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Solo Travel in London : Trip Report with Melissa Jones · UK Travel Planning

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Your host is the founder of the UK Travel Planning website, tracey Collins.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: In this podcast, tracey 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.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: 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.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: So hi everybody.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: This is episode 127 of the UK Travel Plan podcast.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: At the moment, I'm actually sitting in St Helier in Jersey.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: It's the end of October.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: This episode is going out in December and I couldn't resist asking Melissa Jones, who I spent some time with in the last few weeks in London, to come on the episode and talk all about her trip report.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: So I'm not going to spoil it, but I'm just going to say that Melissa and I had some really fun days out in London.
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: So Melissa is here to talk about her trip, share her trip report with you guys, what she did, where she went, her tips for after her stay and basically, yeah, just to give us an overview of everything that she did and she saw during her trip.
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: So, melissa, enough of me gabbling on.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: Would you like to introduce yourself and just tell us a little bit about where you're from?
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: Sure, my name is Melissa Jones and I am from Pittsburgh, pennsylvania, and you were.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: this was your first trip to the UK, wasn't it?
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: First trip to London, so do you want to tell us a little bit about the background of how you ended up on this trip?
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: Sure.
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: So yes, this was my first trip to London and this was actually my very first time ever traveling internationally.
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: So I went on this trip alone, and I wanted to come to London because I love British history, especially everything revolving around Royal British history.
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: So this was really a long planned dream of mine to go on this trip.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so you were going to London as a solo traveler.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: You knew I was going to be in London on my own, so you contacted me to see if I'd come along on some of your adventures, didn't you?
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: I did because I was a little bit nervous.
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: As I said, I've never traveled internationally before and the fact that I was going alone, so I thought it would be great if I could connect with you, since we were going to be there at the same time and you were gracious enough to make time to meet with me.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: Oh no, it was great fun.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: So you're a member of our Facebook group, aren't you?
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: And a big podcast listener.
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so I originally discovered, I think, your podcast first when I started doing research looking for London travel sort of tips, and then I discovered your Facebook and your website page, you know, through the podcast.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: Brilliant.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: So when you started planning your itinerary, how did you go about that and how long were you there for?
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Was it about 10 days, Melissa?
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so I was in London for 10 days and I really started planning my trip by just making a list of all the things that were must-sees for me, and then I created a spreadsheet and started to sort of put things together based on location so I could try to optimize my time as best as possible.
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: And by the time I had discovered you and your planning services, I had already started to book things, so I couldn't really take advantage of that, but I was able to use your website to just kind of get some tips and tricks and to listen to.
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: You know, questions that were people were posting on the Facebook page, like the existential question of do I do contactless or an oyster card?
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: Yes, that question that comes up so often and which, of course, you know there is no right or wrong answer to.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: That is true.
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: So you say Absolutely.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: So how long were you planning the trip for?
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: I mean, was this like a short, quick kind of like right then to get myself sorted, or was this a kind of long trip in the making?
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: So it's something I dreamt of doing for a long time, but the decision was not made until around the middle to end of June, and then I made the plans to travel the beginning of October, so it was pretty quick turnaround.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you did.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: It did do kind of quick itinerary and get yourself sorted really quickly.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: So you flew from Pittsburgh directly to London.
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: Yes, I did.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: It was about seven and a half hours and when I landed I actually took the recommendations of using one of your partners, and everyone on Facebook had said such wonderful things about Riz from XFA, so I used him and it was great.
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: It really relieved some of the stress, especially for someone who hadn't traveled internationally.
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: I didn't have to worry about how I was going to get from the airport to my hotel and back again.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: I think that is so important and that's something we talk about a lot, whether you know especially, I think, if you're traveling solo, or even if you're not, if you've not been to the UK before and you're arriving after a long flight just think that for me, I just think it's a no-brainer.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: The easiest way to do it is just have somebody meet you there, pick you up, take you to accommodation and then you, just you start your holiday, kind of not stressed out anyway, that's.
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: I mean I'm planning.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: I'm actually, by the time this will come out, I've been in Rome, but I'm busy planning exactly the same thing.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: I want somebody to meet me in Rome and take me to my accommodation in Rome.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: I don't want to be faffing on at Rome airport and thinking right now where do I go, what do I do, how do I do it?
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: It's just an easier start to the holiday, isn't it?
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: So give us a rough outline of your itinerary.
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: Sure.
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: So one of the first places I wanted to go to when I got on the ground was Trafalgar Square.
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: In my office I have a sign on my wall that says London and how many miles it is from my house to Trafalgar Square.
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: So that was sort of the first place I wanted to go to.
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: And then I would say you know some of the things I did.
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: I went to Notting Hill, I went to Kensington Palace, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum at your recommendation Highclere Castle, westminster Abbey, tower of London.
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: I saw a show at the theater, I did a lot of shopping, I went to Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason and gosh where else?
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: To Harrods and to Liberty.
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: I did afternoon tea at both my hotel and at Claridge's and I even scheduled myself to get a little tattoo while I was in London to commemorate my trip.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: Oh yes, you're going to have to take a picture of that so we can see it.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: We can share that in the show notes.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: So you planned it.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: Also, how did you kind of go around kind of putting that together into a day-by-day itinerary, once you've decided which places you wanted to go to?
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: So I made sure to pre-book everything.
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: You know, everything I had heard you talk about on the podcast was to pre-book as much as you can, which I think was a great idea, because I almost never had to stand in line anywhere that I went.
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: So that was really nice.
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: And then I just started.
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: You know, for example, I wanted to see Buckingham Palace but they had shut down tours in the last day of September and they weren't resuming until I think they were doing a short stint in November.
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: So I didn't get to go there.
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: But I did get to go to Kensington Palace, which was absolutely amazing, and I just started to group things together as close as I could to location to try to save myself as much travel time and to be able to get as much in as possible in a day.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's a good idea.
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: And where did you stay?
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: In London, Melissa.
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: So I really debated about this.
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: I originally had considered staying over by Tower of London I think they also call that like the financial district, yeah, the city, yes.
• 7:38
  Speaker 3: But I really wanted to sort of be in the thick of things, and so, after looking at the resources on your website about places to stay and talking to some people, I knew it sounded like Covent Garden would better, at least for a first visit, suit what I needed to do.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: I wanted to be in the thick of things, I wanted to be close to things, so Covent Garden was like a three-minute walk from my hotel and that's perfect, because there's such a lot of great places to eat around that particular area as well, and also in the theatre district, so you've got all the theatres close by as well, and also you are very close to a tube, which again is something that I recommend, because I know what it's like.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: You know when you've been out all day and you walk so many you know 15,000, 20,000 steps and the last thing you want to do when you get back is have to walk another 20 minutes or whatever to your hotel.
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: Well, I know, I certainly don't.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: I want to be as close as possible.
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I realized after I started looking at my phone a few days in I was putting in between like four and seven miles of walking a day.
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: I didn't even realize that I was doing that, so that was quite amazing to see.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's absolutely incredible.
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: So should we?
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: Should we talk about your favorite places that you went to?
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: Oh gosh, that's really, really tough, I'm going to probably have to say.
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: I would say that Highclere Castle was pretty special to me.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: My mom and my daughter and I all watched the shows together for Downton Abbey, so it was great to be able to share that with you and not have to go on that trip by myself, so that was just kind of cool to see.
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: I would say.
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: The Victoria and Albert Museum I had not had that on my itinerary but I had a little free time and you suggested I check that out and it is just so beautiful inside and I really did pick what I wanted to see.
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: So, because you had recommended, you could kind of get lost in there and spend an entire day.
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: So I saw like the clothing, textiles and the jewelry.
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: I did go over to the cafe, at your recommendation as well, and it's absolutely stunning inside.
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: I wish my dining room looked like that.
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: I don't know, it is beautiful, isn't it?
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: And I really loved Kensington Palace.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: I just kind of got to roam around by myself on the grounds and inside and as I was about to leave Kensington Palace, a docent stopped me and started telling me stories about some of the fresco paintings on the wall.
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: So that was really special, that I kind of got a little bit of one-on-one time.
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's good and I'm so glad you say that actually about Kensington Palace, because I don't know, have you noticed in the Facebook group?
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: But it seems to be a real divisive.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: People really either love Kensington Palace or they just feel it was a waste of time.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: Personally, I think it's amazing.
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: It's where Queen Victoria was born.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: You can see where she was born.
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: You can see all the toys that she played with.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: I just think it's a great.
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: It's a great place to go and visit.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: So I'm glad you enjoyed it.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: I did.
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: I absolutely agree.
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: I mean, I remember standing there thinking Queen Victoria stood here in this room.
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: You know these are her toys from when she was a kid and looking at you know, like the King's Gallery, where all the artwork was, was just absolutely beautiful.
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: I was not disappointed in the slightest.
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: I felt it was absolutely worth the trip well, that's good.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: That's good to hear, because I totally 100 agree with you on that.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: So we went out to highclere together and that was really easy, wasn't it?
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: It's actually, it's actually a very easy day trip to take from london and we took that.
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: We met it.
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: Well, we met the tube station, then went to Paddington station and then caught a train which didn't take.
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: I think it took us about an hour, was about an hour to get out there it was, and it was a beautiful trip.
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: You got a chance to see kind of the English countryside and then when we got on the ground we were able to connect with a cab service to take us out to Hikler and he was a joy to talk to.
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: He was a lot of fun kind of salt of the earth guy he was, and then we arranged for him to pick us up.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: We should have probably arranged a bit a bit earlier than he did come, but we thought, oh, half past four sounded good, but, um, because I think the train was about 25 past five, I think, if I remember rightly, from Newbury.
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: But uh, yeah, I mean it was.
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: It was really good.
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: I thoroughly enjoyed that day as well, because I've been out there before, but it was.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: It was a lovely day out to go with you, and another thing that we did together is we did have a Sunday roast, but we also did a day tour of London with walks as well, which was really good.
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: I thoroughly enjoyed that because you know, I've been to the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey probably quite a number of times.
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: But I think the advantage of going with a guide is that I always learn something new.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, he was great.
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: His name was Kim and he was super friendly and just kind of easy to talk to and I felt like he helped to engage people in conversation and so we were able to kind of talk amongst ourselves and I thought it was a really full day but he made it fun because we had some little stops here and there.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: You know, westminster Abbey was just architecturally just a stunning place to be in and my daughter and I were very big fans of a TV show called Rain and it was all about Mary Queen of Scots, and so we got to.
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: I got to stand there next to Mary Queen of Scots tomb, so that was really amazing.
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: And then we walked by Buckingham Palace.
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: We got to see the changing of the guard and the Gershkas, which was a pleasant surprise.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: That was amazing.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: I've never seen the Gershkas before either, so that was fantastic to see that.
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: And then, of course, they were also at the Tower of London as well, so we saw them over there, didn't we?
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: We had a lovely.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: I mean, we had a really nice.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: I always recommend that people do a boat ride along the Thames, and that ride from Westminster to Tower Hill was great.
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: I mean, that was a really really good.
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: You get to see London from the Thames from a different angle, and that was also a really good chance to sit down and relax as well, wasn't it?
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: Yes, and you know the weather was beautiful.
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: We couldn't have had a more beautiful day and being able to take those photos as you're approaching Tower Bridge just absolutely amazing, like iconic visual there.
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so I really appreciated that boat tour because, you're right, it gave us a chance to sit down because we had been on our feet a good portion of the day.
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely.
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: And then, of course, we went for lunch in my favorite as well Trafalgar Square Cafe in the Crypt.
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: Yes, oh my gosh.
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: So I had been wanting to have fish and chips while I was there but hadn't had the opportunity yet, and so I had that when we went, and it was amazing, and you introduced me to Victoria's Sponge, which I think you said is Doug's favorite, so now it's one of my favorites.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: I know you're not as much of a fan, but I now love Victoria's Sponge.
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the crypt was, was really really good and that's, yeah, that's it was somewhere that I kind of always recommend, because if you're in that area Trafalgar Square area it's a great place to go and have lunch and it's not expensive either, which is it's another really good thing, and it's and it's good food.
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: So how did you find?
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: I mean, because obviously I think we spent maybe two or maybe three days.
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: We did stuff together.
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: So how did you find it?
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: Traveling solo the rest of the time?
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: Because we often get asked by people.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: It's like oh, I'm considering a solo trip, but I'm a bit worried, I'm a bit nervous, a bit apprehensive about it.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: So how did you find it?
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: So I really enjoyed it.
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: I was nervous about it again because I hadn't traveled internationally, but I wanted to be able to come and go when I wanted to.
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: If I wanted to stand there and look at the crown jewels for two hours, then that's what I wanted to do and I didn't want to feel guilty about it.
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: I would say that one of the things I was most nervous about was learning to use the tube, and everybody kept assuring me that it would be okay, that everything was marked well, and so my very first kind of outing by myself I went to Notting Hill, so I took the tube and literally once I got into the tube station it was as simple as just looking at the map.
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: I also use CityMapper.
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: Everywhere I went, citymapper was constantly open on my phone and I got there and back with no trouble and that kind of gave me a sense of confidence, and so then I was just out and about everywhere.
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: And it's really I mean, it's pretty easy to use.
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: It's a fast way to get around.
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: It's not particularly I don't think it's a particularly expensive way to get around.
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: And did you use any buses when you were there?
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: Did you just use the tube?
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: Melissa.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: So I would say I probably use more buses than the tube only because when you're in the tube you're underground, you're not seeing anything.
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: Now, if I was in a hurry to get somewhere, it was like later in the day I would use the tube.
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: But I use buses a lot because it allowed me to see more of the city as we were kind of going, you know, around the city now I know you had.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: You were talked about kind of tours they had booked, so you had.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: We had the tour booked at Highclere Castle that we did and we did the walks London in a day one but unfortunately you were going out to the Cotswolds but you you got sick so you weren't able to go on that yeah, that was really disappointing.
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: I was excited to kind of go out and see the English countryside and kind of get away and see those beautiful homes up there.
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: But, yeah, I came down with not feeling well for about two days and so I had to cancel that.
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: So that just gives me a more motivation to come back.
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: I was going to say you can add that onto your list for next time that you come back along along with other places in England and Scotland.
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: We've got lots of places we're talking about, weren't we?
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: It's like you need to go here, you need to go there.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: I mean, there's so many places.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: When you start talking about it, it's like there's just so much to go and do and see.
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: So let's talk about food, because we did have a Sunday roast and I know you did a couple of afternoon teas.
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: What were your favorites?
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: Kind of highlights of the different dishes that you had, foods that you tried.
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: So I would say that I'm now a massive fan of sticky toffee pudding.
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: I think I had that at dessert pretty much everywhere that I went you know the fish and chips which we talked about and then, when I told you I was going to Fortnum Mason, you said you have to get a scotch egg, and I knew what it was in concept, but I wasn't sure what it was going to taste like.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: So I got one, stood at a little table with a cup of tea.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, it was amazing.
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: I cannot wait to have another one.
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: Uh, it was really good, it's really good, and the piccadilly that they do it with is just that they pair it with is just delicious as well.
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: Did you get to go to pick and cheese?
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: I don't know if it was on your list to do I know I did.
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: I know we had talked about it, but I just didn't quite fit it into my schedule, I would say the coolest.
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: One of the coolest places I went to eat, though, was not far from my hotel.
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: It was the Old Bank of England Pub and it's just like a Victorian dream inside, and I went there and had like a braised beef pie with the gravy poured all over the top, and I had a cocktail while I was there and had my sticky toffee pudding, and it was just really, really beautiful inside.
• 17:44
  Speaker 3: I really like that.
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: Just the ambience of the place was great.
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: Oh, that's good to know and so have you.
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: I was just thinking we're talking about kind of foods and things that you didn't get to pick and cheese.
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: So next time you're in London, go there.
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: I there, I haven't been this trip myself.
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: I walked past it the other day and I was kind of like drawn to it.
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: I was like I haven't been and I was like I wonder if you'd managed to get there.
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: So how did you find?
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: Because you did a couple of very we did a couple of posh afternoon teas.
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: We actually had a kind of afternoon tea sort of when we went to Highclere as well, which was really good, and we went to Highclere as well, which was really good.
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: It was a lot better than I had expected it to be.
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: So talk us through your afternoon tea experiences.
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: So I did afternoon tea at my hotel, just because it was a little bit more laid back, and so I did that the day that I went to go see a show at the theater, just so I could have something before I went.
• 18:32
  Speaker 3: And then I went to Claridge's, which is someplace I've always wanted to go.
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: My mom loved everything art deco and Claridge's is very art deco, and so I made reservations there months ago, because you have to make them pretty far in advance.
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: So I went there and the interior was absolutely beautiful.
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: It was probably a little bit too fancy for me.
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: I felt a little out of place, even though I was dressed up and everybody was lovely and the service was great.
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: The food was great.
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: I had hoped to stop at the gift shop because there were some things I wanted to get, but the gift shop was closed that day.
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: They were doing some work, so unfortunately I didn't get to make any purchases, but I do recommend it.
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: I think it was a lot of fun.
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: It was worth it.
• 19:13
  Speaker 3: I'm glad that I went.
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: Perfect.
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: So that kind of leads us really nicely into purchases.
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: Melissa, you did buy some really lovely things.
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: Let's talk about what you bought and where, and obviously I assume you're going to mention how good some of the museum shops are as well, because they're my downfall.
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: Yes, I literally brought a small carry-on with me that was empty, just to bring stuff back.
• 19:35
  Speaker 3: I literally brought a small carry-on with me that was empty, just to bring stuff back, and I was fully prepared to box things up and ship them home if needed, because I wanted to buy as much as I could.
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: So I did a lot of shopping.
• 19:46
  Speaker 3: I went to all the big department stores, especially to their Christmas shops, and so I bought Christmas decorations that I could bring home and hang on my tree that I can always remember from my trip.
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: I bought a handbag for myself at Harrods and one for my daughter just a very, very little, small one at Selfridges, because she always wanted something from Selfridges.
• 20:07
  Speaker 3: I would say, you know, I went to every gift shop at every site that I went to and bought a little something, just because I could not help myself.
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: And I would say, you know, on Mondays in Covent Garden they have an antique market and I went early because it starts at like 5am.
• 20:25
  Speaker 3: I was there at like 7am and there were things in there that were reasonably priced.
• 20:30
  Speaker 3: There were things that were very expensive, but lots and lots of different vendors and I actually made several purchases there.
• 20:36
  Speaker 3: I bought my daughter a Victorian era like perfume bottle that a Victorian woman would have had on her dressing table.
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: I got my son a pair of binoculars and a leather case from World War I, and I bought myself a little framed painting and a piece of jewelry while I was there.
• 20:55
  Speaker 3: So I made some purchases, for sure, but it was just.
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: Those are things you're not going to see in the U?
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: S.
• 21:01
  Speaker 3: We're just such a young country in comparison that I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get these historical pieces.
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: Oh no, you definitely.
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: You bought some beautiful things.
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: I have to say that that little crystal perfume bottle is so pretty.
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: Has your daughter seen it yet?
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: Yes, I actually.
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: As soon as I got home home, I boxed up all the things that I got for her and sent them to her, and she absolutely loved it and she can't wait to find something to put inside of it oh no, I'm not surprised.
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a really good tip anyway, if you are planning to visit the UK, is to to bring a hold all with you for for all the purchases that you're going to make.
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: Um, I think somebody asked in the in the Facebook group the other day and I, and because they're looking for kind of unique and different purchases and we need to say, like going to covent garden, to the antiques market is a good idea, and I just said I'm a bit of a letdown because I just collect fridge magnets and ducks yes, yes, you're done.
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: I've got what?
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: About six more since I saw you last, I've got how many do you think you have in total?
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: Um, oh, I probably got about 12, I think.
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: Okay, but I'm really strict.
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: I'll only buy the historic duck or whatever the duck that goes with the place that I'm at.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: So I'm really strict about that.
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: So, because I did go somewhere I can't think where I was I was probably in Bath actually, and there's a shop in Bath that's got all of the ducks and I was like, no, I'm not gonna buy a London bus duck when I'm in Bath.
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: So I'm kind of a bit strict with it.
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: But anyway, that's kind of my little kind of joke to myself my Danville is a V&A shop because I just love all the patterns, all the scarves and oh, it's just so pretty.
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: So yeah, but definitely bringing something to hold or take it all back is a good idea as well.
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: So I guess that kind of leads us on to the last question that I always ask at the end of every episode.
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: Melissa, and I know that you're going to be back in the UK because obviously we've got to go to pick and cheese, we've got a few other things that we need to go and do and see that we didn't manage to pack in when you were over but what would be the one tip that you would share with anybody planning to visit London for the first time?
• 22:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I would say two things.
• 23:01
  Speaker 3: First is, don't be as intimidated by the tube as I was.
• 23:04
  Speaker 3: I made it out to be this big, scary monster before I even got there, but once I tried it I was perfectly fine.
• 23:10
  Speaker 3: So trust in yourself that it'll be okay.
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: And I would say.
• 23:20
  Speaker 3: The second thing is and I actually talked to you about this when I was there there were multiple times when I'd be gone away from my hotel for four or five, six hours at a time, and I was taking so many videos and so many pictures that my battery started to die on my phone.
• 23:28
  Speaker 3: And there were a few times where it was late in the day.
• 23:32
  Speaker 3: My battery was almost dead and I was worried like what if I don't get back to my hotel in time and I can't follow my map?
• 23:39
  Speaker 3: And it just caused me a great amount of anxiety.
• 23:42
  Speaker 3: So I would recommend always keep a spare battery with you.
• 23:45
  Speaker 3: I actually brought one with me on my trip, but I just always forgot to put it in my bag, and so I would just say make sure you have a backup battery with you, because you don't realize how much battery you're using with following city map or with taking videos and taking pictures.
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely A hundred percent.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: I always charge my battery overnight that's the thing that I make sure that I do and then pick it up in the morning, because I don't carry any cash or cards with me either.
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: I have everything on Apple Pay on my phone and I have a bit of a dread that if it conks out, not only will I not know where I'm going, I won't pay for anything either.
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: So so, no, that's a, that's a really good piece of advice to take a battery with you, but make sure that you charge it, make sure that you take it out with you, because I know I was going to let you use mine, but the battery lead was a different one for your phone from mine, so I couldn't.
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: I couldn't help you out.
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: But, yeah, no, that's a.
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: That's a really good tip.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: And also, I think you're absolutely right not to be too intimidated about the transport in London, because it's really easy and there's lots of people there that will help you out if you're stuck.
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: And I just recorded a video actually I must put it together of just showing how you tap in, because somebody in the group asked me to just do a little bit of how you tap in and how you tap out just to show how easy it is and not intimidating.
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: The main thing is really is to kind of plan your route.
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: I always say that plan the route out so that you've got an idea where you're going, because you don't want to be kind of standing as you're going through the gates or at the other end of it, kind of planning where you're going to be.
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: So it's just having an idea of which tube lines you're going to be on and what you're going to change to I think is useful.
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: And one of the things I did is, when you get underneath the tube, sometimes you just don't have cell signal, and so I would take a screenshot of which stop I needed to get off at, so that way at least, once I got on there, I could remember for sure what I needed to do, and when to get off.
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: So I didn't get confused.
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true, because, yeah, there's a lot of times you don't have any signal when you get down there, because some of those tube train lines are really deep, like built in the Victorian era, so they're not going to be thinking about wi-fi in those days.
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, they're pretty deep down.
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: I think they're trying to get wi-fi on the tube, uh, in the future, but at the moment you know you sit on there and you lose your signal and that's it so very helpful thing to do to take a screenshot.
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: But it's been really it's been so good to catch up with you yeah, absolutely.
• 25:58
  Speaker 3: I'm glad and thank you so much again for your hospitality and all the advice and spending time with me.
• 26:03
  Speaker 3: It really helped brighten up my trip that I didn't spend the entire time by myself, that I got to engage and hang out a bit.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: So thank you again oh no, it's fine and we've got plenty of photos.
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: So, um, that's another thing.
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: When you're traveling, you're trying to take photos.
• 26:17
  Speaker 2: It's really difficult, isn't it?
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: You have to stop people.
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: So we managed to get lots of photos, so I'll share some of those in the show notes as well, and we'll ask Melissa to take a picture of her tattoo, which was a London phone box.
• 26:28
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I got the little no, I ended up switching and getting the London double-decker bus.
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: Oh cool, All right.
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: Well, we'll to have a good shot of that.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: But thanks so much, melissa.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: So this episode is 127.
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: So the show notes will be at uktravelplanningcom.
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: Forward slash episode 127.
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: But thanks again, melissa, so good to talk to you, thank you, bye, bye.
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast.
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: As always, show notes can be found at uktravelplanningcom.
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: If you've enjoyed the show, why not leave us feedback via text or a review on your favourite podcast app?
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: We love to hear from you and you never know.
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: You may receive a shout out in a future episode.
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: But, as always, that just leaves me to say until next week.
• 27:14
  Speaker 2: Happy UK travel planning.