Five weeks ago I wrote a post about the fact that my holiday to England was only eight weeks away and I was yet to book anything other than my airfares and the tickets to Theakston Crime Writing Festival – which provided the impetus for me to travel.

Almost every weekend since I’ve commented on my need to organise myself – maps and TripAdvisor tabs open on my laptop. Two weeks ago a friend even held an intervention of sorts – well, Facetimed me to give me suggestions and (ahem) encourage me to book. Something. Anything. Supposedly my accommodation in York which is where I’m heading after the writing festival.

Last weekend I AGAIN sat at my computer, with my holiday a mere four weeks away and still no accommodation booked. However… I finally bit the proverbial bullet and wantonly booked all of it. Yes, all of it.

I was conscious my anxiety (procrastination) was a combination of factors but is certainly a reminder that I’m a freakin’ middle aged woman. You see, I was prevaricating as I was trying to work out whether to stay in hotels or apartments. In reality I have no desire to stay in an apartment or house and self-cater. I do that every day of my life. I’ll be eating out and being financially frivolous. Nope. The issue for me is access to a washing machine. I mean, there’s no way I can travel in England for almost three weeks without doing laundry and I do not want to have to find a laundromat and sit for hours to do my washing. And though I’ve had to wash underwear in bathroom sinks before… it’s not fun.

So, my plan was to stagger my stays between hotel rooms and places with washing machines. So, my accommodation searches are being refined by ‘bathtubs’ and ‘washing machines’ along with normal stuff like ‘access to public transport’. And I’ve finally done it… though sadly only staying in one place with a washing machine. #oops

Rather than moving every couple of days, I’ve decided to stay in fewer locations for longer periods and explore areas from a base. So, after the writing festival I’m staying in York and then Moreton in Marsh in the Cotswolds and finally London (near Victoria Station).

My Cotswolds stay is the longest at 5 nights. I’m kicking it off with a day-long tour that I don’t need to plan, and following that I’ll catch buses or trains to Bath, Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon or return to places I’ve liked. *counts days on fingers and runs out of time*

I’m not usually a fan of ‘tours’ or sightseeing but doing a couple so I’m forced to see things I ‘should’ see (over the 18 days) and spend the rest of my time just soaking up a place-that’s-different.

Any other pointers? (Or others who hate touristing?)

Image: A vista I’m hoping to see on a day tour from York – by Michael Cummins on Unsplash