Bradfo69
USA-UKLEM
O.k., I've given this a lot of consideration and figured it's time to throw it out there for discussion. I know for myself personally that, one of the things I find on my "bucket list" is to one day attend a UKLEM. For a number of reasons. For one, it's my ancestory since my grandfather was born and raised in London. I've been to England four times and absolutely love it. Always ready to go at a moments notice if the right opportunity comes along. For another, I quite frankly find a lot of our laser bretheren across the pond fascinating, hysterically funny at times, and often working on things and builds in completely different ways. I would LOVE to associate a face and voice to the words typed on a page. I love reading the UKLEM planning threads even though I'm not attending. Lasers in general seem to be much more widely accepted and regularly seen plus, in ways that are much less restrictive than in the US. I've spoken to some PL members and some of them also share the same desire of "one day" being able to go.
Well... "one day" will continue to loom further and further in the future with it never actually happening unless someone were to step up to the plate and make it happen. So, maybe insanely, here is what I am asking and proposing. Assuming they would be willing to welcome some of us, I am willing to commit to the legwork necessary to investigate and put together a travel "package". I can't imagine it would happen anytime before mid 2013 or maybe even 2014 but, hypothetically, if I began asking the questions, investigating accomodations, side tours, transportation, and sorting out the other myriad of logistics that will probably ultimately make my head explode, and... kept it to a reasonable price - say between $2000-$3000 for maybe a week of touring ending with a weekend LEM. Who honestly thinks perhaps they would be "in" for such an experience? I do have connections in the travel industry and, other resources to bounce ideas, traps and pifalls off of regarding putting something of this magnitude together. I also firmly believe I am organized enough to pull something like this off and once committed, won't "drop the ball." If some "standard" and science related side trips were arranged (say, behind the scenes at London Plantarium) would things like that also be of interest? Would flying from a central point together, say JFK be of interest? Just like a cruise or something of that nature... you get yourself to a particular spot and then we go from there.
Would love to get peoples thoughts, concerns, suggestions, ideas and input. (Or, feel free to say go f#@k yourself, we don't want you Americans here. LOL)
Maybe this should be put in The Lounge" thread where it's more visible. Spec, Permission to double post??
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Originally Posted by Bradfo69
Squat that bug, 
as I might just do it. I am also keen to meet the other Aussies.
. The sort of distances we're talking about in getting to Surfleet is absolutely nothing to our American friends, they'd travel that distance just to get a good breakfast 
