Travel prep.

For me personally, the first step in preparing for my trip was convincing my husband to come with me. Although this trip was worth going three months bereft of him I was glad he agreed to come along. After that my focus shifted to reading Jack Hutchinson’s report and itinerary for inspiration and a better idea of whats to come. I wanted to book my flights asap to get the best deal but before I could I had to arrange all my placements to get an arrival and departure date.

Graham Ross (radio broadcaster, television gardening presenter and The Garden Clinic founder – as if you guys didn’t already know) and Andrew Fisher Tomlin (owner of London College of Garden Design and Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer) were pivotal to organising my placements. Graham got me in contact with Andrew who in turn introduced me to all of the people I would be working with. With each placement I finalised I would jump onto AirBnb or Homestay and search for accommodation within proximity to where I was working, I also researched transportation and the general price of living so I had an organised weekly budget estimate.

Clothing wise, I was preparing for chilly weather. I know it was summer when I visited but the week before I left was stormy and cold and all I ever heard about London was how dreary the weather would be (something I was very much looking forward to). About two weeks in of sunny 30 degree weather I caved and brought a pair of shorts and a couple more t-shirts to survive. If the winner of 2018 is reading this, be prepared for unpredictable weather, it went from freezing cold to Australian summer without warning.

(picture of epic tree cave at Kew Gardens)