Actually the station platforms at Heathrow are not dirty; guess they want to give a good impression. And of course 99% of the time, the way it is set up, there will be 2 trains waiting at Heathrow 1, 2, 3.

As far as wearing the same outfit every day, that's what wash and dry is all about in this day and age, right!

My dear who wants to wear the same outfit everyday?

On holiday I always wear something different at least twice a day, three times if I choose to relax by the pool. I have to worry about having garments cleaned at home, cleaning doesn't feature on my holidays. My flight includes a 30KG hold baggage allowance, my cases usually weight in just under at around 28KG - I make use of something that I've paid for.

m_kingdom2

I don't really pay attention to whether the platform is dirty or not. I won't be spending too much time there and I wou't be lying on the ground. So not really a major concern.

As for traveling light, the laundry allows me to drop my clothes off and pick them the next day. And it is right around the corner from my B&B so it only takes 2 min to walk there and then I go across the street and catch the tube to go into Central London.

I would say most people don't change their clothes 2 or 3 times a day either at home or on holiday. I certainly wouldn't want to spend my time on holiday going back and forth to my hotel or B&B just to change clothes.
Most people could care less what you are wearing. You, as well as other posters have noted the vast disparity of what Europeans wear. I go on holiday to have a good time, not to go around and say "Look what I'm wearing!"

I quite agree that people don't care what other people wear, I do it for myself!

I don't change twice/thrice daily at home, as it's unusual for me to spend the entire day in public. On holiday I will have one outfit from breakfast to mid-afternoon, return to the hotel to relax by the pool in another outfit, then change for the evening into something dressier (if the need arises) or something casual (for a quiet night at some café).

I can't stand wearing creased/tired garments so I'll simply put them away after one wear.

On holiday I'm not paying to waste time doing mundane tasks, why take trains and buses and goodness knows what else when a taxi is fastest? Or if I want to experience the place I'll walk as this has a dual purpose of conveying one to one's destination whilst taking in the local flavour enroute.

To go back to my earlier point - people should wear what they normally wear at home. If I wore shorts and sportswear at home, I'd wear shorts and sportswear on holiday. However, as it stands I wear collections from mainly European (I think Marc's my only American) designers, they travel with me wherever I go.

I will, however, concede to repeating swimwear - I usually take two or three pieces with and operate them on a rota system - accessorising with different mules/thongs.

I agree with you - I love to walk wherever I go. As mentioned before it is one of the many free or low cost things to do in London or wherever you may be on holiday.

Yes, taxis are fast but they are also expensive. The cost to take a taxi for any great distance in London is prohibitive. Taxi drivers in London are among the most knowledgeable taxi drivers around but I would still never take a taxi unless it was an emergency.

Why would I want to go all the way to London to lie around a pool and relax? I could save a lot of money and do that here at home. BTW, I never have done that and never will. Boring!

My dear I agree, London isn't a sitting by a pool kinda town, however, Barcelona (my next summer port of call) gets very hot in the afternoon, and one can't be on the go from 8AM until 3AM everyday. A poolside interlude in the late afternoon allows one to refresh and relax to prepare for the evening ahead. There are set things I want to see whenever and wherever I travel somewhere, if I see those I regard any other time available as free - I'll shop and relax. Being on the go all the time is madness.

However, I live in London and do swim regularly to escape the stress - it improves your mood and allows more quality time when you are out exploring. When i refer to sitting by a pool, I only mean for a few hours at the most, I can never spend all day around a pool, what a waste of my wardrobe!

Being on the go all time is not my idea of a good time either. I do take breaks-sitting on a bench in St.James Park or Regent's Park on a cool fall afternoon- can't wait!

I try to avoid hot weather when I travel - I live in a warm climate which is why I prefer cool weather such as fall or early winter. Barcelona in Nov or even Jan anytime. The fall is my favorite season in Europe.

You've got your apostrophes confused dear - Regents Park (the apostrophe has been dropped) and St. James's Park.

Thank you for the correction. It has been 4 months since I have been to London and I have forgotten the proper usage of apostrophes! It must be time to come back for another London holiday! Enjoy your trip to Barcelona.

Mk2

Your mule has a bathing suit?:)

We have caught the tube to South Ken at that time of the morning. Incredibly easy and quick. And that's after the 23 hour flight from Australia. Enjoy!

The tube if you travel light since you have to carry them through the stairs. But I personally prefer the Heathrow National Express Bus.

I just returned from London, and if you want a car service from Heathrow, you can't beat the one I used, for the price. www.premierairportcars.com-I got a brand new Mercedes sedan for 33 pounds from Heathrow, and because I didn't specify for the return, I got a mini-van type vehicle to Heathrow, with no other passengers, for 26 pounds. Service was prompt, courteous, friendly-I would definitely recommend this over the tube when arriving early a.m., unless you have just carry-ons, and don't mind lugging suitcases up and down the dirty steps to the dirty Tube. I don't like subways, never have, (but am forced to use them from time to time) I prefer arriving to and from the airport in a less harried fashion, and I found the above-mentioned car service to be very acceptable in that regard.

Not to worry rj007. According to the Regent's Park website, they are still using the apostrophe. You can sleep easy tonight. :)

<u>www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/regents_park/</u>

Kayb95

Thank you for the reassurance. I wouldn't want the Queen to be upset at me for messing up the name of one her Parks. :)

Yeah, I heard she's dusting off the rack at the Tower for just such offenses. :)

For what it's worth, 200 or so years ago, the then Queen asked a minister what it would cost to enclose St James's park (then more or less the garden to St James's Palace, but by tradition open to the public). She was told 'Only three crowns, ma'am' (perhaps a couple of weeks' wages for a labourer), but before she could go on, he said 'the Crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland'. And that was the end of that....