My perfect day in London

As much as we all wish we had the ultimate amount of time and money to travel, we never do. There are always those trips that you are there days less than you wish you were or with less money than you wish you had. Whenever this happens our first thought is that we have to compromise our overall experience. That we couldn't possibly see all that we want to see and in the end, our trip will be less than perfect  I, on the other hand, do not believe that more time in a place always equates to a better overall experience. In fact, it sometimes equates to a worse one.

When it comes to traveling, it is all about knowing what you want out of your trip. This is an important part of being an aware traveler and being a part of your trip vs. a passive observer. Unfortunately, most people overlook this step.  So, what do I mean by knowing what you want out of your trip? Simple. It's knowing what will make you happy on your flight home. Knowing what will make you feel like you did everything you wanted to and maybe without doing everything at all. It's being honest with yourself and knowing what makes one person's perfect trip, isn't another person's. Before I start planning a trip, I always write what I want down. Here are some ideas:

- I want to be relaxed above all else
- I want to see every major historical site possible
- I want to embrace the culture
- I want to see this one place and only this one place
- I want to embrace the food and drink of the culture
- I want to enjoy my family's company

I used to wonder if you could want more than one and it be OK. We are human-- of course, we will want more than one!! But, at the end of the day, when it comes to travel, it is about making a choice and picking one thing you want above all else. It is the thing you will NOT sacrifice when all goes astray. It is also the thing you stick to when you start to become distracted by all the things you could go and see.

Once you figure out what you want out of your travel, you can plan a great trip no matter the amount of days (or hours) you are there. I often hear people say, "I'm going to London...I need 4 days minimum!" Really?! Sure, you can fill a lovely 4 days full of stuff in London. But, it also isn't a requirement. It, once again, all comes back to what you want. With that said, let me share with you my perfect day in London. Yes, one day and it was perfect!

On my first of 5 trips to London, I only had 1 full day in between work and travel. I was in London alone and it was my first time there. London was a city that I had purposefully never visited before. I felt that it was worthy of a vacation in and of itself. Yet, here I was on my first visit breaking that rule and given only 1 day. None the less, it was amazing.

Before I left, I purchased a Fordor's London travel book. I LOVE travel books. I think that are fascinating and I buy them all the time. I'm not particular to a brand (they each have their perks). With only day available, i made my priorities and decided that I wanted above all else "to get a good overview of London so I know what I want to go see more of when I return". It seems so simple but actually acknowledging that I was coming back made me OK with skimming the surface vs. feeling the pressure to see it all. My day in London was amazing, but after 4 more trips since here is an overview of the "ultimate" 1 day in London. here is my "perfect" day for anyone hoping to skim the surface but enjoy every second of it:

Hotel location in a key for a 1 day trip. If you only have a day, pay the extra $$ to stay centrally located. For my ideal 1 day, I'd recommend somewhere east of Hyde Park (Mayfair, Bloomsbury, Soho). The tube is everywhere, you can walk to key sights and there are plenty of restaurants. As weird as this sounds, Radisson hotels in London are great options. Awesome locations and inexpensive (in London standards). I'm always up for the small, quaint B&B but sometimes the bigger options work just as well.

My perfect day in London:

• Wake up early (around 6 or 7am) and go for a early morning run in Hyde Park. Make a big circle around the park so you can check out the Horseback riding. Be sure to stop by Kensington Palace and get lost in Kensington Gardens. Get good and tired so you are ready for your big English Breakfast.
• Eat a proper, full English Breakfast. Sure, it is heavy but it will power you through the morning. Plus, it is cultural immersion. Any hotel breakfast or small pub will have a decent breakfast. Most importantly, it is key to have a nice pot of tea, toast, beans, runny eggs, and sausage. I consider myself a healthy eater, but this goes out the window when an English Breakfast is near.
• To get your energy up again, walk to the British Museum. Directly across the street from the front door is a tiny, antique book shop. A cool, little find and nice break from the hustle and bustle of the streets. The Museum is free of charge, but can get crowded. Plus, with only 1 day you need to focus. I popped in for the Rosetta stone and the Egyptian artifacts. In subsequent visits I went back from longer, but in one day I wouldn't recommend more than a hour. You can see the biggies and move on.
• After the Museum, walk back towards Hyde Park's Marble Arch and get on the Original Double Decker tour bus. I know this sounds cheesy and a tourist trap, but it is GREAT. In a city as big and intimidating as London there is something to be said for leaving the transport to someone else. This is what is so great about these buses...they are hop on, hop off. They are relatively inexpensive. And you aren't contained by a tour group. 5 times to London and 3 times on these buses. If you only have a day, if you try to see it all alone you will spend 50% of your time on the Tube getting lost. Look at all the places you can hop on and off!
• One the bus, be sure you hit the biggies: Buckingham Palace (arrive at 11:15 to watch the guards from 11:30 to 12noon), Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament, Piccadilly Circus. At Trafalgar Square hop off and wander into Covent Gardens for some shopping
• While in Covent Gardens, go to my favorite spot for a late lunch (around 4ish) at Wagamama. Sure, you can find a Wagamama in Boston and DC today but eating in London at a Wagamama feels great. It is a great noodle shop with communal eating, usually located in some basement location in London. You become one with the local lunch crowd and the food is affordable for London standards.
• After a wonderful, late lunch, wander through Covent Gardens and Soho, checking out records shops and unique clothing shops. Hop back on the bus and head back towards Marble Arch to check out Speaker's Corner. Speaker's Corner is awesome people watching. It is wear anyone can stand on their soap box and speak about any topic they wish. I love to check it out and just listen.
• After checking out Speaker's Corner, walk across the Park towards Harrod's Department Store. Harrod's is huge, so I wouldn't recommend wandering. I would recommend you pick a type of thing you want to look at (China, clothing, shoes, etc) and hop onto that floor. Going to Harrod's in and of itself is an experience. It doesn't need all day.
• After Harrod's and Speaker's Corner, take London black cab to your hotel (your feet will hurt and the experience is worth the price). Wash your face, rest up and change your clothes. But, don't fall asleep!!
• After a change of clothes, pick your dinner spot based on the type of food you love. You can find ANYTHING in London. For me, I love Indian food and there nothing is like an Indian curry in London. Amazing. Chutney Mary's (though, kind of fancy and not cheap) is a great London scene. Amazing food, fun environment. Who cares if you are alone? Bring your travel book, get a glass of wine and enjoy! Nobody cares!
• After dinner, wander back to your hotel and end your night with some tea and cookies from the hotel. Yum!

 

Sure, that was an action packed day but there still are somethings I purposefully left off.
 

• Tower of London. I've been. I wasn't impressed. Your imagine of it is much scary than reality. It takes a while to get through it and it takes time. If you have more time, visit it. But, if you only have 1 days I wouldn't spend too much time here.
• Going on a Buckingham Palace tour. The hours for such tours are strange, the lines are long and it takes awhile. The sight from outside (free and beautiful) is equally fun.
• London Eye. It's a really pretty, really big Ferris wheel. You can see a Ferris wheel anywhere.
• National Portrait Museum. Amazing museum, but not enough time in 1 day.

In 1 day you can't see it all, but you can see it well. I encourage everyone to not base their trip around how much time you have, but more about what you want out of your trip. The rest will fall into place.