her own and I'll tell you
(04:39):
about that as well that's reallygood.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
So, yeah, you mentioned the itinerary console,
which we both thoroughlyenjoyed as well, because you and
I hit it off first time we met,didn't we really?
And we were in contact quiteoften as well, which, again, I
will mention that later as well.
But what were you hoping toactually achieve from the
console, and did you achievethat?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
number one.
I wanted to advice on railtravel because I know you.
You worked with rail servicefor many years, so gaining
insight on a one-on-one basiswas a need that I can't get from
an e-book or from just doingresearch, because questions
might come up, such as the needof travel, how to plan in case
(05:20):
something goes wrong, which didhappen.
Something goes wrong, which didhappen.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I pretty much had our itinerary kind of set, but I
didn't have the expertise toovercome any obstacles so it's
just a question of tweaking whatyou had in place and really
it's a good advert for needingthe personal touch.
So with electronic devices andelectronic information and I'm
going down the AI route hereYou're proving the point that
the personal touch is stillneeded and there's still a place
(05:50):
for it out there.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Yeah, exactly, I'm a firm believer in personal touch,
as you've seen since ourconsole, keeping not only that
personal touch going but lettingyou know how it was going as we
went through our trip, so thatyou could see the results of
your efforts not only in theebook but consultation and your
podcast.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
oh, thank you for that.
What were the key things youfound most confusing or
challenging when it came to ukrail travel before the consult?
Speaker 4 (06:20):
if you can just remember exactly the details on
that, because it's a while agosince we actually did the
consult- well, for for me, beingthat I had spent time in berlin
for three years, the railtravel came kind of easy.
I didn't know which route totake that would be best to suit
my need, and that's where theconsult came in handy, because
you gave me three differentchoices a backup plan I'm a firm
(06:44):
believer in having a backupplan and you helped with that as
well.
You mentioned getting atwo-together rail card, and for
us we weren't constantly on themove but we had planned travel
dates, and with the two-togetherrail card it allowed us to get
a lower fee and it gave us timeto where we weren't rushing in
the morning, to go catch a trainbefore rush hour, and we didn't
(07:06):
really have fight crowds theone time we did have to use a
tube for one stop.
And even the console and yourrail guide helped with that,
because you told me what apps Ineed put on my phone and what to
expect really, and it just fellinto place.
You know, even when a bumphappened, it was like, okay, I
knew where to go.
And it turns out that, as we'llsee later, I actually helped
(07:29):
another american couple that'sgood to know.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
I mean that, that's life.
You learn something, then youpass that knowledge on.
So I'm all in favor of that one.
So on to the next question.
Let's talk about yourdestinations, your roots now.
So you arrived by sea aboardthe queen mary too.
What was that experience like?
Speaker 4 (07:45):
well, uh, given my family history with
transatlantic travel, it wasvery, very, very emotional for
me, and as well my wife too,when we first saw the ship and
we boarded in in brooklyn it was.
It was just indescribable, thefeeling that we're going through
.
I actually took pictures of myfamily that were on Titanic and
(08:07):
I had them set up on my desk inmy room.
I don't know if I showed youthat picture or not.
If I didn't, I would send it toyou.
So it was like they weretraveling with me.
And the funny part is I think Islept through when we were near
the Titanic site.
We passed about 102 miles northof the office pole but I never
saw it come up on the screen.
(08:27):
I guess I was sleeping duringthat time period, but
emotionally it was like thecircle had been completed.
And then we arrived inSouthampton and we went to
Stonehenge, salisbury, passedthrough London to go to
Rochester and then back toLondon, to Inverness and Belfast
, before flying home from Dublin.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
That's really good.
So you say Southampton,stonehenge, salisbury, just a
quick overview of theexperiences of those places.
Did you enjoy it?
I mean, southampton wasobviously a starter, but you've
got a friend there as well,which makes it nice and
welcoming when you get off theboat as well.
So Stonehenge and Salisbury,just a quick overview of those.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Well, my friends picked us up at our hotel in
Southampton the first day.
They showed us aroundSouthampton all the Titanic
sites and the Mayflower site.
There's more of the Mayflowerin Southampton as well.
Then the next day we checkedout of our hotel and they took
us to Salisbury, to the NewForest.
My friend's husband was a taxidriver so he knows all the back
(09:27):
ways in and out of every how toget there.
So we had a durable drivethrough the new forest, saw, uh,
cottages with that, roads andso forth.
Uh, stonehenge was very busy butthe way we went, uh, we went
kind of the back roads so weencountered very little traffic
on our ways.
And it was very impressivebecause when you first get to
(09:49):
Stonehenge the main buildingthere and it's like a little
museum to tell you the history,the known history of the site,
and then you go through that andyou go outside to a mock of
what a village would look likeback then and if you want, you
can try and move the stone theway they think they moved the
stones back then.
Then you get on a bus thattakes you about a mile up the
(10:10):
hill to the Stonehead site asyou look out across the plains
around it.
You can see the burial moundsof the people that probably
built the site.
You just see small humps andthey're actually burial mounds.
And then from there we went toSalisbury Cathedral.
I wanted to see Magna Carta.
Now inside the cathedral you'vegot a reflective pool right as
(10:32):
you look at the altar, down themain part of the hallway, and so
I ducked down and I gotpictures of the blue glass blue
stained glass behind the altar,looking off that pool, that
little pool.
It looks like a table, but it'sactually a fountain.
That was very cool, very nice.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Well, thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
We'd spent two nights in Rochester and so I visited
Rochester Castle.
I have a postcard that mygrandfather gave me and I'll
send you a picture of it, so Igot updated photos.
The picture on the postcard wastaken about 1920 or so, and then
I have an updated photo of ourvisit, and I took some in the
evening when the sun was hittingit just right, and I went back
(11:12):
in the morning, and the morningone is a colored photo but it
looks black and white because ofthe shadow, the sun coming from
the opposite direction, andwhile we were there we met
cousins of mine from mygreat-grandfather's side of the
family.
It was supposed to be, but threegenerations showed up, so we
all had plants and then laterthat evening we went to see the
(11:35):
home where my grandfather lived,and I was able to see that
because there's a picture of myfamily that I thought was taken
out from the street view, but itwas actually taken in the back
garden and we discovered thatwhen we visited the street and
the house and I actually spoketo the neighbors who knew my
family's story because herdaughter had lived there and had
(11:56):
researched it I said, yeah, I'm, I'm the grandson, so that that
was very interesting.
We got pictures the street andthen we went and had another
pint with my cousins at aworking man's house and that was
a hospital where my grandfatherwas probably born at the time.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Wow, that's amazing.
Yeah, you made special memories, you know, meeting up with the
family down in Rochester.
You know that's just such apersonal story there and I thank
you for sharing.
It must have been great andreally emotional to meet all the
family with the connection toRochester as well.
I can only imagine how that was.
We left Rochester and went upto meet all the family with the
connection to Rochester as well.
I can only imagine how that was.
(12:35):
We left.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Rochester and went up to London and we took a
Discover Real London cab tour wehad Mark Ollie was great during
the process.
Mark was fantastic.
He showed us a lot of Titanicstuff.
We went into the Fitzroy Hoteland Fitzroy Dole did the
(12:56):
architecture of the hotel.
His designs were on Titanic andOlympic and their assistant
pretend there's a dragon in thathotel and his name is Lucky
George.
Unlucky George is still downwith Titanic.
That's why he's unlucky andLucky George is in the hotel.
So that was a surprise.
I didn't even know anythingabout that hotel.
But Fitzroy Dole is where theexpression all doled up comes
(13:20):
from, because he was very fancyin his design.
So next time you go to London,look up Fitzroy Hotel.
It's a very, very posh hotel,but we were allowed access to
certain areas.
He also showed us where theChurchill war rooms are.
He showed us where the courtsare.
He showed us a Roman wall, oneof the original portions of the
(13:43):
Roman wall that surroundedLondon when it was under Roman
control.
And then that night we hopped onthe Caledonian Sleeper.
We only made it to Birminghambecause there was a storm had
come through and lines were downand my wife woke me up and said
we're stopped and I'm like,okay, it's probably for a
freight train.
And I went back to sleep and Iwoke up and I looked at my phone
(14:05):
we're back in London.
And I was like what?
And something garbled came overthe loudspeaker.
So I went and found a crewmember and she said, yeah, we
had to come back to London, butwe have transportation for you
to go to Inverness on a trainover Kings Cross.
I think we're supposed to getgetting on a train, but we end
up on a Zumo train that wasleaving just as we got there.
(14:28):
The funny part is I mentioned anAmerican couple that I helped
there.
The funny part is I mentioned aan american couple that I
helped.
I had navigated not just mywife and I, but that american
couple that we met on the train.
We actually had drinks withthem the night before on on a
caledonian sleeper, but I gotall four of us to the train.
The wife from the couple thatwe met found found a train going
(14:52):
to Inverness, so we all hoppedon that.
It was a Lumo train, so we wereonly.
We missed maybe six hours oftime in Inverness, but we got
there in plenty of time becausethat was a travel day.
We did not plan anything thatday.
We had a tour planned for thenext day.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
So just backtrack a slight All those places you've
got to visit on your next, uh,your next excursion to the uk,
or newcastle and york and annickin london as well, um, discover
real london is really good, andanybody listening who wants
information on that, the detailsare on our website and there
will be in the show notes aswell.
So, yes, I know about the, thecaledonian sleep experience you
(15:32):
had because we were in contactduring that time.
The storm that came in um, yeah, it's bordeaux head, lying down
a tree fell onto the line, sothat took quite a while to get
it sorted as well.
So you found out how quickly itis to walk up the euston road
to king's cross, and the azumaservice is run by LNER, it's one
(15:54):
of their flagship services.
So, but proves your flexibilitythough, michael, you know you
went with it.
You had the, the apps that wesuggested and you knew exactly
how to modify your plans.
But you know I'm sure this isreflects you as a person is the
fact that you know you didn'tpanic.
You just went with the flow.
You looked at all the otherresources, you had the consult.
So we know you didn't panic,you just went with the flow.
You looked at all the resources.
You had the consult, so we giveyou some sort of information as
(16:17):
to, uh, what to do as a backup,as you say you do like a backup
plan as well.
That's the military side of you, I'm sure.
Um, so it's quite an experience.
So you, you find your way intoscotland and all the way up into
Inverness.
So tell me about Inverness.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
We stayed in Inverness.
Okay, we stayed at Glencairn.
It's a property that's on theother side of the river, from
the train station, up the streetfrom the I think it's the
Inverness Cathedral.
It's in a quiet neighborhood.
It's a few minutes from theguest house down where we were
meeting our tour.
(16:54):
The next day, and we met thetour, we did a tour around Loch
Ness.
We flew to Fort Castle, a boatride on the loch.
It was kind of a tour, but itwasn't a tour.
It was more like, oh, just giveme a ride up the loch.
But that was great.
The weather was a littlechillier and a little wetter
than what we thought, but we gotto see some amazing things.
(17:16):
Um, we got to see a waterfallthat you had to hike into and
hike out back.
Um, I have a picture of thesign.
I can't remember the name of it.
But then, like I said, we wewent to york court castle.
We met Stephen the Nessiehunter.
He's got a little place righton the beach, so we bought a
(17:37):
souvenir from him and then wewent to the Nessie Museum, or
whatever they call it.
We had lunch there at arestaurant right next to it and
then toured that and then gotback on the bus.
And the Rebby's tour was neatbecause there was only 16 people
on the bus and it was basicallyan all-day excursion.
You got back about five o'clockand you went to Joe Fox's and
(17:59):
then the next day was a travelday.
We traveled down to Glasgow andspent the night and then the
next day we caught the HenryKirk from Belfast.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
And finally, your journey ended in Northern
Ireland.
So how did you find travelingto Belfast and then tell me
about you know what you got upto there?
Considering all of yourplanning, it must have been
quite a moment to arrive.
Speaker 4 (18:20):
Well, we left Glasgow on the Hannon coach.
I wanted to get to Morning Runbut I couldn't, so we left at
noon, which put us a little lategetting to Belfast.
But plenty of time, because Ijust let the hotel know ahead of
time that I need to change mydinner reservation.
Um, so we got on the hand coachand took us on the ferry and,
as we're crossing the irish sea,getting ready to go into
(18:43):
belfast low, I got a picture ofa whale from the ferry.
So that that was awesome.
Uh, just one single whale justhappened to come up fairly close
to the ferry and I justhappened to be out there with my
camera and I was like, oh,maybe I can get it.
And sure enough, I did get it.
Then we landed port in Belfastand, emotionally, I knew that
(19:06):
those were the waters that theTitanic had had, or she trailed
on, and that she had gone in andout of Belfast Low before
arriving in Southampton.
So I was excited and it wasvery emotional because you had
been there and you had sharedsome things that was on my, that
(19:27):
were on my itineraries.
That is, the Belfast MemorialGardens at City Hall.
But the short version is westayed at the Titanic Hotel in
Belfast, which was our mostheadquarters and that is where
Titanic was designed.
Unfortunately they put us inone of the new rooms so we
didn't get to stay in theoriginal building itself, but
(19:51):
where we stayed overlooks whereTitanic was built.
The slipways are there, butthey're outlined in light so
they light up at night.
And then right there as well isthe Titanic attraction.
People tend to call it a museum, but it's really just an
attraction to tell you a littlebit about the history of Belfast
as far as the industries thatwere there and shipbuilding and
(20:16):
Titanic.
So it's not really solely basedon Titanic, but it is based on
Belfast as a whole, the peoplethat worked the shipyards, the
people that worked the textilemills, the whiskey making and so
forth.
So all that is included in thathistory.
It's like a small history ofBelfast, but I have a friend in
(20:36):
Belfast as well and she set upan itinerary the next day that
she kept secret from me, and itturns out that he took us to the
city hall and we toured thememorial gardens outside there.
We found my great grandfather'sname on the memorial, as you
did, and then the surprise washe was the High Sheriff of
Belfast and a personal tour ofthe of the council chambers
(21:01):
upstairs that the tourists don'tget to see on their tours.
So we got to see the HighSheriff's private little
bathroom, sort of toilet and itis set up the way a first-class
room would have been on theTitanic Same woodwork everything
same pattern and carpet, verybeautiful.
We got some photos in there andthen the high sheriff was
(21:24):
telling us the history and alittle bit of this and that,
just to tell them along the wayhow they would share my family's
story and my family'sconnection to Titanic with her.
Her name is Fiona.
She's very, very nice.
And then following that, therewas a tour guide that was
dedicated to my wife and I andmy friend who was there with us,
and then later that day we hada personal tour of the Titanic
(21:47):
attraction.
It was already set up for meand we were able to go down into
the dry dock and stand thereand say, wow, you could tell how
long Titanic was once you werein there, and I have pictures
from that too.
Our last night in Belfast westayed in Travelodge and the
next day was another travel day,and that's where the second
hump happened On my phone.
(22:09):
We had tickets for a busservice from Belfast to Dublin
to catch our flight, but it kepttaking me to the new bus
station.
So I ended up scratching offthat and buying a ticket for a
TransLink bus and we made it toDublin and flew home no problem.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
So, overall, looking at the trip now, sort of tips
and reflections sort of section,if you like.
What was it like travelingacross the UK?
Any surprises other than thefact that you've mentioned
anything good or bad?
Speaker 4 (22:38):
It was very, very easy and I think that's purely
through research and my ownexperiences in the past.
I lived in Washington DC forfour and a half years.
I lived in Berlin for threeyears.
It felt like home really morethan you would think Because
neither my wife nor I had beenthere.
But we both felt like homereally more than you would think
Because neither my wife nor Ihad been there, but we both felt
(22:59):
like home and I really don'tthink I had a bad experience.
I mean, everything was even theCaledonian Sleeper.
They refunded our entire farealmost right away 45 minutes at
the most and they made sure wewere good to go all the way
where we were going.
(23:20):
So that's all good.
As far as the experience, Idon't think there was anything
bad about it.
I really don't.
We got to see a lot.
We didn't get to see everythingwe wanted.
She wanted to see the Kelpiesand, like you mentioned, I
wanted to see the wood fromiesand, like you mentioned, I
wanted to see the wood from theIronman's Olympia.
We were generally surprised byour time with Mark in London,
(23:42):
the four hours that we were ableto spend with Mark.
We got to see Lord Nelson'sstatuary at Trafalgar Square.
We got to see what used to bethe White Star offices at
oceanic house.
I don't think we had a badexperience.
I really don't.
Anyone we encountered were morethan happy to help us if we
(24:03):
need help that.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
That's really cool to hear.
I know you and I were incontact quite often,
particularly around the thecaledonian sleeper experience
there, and I was honestly Ithink I said this to you more
than once I felt.
I felt at times I was therewith you.
I know you kept your ownrecords as well as like a diary
as you're going through.
But, looking back on your trip,is there any one specific sort
(24:29):
of meaningful or memorablemoment on your journey?
Well, there, were.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
There were several.
The most memorable, I guess,would be meeting distant
relatives I didn't know I had inthe camp.
One of the first memorablemoments was when we left New
York by ship.
We met a lovely couple namedAmy and Jeff on the ship and we
ended up spending a lot of timewith them at different points
(24:54):
during our seven days at sea.
I was able to let them know hey, when we leave New York we go
right underneath the BarrazanoBridge and there's very little
clearance, so we got to sharethat with them.
But I knew that throughresearch.
So the next memorable thingwould be me friends in
Southampton and being shownaround very personal Meeting my
(25:18):
family in Rochester.
That held a deep meaning.
That is different than, say,meeting friends and then, as you
noted, being honored at a VIPin Belfast.
Those are the most specialmemories that anyone could ever
ask for oh, that's brilliant.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
thank you, michael.
So is there anything you'd dodifferently if you're planning a
similar trip or your next trip?
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Hopefully have more time for the different places.
That would be very different.
Like we're planning on goingback in a couple years but we're
going to be more selective.
Like we want to spend more timein Rochester, where we met my
family.
My wife loves that town.
Rochester is also where CharlesDickens wrote A Christmas Carol
(26:06):
and he has a Swiss chalet therethat I hope to see refurbished.
So my wife Rochester Belfast aswell as well oh, that's
brilliant.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Thank you so much.
So that sort of wraps up allthe questions, and thank you so
much for sharing all yourpersonal experiences there.
One final question what is yourone tip for someone visiting
the uk for the first time?
Speaker 4 (26:32):
research, top of the line research.
The second along with that Iwould say get a consult with you
and Tracy, because then youhave personal experience to say
maybe you should do it this wayinstead doing it that way.
It'll be easier on.
That's top two tips.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
I could ever do.
Well, that's wonderful.
Thank you so much, michael, forbeing on this episode of our
podcast.
It's been an absolute pleasureto meet you.
It's been a pleasure to be intouch with you throughout your
trip and it's been a pleasure todo a podcast with you.
So thank you very much I mean, Ireally enjoyed it thanks so
much to michael for joining meand sharing his incredible
(27:08):
journey, from honoring histitanic family legacy to
navigating the uk withconfidence and even helping
fellow travellers along the way.
It's been a real pleasure tohear how meaningful this trip
was.
If you'd like to plan your ownUK adventure, like Michael,
don't forget to check the shownotes at uktravelplanningcom.
Slash episode 164 for links toour UK train travel ebook and
(27:32):
details about our itineraryconsultations.
Thanks for listening and for meand tracy happy uk travel
planning.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the
uk travel planning podcast.
As always, show notes can befound at uktravelplanningcom.
If you've enjoyed the show, whynot leave us feedback via text
or a review on your favouritepodcast app?
We love to hear from you andyou never know.
You may receive a shout out ina future episode.
But, as always, that justleaves me to say until next week
(28:05):
.
Happy UK travel planning.
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