Hit the road!!

[Eamonn]

Right now with all the talk about the rising cost of air travel; maybe this is not the time for this.

But..

Back in 2001 I kinda, sorta was thinking about attending the World Jamboree in the UK.

While I don't consider myself rich, I am fairly comfortable.

I could if I had wanted to have paid for OJ and myself to attend the event.

However much as I would liked to have gone, I just was unable to see myself spending the amount of money that was needed.

I have at times managed to get a cheap flight and visited England for a long weekend.

I have taken my entire family to England for two weeks, stayed at BP House for a week, rented a car and toured around for less than the cost of the Jamboree.

I don't know if it's just me being cheap? But spending ten thousand dollars to send OJ and little old me seemed like a lot.

Talking with some leaders from the UK, it seems that international Scouting is fast becoming a big part of the program that is offered to older youth in the UK.

Back when I was a Leader in the UK we did leave England a fair amount to camp in other European countries.

It now seems that service projects in and around Africa are the "Big Thing".

Right now I'm thinking that I'm not going to attend the 2010 National Jamboree. In part because I have subscribed to a Jamboree Yahoo Group and the more I have read posted there, the more it has turned me off.

I really haven't given much thought to Sweden in 2011.

I do like Sweden, I was there in 1975 just before the Nordjamb Jamboree (I was an Assistant Scout Leader for one of the London Troops and we had home hospitality in Sweden). Much as I have talked about going back for a visit, I just never seemed to get around to it.

Hopefully by 2011 OJ will be paying his own way to do what ever it is he wants to do!!

I'm blessed in that I get way more vacation time than I can ever use. So if I do decide to go I think I'd make my own way and spend some time just touring around and not get involved with the BSA travel arrangements.

International events do a lot to help Scouts aware that Scouting is an international youth organization and meeting and mixing with youth from other countries is a great experience for all the youth involved.

I just wish that hitting the road wasn't so darn expensive.

Eamonn.

[scottteng]

Face it Eamonn the credit card generation would call you and I cheap. The other way to look at it though is that we are practicing the virtue of being thrifty. That gives us a nice scout law basis for our cheapness. As with anything one has to evaluate the pro's and con's is the particular experience worth the extra expense or should one take the longer stay more personalized trip you describe in your post. When I get scouts including my own son that call me cheap I just reply yup and proud of it I am Thrifty.

[scoutldr]

The WSJ and NJ are just like any other event. The price of admission has to cover not only your expenses, but your share of the "overhead". Someone has to pay for the VIP tents, the free trinkets handed out to visiting dignitaries, the video productions, the expenses of the guest speakers and entertainment, the portapotties, ad infinitum. At $5000 a pop, I won't be going, although I, too am "comfortable" (the Democrats call us "rich"). I am trying to prepare for retirement, pay down my mortgages, pay off my cars, and buy gas and groceries. When I add it all up, the WSJ doesn't make the list, as I'm sure it won't for most of us. I won't be going on a cruise or to the Olympics, either. This year will be a "staycation" in the scoutldr household. (Not even going to summer camp, although not because of money).