Traveling Abroad: Antidote to Isolationism

On the hill above Hebden Bridge is a community known as Heptonstall. The community’s population hovers around 1,400 people. We met one local on our walk through the area this week. Ian wore a black knitted cap, atop of which sat a Google camera linked to his Google eyewear. The camera wasn’t on when we met Ian just around the corner from St. Thomas à Becket church. Or rather church ruins. The west face of the church tower got blown over in a storm in 1847. Some repairs were made but the grand church fell into disrepair. The original church was built sometime around 1172-1260, when Becket was canonized. In its heyday the church could hold around 1000 folks or a little more. John Wesley preached at it several times, and called it the ugliest of churches. Guess he wasn’t paying attention to the scenery surrounding it. St. Becket was basically a megachurch for the High Middle Ages. Nowadays the church ruins are maintained because tourists flock to the area, and because the old church shares a courtyard full of graves with the new church, Parish of St Thomas the Apostle, another mega-church of sorts. What drew me up there wasn’t either megachurch, however. It was the grave of Sylvia Plath that I sought. She’s buried in one of the graves near the churches.

I’ve been to the graves of many a writer – Harper Lee, Edgar Allen Poe, Flannery O’Connor, Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, the Bronte sisters, C.S. Lewis, William Faulkner, etc. – to name a few. So when I learned I was coming to this area of England, I, of course, began re-reading Plath’s work and that of her philandering ex, Ted Hughes.

Tim and I made the trip to the Lake District and to Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters, in 2022 after I finished my studies at the University of the West of Scotland. So we were somewhat familiar with this Yorkshire region, albeit our pervious visits have been very brief, a day or two. This time we will be here for several weeks.

What started out as a house-swap evolved into a house-sitting opportunity here in Hebden Bridge. For the past year, I warned our family that if that Foching Donnie Trumpy got re-elected I was leaving the country. I had to for my own mental health, otherwise, I might end up like Plath.

My family knew that wasn’t hyperbole. I simply cannot spend the next four years of my life invested in dealing with a rapist as president. (If you voted for him, piss off. I want nothing to do with you.)

One night while researching places to escape to, I came across a website about homeswaps. I had never really considered a homeswap but then I thought, why not? I did some preliminary research and then signed up with a group called Homebase Holidays, a primarily Europe-centered group. Unlike me, Tim was ready to pack up, sell the house and move to Europe. I am a bit more cautious given we have seven grands.

Why not try this out? I suggested. We go live in someone else’s home while they come live in ours? I sent out a handful of inquires and after a few weeks was contacted by a family in Hebden Bridge. The original plan was that they would stay in our home in Oregon for a month and we’d stay in their’s. In the end, they decided to take advantage of a warmer climate situation but opened up their home anyway, allowing us to, in essence, housesit for them for the month they are away.

This arrangement has worked out beautifully for us and for them. They are well-versed in the program, having hosted numerous visitors over the years, and as newbies to this program, they’ve helped guide us through a lot of the concerns we’ve had. Their home is located 10 minutes from the train station which makes it easy for us to get around. Hebden Bridge is a tourist town not unlike the area we live in. Plus there are lots of hiking trails which we are taking full advantage of – nearly 20 miles in the past 24 hours.

I have friends who are selling their homes and moving to different countries simply because they cannot bear another reign by a rapist. We are not up yet for selling our home but we do plan to spend as much time as feasible out of the country during the shit-show happening now. If you are considering doing the same and wondering how you can afford to do it, I recommend that you check out some of these house-swap programs. And for £30 you can purchase a 2-fer train rail card with ScotRail which reduces train fares by a third when traveling together, which we always do. Train travel in the UK is so easy. It only takes a few tries to figure it out and you’ll be on your way. I am totally at ease with public transportation in the UK, whether by bus or train. And I’ve always found most Europeans are more than willing to help you if you are lost or have a question. I never hesitate to ask for help or advice or directions.

Travel abroad really is the best antidote to isolationism. My other recommends: Be flexible. Any travel will always come with hiccups. Have a cider or a glass of wine & relax. Bring your own seasonings. Try the tea. It really is good. Bread and cheese make a fine dinner whether in Spain or England. Be willing to learn, always. Have a good pair of walking shoes broken in already. Bring along your walking sticks. Be kind. Listen. Pay attention. Read up on the places you’ll be traveling to before you arrive. Be respectful of others and their way of life. Be curious.

I am grateful for programs like the one I stumbled across late one evening following the election in which 90 million eligible voters who didn’t vote ceded the presidency to a vile rapist and racist. Perhaps they don’t care.

I do. Which is why I am writing this from England and not my home in Oregon.

Karen Spears Zacharias

Author/Journalist/Educator. Gold Star Daughter.

1 Comment

Barbara Andersen

about 3 weeks ago

Karen, if I were only 10-15 years younger I would do the same thing. Blessings on your travels. I will live vicariously through you.

Reply

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