– … Washington?
– Washington!
Once Fredrik and I had been elected as Heads of the Travel Committee for this board year, our choice of destination was the first thing to discuss. Actually, it wasn’t really much of a discussion. I would like to think that we have some kind of telepathic connection, although I know it’s not that complicated. It was quite obvious that we had both given this some thought already.
However annoying it might be that our newsfeeds are constantly filled with updates on Trump’s verbal outbursts, or Hillary’s suspected health issues, we couldn’t deny that the US presidential election is one of the most exciting (and terrifying) political happenings of 2016. Once we had spoken to a few old members of the association about the last time UPF went to D.C. (for the Obama-Romney election in 2012), we were convinced that this is an opportunity we had to take.
Our main concern regarding this trip has probably been the budget. We are all students; counting every krona of CSN and finishing each month with nothing but pasta pesto for days. Washington D.C. is the city of diplomats and doesn’t really advertise its selection of inexpensive youth hostels. An open mind (and a budget travel guide) will be our best friend on this trip! Jokes aside, D.C. is actually perfect for walking and biking, and has a spectacular culture scene where most events and exhibitions are for free. So I’m sure we’ll manage just fine, and if not, who ever complained at too much pasta pesto?
(Picture from the last time UPF visited Washington D.C. during the election in 2012)
But what is a travel committee without its members? So far, our greatest task this semester has been to spread the word about the trip and look for motivated UPF members who would like to join us. By meeting and greeting new and old members at Hälsningsgillet, UPF lectures and ‘Get Active’, we have had the chance to meet most of the applicants in person.
However, selecting a travel committee is not a very enjoyable assignment if all of the applicants are as driven and grammatically correct as ours. We were quite overwhelmed by the incredible response and enthusiasm regarding this trip, and it has made our job so much harder. Even so, the travel committee has been selected at last, and now we have some intense weeks of planning ahead of us.
With the opinions and aspirations of 15 committee members, I can only imagine it will be a tight schedule during our time in D.C. Six days in the US capital is really not that much considering everything we would like to achieve and experience. But with a great group of people and the famous UPF emergency-candy bag (low blood sugar can be lethal for any travel group), I’m sure this trip will be nothing short of spectacular!
This post was written by Caroline Asker, Head of Travel. If you want to know more about the travel committee, click here.