I'm trying to make the impossible happen....Visit London for 1 month, I need your input. Thanks.?

Question

Im 21, lived in Texas all my life ( we apologize about Bush and making us look like idiots)... anyway, im planning on saving $10,000 and heading out to London and stay there for 3-4 weeks. My question is:

is $ 10,000 enough for 3-4 weeks?

if not, what do you suggest?

any advice on what to expect?....

Im just tired of the same thing everyday!... i just feel like time doesnt move forward. Im tired of knowing what to expect throught the day.. i wish i would wake up one day and not know what the day will bring.

I've never even had a boyfriend!..... i basically grew up with everyone around here, we went to grade school, junior high, high school and now and now that im in college, I STILL SEE THEM!!... it would be too weird to go out with them... i have to get away atleast for one month!

P.S I have heard of youth hostels and im considering using them for my trip.

what do you think?

do you know any that you can recommend?

Answer 1

First of all, why are you re-asking this question?  You already have several good answers to the first time you asked this question where people informed you that $10,000 is plenty for one month in London ESPECIALLY if you are going to stay in hostels.

Second, why are you apologizing for Bush when you weren’t old enough to vote for him either time he ran for president ( suppose you could have barely been 18 for the 2004 election depending on when your B-day is)?

I think going to London would be great for you.  It is a great place for Americans to first experience international travel because the language there is English and it has so many transportation connections to other places in the UK and Europe.  Don't forget you will need a passport before going there.  I would apply for one early, they have been in great demand and the wait is quite long.  Also buy several guide books and maps and read them before you go!! (I recommend Rick Steve's London and England books: http://www.ricksteves.com) so you are prepared when you get there.  Locals aren't fond of loud or stupid American tourists who pull out big maps on the street or ask stupid questions (like where's the hotel? when you're a block away.)

Hostels in London are not very nice.  For the most part they are a lot dirtier than ones in the countryside of the UK.  If you really want to stay in one I recommend sticking to YHA hostels only.  You need to pay a small fee to become a YHA member and stay in these hostels but it is well worth it.  You can find info on them here:  http://www.yha.org.uk/.  I would recommend taking a few short trips out of London and also staying in YHA hostels elsewhere.  The YHA hostel is Bath is very unique!  It’s in an old converted mansion and definitely worth a visit.  I would use National Express coaches to get around London.  They offer special online rates for many destinations: http://www.nationalexpress.com/

If you are going to have $10,000 which is quite a lot I would just stay in hotels or B&Bs.  Bed and breakfasts are usually quite nice, and they provide you with a homey free breakfast.  Here’s one of my favorite sites for locating B&Bs in the UK http://www.4hotels.co.uk/.

Eat meals at pubs, do the London tourist attractions: Can’t miss the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Tower Bridge Exhibition, London Monument and the Imperial War Museum.  Cheers!

Answer 2

Wow, well it almost sounds like I wrote this! :P I am also planning a trip to London (for 1 month). I've also lived in Texas all my life, and I have never had a boyfriend either. I'm 22.

Now that I'm past all the coincidences, I think $10,000 would be MORE than enough for your trip. I'm planning on staying in hostels, and planning on (mostly) waking instead of using transportation, and I figured it would cost me somewhere around $5,000. That's including almsot $1,000 I will need to pay bills while I'm gone. I've been doing a whole lot of research lately by looking at http://www.hostelbookers.com and guidebooks that I've checked out from the library, as well as a lot of websites. Let me just say that the guidebooks have been really, really helpful. Some of them list cheap restaurants and all kinds of other tips. Plus, some might have a pull-out map inside the book, which is great so you can learn where it is you'll be going and what stuff is near each other.

Since I'll be doing a lot of walking, I've been checking out http://www.walkit.com/london to see how long it would take me to get from place to place. It's really fun to plan the trip! I'm also trying to find hostels around certain areas, then group the activities (sites, museums) around the hostels. Also, if you go to http://www.kayak.com , it searches the best deals on airfare for you. Try to be flexible with your dates, and you'll get a better deal. Just be careful and see how long any layovers are, etc. One time I was searching and realized that it made a 23-hour stop in one city. Yikes!

Oh, and if you are a student, I would get a student I.D. You get discounts on museums, etc. The I.D. is around $25 I think. It's up to you to see if it's worth it or not, but that's what I'm planning on doing. There are also things like the "London pass" which you may want to look into.

Also, buying tickets to attractions ahead of time will save you some waiting in lines (and maybe even $) when you get to London, BUT then you're kind of limited to doing things on certain days or trying to cram in activities.

Hmm, I can't really think of anything else. Have fun!

Answer 3

I agree that $10,000 will be more than enough. $5000 sounds more reasonable for a month long tour (You wont really have an element of luxury in that though)

I can tell you about places in London as I havent been out of London much but Manchester and midlands are good places to visit if you are planning a relatively long trip of a month. Oxford and cambridge are also popular with tourists(both under 90 minutes from London by train or bus). Buses are a lot cheaper for inter-city travel as compared to trains.

Don't forget to go to Hyde park regularly(my favourite park in London) You can also go to Lords cricket ground(the mecca of cricket). Free musems like natural hisory museum and the National art gallery are interesting places. Plus the favourites like Madame Tussaud's wax museum, London eye and London Dungeon.

And yeah, most Bread and breakfasts are quite reasonably priced($70-100) a night inclusive of coplimentary breakfast.

Anything else? :)