Get creative
Organize your art supplies and get painting! Pick a particular location you’ll visit on your trip and compare your artwork to photos of the location when you return. Consider painting Mt. Snowdon – the highest mountain in Wales. Snowdon is Old English for “snow hill” & provides a view of the British Isles from the summit on a clear day, standing at a breathtaking 3,560 feet.
Not a painter? Check out these virtual tours of famous Welsh museums and more.
Pick a film
Watch a movie that relates to your destination. Some ideas for Wales include:
- Submarine (2010)
- Set Fire to the Stars (2014)
- I’ll Be There (2003)
- Amelia (2009)
Study some history
Dive deep into the history of specific sites you’ll visit on tour. Study Snowdonia National Park, which touts Stone and Bronze Age burial chambers, Norman castles, Roman forts, and steam railways. Then, explore Wales’ involvement in the First World War, which saw the country enter hostilities with Germany. A total of 272,924 Welshmen served in the war, and the two most notable battles to include Welsh forces were those at Mametz Wood on the Somme and the Battle of Passchendaele.
Choose a book
Read and discuss a book that takes place in your destination or describes the local culture. Pick from titles like:
- Wild Abandon by Joe Dunthorne
- Resistance by Owen Shears
- The Matter of Wales by Jan Morris
- A History of Wales by John Davies
Fill up your plate
Arrange a potluck and encourage your friends to bring a traditional dish from your destination. Know a chef? Hold a cooking class with your travel group, or consider a group outing to a restaurant that offers your destination’s cuisine. Try Welsh rarebit or some traditional Welsh cakes, for starters.
Learn the language
Call up a friend and practice your language skills — despite the fact that Wales is a predominantly English-speaking country, a fair number of citizens still speak Welsh. It helps to make flashcards with common sayings to use on the phone or throughout your travels (think about ordering at restaurants, buying souvenirs, and chatting with locals).
Did you know?
The Welsh village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the second-longest place name in the world and the longest name in Europe! It’s meaning is “St. Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the red cave.” The village is more commonly referred to as Llanfair PG or Llanfairpwll.