Blog Archives
Secret London map
The graffiti tunnel on Leake Street is included in Time Out’s secret London map.
Shhh… Can you keep a secret? Time Out has a secret London map, including the Covent Garden restaurant with fire-eating acrobats, a petting zoo in Russell Square and a graffiti tunnel near Waterloo station. Categories include shops, parks, sights, bars and clubs and restaurants.
A guide to packing for a trip
I’ll admit it. I’m a procrastinating packer that frequently forgets my pajamas. Or my socks. Or my toothbrush. Or all of the above.
And so I’m delighted by all of the various travel packing guides, apps and old-school lists that are available online. It really takes some of the mental heavy lifting out of packing and ensures that you don’t forget the big (or small) stuff.
Is duty-free shopping really a bargain?
I’m running low on my favorite perfume, which started me thinking whether it would be worth waiting and buying it duty-free. With all of the deals at Ulta, Amazon, etc., I wondered how duty-free measured up.
I wasn’t alone. It seems that a host of news outlets from Esquire to USA Today asked the same question a few years back and the conclusion across the board was the same:
“Duty-free is almost never a deal for the casual shopper out to get a bargain,” says Jason Clampet, a senior editor for travel guidebook publisher Frommers.com. “You can save significant amounts if you’re a smoker who lives in a state with high taxes, but you’ll find that electronic goods, beauty products and luxury items such as designer purses usually cost less at home or online.”
There you have it!
Jigsaw’s Paris guide
I have been busily, joyfully planning our itinerary for our upcoming visit to Paris. Since it has been years since we last visited, I have been researching where to go and what to do, particularly what would be fun for our kids, as well!
British retailer Jigsaw has recently blogged about its favorite picks in Paris. Here are a few:
The Sacré-Cœur
La Tour d’Argent
Monmartre
Hotel du Petit Moulin
Read the full list, including what to wear!
27 extraordinary facts about the London Underground
Apologies for the recent BuzzFeed kick, but this was too interesting to not share! Check out their list!
What to bring back from the U.S.?
If you are a Brit, what would you most like me to bring you from the U.S.?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this since we’ll be visiting and want to have hostess gifts at the ready (yes, I said hostess gifts, not Hostess gifts, people!). Here’s what I’ve settled on:
1. See’s candy. I clearly don’t understand this when Brits have much better chocolate than we do, but it’s been requested before.
2. Ziplock bags. They’ve got nothing over there like Ziplock.
3. Covermate Food Covers. So much better than Saran Wrap.
4. Speculoos Crunchy Cookie Butter. I have no idea if Brits like this, but I like this and mentally thank its inventor every day.
5. Clothing. Shoes, jeans, whatever! I take requests!
What am I missing? What would you most want from the U.S.?
Paris? Oui!
So, we’ve added a few days in beautiful Paris to our upcoming European holiday!
We’ve been to Paris a couple of times (most notably, our honeymoon! Miel du lune!) I’m so looking forward to some amazing sights and even more amazing eats!
We’re getting into the French state of mind by watching a lot of Julie Delpy movies – especially Before Sunset, one of my all-time favorites.
(Check out the “Before Sunset” map of Paris! I will absolutely be adding some of these to our itinerary!)
Do you have a favorite spot in Paris? Any must-sees? I’m all ears!
Best shoes for traveling
I’m giving some serious thought about what shoes I should take on our upcoming trip to the U.K.
I was in complete spring mode, until I realized that the weather actually could still be wet and cold – particularly considering that they are getting fresh snow falling this week.
The secret to cheap rail travel
In my younger days traveling around the U.K. for fun, I relied heavily on the Young Persons Railcard (now called the 16-25 Railcard) to get the best train fares.
Fast forward quite a few years and I’m scoping out rail travel for our upcoming trip and holy bejeezus is it expensive to take the train! Our last trip out, we opted for renting a car (which believe me, is NO big discount considering the cost of gasoline in the U.K. but it certainly fared better than the cost for our family of four). It made sense at the time and we had a LOT of luggage.
But this trip, we’ve bought our Family & Friends Railcard, which provides 1/3 off adult fares and 60 percent off kids’ fares for a family of two adults, two children. All this for £28! There are a few restrictions – notably, you can’t travel during peak rush hour times (but why would you want to?) and it’s always advisable to book tickets in advance in case seats get sold out.
I’m looking forward to seeing the U.K. by train – it will certainly bring back a lot of great memories! Beautiful patchwork countryside, perfect little villages and when that gets dull, I’ve heard that some of the new trains even have individual TVs on the back of each seat! All aboard!
The trouble with booking a British hotel room
Premier Inn
I’ve been investigating hotels in the U.K. for our upcoming trip. Sounds simple, right?
I assumed my biggest challenge would be finding a room available, and maybe finding something in my price range (after all, the current exchange rate is 1.49, which means that a gorgeous room at the Savoy for £330 pounds converts to $494 and is decidedly out of our price range). And so it goes …
But no. The real challenge has been finding a hotel willing to accommodate a family of four. I’ve discovered that many nice hotels have a person limit and two adults and two children exceed capacity, unless you’d like to book a second adjoining room. I’ve realized that I’ve taken for granted the all-suite family hotel options that are a dime-a-dozen in the U.S. (with Embassy Suites being my #1 pick, particularly when Manager’s Reception comes around) but really it’s a concept that is sorely lacking in the U.K.
Which isn’t to say that there aren’t any “family rooms” available in the U.K. Some are available for a steep price. Others seem to get booked up months in advance. But thankfully I have tracked down larger family rooms with the Premier Inn hotel group, which have worked well for our needs. It’s still one big room (usually two double beds and a sofa bed, along with the option of adding a crib) instead of the suite-style option so it isn’t perfect, but we stayed at a Premier Inn near Heathrow Airport at our last visit in 2010 and it was very easy to book a family room for four (at a very good rate of under £200, as well). I’ve also read good things about Base2Stay, which has locations in Liverpool and Kensington. And of course, there’s always Airbnb.com, HomeAway.com and any of the other vacation rental sites if you’re looking for some extra space.
Do you know of a good family-friendly hotel in the U.K.? Please share!
BRITRISH.COM 