Crossing the Pond to London

all photos courtesy of Melissa Budicini, Rachel Moroknek, Emma Glubiak and Claire Glubiak

In sixth grade my twin sister, our two best friends, and I made a pact: the summer after we graduated from high school, we would travel to London together. We immediately told our parents our brilliant plan and were obliviously not taken seriously, as we were eleven years old. And yet, this summer, ten days after the last one of us had turned eighteen (all hail European drinking ages!!), we took off for London. And it was the experience of a lifetime. If you're planning your own travels to London read on. We also traveled to Dublin, but I will save that for another post. Here's the one stop shopping for a damn near perfect trip. You're welcome in advance.

The Generator Hostel 

First of all, the gross stuff, the bane of every traveler's existence, and every teenager or college student's travel hindrance: the money. Traveling is expensive. Flights are expensive. Saving is hard. And if you're going to Europe from America, at least right now, the exchange rate is not in your favor. While a trip like this will still need lots of saving, there are some ways to make your budget go as far as it can. One way is by staying in a hostel. We chose the Generator Hostel and I cannot recommend it enough. It was clean, safe, and very well priced. The front desk had discounts for most of the touristy things in the city and the hostel itself is in a great location, 5 minutes from a tube station and 10 minutes from Kings Cross Station if you want bigger excursions. The Generator also has locations all around Europe (HINT HINT Dublin!).

http://generatorhostels.com/en/

Planning in Advance

An important an exciting part of travel is waking up and seeing where a new day and a new city will take you, but there is something to be said for planning activities and excursions. By planning in advance you can look for the best priced options before you take off. It also gives you a little bit of structure and forces you to get up and out every morning. Here are the things that we planned in advance:

Melissa, Rachel, and I at the tube station closest to our hostel

The Tube: 

If you plan on using public transportation in any new city, check it out online before hand. Lots of cities have passes for tourists. Since we were in London for six days we got a seven day travel card that gave us unlimited access to the London tube (the subway system). The tube has different zones that span further and further out of the city. We each bought a 7 day pass for zones 1 and 2 which covered all of central London and anywhere we were planning on going for the week. It was about 30 pounds each which ended up being truly a bargain for the amount we used the tube. 

Here is more information about your oyster options: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/ticket-types/on-oyster

Afternoon tea at the Berkeley Hotel 

Tea: 
Would it really be a trip to London without afternoon tea? I think not! When it came to our tea, we were delighted by the fashionable and delicious experience we had at the Berkeley hotel. Thanks to a gift certificate (can you say best friends ever) from two pals who would not be crossing the pond with us, my sister and I were able to dine in style for free. Gift cards to fun places in your city of choice are a great way to get friends and family to donate to your travels. "Hey Aunt Susie, I'd love a gift certificate for tea in London!" sounds a lot more appealing than just asking for money. So go ahead, ask for tea, a dinner, or even tickets for theatre on the West End. Speaking of which....

Nothing like the West End on a Sunday afternoon.

Theatre:

Thanks to a lovely treat from Rachel's grandmother, we were able to see a show on the West End (the London equivalent of Broadway). And what's more British than Roald Dahl? "Matilda" was a wonderful throwback to childhood. I highly recommend taking something in on the West End in your time in London. If you don't have an incredible gift from a friend's grandmother, the ticketing system in London works much like the one in New York. That is to say there are ways to get cheaper tickets day of. Here is more information: http://www.theatremonkey.com/buyingforless.htm

Does this even need a caption?

The Day Trip:

While London is a gorgeous and wonderful city, there is something to be said for venturing outside of it for one day. We chose to do a coach bus tour that took us to the Stone Henge and the city of Bath (with admission into the Roman baths) in one day. It was certainly not glamorous, full of midlife crisis and fighting families in sneakers, but it was cheaper and easier than traveling to both of these places on our own accord. It also helped that we fell in love with the city of Bath. Like head over heels we want to get married there sort of love. Here's the tour company we used: http://www.andersontours.co.uk/alltours.asp and below is a picture of stunning Bath

Saying goodbye to London

Travel:

There are two ways to get from London to Dublin. One way is by taking a train/ car and then a ferry. The other is flying. After comparing prices, both options seemed to be about the same. While the ferry was the scenic route, we chose the faster and less likely to make us seasick flight. We flew on Ryanair, which is a cheap option for flying many places in Europe, especially if you don't have a bag to check. 

The Unplanned 

One thing that I learned about traveling with friends is that you will get lost. And thus you will argue about directions, but the destination, whether intended or not, is more often than not a more beautiful memory than the trouble you had getting there. Here are a few adventures we went on in London:

The view from the London Eye

Our first evening in the city, we decided to take a ride on the London Eye. There was truly no better way to get excited about the city that we were going to be spending the next week in than a birds-eye view at sunset. We chose to spend the afternoon walking towards the eye (with a pit stop in a pub for dinner and our first legal beers) and exploring the city a little. Before going to to buy tickets for the eye, be sure to check at your hostel or hotel for any discounted tickets they might be able to help you get. 

Cocktails and dinner in Shoreditch 

One evening, we headed into a neighborhood called Shoreditch in pursuit of a restaurant that's specialty was crepes and cocktails. Unfortunately, after a long search, we found the crepe place at the end of a dark alley, closed. However, Shoreditch did not disappoint. We found happy hour and got cute matching cocktails and then found the real gem and one of my favorite parts of the whole trip, an outdoor food market. There was everything from quesadillas to steak. I ate the best pad thai I've ever eaten. I still taste it sometimes in my dreams. The whole trip was worth it after one bite.

Paella in Covent Garden

Covent Garden and the streets surrounding it are a fun way to spend an afternoon, especially if you're nearing the end of your trip and you want some souvenirs. There are cute shops, chain stores, outdoor craft tables, and most importantly, delicious food. My sister and I got adorable handcrafted candles for our family and friends back home. We also had crepes and paella. Crepes and paella? You may be thinking, this is London, not France or Spain! But, as my dad would say, London is closer to France and Spain than we'll ever be in the states, so why not indulge? And both the crepes and the paella were incredible, in case you were wondering. 

And so, after six days, we said goodbye to London. We were pounds heavier both from the good food in our bellies and the goodies in our suitcases (We all measured in just under the Ryanair limit!). We left British soil and landed on Irish land what felt like moments later, but that is a story for another day.

Happy travels!

xoxo,

Claire