michaelpianko

I am a 32 year old single man. My workplace will be closed from December 24th and re-open the first Monday after New Year's Day. I am considering visiting London, England, during this time. If I only travel to London I expect that a few days to a week should be enough time and if I go to other towns in England I want my trip to be not more that 10-12 days. In general I like art museums, I want to see the major art museums, the archeology museum with the Rosetta Stone, and perhaps a few historic buildings (castles, Tower of London, and so on) and Kew gardens and possibly other scenery and the observation deck at the top of a building called the Shard. I haven't figured out if it is worth going to other towns and how difficult this would be. My mother thinks traveling in general is dangerous and she thinks I should sign up for a tour group if I do travel. Another thing, I have been a health nut for more than a few years, I am on a diet high in fruit and I swore that I would never eat restaurant food or food recipes again.

So my main question is, in your judgment or opinion, is it reasonable or appropriate for me to travel alone or am I better off with a tour group? This will be my second time traveling alone - I went to Montreal, Canada, stayed at a hostel, went on a walking tour and made up my own plans, and bought my own food from grocery stores, earlier this year, and I did not get mugged, attacked, or robbed. Wouldn't a tour group cause me to waste gobs of time sitting in restaurants, where I wouldn't want to eat the food? Maybe I could sign up for one or more walking tours without joining a tour group that gives a set intense you for the whole trip?

Is the Christmas-new years time a decent time to travel to London or will too many places be closed or will the weather or early sunset times inhibit my ability to see what I think I want to see?

Kathie

it is smart for you to travel alone - and very easy. If you want to take a walking tour one day, you can - no need for a tour group for that. Sitting in restaurants where you won't eat the food is the least waste of time on a tour. Many other things will eat up your time and money. And of course, London is very likely safer than wherever you live.

Christmas-NY is not great time for visiting London. Many places will be closed, and you will have very short, grey days. But if that is the only time you have - do it.

janisj

only time for a short response -- w/ your interests and especially w/ your dietary restriction few if any tours would work.

I'd probably not bother w/ Kew in late December (though there are things of interest it is a <i>garden</i

I'd look at renting a room in an apartment hotel -- you get the advantages of a hotel/front desk plus a kitchen/kitchenette to fix your own meal. Citadines is the biggest chain of aparthotels.

janisj

didn't see Kathie's post -- Christmas is a fine time to visit (I'll be there at the same time). Everything IS closed on Christmas day but otherwise most things are open most days. The very best choice for a fist visit - probably not, but not bad at all. If you have a kitchen you can make your own meals when everything is closed. I'm visiting at that time specifically to be IN London over the holidays (it will be my third visit this year)

If you are open to restaurants at all there are vegan/vegetarian restaurants.

WillTravel

You are fully capable of giving yourself a great trip in London and elsewhere. It can be fun to travel with a group, but I don't get the sense that's the experience you are looking for here.

You can also join one of the London Walks or London Free Walking Tours if you want to be part of a group for 2-3 hours. I love these types of walks and learn a lot too.

I have not tried it in London, but Meetup.com also makes it easy to meet people with your interests when traveling.

KyraS

For walking tours, try London Walks.

If you're very concerned about your diet, then rent an apartment and cook for yourself. I am sure you can find everything you would possibly want in London, whether it's from Whole Foods, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer or maybe the food halls at John Lewis or Harrod's.

I assure you London is very safe, assuming you use your big-city smarts.

In addition to no public transit in London on Christmas Day, some attractions will be closed around Christmas, so do check that what you want to do will be open. For example, I believe the Tower of London is closed 24-26 December this year.

The archaeology museum with the Rosetta Stone is the British Museum. If you are interested in art, you might like the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate (Britain and/or Modern), the Courtald Gallery, and more.

Some guidebooks might help you decide what you'd like to see.

And while it would be most impolite of me to contradict your mother, well, you are 32 years old and can do what you like and never mind what she thinks. In general I think travelling is probably less dangerous than, say, driving to the grocery store, but clearly my opinion is my own. Hope you have a good trip, whatever you decide.

justineparis

Well.. your mom is wrong.. but moms often are.. ( I am a mom too) travel to most of the world is not dangerous( war zones excluded of course) and may you may in fact be safer in many other places then where you live right now!

I definitely recommend going on your own.. tour groups will not provide anywhere for you to prepare food,, and most include at least breakfasts and often some dinners .. so what a waste of money to pay for something you would not want.

London is great to do on your own,, no language issues so that makes it easy. Tons of great museums.. I love the Victoria and Albert, and Imperial War Museum in particular.. and of course the Tower of London is a must do.. as well as the Royal British Musuem, the National Portrait Gallery, and the British Reading rooms..

I would also recommend an easy day trip to Bath to see the Baths( roman ruins and museum )..

I would not consider giving London less then 5 -6 days with all your interests.. but if you go as many as 10 days.. maybe do 2-3 days in PAris.. the Louvre, Orsay, and Cluny musuems are great.
Eurostar is train city center to city center.

What is budget for accomdation per night in euros or GBPs..

greg

For you dietary need, I can't imagine a worst combination than using a tour. I don't see why a tour is even on the table for you to waffle especially the rationale for the inclusion of the tour group option is doubtful.

Sassafrass

I am not crazy about winter travel. However, you are interested in museums and history, so it will be OK.

Definitely, no tour for you.

As to your Mom's concerns, my DD2 traveled on her own for five months in Europe when she was 20. When you drive to work or the Doctor or to a store or restaurant, you are, in effect, traveling. We are all traveling all the time, just sometimes we get to go places that are different or more interesting than those in everyday life.

So, "Go! At 32, Times a wasting." If you were my son, I would be even more adamant that you should travel - away from home, and soon.

Bath would be a lovely couple of days, but I second the idea of Paris, especially given the ease of doing it, and your interest in museums. You would be in heaven with the museums there. If you do, buy a multi-destination ticket: into London, train to Paris, home from Paris.

thursdaysd

I can't imagine what your mother has been reading! You are a young man planning to visit London, what on earth does she think is likely to happen?

The days wll be short and the weather probably grey and damp, but that means it's a good time for museums, of which London has very many, a number of which are free. Get yourself a good guidebook or three, and you will see that there is more than enough to fill as much time as you have. However, if you want to get out of London I would add Oxford or Cambridge, and perhaps York to Bath.

Forget Kew, it is extremely expensive and will not be at its best in December.

Another self-catering option, if you are on a budget, is some of the LSE student accommodation, which is available to non-students in the holidays. I just stayed in the Drury Lane property, and there is a handy Marks and Spencer food store just down the road. http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/Home.a....WKOiVRDD.dpbs

Bokhara2

Hello Michael

You have been given some excellent advice above.

With your interests, I'd think an apartment and doing your own thing to explore London would be perfect.

Apart from being necessarily more regimented & restricted in Itineraries, I think you'd find most tours cater for the first timers 18-25 or 60+ groups, as many people prefer the freedom of independent travel.

You have a good couple of months to research & make a rough Itinerary of what you would like to see & do.
I say "rough Itinerary" because the highlights of my trips have often been something I've heard of at the last minute and decided to do or see on the spur of the moment. Plan loosely - allow for serendipity.

There is a wealth of information available on the net - including some great Trip Reports here.

There are lots of special interest walks & talks you can do - google the galleries you're interested in

http://www.timeout.com/london

http://www.timeout.com/london/things...vents-calendar


Your mother may well think all travel is dangerous. That's ok. It's not her trip and at 32 you are hardly a baby incapable of making your own decisions or travelling alone, especially to somewhere as benign as London.

Go, have fun. Send your mother pics of your adventures.

nytraveler

If you're 32 I think you should stop letting your mother make your decisions, esp since she has some very mistaken notions.

Tour groups have many disadvantages, including very early starts - check out of room at 7 am, long days on the bus, limited/fixed meals (may not work with your restrictions) too little time in places you want to see in depth, more expensive than traveling on your own - and I don;t think would fit your plans. Getting to most places in England by train or bus is very easy. And there are numerous walking tours both in London and outside - check web site of London Walks.

Traveling to most places is not dangerous and traveling in London/England is neither dangerous nor difficult - except for the fact of when you are going. Many things are closed early on 12/24, on 12/25 almost everything is closed (including public transit) and 12/26 (Boxing Day) many things are also closed.

You should definitely do this on your own - it's easy - as long as:

You have the money set aside (England is not cheap compared to the US)

But do not underestimate how long this trip will take. For London I would allow 7 nights (6 days) and day trips outside need to fit your interests. (We loved Hampton Court Palace - esp great if you are interested in the Tudors.)

You can sort your food issue (if you won;t eat in restaurants you will need to rent an apt and cook your own food)

You are willing to do the research to figure out what you want to see/do (the "archeological museum" isn't - it's the British Museum/Library and has many other types of displays)

You can cope with the weather (chilly and often rainy, but not usually as cold as the northern US - snow is fairly rare) and short daylight hours (since England is so far north)

I think you would have a great time on your own, you just need to do the planning to make it happen.

bilboburgler

Kew, there are the greenhouses http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens tells you what to expect.

With a dietry constraint I'd stay away from long tours, I might do a day tour, say to Bath or Stonehenge just for the fun, but not for more than a day.

Look at Time Out http://www.timeout.com/london for stuff to do, even on Christmas day there will be walking tours and concerts for free going off.

Yes to an appartment hotel.

You will find the train system pretty good for getting about and long distance buses fill any gaps.

The only issue will be meeting people, go visit Pubs, maybe on a quiz night and ask to join a team.

kmowatt

I travelled to London on my own in my early 20's without issue...don't worry about that - and I continue to do it. Don't do a tour, London is an easy city to manage on your own. When you want company in a group take a London Walks as others have suggested. Janis gives good advice about looking for a flat or apartment style hotel...this will give you a kitchen or kitchenette allowing you to choose your own food, and London has excellent food options, even very healthy ready prepared options. I always stay in a flat now as it provides so much more flexibility...but since you stayed in a hostel in Montreal, not sure what your budget will be...if you need more info come back and advise on budget and if you've decided to go! I'll also be in London this Christmas...I think it's a great time to visit...London does Christmas well! Lots of lights, great window displays in the shops, and on Christmas Day you practically have the city to yourself which is rare...

MarthaT

London is easy to do on your own. Get a tube map which is very easy to follow and you can get anywhere.
You will need 5-6 days in London so no time to go elsewhere unless you do a day trip somewhere.
You will also find plenty of supermarkets in which to buy your fruit.

BigRuss

Do it on your own. The Brits speak a language akin to your own even if you don't know what rocket or aubergine is. Whatever really piques your interest in London can be supplemented with a London Walk or similar.

greg

They eat courgette while Americans eat zucchini.

michaelpianko

I stayed in a hostel in Montreal for 4 nights and paid approximately $145 US dollars total. I am not rich but my grandfather gave me a few thousands of dollars and my family told me to invest it or set up a retirement account but I am "blowing" it on travel. I am usually an extremely cheap person. I am not traveling for the sake of using the hot tub in an expensive hotel, I am traveling to see museums and experience the culture of another country(s). I logically think I should find some show or activity(s) to do in the evening after the museums close. I don't cook. I eat with a plate and fork if available but I have been known to eat things while walking or sitting on a bench, which I know won't work well if the weather is freezing cold. I eat fruit and sometimes sardines or other fish. My family health history is bad. Of course I am polite and I never eat inside buildings or on public transportation.

Less than 2 years ago I was at the Chicago art museum with my parents and I had to throw my food away because the museum will not allow food inside and they also refuse to hold your food at the coat/ bag check in place.

My mother's "job" is to over worry about my saftey. She also grew up in the ghetto in the city of Detroit, Michigan, where there is a higher than average rate of shootings and other criminal activity and she associates cities with crime and danger. What does she think will happen? I could get shot, mugged, robbed, attacked...

I don't have a strict budget but I think the airplane ride will be approximately $1,300 US dollars and I wonder if I can take the whole trip for under $2,000 or $2,500. A tour group would be approximately $2,500 at the minimum, not including the airplane tickets...

Bokhara2

I can understand your mother thinking the world is a frightening place if her background is of living in a place peppered with violence & she hasn't travelled anywhere to dispel her impressions.

However, the very well publicised reality is that the US has far more gun related violence than just about any other 1st world and a lot of 3rd world countries! You'd be at significantly greater risk staying home than travelling to London for a week!

As to your budget. Start crunching some numbers & work it out for yourself.

Hotels.com is a useful accommodation resource & you can find others here & by googling.

Art galleries & other venues publish their admission prices - work out what you want to do & see - and cost that against one of the "city pass" options.

Janisj is a frequent visitor & has a good handle on the London visitors' best deals. Lots of other posters do too, she's just the one who sprang to mind at the moment. Pull up her profile & have a look at some of her Trip Reports.

One more thing: get used to using the local currency. Talking USD won't mean much to other internationals contributing to your thread & you will need to use GBP on your trip, so you may as well start converting now.

nytraveler

OK - sights - esp indoor sights - are not going to allow you to being in food and eat it there. Which means you will need to eat in your hostel (your budget won't stretch to a hotel - but look for a hostel with a kitchen which should also have table and chairs). Let's Go Europe - a student travel guide has a bunch of info on very strict budget travel - including info on many hostels (most are good but some have theft or drug problems).

Get a copy and have a look at the recos. The standard thinking is that 60 euros per day (about $70) is the absolute minimum for europe - including hostel, street or picnic food (hard in winter for lunch) and local transit.

You are luck in that many museums in the UK are free. However, some of the other major sights are not: for instance entrance to the Tower of London is about $37 (but well worth it).

Also look into best options for tube (given the likely cold/bad weather when you will be there) since it is expensive versus systems in the US.