Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - HUBBUK Special Announcement

Hi everyone,

We hope you are well and safe! For those who are wondering how we're doing, the last couple of years have had massive change, good and bad news, but we're hanging in there.

We moved to Chilliwack this spring and Grant's 99-year old mum now lives with us. Susan has a full-time job at the University of British Columbia, which has allowed us to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads, essential in the absence of almost any income from Horizons for the past 2 years.

The climate was actually scarier than COVID this year! In June/July, we endured 'heat domes' which shattered Canadian records with temps at 45C (113F) and killed hundreds of people, preceded and followed by over 1,600 forest fires that blanketed the province with smoke, triggered hundreds of evacuation orders and forced us to cancel our BC events.

By September, we were yearning for rain. Be careful what you wish for! We've just lived through several unprecedented 'atmospheric rivers' in the past few weeks, heavy rain that lasted for days at a time and caused widespread flooding and landslides, destroyed dykes, bridges, highways and rail lines, cutting us off from the rest of Canada and the world.

The rains have finally eased off and flood waters receded, allowing some folks to return and assess the damage to their homes and livelihoods, but every time it rains now (and we're officially in our rainy season) there's anxiety - will it stop this time? We keep a stockpile of essentials in case the highways close again and the stores run out of food, and a 'go bag' by the front door in case we need to evacuate!

Did I mention COVID-19? We had hoped to be past it now, but that didn't happen. There's lots of restrictions on travel, activities and events here and around the world. We managed to hold Travellers Meetings in France, Germany, Romania, Ecuador and South Africa in 2021, with our local teams taking all precautions. Folks were really appreciative of the events and keen to get travelling again.

We're now working to confirm the details for the HU Travellers Meetings slated for 2022. We're cautiously optimistic about next year and are staying in touch with our organizing teams around the world.

As we finalize the upcoming events schedule, however, something important will be missing.

We're truly sad to announce, after a fruitless venue search and MUCH soul-searching, that HUBBUK is not returning for the foreseeable future. After two years' hiatus due to global circumstances beyond our control, HUBBUK's journey is over for now. It has been our longest running event since it started as a going away party in our back garden in Slough in 2001. From there, global HU connections and additional events spread everywhere.

The heart of Horizons Unlimited has always been the community. HU Travellers Meetings are the template that other overland traveller events followed. Over the years, we've done what we can do within the constraints of preserving community grassroots, rising venue expenses, and copycat events. This made our decision, in consultation with the HUBBUK team, extra difficult and deeply personal.

We're forever grateful for the Lead Organizers who took the helm over the years: Glynn Roberts, Sam Manicom, Iain Harper, and Caroline Carver. They and their volunteer crews along the way worked hard to make it all seem "seamless" and smooth, so everyone could just relax and have a good time.

They may have made it look relatively easy, but organizing and managing an event such as HUBBUK are huge undertakings. Their volunteer leadership is testament to their dedication in bringing you together each year. We'll always be grateful to all the volunteers and presenters (you know who you are!) and to YOU folks who kept HUBBUK fun and inspirational for almost two decades.

We've posted a few pics from our UK events on the HUBB here. And check out the HUBB UK video here for a nice retrospective.

IF you registered and paid for HUBBUK 2020 or 2021

Write to us at events-c@horizonsunlimited.com AND specify which of the following you want:

1. Transfer my registration and payment to any other HU event in the world in 2022 or 2023;

2. Convert my registration to a lifetime HU Membership;

3. I want a full refund. PLEASE provide one of the following for the refund:

Current PayPal email address or

Valid sort code and account details if you want a refund to a UK bank (preferred, as PayPal charges us fees both incoming and outgoing)

4. Or let us know your thoughts!

There has been interest expressed in HU "Mini-Meetings" in the UK, and we are happy to help anyone interested in these easy and fun events. See here for details. Discuss your idea in the HUBB forum for Travellers Meetings in the UK.

We haven't yet decided on the possibility of further HU events in the UK, but our relationship with you will keep rolling. Remember, you can always connect with over 840 (and growing) Horizons Unlimited Communities in 116 countries around the world. Many of them are near you and the rest are calling to you to explore, sometime down the road.

If you get over to this side of the pond, we are planning to host the HUMM Cascades and the CanWest Travellers Meeting in early June (ahead of the fire season) and you'll get a warm welcome here!

Thanks for the memories! Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season and new adventures in 2022 from Grant and Susan and all the HU family

NOTE: IF you are registered or previously attended HUBBUK you should have received an email from us by now with all the details.