I've been dreaming of traveling to London for years. Walking around Buckingham Palace, seeing Big Ben, tasting the best fish & chips ever made; all London necessities, and all adventures you'll see in the video above.
For this post in particular, I wanted to focus on the details of how we booked our trip, and how we planned the places we'd go!
Step 1: Plan your trip (overseas) in advance / Book your flight.
It's so important to do this when you're on a low to medium budget, because flights will be cheaper. I always recommend searching on the Hopper app first, unless you have miles saved up with a specific airline. All you have to do with this app is type in the dates of your trip, where you want to go, and it will show you the cheapest prices from all the airlines.
Jesse and I booked our flight back in October, and we left for our trip in the beginning of April. This was the best decision we could have made, because we saved about $500 just by booking 5 months in advance.
We originally booked through Air Canada, but when we arrived at the gate, the flight was overbooked so we volunteered to stay and wait for the next one. They ended up upgrading us to Delta, and we were given two food vouchers! I'm a big fan of Delta, so they're who I would recommend traveling with.
Step 2: Research where you want to eat, and the places you want to go!
This step is really important, but not as time sensitive as Step 1. It is such a crucial component to any trip to do some research before you go, just because when you get to your destination, you don't want to be worrying about where to eat, etc. Jesse and I have also found that we are able to avoid unnecessary conflict if we have a plan in place before we arrive, instead of trying to make decisions in the moment!
For this planning step, I will visit some of my favorite bloggers sites to see if they have any guides, and I'll also look through Pinterest. This is where I generally find really great food recommendations, and places to visit. A more recent outlet that I've added to this step is Instagram. I've found that searching through my favorite Instagram influencers, and some of my friends feeds, makes me even more excited for the trip ahead, and can also inspire some really great photo ideas!
With this being said, it's important to note that research isn't always about finding the destinations you want to go, it's also about knowing, and learning how to get there! This can be a really easy part of your planning process if you make it a point to become familiar with how the London metro works. Jesse and I both agreed that this is the easiest form of transportation we've come across in all our travels. The New York subway was actually quite confusing, and Chicago's was a little sketchy, but London's is really simple once you get the hang of it. We also found that it was very safe and clean. So if you're planning on using this route of transportation (cheapest form), make sure you take a screenshot of the metro map, so you can mark which stop your hotel is, and the stop you want to get off on each time.
Traveler Tip: Always remember that Google Maps will show you your location, stores, places to eat, and the metro stops around you whether or not you have service, as long as you open the application before you leave wifi!
Step 3: Pack!
I'm honestly a pack the night before kind of girl. However, I do try and plan out my outfits in my head beforehand, so I'm not trying to pack pieces I won't end up wearing.
So the first items I tackle for international flights are my carry on's. On any international flight, you're typically given one personal item, and one carry on. So for this trip I took my camera bag as my carry on, and packed up all my essentials into my purse as my personal bag. You can read more about what I packed in my recent post, "What to Pack in your 'Personal Bag' Carry On".
Next I will start on my suitcase. Since you get one checked bag free, I take the largest suitcase I have and fit everything into it.
Step 4: Let's go to London!
Okay, finally you're in London! Here are Jesse and I's recommendations for where to stay, eat, and visit while you're there:
Stay:
Marlin Waterloo - we booked through Hotel Tonight for this room, so we got the cheapest option - and when we arrived, the hotel actually gave us an upgrade!
Traveler Tip: If you are one of the first guests to check into your hotel (checkin usually starts around 3) you have a much stronger possibility of getting upgraded to a slightly larger or nicer room!
Jesse and I both recommend this hotel because the staff was incredible, we came back each day with a freshly cleaned room, and it comes with a small kitchen, so if you're trying to stay on budget and need to cook some meals, it's an option! A big bonus with this hotel was the location. The London Eye is only 0.4 miles away and we were able to see it from our window.
Eat:
Breakfast -
Dalloway Terrace: We ate brunch here Sunday morning, and were seated out on the terrace. Such a cute place, with a very friendly staff! They even gave us our check in a book, which was so unique.
Lunch -
Enzo's: We ate here when we took a train to Windsor, but there are also some around London. Best spaghetti I've ever had, and Jesse ate a whole pizza by himself - huge fans!
Le Pain Quotidien: We found this quaint restaurant while we were wandering around Covent Garden, but we also saw some others around the city. They had some great sandwiches and salads!
Snack -
Joe and the Juice: This is a chain that can be found in a lot of big cities, but WOW - amazing smoothies and milkshakes, which can be a great snack in between meals!
Ladurée: Pretty much a must anywhere! Grab a couple macaroons or a pastry here!
We'd also recommend grabbing a pastry as a snack, which can be done anywhere! We wandered upon a cute cafe in Notting Hill, and bought an eclair to go.
Dinner -
The Hercules: We had our first meal here after arriving in London, and we ordered the fish & chips, and a pint - highly recommend!
Dessert -
Soft Serve Society: This is a must! Choose your toppings and ice cream flavor, and in minutes you'll have an instagrammable dessert!
Miki's Paradise: We can't recommend this place enough! Best freakshakes around!
Visit:
Big Ben: Although he's under construction right now (2019), you still need to make a visit to walk along the bridge and check out the area. If you stay at Marlin Waterloo, it's about a five minute walk!
Buckingham Palace: Must see on everyone's list right? Changing of the guards here is pretty cool as well (@11am)!
Marble Arch: Classic structure near Hyde Park.
Hyde Park: This was a really quaint park where we found a restroom, yay, and a cute pond with swans!
Traveler Tip: Often it is way too inconvenient to return to your hotel if you need to use the restroom. We have found that in Europe there are often public restrooms available if you know where to look. Our suggestion is to explore around the nearest public park and you'll typically find a small restroom that you can use for a few coins.
Kensington Palace Gardens: Jesse and I sat on a bench and watched all the dogs run around here. I think it was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip, just resting and chatting, in a huge garden!
Notting Hill: Is it really a trip to London without visiting Notting Hill? Jesse and I wandered around this cute neighborhood for about two hours one rainy afternoon, with a pastry in hand, and our camera at the ready for some great shots!
Day trip to Windsor Castle: This was another favorite of mine. We took a train into Windsor to explore the castle and church where Harry and Meghan were married - so cool! I remember watching their wedding on tv, so it was so surreal to stand in the church where they said 'I do'. I'd highly recommend this as a day trip out of London - it wasn't too crowded and we got some great shots together with the tripod!
Tower Bridge: I feel like this is a must see! It's definitely a tourist spot, but so worth it. The pop of blue is my favorite!
Paddington: We journeyed around Paddington on our last day, and it was also a great neighborhood for some cute pictures!
King's Cross Station: Any Harry Potter fans? Platform 9 3/4 is located here! Jesse and I were there pretty early to catch our train to Edinburgh, but even if you aren't traveling by train, you should still take a peak at this iconic landmark!
And there you have it - our London travel guide! We'd love to hear what your favorite eats and places to travel in London are, or if you've found some of our tips to be helpful!
love, jesse & madison
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