February 13,2008
After failing to update my blog for a couple of weeks I decided to write about my latest traveling experience. I’m excited to tell everyone who reads my posts that I visited London for the first time in my life. Actually, it’s tough putting into words how the whole experience went. I think that’s true for all writers, words are hard to come by once you’re going to write something rich and flavor-filled.
Meanwhile, London boasts a rich culture and history that pales New York or any other place that I visited already. If there’s one thing that really captured my imagination was the idea that the whole place was the capital of what was once the biggest empire in the planet. There’s a great sense of awe and for a traveler like me who happens to enjoy my escapades while driving a car, sight-seeing in London by foot was something new.
Personally, the whole trip was a blast as far as I’m concerned but it didn’t come easy since I had to browse loads of websites so I can have some idea of what’s in store for me. As usual, I was visually stimulated with all the variety of cars and automobiles that I saw. In a nutshell, everything will be easy when you’re familiar with a place’s transportation system and with respect to London, here’s what I have to say:
1. Buy Tickets… Lots of Them
If you have enough cash it would be wise if you can purchase tickets online so you wouldn’t have to waste time falling in line once you reach London. Time is precious and you won’t have the luxury to stay in the city forever since you’re a tourist so maximize it as much as you can.
2. Never look like a tourist
You’re probably raising your eye brows right now but this one makes a lot of sense when it comes to your safety. If you show everyone that you’re a tourist chances are, the thieves are going to get you sooner or later. So what are the things that will make you not too susceptible to robbery? Never show that you’re reading a map of London in the middle of a busy crowd and as much as possible refrain from doing things that will attract any attention towards you.
3. Transportation Woes
This is probably the most taken for granted aspect of traveling in general. Being one big car and travel addict, I should say that the keys to surviving an urban jungle like London would be through its lifeblood and that means familiarizing yourself to its transportation system. For beginners, there’s a big difference between Black Cabs and Mini Cabs. Black Cabs run on a meter just like all the cabs that you know of whereas Mini Cabs don’t.
Furthermore, Mini Cabs are merely people who drive cars and who work through agencies, their upside is that they’re cheaper than those of the black variety. Aside from that, Mini Cabs work on a fix rate and before you can get a ride, you need to tell your destination and how much you’re willing to pay for it first. At the end of the day, when traveling in a massive metropolis like London, be cautious and be practical without having to comprise comfort.
4. Car Rentals
Although car rentals in London will hardly come cheap, there are loads of agencies that provide this kind of service. Before I went to London, I checked out several sites and as expected there were lots of them that offer vehicles from cars to vans while some had even chauffeurs as part of their package
Scenes from London:
The Trafalgar Square
A London Black Cab
The Oliver Cromwell Statue
Yeah your guess is right, the “Big Ben”
Overall, there are many different ways on how you can plan and of course enjoy your trip. My London sojourn lasted for only 4 days, but I was there to explore, learn and simply watch the whole city struggle to start and finish a day. Just like New York, it’s one gargantuan city that you’ll grow to love and admire.
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