What to expect in London
Ever wonder what it's like to be delayed in airports for more than 12 hours, no proper sleep for 36 hours, lose your luggage, then finally arrive and have to pay CDN$10 for a cup of coffee?!! Probably not, and trust me you don’t want to. However, despite the set backs, London was definitely worth it all.
London is an amazing city for many different reasons: Double Decker buses, red telephone booths, the Royal Palace, funky taxi cabs, fish 'n chips shops, local pubs, a variety of accents and, of course, astronomical prices. In my mind, I was definitely prepared for this trip: I booked my hostel ages in advance, I read all the backpacker guides, visited all the websites, I even planned my outfit for when I met the Queen and she offered me residency in Buckingham Palace – I was ready for anything. Somehow, everything still seemed to surprise me. Let’s hope that my tips help to save someone else some time and money.
Sleeping in London
I decided that it would be best to book a place to sleep before I left my comfy apartment in Canada. I didn't want to end up in a different hemisphere without a place to put my way-too-heavy backpack. Sleeping in London can be quite expensive. I looked for many London hostels, university dorms, rented apartments, and hotels. Many of the places were easily over 30 pounds. I finally came across St Christopher's Hostels in London. "The Village" (one of the London hostels St Christopher's runs), had everything I wanted:
Located in Southwark area of London where you have walking access to many major tourist attractions. You can walk to St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the London Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and much more! All along the beautiful and busy waterfront.
The hostel provided breakfast - this ended up saving me £3-7 every day. Located across the street from a grocery store – buying snacks and even lunch/dinner there saves a lot of cash. Bar owned/operated by the London Hostel located in the same building. I didn’t need to go far to get to my bed after a heavy night. If you’re not a party hardy backpacker then be sure to check out St. Christopher’s other hostels. In the city of London alone there are 6; three in Southwark, then Camden, Shepherd’s Bush and Greenwich. Check www.st-christophers.co.uk for more info.
Eating in London
Eating in London is definitely pricey. We found that the quickly ‘disappearing’ money was all going to food. Some ways to save money on London food includes:
- Get food at the local grocery store/market and eating on a pretty bench, in an amazing park.
- Go to the local pub - many pubs have great food for only a few pounds. The attached Belushi’s bar had 2-4-1 one deals so make a new friend and get an even better deal.
- Eat a very large lunch and small dinner. Many places are cheaper at lunch.
- Get food ´to go´- this can get rid of the extra costs associated with staying in a restaurant as there is often an additional cost for eating in (you also save on the tip if you’re stingy like me.)
- Try to find an Indian or Chinese restaurant. They seem to be quite cheap compared to the other restaurants. And the quantities of food are huge.
- Many of the train stations have grocery stores with cheap food it in. Don’t go to the restaurant if you are waiting for a train: pick up some fruit, bread and cheese and lunch is served!
Little things to know in London
- Fancy scarves can dress up any outfit...shorts, jeans, skirts, suits, etc. Bring one from home.
- Flat 80s boots/shoes and leggings are in. I feel like I just stepped back in time.
- The modern mullet is in. I personally hate it, but it seems to be very popular. It comes in all shapes, colours and styles. Even the rattail is fashionable here.
- Males are very metro and very skinny. If you are a guy, be prepared to dress your best in London.
- Save money by walking. Staying in Southwark is so close to everything that it’s still quick and easy to get around by foot and save heaps on bus/tube fare.
- Buckingham Palace is not as ´great´ as I thought it would be. It is quite nice and located beside beautiful St. James’ Park; however, it is a worldwide institution and it’s not so far off the beaten track to spare it a look.
- The biggest annoyance was the number of people who smoke here. Coming from a country where it’s illegal to smoke anywhere public to a city where everyone’s lighting up made me want to choke.
London: Did You Know?
The original London Bridge did start to ‘fall down’. Some guy from the US bought it and moved it to Arizona. Although the bridge he thought he was buying was the famous Tower Bridge as the two are often confused.
An amazing experience in an amazing city. But thankfully, for my budget, I’m now off to sunny Spain. Hopefully this helped you with a heads up on what to expect. Cheers!
