Gina, Jerry Lee, and Holly on Limbo Beach, Orkney
Gina, Jerry Lee, and Holly on Limbo Beach, Orkney
Gina Longo Britain Unleashed® Dog-friendly historical travel stories with a cheeky twist™
Gina Longo                                           Britain Unleashed®        Dog-friendly historical travel stories with a cheeky twist™

Dream Big.

Then Do.

 

When you decide to go after the life of your dreams no matter what, you'll be unstoppable.

 

But just dreaming about it won’t make it happen.

 

Just wishing for it won’t make it happen.

 

Only doing what it takes will make it happen.

Gina, Jerry Lee, and Holly with The Driftaway Dogs caravan Sometimes dreams come true in unexpected ways.

No regrets.

 

Have you ever heard stories about people who, near the end of their lives, were filled with regret about the things they hadn't done and the dreams they hadn't gone after?

 

And every one of them, there at the end, said, "I wish...."

 

I wish I'd travelled more.

I wish I'd started that business.

I wish I'd gone back to school.

I wish.

 

The easy way out is to do what everyone else expects you to do. As for me, I didn't expect it to be easyand it wasn'tbut I never wanted to have to say, "I wish."

St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge

Since the day I first stepped foot on English soil, I'd been in love with Great Britain.

 

As a US Air Force brat I'd grown up moving all over the United States, but on that day, in that place, for the first time in my life...

 

I was home.

And from that day on, my big, scary, never-gonna-happen-but-I'm-dreaming-it-anyway, no-regrets dream was to move to the UK.

Years went by, as they do, and I'd been an airline pilot in the US for 10 years when I took a chance, chased my own dream, and moved across the Atlantic to work as a flight instructor near London.

 

And not long after I got properly settled in, happy with my work and a proud new homeowner, the economy tanked. Belly flopped. Crashed and burned.

Closeup of Gina in her Captain's uniform standing next to a CRJ. That's me... Captain Gina

I found myself out of a job, living in the house I'd just bought but couldn't afford anymore, with my two German Shepherds who'd just arrived from America.

 

Great. Now what?

 

What do you do when your dream life—the one you gave up nearly everything to live—comes crashing down around you?

 

You pull yourself together and go after a new dream, that's what.

 

Don't think of it as the end of your dream life.

 

Think of it as a chance to reinvent yourself.

 

You, my friend, have the rare opportunity to live another life.

 

It's like reincarnation without the falling-off-your-perch bit first.

Motorway and mountains in Scotland, seen through Jeep windscreen. The view from a Road Warrior's seat.

By this time in my various incarnations I'd earned a Bachelor's in English and a Master's in Forestry, and I'd been a student, a fast-food worker, a Hooter's girl (don't laugh... it paid the bills), a stable hand, a writer, a graphic designer, a flight instructor, an airline pilot, and a simulator instructor.

 

Time to reincarnate as a road warrior!

 

So I bought a cute little touring caravan and started the search for a tow car. My Vauxhall Astra was perfect for light duties, but it couldn't tow a pony cart, let alone a caravan.

Blue Vauxhall Astra parked in front of semi-detached houses. My Vauxhall Astra... a great little runabout.

Now, then... what's big enough for the dogs and also has enough get up and go for towing?

 

That's easy. A big, solid, four-wheel-drive Jeep. Perfect for the job, right? You'd have thought so, but in this case, not so much.

I schlepped from London to Leeds on the train to check out a used car... and I struggled home in The Jeep of Death. What could possibly go wrong?

Yeah, well, pretty much everything. [Note to self: never buy a car off eBay again.]

 

The first six weeks of what turned into three years on the road were a serious shakedown cruise, and the first book of the Britain Unleashed® series is about our adventures as we got the hang of caravan life.

Black Jeep seen from the front, with caravan behind, parked at caravan site. The Jeep. At least it looked good.

We'd love to have you come along for the ride as we travel from London to the northern tip of Britain (hint: Muckle Flugga) while we learn caravanning on the fly, deal with the Jeep's many problems—I couldn't make this stuff up—and take my two rescued shelter dogs to places we'd never have dreamed they'd get to go.

 

Maybe that long road trip wasn't part of my original moving-to-Britain dream scenario, but guess what? It turned out to be even better than what I'd thought I wanted.

And none of it would have happened if all I'd done was sit around wishing and hoping. It wasn't easy—not the move, not losing my job, and not even the travelling sometimes—but every bit of it was worth doing.

 

Because if I hadn't chased my dreams, I'd never have had any of the experiences (both the great and the not-quite-so-great!) that I use in the stories I write for you.

So when you read the stories I tell here and in the book, I hope that you're not only entertained with a bit of insider knowledge about Britain and its incredible history, but that you're also inspired to go after the life you really want.

 

Right, then, it's time we got going. See you on the road!

 

Keep calm and travel on,

Gina, Jerry Lee, and Holly

 

P.S. Wondering why it's called Britain Unleashed®? Check out the Flashback in Story #3/Chapter 4. Who needs a leash?

The true story of one girl,

her two German Shepherds,

and their three years together*

roaming the Great British roads...

Welcome to

Britain Unleashed®.

*And my mum, too, for the first six weeks. We couldn't have done it without her!

“If you like my work or the free stuff on this website and you want to say thanks, you can buy me a cup of tea! Just drop in any amount you're comfortable paying, and rest assured that the tea will give me the motivation to work even harder to create more fun, educational, and inspirational stuff on Britain Unleashed. Thank you!” – Gina and the Driftaway Dogs

I'm giving away my entire UK Travel Resource Library FREE...

 

✔ UK Top 5s Lists

✔ Book Excerpts

✔ Travel Tips

 

Just CLICK THE TOP 5s BOOK BELOW!

If you love travelling in the UK...

 

Come along for the ride and I'll pull back the curtain on what makes Britain great.

 

History. Travel tips. Beautiful dogs. Lots of cheeky asides.

 

It's Cool Britannia like you've never known it before!

But you know what?

That's just the start.

 

You'll also be the first to know when my Britain Unleashed® book is coming out, and I'll send you even more cool stuff along the way that you won't get anywhere else.

 

Just CLICK THE TOP 5s BOOK BELOW and everything in my Resource Library will be at your fingertips.

And if all that's still not enough, you'll also have a chance to get your name in Britain Unleashed® and have me send you a free signed copy of the book when it's published!

 

Hang on; it's going to be an exciting ride....

Four-time International Bestselling Co-author

eLit Gold Award Winner

Member of Non-Fiction Authors Association

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Eos qui perigrinent ducunt astra. ©2016-2024 Gina Longo/Britain Unleashed®. All rights reserved. All photos ©Gina Longo or ©Norma Longo unless otherwise noted. The use of any materials, text, photos, or videos found on this website in datasets for, the development of, or as inputs to any generative Artificial Intelligence programs is expressly forbidden. Any such use shall be considered copyright infringement and theft of intellectual property. 一人旅