Welcome to the first post of my travel category. I hope to fill this with various adventures and share my experiences with you. Excited to see where the time will take me.
Last year, I was lucky enough to make a quick trip to London and check it off my "Travel International" bookmark folder. London was one of those places that was always on my list, and I grew up hearing a lot about it. When I couldn't get any of my friends to go, I pulled a "solo travel" card and just booked my tickets.
Today, I'll share my experience, from flights to things to do in London, so stay tuned.
Flight from Home to London
I flew from my home airport (Hartsfield-Jackson) to Heathrow Airport on a Delta flight. It was almost a 7.5-hour flight. I only packed a carry-on because I had recently heard about all the baggage chaos and people losing their luggage at Heathrow airport. The flight to me was very short. I had downloaded the entire season of "The Watcher" on my Ipad, so I connected my noise-canceling headphones and finished the whole series. Each episode was an hour long, so it worked out pretty well. As far as "The Watcher" is concerned, give that show a try. It's somewhat funny.
I'm in London
After landing around 8 am, I was able to get to my accommodations around 11 am. I checked into my hotel and walked around the city looking for food.
The first thing I texted my brother was this: "Bhai, this place looks like mini Pakistan." LOL. I swear. So many brown people and brown places everywhere. You don't experience this exactly in America unless you're deep in New York or Chicago. But London as a whole felt very brown friendly.
Places I went to in London:
Stayed in Cricklewood
Walked to Saint Pancras International Station
Westminster Abbey/City of Westminster
Big Ben/Parliament Square Garden
Walked around Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus
Buckingham Palace
London Eye/Jubilee Gardens
Tower of London/Waterloo Station
London Bridge/Tower Bridge
Camden Market
Natural History Museum
London Pros/Cons and Do I Recommend It?
Biggest Pro: Public Transportation. Even though I have never taken any public transportation in my life, and I hopped on the wrong train multiple times, it was still amazing to catch a train/tube/subway to get from one point to another. A very affordable way to get around. London is also a very diverse city and you are guaranteed to make a variety of friends.
Biggest Con: How do people even drive on London roads? These roads are so tiny, so no wonder why their public transportation system is on point because you can't get anywhere on time by driving. The roads award goes to America! Also, it rains a lot in London and it can get depressing real quick.
Trip Cost: I stayed for four days, including travel days, and didn't shop. I budgeted $100/day in case I wanted to splurge on something, but I ended up spending less than that.
Recommendation: I recommend giving London a visit once in your lifetime. I loved the fashion trends in London and its food culture. It felt like a very inclusive version of America. Every other car was a Mercedes there, so I was simping the entire time. No need to book fancy hotels or cars. Try experiencing the city as a local. Take public transportation and stay in hostels. I went when the dollar was equivalent to the pound, so everything seemed affordable. Food was surprisingly cheaper, or the low converted rates might have been the case. Be sure to pack an umbrella as it rains there a lot.
Did I feel safe? Yes. But just like in any other big city, you must be cautious about your surroundings.
Oh and I also tried their Peri Peri Chicken (overrated).
Until next time, Peace✈️
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