Ok, this blog is about Travel in general but London is where I live, and despite being here for over 30 years it's still a place I love to explore. So if you detect a London bias here at the moment, that is why. But my plan is to start a dedicated London travel blog so I can ply my expertise there, and keep this one more about Travel in general. Fair enough? Once I do that I will link to it here, so all of you London-philes (is that really a word??) can follow me there and indulge yourselves!!
MEANWHILE however, today I just want to mention my favourite aid to getting down and dirty in London and experiencing it in all its myriad glories. And that is none other than The Rough Guide to London. The Rough Guide series are in my humble opinion (who am I kidding - I never had a humble opinion in my life - LISTEN YE GROUNDLINGS, FOR I AM MIGHTY!!) ...
Where was I? YES. There are countless City guides out there, in every size and shape and style and taste, and I suspect Amazon's got 'em all. But The Rough Guide series are FOR ME the ultimate. Firstly they come across like they are written by a human being, by one of my friends in fact, who wants to let me know the real deal about this, that, and whatever. Not stiff and stilted but warm and friendly, yet PACKED with info, covering covers loads of off the beaten track stuff never to be found elsewhere, certainly not all within a single volume. And of course it THOROUGHLY covers all the mainstream attractions as well.
Oh and they are not all city guides. They can also cover larger regions - here is a good example - as well as whole countries.
So there you are - I am indeed being generously general here and saying that the Rough Guides to ANYWHERE are awesome and are what I purchase over all the others. But I am in a good position to recommend the London one Highly, as I can personally vouch for its veracity and testify to its truthfulness. So there!
Oh I almost forgot. For ease of carrying around, many of the Rough Guides also have smaller, more concise, mini-versions called Pocket Rough guides. You can check out a few of them here.
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Destination LONDON - How to Get Around in Britain's Bustling Capital
For the first time visitor, the London Transport system is not for the faint-hearted. It can be baffling. And it can be very expensive. Here are a few tips to reduce the stress.
Let me address the 'expensive' part first. If you intend to make frequent use of public transport then the ONLY way to minimize your expenditure is to obtain an OYSTER CARD. This is a plastic smart card that becomes your valid ticket for all forms of public transport subject to loading it with credit, or "topping up" as the British say. There are numerous different plans you can purchase for your Oyster card - far too many to try and explain here. But they will be significantly cheaper than paying the single fare for each and every journey, and often there is a "cap" on how much you will be charged withing a given 24 hour period. Which means that after just a few journeys you are travelling virtually free for the rest of the day. For a crash course in Oyster card use, just click here.
And is the transport system baffling? Well sure -at first! What else can you expect from one of the largest and most complex cities on the globe? But it's actually easier than it might seem at first. I always advise folks who are new to London to stick to the trains. There is a station within walking distance of just about everything worth seeing in London. They come in three distinct forms.
The London Underground ("the Tube" - equivalent to the subway or the Metro in most other cities)
The London Overgound (similar but always above ground. To add to the confusion, many sections of the Underground are overground as well!!)
The DLR = Docklands Light Railway. (the newest and most modern section, serving East London and the Docklands area)
Here is a standard Tube Map which, despite its name, actually shows all three of the above systems.
There's nothing wrong with London Buses - they too are a great way to get around and to actually see the city while en route to wherever you are headed. But they have two major disadvantages. If you need to get somewhere specific, finding the right bus can be very tricky if you don't know the city well. And despite designated Bus Lanes, they are often at the mercy of traffic, so can be one of the slowest ways to get around.
Let me address the 'expensive' part first. If you intend to make frequent use of public transport then the ONLY way to minimize your expenditure is to obtain an OYSTER CARD. This is a plastic smart card that becomes your valid ticket for all forms of public transport subject to loading it with credit, or "topping up" as the British say. There are numerous different plans you can purchase for your Oyster card - far too many to try and explain here. But they will be significantly cheaper than paying the single fare for each and every journey, and often there is a "cap" on how much you will be charged withing a given 24 hour period. Which means that after just a few journeys you are travelling virtually free for the rest of the day. For a crash course in Oyster card use, just click here.
And is the transport system baffling? Well sure -at first! What else can you expect from one of the largest and most complex cities on the globe? But it's actually easier than it might seem at first. I always advise folks who are new to London to stick to the trains. There is a station within walking distance of just about everything worth seeing in London. They come in three distinct forms.
The London Underground ("the Tube" - equivalent to the subway or the Metro in most other cities)
The London Overgound (similar but always above ground. To add to the confusion, many sections of the Underground are overground as well!!)
The DLR = Docklands Light Railway. (the newest and most modern section, serving East London and the Docklands area)
Here is a standard Tube Map which, despite its name, actually shows all three of the above systems.
There's nothing wrong with London Buses - they too are a great way to get around and to actually see the city while en route to wherever you are headed. But they have two major disadvantages. If you need to get somewhere specific, finding the right bus can be very tricky if you don't know the city well. And despite designated Bus Lanes, they are often at the mercy of traffic, so can be one of the slowest ways to get around.
Saturday, 7 November 2015
NOT paying a Fortune for Overweight Bags - the perfect gift?
Why sweat buckets at the airport worrying if your bag is going to tip the scales to the tune of - ££Ka-CHING££ - your precious travel money eaten into by a horrendous overweight charge.
Admit it - you have struggled to fit your hefty bag onto the bathroom scale and prayed it was accurate. Or maybe you stood on it yourself, struggling to read it while holding your bag, and deducted your own weight - WHAT a pallaver!
Well, there is a dead simple and decidedly non-clumsy way to weigh your bag whilst still in the safety and comfort of your own home. A handheld electronic luggage scale - SO easy to use, they are an absolute godsend and I found a very reasonably priced one on Amazon that's had a ton of five star reviews. Even you don't need one for yourself it may well put a grateful smile on the face of your favourite intrepid traveller. Check it out here.
Admit it - you have struggled to fit your hefty bag onto the bathroom scale and prayed it was accurate. Or maybe you stood on it yourself, struggling to read it while holding your bag, and deducted your own weight - WHAT a pallaver!
Well, there is a dead simple and decidedly non-clumsy way to weigh your bag whilst still in the safety and comfort of your own home. A handheld electronic luggage scale - SO easy to use, they are an absolute godsend and I found a very reasonably priced one on Amazon that's had a ton of five star reviews. Even you don't need one for yourself it may well put a grateful smile on the face of your favourite intrepid traveller. Check it out here.
More packing tips -- specially for the Ladies
Why I started this Blog....
I first got the travel bug as a teenager. I remember driving my parents to Ottawa airport and seeing them off on their first European tour. All I could think of was how badly I wanted to go with them. My idea of heaven was to cross the Atlantic on a jet airliner, a goal that would elude me for another few years.
But I ended up making numerous overseas trips in my twenties, culminating in a permanent move to London with my wife in my 30th year. With the UK as my base, European travel became far easier and cheaper than ever before, I've been hooked ever since.
Onee of the most important things I have learned about traveling is that it CAN either be a DREAM or a NIgHtMaRe, :-p and that it's often the Littlest things that make traveling easier that can make the Biggest difference to the quality of your experience.
Nowadays there is an overabundance of advice on what to take, what to buy, what to wear, how to pack it, how to organise.... int other words what when, where, why, and how to do everything to make traveling more fun and less chore!! So I want to share my own discoveries and help YOU, dear reader out of your confusion and try to point you to whichever tips, advice, products on the market, etc. that are likely to help you the most, to save you a ton of searching.
To help ensure that your traveling experience will be the Dream you dreamed it would be!!! ;-)
But I ended up making numerous overseas trips in my twenties, culminating in a permanent move to London with my wife in my 30th year. With the UK as my base, European travel became far easier and cheaper than ever before, I've been hooked ever since.
Onee of the most important things I have learned about traveling is that it CAN either be a DREAM or a NIgHtMaRe, :-p and that it's often the Littlest things that make traveling easier that can make the Biggest difference to the quality of your experience.
Nowadays there is an overabundance of advice on what to take, what to buy, what to wear, how to pack it, how to organise.... int other words what when, where, why, and how to do everything to make traveling more fun and less chore!! So I want to share my own discoveries and help YOU, dear reader out of your confusion and try to point you to whichever tips, advice, products on the market, etc. that are likely to help you the most, to save you a ton of searching.
To help ensure that your traveling experience will be the Dream you dreamed it would be!!! ;-)
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