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London Black Cab Tours: Why Discover Real London Is a Unique Way to See the City · UK Travel Planning

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Many visitors see a lot in London, but there are different ways of experiencing the city.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're talking about what a Discover Real London black cab tour involves and why many travellers find the experience a truly fabulous way to explore and understand London.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: Your host is the founder of the UK travel planning website, Tracy Collins.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Each week, Tracy shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Before we get started, we'd like to thank our sponsor, Walks and Devour Tours.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you're planning a trip to London, you'll already know the challenge.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot you want to do and only a limited amount of time to fit it all in.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's where the right tour makes all the difference because you want experiences that are the best use of your time with more access, less waiting, and a deeper sense of the city.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's why we recommend Walks and Devour Tours.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: They offer walk-in tours and food tours designed to make your time count, often with early or after hours entry.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: You'll also be with exceptional local guides who add the stories and context so you leave with a richer understanding of what you're seeing and a trip that feels genuinely memorable.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you're visiting London as a couple with family or you simply prefer a more intimate experience, walks and devour tours also offer private tour options.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: To learn more, you'll find the link in the show notes.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's get into this week's episode.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Hi everybody and welcome to this week's episode of the UK Travel Planner Podcast.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now I have a favourite guest who comes on the podcast every year.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um he's brilliant.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, you were actually on the podcast um twice last year, Ollie.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: There's a bit of a clue if you're listening.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: So we are talking today with Ollie from Discover Real London Tours.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: And um the reason I have Ollie on every year, or even twice last year, because we talked a little bit about his uh the Christmas tours that they they were doing, um, is that this is one of the most popular ways to see London with our Facebook group and when we do consults.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: The feedback we get, Ollie, about Discover Real London tours is absolutely fantastic.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I have to have you on again this year to chat.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Just because we're gonna have some new listeners who won't know.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: They'll be like, who is this Ollie?
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Who is Ollie of Discover Real London?
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: What is Discover Real London?
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: So, this episode that is what you're gonna find out about.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna find out exactly what is involved when you take a black cab tour, why we love them, why people love them, and the advantages of being on a black cab tour with um one of Ollie's team.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: So, Ollie, I shall stop gabbling on and let you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Discover Real London black cab tours.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much, Tracy.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: It's always a pleasure to be on and speaking to you and your listeners.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, thanks so much for having me again.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: I am delighted to be here to tell you a little bit about our company, Discover Real London.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_02: And it's right what you say, Tracy.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_02: Your guests have been so lovely that have been coming from your Facebook page and have heard us on the podcast, and they brought loads of fun, loads of energy, loads of great reviews as well, and they've all had such a fantastic time.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_02: And what we do for anyone that's visiting London is we whiz you around the city in our iconic panoramic black taxis, stopping off at all the big sites, getting all the photos of you and the family and the kids and mum and dad with ease.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: We're escaping any any rain or weather there might be.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: If it's hot, we've got the AC on.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and we're basically serving up London to you on a plate, making it stress-free, hotel pickup or airport as well.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: Got a wonderful tour called the touchdown tour, which we might touch, excuse the pun on a little bit later.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but essentially we bring the sites to you in our cabs, we drive around, we've got special privileges where we can stop and we make it stress-free and super easy to to pack that all in in a morning or an afternoon.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: You do, and um, I have to say, I always feel like a VIP when I'm out with you guys on a tour.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: I I absolutely love it.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Doug absolutely loves it as well because you do, you feel like uh you feel like royalty because you do, as you say, get whisked around London and you get these special privileges which nobody else gets, and it's like, oh, this is fantastic.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so tell us what what is it you think?
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because obviously you've taken plenty of tours and you've got you've got a big team of drivers who do this.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think it is that people enjoy the most about being in a black cab when they're uh seeing London?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_02: I think that what people enjoy the most is the convenience and the fact that they're really seeing London through the eyes of a local.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, all our drivers were born in and around London.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_02: One thing that people may or may not know is to become a licensed taxi driver in London is akin to doing a degree.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you study for years the streets, so we are like a human GPS.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_02: So the first stage of doing what we do as creating wonderful guided experiences for you guys is that we actually qualify as cab drivers.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: So that normally takes between three and four years.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_02: So we've got that blueprint of London, we can effortlessly navigate our way around, and then on top of that, we've done our guiding qualifications so we can give you guys um an insight to all the history, and because we know every street, we don't only focus on the big sites and our tours, we like to show you the off-the-beaten path, secret back streets that you'll never see if you're on you know a typical, you know, big sort of group tour in big coaches and buses and that sort of stuff.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I think what people love is the convenience, but they love it the fact that you know they they you meet as strangers but you leave as friends with your driver guide, you spend the morning or sometimes a whole day together because we've got longer tours, and you you get a real insight into what the city's about.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_02: And often people do do it on their first full day or even in the afternoon if they've had a red-eye flight over, and they hit the ground running, and they've got a little bit like a consultant, you know, they might want to know where the best place to eat gluten-free food is, they want to know is this worth doing?
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_02: I'm thinking of going here, how would I get the train to that?
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_02: So while we're going around, you know, you've got a consultant on board that's not only going to orientate you with a city on the tour that you purchased, but he's gonna be there and you can lean into them and ask them whatever you want.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, they're every one of our guides are expert on London.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it's great.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: And you guys know, I mean, when Doug and I the the last time we were at you guys, it's like you were taking us places that we didn't know about and pointing out things that we didn't know about, and and it it was fantastic.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: It really, it just it it really just made London for for Doug and I know London fairly well, but not as well as you guys do that have been driving the streets and you know you you know all those kind of secret little corners and and and all the stories as well, which is absolutely fantastic, which makes you know, when you do a tour, that's what you want to you want to have the stories about what you're seeing because it makes it come alive.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: But on top of that as well, it is comfortable exploring London in on a black cab.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's that that's what I really like.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: You can sit back, you can enjoy it.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's different, you know, if you spend a whole day um walking, especially if you're gonna do, say you're in London for four or five days and you're gonna do a lot of walking around London.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's wonderful to have uh a day or a few hours out on a tour on a on a black cab.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um so what let's talk about some of the comfort that you get from being in a black cab, Ollie.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_02: So the the um the cabs are all really 21st century vehicles, they've been specifically designed for use in London.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_02: You've got a huge panoramic roof that really gives you a three-dimensional view as you're cruising down the streets.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_02: And in the back, you um there's six seats, which is in a conference layout, so three rear facing, three forward facing.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_02: So it's really nice and social.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone's amongst each other and you know, pointing out things and having fun in the back while we're cruising around.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we've got AC in the back, so it's nice and cold when it does get warm in London, which you know isn't as hot as some place in the world.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: But if anyone's used to you know city life, it doesn't take much for it to feel you know quite hot often.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_02: So we've got AC in the back, we've also obviously got temperature control and heat.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the driver has actually got um a partition, so it's actually separate from the driver cabin, but we've got an intercom, so you're gonna hear commentary all the time.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: It's not just the stops when we get out that you're gonna learn about the city as we're driving around.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, our guides are gonna give you stories and little tidbits of what you're looking at, um, and just generally keep you entertained between all the really important stops, which we always get out and give you a little walk around for.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_02: And you touched on Tracy, you know, walking in cities is great.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_02: We all love it.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: We go there, we wander around, we get lost down lanes, we grab coffees, and it's part of you know exploring a city.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so we really like to involve that in our in our tour as well.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_02: The the rear of the cab is fully wheelchair accessible, so more and more we're taking multi-generational families around, and obviously often people have got some mobility needs.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_02: So um we you know welcome wheelchair passengers.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_02: We can easily just uh pull the ramp out, we'll straighten someone can remain in their chair, or they can they can choose if they're able to to to sit in the seat and we can stow that wheelchair in the front or next to them.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_02: So um, yeah, lots of comfort in the back, and obviously the windows do undo as well.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_02: So you can people are always leaning out, getting really, really good photos as we're going past all the interesting architecture.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, you've got those panel you've mentioned it, but those panoramic roof is as amazing.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we would we yeah, I suppose it's we'd say panoramic roof.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: People sometimes call it a moon roof, uh, which was a new terminology to me.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_02: But some people that are maybe travelling from the US or other places might use that.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: But it is like the the entire size of the roof when you're inside it, it's fantastic when you're you're driving along.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: And going, you know, under things like I say under, it's a bit confusing, but when you go over Tower Bridge, you sort of go under it as well, because you have all the crosswalks above.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: But the times like that, people just look up and think, wow, this is a view that I could never imagine getting when I were you know in any other vehicle.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, and also, I mean, uh the advantage as well is you you're sitting in comfort in in the cab, but you can do things with that cab that other people can't do.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're exploring another in another way, and I always tell people about this, I said, and it's my favourite photo that I have of London.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's the one where you pulled the cab up and I'm standing next to the red phone box with Westminster Abbey behind me.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that photo.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: I absolutely love it because it's just got so many icons, including myself, in the picture.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you you know, you can't do that in anything else.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: You couldn't be able to have a black cab.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you could with a black cab, but you guys, but you know what I mean?
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: You can't do that in a if you were on a London bus, you couldn't do it.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: If you're taking a bus to you can't do that, um, you can't have that kind of all the icons in one picture.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but also it's that ability of how close you can get and park up to some of these like amazing sites in London.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, people, I often joke that if you bought a suitcase with a change of clothes in and you changed every stop, it would look like you've done an entire weekend or a few days in London.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: The amount of ground we cover, if people know London well and they travelled here and they know how far away these sites are, they they would think there's no way you could do that in the morning, let alone probably a day.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_02: But we do, yeah, we we cut through the traffic, we use the express bus lanes that we've got um exclusive privileges to to zip around.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_02: And to touch on what you mentioned there, Tracy, that you've you know it really strikes you how close we can get to the important sites and monuments and photo opportunities without being too technical and bringing like black highway traffic laws into it and all that sort of stuff.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_02: The black cabs are the only vehicles that are actually allowed to stop on red routes, which a lot of London main roads are red routes, so we can drop you off right outside things, you can get our pictures.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: There's lots of other parking privileges that we have where we actually leave the cab and wander around, and you know, you can have uh your Lamborghini, your Ferrari, your Mercedes, XYZ, but no other vehicle is allowed to have the privileges except for emergency vehicles and things like that that we enjoy.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, we do get you right up front to um to the sites, and that is good if you know we have got multi-generational trips, or maybe some people that are a little bit more senior coming over, they they want to get out, they want the photos, they want to experience uh and engage with the city, but they just haven't got you know maybe the um stamina and and mobility to be able to walk around for long distances.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: So it works really nicely being able to jump out the cab but be so close to stuff.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think that the thing is as well, is like um you know, you can have a, for example, a touchdown tour, you can get picked up at the airport and have have a few hours with you guys and actually orientate yourself and see a lot of those main sites in London without feeling either that A, that you're rushing around because you're not, you're in the in the back of the black cab and it's comfortable, or B, if you decided to do it another way, um and for example, you you know, a lot of people, oh, we'll check in and then maybe we'll go and do, we'll just do a bus tour around London.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: But find that actually what they can do in half a day is probably see one or two sites because you're sitting in traffic, which of course, as I said, doesn't you guys have got the privileges to be able to kind of cut cut around the traffic.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: And also what you can't do when you're doing that sort of thing is you you can't ask questions, whereas there's there's an ongoing discussion about what you're seeing, uh, you know, what is that?
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: If if one of the kids sees something and they're like they want to they want to get hop out, they just you just have to ask, and you guys can stop and and they can go and have a quick photo shoot, which we've done before.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Doug and I did that actually at Buckingham Palace Suite.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: We hopped out, had a quick photo shoot, and then you picked us up five minutes later and we're hopped back in the cab, which was which is brilliant.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a really good way of seeing London and seeing a lot of those iconic sites without feeling rushed or without feeling frustrated because it's taken so long to get around and see any of those things.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for sure.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: I I always have in my mind that the our product has been and our tour has been such a good fit because they're so beneficial, whether you've got 24 hours in London or you've got five days in London, because if you're only here for one day, which we get lots of guests that are just passing through on their way to Europe and other other places, you can literally sweep around the city, tick off all the main sites, maybe squeeze in a couple of hidden bits as well, and feel like just in four hours you've done it all.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, you've seen everything, you've got a bit of a slice of everything.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: Alternatively, if you're here for four or five days, you can lean on your guide in the morning to find out, you know, not only orientate yourself in the city and plan maybe what you want to do the rest of it, but um you can ask his advice on all manner of things.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: Where's great for shopping, you know, XYZ.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_02: And what we find normally is people, if they are here for a few days, they'll do our tour, they'll stop at all the big sites, but they'll decide, you know what, I really like the sound of all the history you've told me about Westminster Abbey, and they think, okay, let's come back here in a couple of days, let's do a deeper, let's go inside and let's really immerse ourselves and find out everything about the Abbey because we love the sound of that.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: So I think of it a bit like a taster menu.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_02: You have lots of courses, lots of bite-sized bits of stuff.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then yeah, if you have got time, then people often go come back and go inside the Tower of London or Westminster Abbey or or whatever else.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just a it's a it's a great way to get that overview with the stories and the information as you're driving around and asking the questions, to then you know, do your walk and tour later on in the week, go into the Tower of London, go into Westminster Abbey, um, maybe walk down South Bank, but you'll you'll it'll be familiar because you've had that opportunity to kind of to drive around.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: And and as I say, just to I think it's always just lovely when you arrive in London to be able to do that and have that first orientation.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: Because for a lot of people, if you're visiting London for the first time, so many of the things you're going to see, you'll you'll you'll be familiar with.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: You'll be familiar with Big Ben, you'll be familiar with the House of Parliament.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: You probably recognise Westminster Abbey from outside, you'll know Buckingham Palace, but to actually see where they are in relation to the river, to each other is a drive around.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think it really, really helps, gives you that perspective of London, and especially at the very start of your holiday.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's a brilliant way to start it off, in my opinion.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's it's a great way to launch yourself into the city for sure.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_02: And uh with we're here, you know, people they might have been here a day or so, and they do email us again, hey, you know, is there any chance we could do another tour?
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_02: Because what what people realise is they're sort of spoiled if they do the the tour from the airport or on day one because we make it so easy to glide around.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_02: And London is accessible, you know, our tube networks is really, really comprehensive.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_02: There's the bus and the boats and stuff like that, but suddenly when you you're back on your own, it gets a bit harder.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_02: So it it's quite often that people actually reach back out to us on day two and they're having a great time that they say, Hey, we really enjoyed that.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_02: We love the look of your Beatles tour, or do you do you know what?
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_02: We were thinking of going to the Cotswolds and we noticed you've got a new website.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_02: Do you think we could go to the Cotswolds tomorrow?
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: Would you be able to help us with that?
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: So people often they have a taste of of how convenient we make things and how easy it is, and then they might come back and say, Hey, can we do something else?
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_02: We really enjoyed the concepts of what you do.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_02: We don't want to do the same tour, but a variation of a different place or a different thing would be wonderful.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: And that that's actually a good segue.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Ollie, into let's chat about some of the tours that you offer.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: Because I've I've I've mentioned the touchdown tour.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: We actually have a a whole episode of the podcast.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think it's episode one three eight, where we kind of go into a lot of detail about what's involved in in the touchdown tour.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but let's let's talk briefly about some of the the kind of um the tours that you offer that like the very, very popular ones, like the touchdown tour, which we know a lot of people do because we talk about, but also some of the kind of more like the more niche ones that you've got going, like you've just mentioned, I think that's also worth saying, because also you do a bit of like a hidden secret London one as well, because uh we often get asked by people, I've been to London three or four times, I want to do something different.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: Well, going with you guys is the best way to find some of those those places that you you won't have found on on previous uh trips.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk through what it is that you offer, what what people can do.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there's certainly a whole variety of of the experiences you can have with us.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I suppose it makes sense to talk about the our Hidden Gems tour first.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um the London Detour, and that's a really popular tour for um someone that is returning to London, maybe seeing the big sites and as an sort of an experienced traveller here, or they're just a bit more intrepid by nature, they like the sound of seeing the underbelly of the city.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_02: And this tour really shines a light on the secret corners that people don't often go to.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_02: So we're talking medieval history, Roman history, street art, social history, talking about all the sort of things that the history books don't tell you, the social injustices and the darker side of London.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_02: You know, this city goes back nearly 2,000 years, and there's a whole array of stories and tales about all sorts of uh misdemeanours that we can tell you.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, these streets that look like an ordinary street, our our guides bring it to life and really take you back hundreds of years to what whatever was going on at that point.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, the London Detour it's called, and that is just focusing on hidden gems, and that's one of the um one of the tours that is very, very popular actually.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you know, you mentioned about people coming back, you know, several times, they want something different.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: We sort of see it as a challenge when people warn us on an email or on a notes when they book, oh, just to let you know, you know, I studied here in the 80s and I lived in London and I've been back here many times, so I do know it really well.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_02: We sort of take that as a challenge to show us how good we know the city and travel agents as well.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: We get we're lucky that we we, you know, lots of travel agents recognise what we do and they want, you know, to book it for their clients.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_02: And they've often travelled here many, many times, and they can't believe the stuff that we show them.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's sometimes very close to where they've been before, sometimes a bit further afield because we have got the wheels, so we can get out to places that are a little bit further away.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so yeah, we we do love the hidden gems tour.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, our theme tours are really popular as well.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, music, so we've got Beatles, and we've got rock and roll, which are great.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're a fan of of those golden eras of music, you know, we go to places where there's the studios used to be, where rock history was made, go up to Abbey Road, recreate the um recreate the the famous um album cover crossing, obviously.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um we'll show you where Paul McCartney still lives today, things like that.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: So uh that's a really insightful tour that takes you a little bit out of of the centre of zone one up to northwest London.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um Ted Lasso you know gaining momentum every year as people jump on board um that wonderful show.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm a huge fan myself, so uh we like people taking people down to Richmond, showing them where all those scenes were shot, showing them a bit more trivia as well in London because you can do Ted Lasso walking tours and they're great, but they are just based in Richmond.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: We're going to show you the stuff in London on the way out as well, so you get a bit more of a you know overall um experience when you do it with a vehicle.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we've got Jack the Ripper, so this is obviously a little bit more adult.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: We try, we're happy to do these all over time, but in the winter, especially they work really well when the evenings are getting dark early because it does lend itself um you know to that medieval crime setting around Whitechapel and Allgate.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_02: What else have we got?
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_02: We've got our countryside tours where we'll be going out of London, so Copswells is always going to be at the top of people's list.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we take you out to the outstanding area of natural beauty.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you'll learn about the architecture.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_02: There is some industry there as well, which is shine a light on, but uh for a lot of people that's just you know a different dimension to their their UK vacation.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_02: They see it going from the hustle of bustle.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Of the city of London, where there's you know nearly nine million people, and they're going out to these quaint little tranquil villages.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so we really like to show people how dynamic the UK is, and you get a bit of free time to wander around in the little cute shops and have a traditional pub lunch and stuff like that.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Bath, Windsor, and Stonehenge, we go to all of those on different tours.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_02: They're always going to be, again, sort of unmissable if you've got a few days here, give yourself a break from the city.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and we cover all of those also.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, the touchdown tour that we spoke about a little bit.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you can probably guess if you listen to this podcast what that might be.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_02: But that is a great tour where you um hit the ground running from the airport, meet and greet inside.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we often, if you are staying in a hotel and you've got the option of dropping your bags and you've done a red-eye flight overnight, we'll actually stop at your hotel on the tour.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_02: So then you've got the option of finishing at borough market for lunch, of you know, going in the Tower of London after the tour, that sort of thing.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_02: So that is is a really logistically that just is a winner.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, also, if you are staying in a service department and Airbnb, we haven't got the option of the luggage drop, but you're not going to get into your accommodation until two, three o'clock in the afternoon at the earliest normally, if there's been people staying the night before.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: So that's just the way that you can really use that dead time because you are a bit marooned.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_02: If you land at 7:30 a.m.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_02: and you can't get into your Airbnb till two or three o'clock in the afternoon, you're straddled with all your bags.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: What are you going to do?
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_02: So that's a way of really utilising your time.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so yeah, that there's some of our best-selling tours.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you can find us at I'm sure you put the link on the podcast anyway, but if you go to discover reallondon.com, um, then obviously you'll find all the information about them.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and um, if you want to book with Ollie, how do we how do people get in touch with you, Ollie?
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, anyone's got any questions, you can reach me directly at info at discoverreal London.com.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_02: You can book on the website.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, all of our tours were able to book in real time, so you can pay and you'll get a confirmation.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_02: One of our team will be in touch the night before your tour just to reach out, introduce themselves, reconfirm the details.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: They'll all be super excited to meet you.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um, all the guides are qualified, they all have the the taxis that I've been describing with the wonderful big um panoramic roof.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, we will be super excited to meet you.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_02: And please do give Tracy and her podcast and her Facebook group a shout out uh when you booked it, just let us know where you found us from.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's that's really helpful for us when people do that.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: We also have actually on our LondonTravelplanning.com website, we actually have an entire page that's dedicated to Discover Real London, and that's got photographs of myself and Doug when we've been on the tours.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's also got uh reviews from other um either people from our Facebook group or people we've done consults for, or people who just got in touch with with us via email and said, Oh my goodness, it was absolutely wonderful.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, Oh, is it can we can we share your review, please?
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I've put all of those um on the website.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: We've also got um a very popular, I was I was saying this to you um earlier, Ollie, we've got a very popular YouTube video that I just took um in January last year when when I was out with you just showing you where you were showing everybody the inside of the camp so you can actually see what it looks like in a black camp if you're not quite sure, can't visualize it.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I will link to that um YouTube video, which is I think we've had about five or six thousand views on that, Olli.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: So that's done really well.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um and maybe when I'm back we'll get we'll get an another one because I'll be back in the in the spring.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we can get because that's gone that has just gone really, really popular.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: So people obviously like to have a look and see you know what it is, what does it look like in summer the black cab.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I'll I'll link to all of those in the show notes.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'll obviously link to Ollie's website as well.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I'm sure I'll be seeing you later on this year.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: Ollie, and if if anybody out there, if you've got a book, let me know.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: Let me know how it goes.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Go into the Facebook group and tell us how amazing the trip has been.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, as always, Lolly, it's it's always great to chat with you about about Discover Real London, about visiting London.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's a it's a fabulous city to visit.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, is there any tips that you would share at the end of the podcast about anybody who's uh thinking about just visiting London this year or booking a tour with you guys?
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_02: I would say no matter what duration you're coming from, plan, plan, plan.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_02: Because London has got so much to offer in so many different dimensions, whether you're an art lover, whether you love the theatre, whether you love architecture, whether you love history, it has so much to offer.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_02: So I would really, really encourage people to um to do your research before you come.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_02: Because if you just get off the plane and you you jump on a train, you come into London and you think, what should we do?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: The things that are going to get shoved in your face is you know the stuff where tens of thousands of people are going to be doing as well, which yeah, some of them for good reason because they're great and they're unmissable and they're a you know UNISCO World Territory site or whatever, but you're you're not gonna be going off the beaten path, you're not gonna be going to that, you know, wonderful independent sandwich bar that's just you know lit up with reviews on Google, you're not gonna be going to that secret little rooftop bar, you're not gonna be finding the little operators that are doing a really quirky bike tour or a taxi tour like us or something like that.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_02: You're gonna be in the queues with everyone else.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_02: That's especially important if you you are coming in June.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so my top tip for everyone is just do your research.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_02: You know, Tracy's page is such a great forum and so alive with you know genuine travellers that are giving you know such invaluable advice.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_02: So get onto the Facebook group if you're not on there.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_02: There's so many great posts and links to to lots of people's experiences, um, and that's just you know a wonderful resource for you to get started on your research.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously using uh using our websites as well and and listen to the other podcast episodes because I'll link to your other episodes as well that you've been on.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now I know what we're only in February and we've got we've got months and months and months away, but I know there will be people listening to this podcast in November who are going in December, and I'm gonna give a big shout out because the Christmas lights, I have to say, do a black cab tour with with Discovery London and go and see some of those Christmas lights and book early because you guys get booked up, don't you?
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we've got we've got a great team and we have got a lot of capacity.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_02: However, you know, London is a really, really busy place at key times like December, like June, like July, and spring break and things like that.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_02: So if if you are sitting here on the fence, you're thinking, yeah, we'll book that at some point because you've got your flights, you've got your hotel.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it does happen that you know, on a Sunday in June when it is the FA Cup final or it is you know some sort of special day and we're at supercapacity, then um, yeah, you might just miss out on that experience.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_02: So I would say that the best thing you can do if you know that you're listening to this and you think you want to book a tour, then just pull the trigger.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_02: We can give you a full refund up to 48 hours before you travel.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, so um, you know, if something does happen, then you've got that window as well.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_02: So you haven't, you know, you haven't signed up indefinitely.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um we we inside 48 hours, then it everything is set in stone, unfortunately.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_02: So it is non-refundable.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, you've got the potentially months and months and months to decide.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_02: If it's not for you, then you can always get a refund, but at least you've guaranteed that spot.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: No, absolutely.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I I guarantee people people won't want to cancel because it's uh it's too good.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's too good to miss.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, it's a a different way of experiencing London and an excellent way of experiencing London.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I highly, highly recommend it.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I will put links um to Ollie's website and to um our website link and uh to the tours and the podcast and all the other things around uh Discover Real London in the show notes at uktravelplanning.com forward slash episode 191.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but that leaves me until next week for myself and Ollie.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: Bye Ollie!
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for having me, Tracy.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_02: Goodbye, everyone.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: Bye.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, everybody.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: Happy UK travel planning until next week.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: As always, show notes can be found at uktravelplanning.com.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: If you've enjoyed the show, why not leave us feedback via text or a review on your favourite podcast app?
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: We love to hear from you, and you never know, you may receive a shout out in a future episode.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: But as always, that just leaves me to say until next week, happy UK travel planning.