I lost my father a year ago this month to an unexpected sudden heart attack in his sleep. He passed quickly and without pain and I am thankful for that.

My father was the one who put the travel bug in me. My mother I thank for many things but my father was the one that was always travelling or wanting to travel and explore somewhere new.

FT is a great resource and with all the tips learned here I can only pass on one important piece of advice�seize the day. Travel when you can and while you can. Although this is a very private situation, I wanted to share the story and hope that it inspires others to stop procrastinating and get out and explore.

So, this random selection of pictures and ramblings is not meant to be the usual trip report we read, rather a way to hopefully encourage even one person to get out and do that trip they have always wanted to do, or visit that place they have always dreamed of. It is never too late.

To the trip itself:

This was the first trip I can remember approaching with very mixed feelings. I love to travel and fly, however, I would be going back home to spread my fathers ashes according to his last wishes. Snow was already on the ground last year when he passed and many family members couldn't make it out on short notice to his funeral so we had agreed to a date in Sept. when everyone could get together and we could say our final farewell.

Now, this wouldn't be FT if I simply said that we took the cheapest and most convenient flight back home�so, of course, my wife and I didn't do that. In the end (a very long story) my wife ended up taking an ex EU trip from BRU to YVR and I was doing an ex EU from AMS. We saved over � 3k by doing this and I am thankful for the information I have gleaned from FT for this reason amongst others.

We both flew Club World and this trip would net my wife Bronze status as well as a tidy sum of Avios.

I won't bore you with details of the flights or food, suffice it to say they were good, we managed upper deck seats, row 62 both ways. I had booked the Sheraton at BRU for my wife so she wouldn't need to take a taxi and have some relative comfort for her short overnight stay.

I had always wanted to try the Yotel concept and this trip seemed an ideal opportunity. I'd do it again, not as my first choice but especially for a short stop over of less than 8 hours it is ideal. Here are some pics of the 8 m^2 room:


Yotel AMS bed by BA_pics, on Flickr


Yotel Bathroom area by BA_pics, on Flickr


Yotel wardrobe comms wall by BA_pics, on Flickr

I did find it funny that I ended up entering and leaving the Netherlands 3 times during that 6 hours due to the position of the hotel in the airport so now have 6 stamps in my passport to show for my efforts.

So, having left LHR the night before, we were back where we started 12 hours later enjoying breakfast in the Flounge.

As mentioned the flight over to YVR was great and we had an excellent crew. The trip back was good but nothing special.

Of course, even though we were going home to scatter my dad's ashes, that didn't stop us from trying something new afterwards�.

My wife has always wanted to try a week or two camping in a motorhome�

My mother (completely by chance) happened to win a week's rental of a large motorhome earlier in the year and we decided to give it a go after the more somber part of the trip was completed. It was great as it also allowed us to spend time together away from distractions and just reflect.

I appreciate that a week of camping is not everyone's cup of tea, however, I love it and have done quite a bit of proper camping in my youth. This was a completely different spin on things though as the motorhome was a whopping 28 feet long and 8 feet wide. No roughing it in this beast...

Some pictures of the RV at a lovely camp ground on the west coast of Vancouver Island (Crystal cove in Tofino to be exact):


28 foot long RV by BA_pics, on Flickr


RV ground services for water and electrics by BA_pics, on Flickr


RV shower by BA_pics, on Flickr

The 'throne' room:


RV bathroom by BA_pics, on Flickr

Cooking facilities:


RV 3 burner hob and microwave by BA_pics, on Flickr

Fridge and Freezer:


RV fridge and freezer by BA_pics, on Flickr

Main seating areas:


RV main seating area by BA_pics, on Flickr

The bedroom:


RV First class suite by BA_pics, on Flickr

The pilots seat:


RV cockpit by BA_pics, on Flickr

It was a great experience and I'm glad we did it, however, even with me trying to watch fuel consumption, I only managed a paltry 10 miles to the gallon (UK Gallon) �so not something to go across the country with to be sure! Crystal cove is fantastic and they also have cabins so I would rent one of those next time personally. The place gets very busy in Summer though so Spring or Autumn are the best times to visit if you don't like a crowd. They provide free coffee in the mornings, free wifi around the campsite and the showers and washrooms were cleaner than anything else I can remember seeing for a public camping convenience. Highly recommended.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful west coast of Canada:

An 800 year old Cedar tree in Tofino:


800 year old Cedar tree in Tofino by BA_pics, on Flickr


Tofino pier by BA_pics, on Flickr

That boat reminds of the beachcombers and relic�http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beachcombers


lovely scene at Tofino by BA_pics, on Flickr


great for pensive thinking by BA_pics, on Flickr

Obligatory Totem pole:


Totem pole by BA_pics, on Flickr

Nothing like an open campfire and very fitting for this trip.


we are all carbon really campfire by BA_pics, on Flickr

Finally, I miss my father terribly, however, I take some solace in knowing he is now at peace back as part of the land on a point on one of the many small islands off Vancouver.

And to keep this BA related (besides the fact that we flew BA)�arriving back at LHR, this was the view I had from 62K�.


from one upper deck to another XLEA at T5C by BA_pics, on Flickr

I hope this motivates some to get out and explore the world we live in and experience new wonders before it is too late.

Thanks for sharing. ^

Lovely report and words BotB.

The Yotel looks great. I was booked in there for my ex-AMS to SFO last month but they moved me to the Citizen M because there was something wrong with the roof. It looks ideal for a night stop though.

Nice pics and I'm loving the RV!

BotB, thank you for sharing your feelings with us. This is a great TR and its message is both poignant and strong.

Don't wait unduly; don't assume better will come at some future time. Carpe diem. Exactly right. ^