What does it mean to bring only £10 traveling to Grantham?
Sometimes, you are broke. For college students, that is most of the time. You decided to spend a little bit of this on a shirt off H&M, a little bit of that on morning coffees at Starbucks, not to mention a ridiculous number of concerts, car parking tickets, dorm damage fees, and so. Luckily, one of the objectives of the Luther College’s “Exploring Culture and History of Britain” course is to train yourself to become a cost-conscious traveler, to take into account the fact that money plays an important part of your journey and spending it wisely will make your journey more, well, possible. Bearing that idea in mind, I decided that this is an opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone — to bring less money than I think I need.
And so, what does it mean to bring only £10 traveling to Grantham, England for a day?
It means more appreciation of the town’s architectural beauty. As my mind was not torn between which restaurants to eat or which events to go to, I started to realize how much I’ve missed out on the English architecture.
One of the best things that Grantham has to offer is its ancient charm of a midland English town. Looking from far off, the town is small and homogeneous, with three-fourths of its area dressed in vermillion bricks. At the centre of Grantham stands elegantly yet proudly one of the most important Parish churches of England — St. Wulfram — which presents itself with the remarkable early-English designs of the semi-pointed arches, the Biblical glass windows and the 285-feet spire — highest on a parish church in the UK. Walking along the streets in Grantham, I caught myself admiring statues of Frederick Tollemache and Sir Isaac Newton with beautifully and meticulously carved details of their posture and expressions. All of these contribute to what I would describe as a peaceful, olden Grantham.
It means being more resourceful when learning about the town’s values. Budget traveling enables me to read and understand more what makes a town what it is through brochures, newspapers, museums and such. I got to read more about Woolsthorpe Manor House where Isaac Newton was born, which has now become a Nation Trust’s property. It was exciting to know that much effort has been made to preserve the house and the apple trees where Newton discovered gravity. I got to go to Grantham Museum (free entry) to learn that Edith Smith — the first female officer in the United Kingdom in 1914 with full power of arrest — was born here, in this very town. I got to learn about Margaret Thatcher — Britain’s first female prime minister — and the chronology of her life, from a girl who once had a dream about “living in a nice house, a house with more things than we had…” (Margaret Thatcher) to the woman who served the longest as a British prime minister in the 20th century. Budget traveling may prevent a number of things, but it definitely does not prevent the knowledge and willingness to learn.
It means more interactions with the locals. Going on a budget trip, I motivated myself to interact with people in Grantham in hopes of gaining more knowledge about the town. It turned out to be quite enjoyable. People here were friendly and passionate when it comes to directions, even if they were busy. I let myself get lost for quite a bit, and was trying to find my way to the market square (where there is a farmer’s market every other Saturday). I went into Costa (a coffee chain in UK) asking for the directions, and not only did the waiter gave me the detailed descriptions, he also got out and walked with me for a while, in addition to giving hints about the stores I will be passing by. Or when I asked a passer-by for directions to St. Wulfram, she happily invited me to walk with her there as she was about to join the beer festival that was inside (beer festival in a church, that’s the first time!)
Additionally, as I treated myself to a £5.5 “Roquefort mozzarella mussels” lunch (a name fancier than its price) in the farmers’ market, I got to meet the French people who were serving in the stall and got to practice my long-forgotten French. Now, it could have been that I was lucky to meet all these great people the day I traveled to Grantham, but I would take it as Grantham wanting to present me one of its finest characteristics, not the fact that I didn’t have the money and technology to insulate me.
I went back home with £3.5 left (£1 contributed to the museum), feeling happy and satisfied, and if it were not for the Storm Callum that blew my favorite bookmark away, it would have been one of the best days in my traveling life.
